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aiFf or
Edmund Wale"; Holmej
CLA<f<;' OF 1872.

Westminster Commentaries
Edited by Walter Lock D.D.
IRELAND PROFESSOR OF THE EXEGESIS
OF HOLY SCRIPTURE

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH

WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
BY
G. W. WADE D.D.
SENIOR tutor of st DAVID'S rOT.LFOF,, LAMPETER

METHUEN & CO. LTD.
36 ESSEX STREET W.C.
LONDON

First Published in igii

PKEFATOEY NOTE BY THE GENERAL EDITOR.
THE primary object of these Commentaries is to be exe
getical, to interpret the meaning of each book of the
Bible in the light of modern knowledge to English readers.
The Editors will not deal, except subordinately, with questions
of textual criticism or philology ; but taking the English text
in the Revised Version as their basis, they will aim at com
bining a hearty acceptance of critical principles with loyalty to
the Catholic Faith.
The series wUl be less elementary than the Cambridge Bible
for Schools, less critical than the International Critical Com
mentary, less didactic than the Expositor's Bible ; and it is
hoped that it may be of use both to theological students and to
the clergy, as well as to the growing number of educated laymen
and laywomen who wish to read the Bible uitelligently and
reverently. Each commentary will therefore have
(i) An Introduction stating the bearing of modern criticism
and research upon the historical character of the book, and
drawing out the contribution which the book, as a whole, makes
to the body of religious truth.
(ii) A careful paraphrase of the text with notes on the
more difficult passages and, if need be, excursuses on any
points of special importance either for doctrine, or ecclesiastical
organization, or spiritual life.
But the books of the Bible are so varied in character that
considerable latitude is needed, as to the proportion which the

VI NOTE
various parts should hold to each other. The General Editor
win therefore only endeavour to secure a general uniformity in
scope and character : but the exact method adopted in each
case and the final responsibility for the statements made will
rest with the individual contributors.
By permission of the Delegates of the Oxford University
Press and of the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press
the Text used in this Series of Commentaries is the Revised
Version of the Holy Scriptures.

IT may be well for the General Editor of the Westminster
Commentaries to add a special word of Introduction to this
Commentary, for in it the modern principles of literary and
historical criticism are applied to a new sphere, the sphere of
prophecy, and to that book which has always seemed to come
nearest to the New Testament and to contaiu a Gospel before
the Gospels ; and that with results for which the ordinary
reader is scarcely prepared.
(i) Criticism has now for many years prepared ordinary
readers of the Bible to find two authors combined under the
name of Isaiah, the prophet of Hezekiah's reign and the prophet
of the ExUe who encouraged the Jews in Babylon with hopes of
their return. But here the principle is extended further ; not
only are three distinct prophets postulated, but it is assumed
that the original prophecies of each have been subsequently
re-edited, with additions intended to bring the teaching home
to the needs of later generations. "The Prophecies of Isaiah"
wiU then be parallel in title to the Laws of Moses or the Psalms
of David ; they will mean the prophecies of Isaiah himself and
of later writers writing in his spirit and adapting his teaching.
If this is so, the problem of exegesis is confessedly a very
difficult one, almost as difficult as if the Psalms had come down
to us in one continuous whole, unbroken by any divisions, and
we had to decide where each new Psalm began and ended and
what was its date and who its author. So here the commentator
has to separate each chapter and eaeh part of a chapter and

NOTE VII
decide the date and author and application. It is quite clear
that there must be an element of what is precarious and
subjective in such decisions, and it cannot be claimed at any
moment that the last word has been said. Yet it must always
be remembered that such decisions are never arbitrary or
capricious, they are not attempts to explain away anything or to
prove foregone conclusions : they are the attempts to face real
internal difficulties in the text, to explain exactly what the
author meant and at what point in history the words were
spoken. (ii) This same truth has another and a more important
bearing upon the application of the language of Isaiah to Our
Lord Jesus Christ. In the first days of Christianity, if any
earlier language was found appropriate to the facts of the
Lord's life, it was treated as though it had been a conscious
prediction by the prophet of those facts. This was the way in
which St Matthew applied the prophecy of Emmanuel, and
Philip the Evangelist, with most of the writers of the New
Testament, applied that of the Servant of the Lord. But all
modern criticism has emphasized the truth that texts cannot be
quoted without respect to their context and that the message of
the prophet was primarily a message for his own time. This
view is emphasized strongly in this Commentary : the conscious
predictions of a future Messiah are minimized : the King who
is entitled Immanuel is interpreted as an actual King expected
in the lifetime of Isaiah : the " Servant of the Lord," even in
the most personal traits, is treated only as a personification of
the nation of Israel : and it is denied that there was in the
writer's mind any thought of one individual. Here again no
commentator would claim that he has said the last word, and on
this last point modern critics are stiU much divided. But let us
assume that this view is correct, that there was no conscious
prediction of a future Messiah in either of these passages : yet
it does not follow that they are not rightly applied to the Lord,
nor is anything implied which derogates from His Nature and
His work. Rather the reverse : such an impression did His life
make on those who witnessed it that they saw realized in it
all the ideals pictured in the noblest visions of the past : here

VIII NOTE
was the ideaUy righteous man, the ideal King, the ideal sacrifice :
nay more, language at first applied to the work done for the
Gentile world by the whole nation could be more truly applied
to Him : on this theory. He does not " so much fulfil predictions
as realize ideals."
I have quoted elsewhere and would venture to quote again,
as extraordinarily applicable to the feelings of the first disciples
for their Master, the sonnet in which Shakspere speaks of the
object of his love, —
When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights
And beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead or lovely knights,
Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty's best,
Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,
I see their antique pen would have expressed
Even such a beauty as you master now.
So all their praises are but prophecies
Of this our time, aU you prefiguring,
And, for they looked but with divining eyes,
They had not skill enough your worth to sing :
Por we, which now behold these present days,
Have eyes to wonder but lack tongues to praise.
So the early Christians felt that all praises in their old
Scriptures, whether of individuals or of the nation itself, were
but prophecies, prefiguring Him, yet falling far short of what He
really was.
There is a further illuminating thought which results from the
view that the Servant of the Lord was primarily the nation : as
such it was an ideal not of one but of many, of a whole com
munity ; and therefore though One may have summed up its
meaning in Himself, it waits for its complete fulfilment in the
whole Church, in the Body as well as in the Head : it is we who
have to fill up that which is lacking of the sufferings of the
Servant, to complete that which is still so far from complete of
the Revelation of His message to the heathen world.
WALTER LOCK

PREFACE.
^HIS book suffers from having been produced under certain
-*- disadvantages. In the first place, the plan of the series
in which it appears has made it expedient to leave unnoticed
many matters which, if the accompanying text were that of the
Hebrew Bible and not that of the EngUsh Version, would claim
attention. Secondly, the necessity of compressing the com
mentary into a single volume has rendered brevity essential,
and has restricted me to stating as concisely as possible my own
conclusions only, without, in general, any mention of divergent
views, save where such are specially interesting, or where a
decision has been exceptionally difficult. Thirdly, the pressure
of College duties has allowed me little time to spend upon the
book except my vacations (which have been almost entirely
occupied with it for a number of years), so that, since it had to
be published within a reasonable period, I have been unable to
acquaint myself with more than a portion of the voluminous
literature relating to the subject. These drawbacks imposed by
circumstances are supplemented by defects arising from my own
limitations, of which I have become increasingly sensible as my
undertaking has progressed. Consequently, in bringing my work
to a close I am acutely conscious of its imperfections, and feel
that I am ending when I really ought to be beginning: Cum
consummaverit homo tunc incipiet, et cum quieverit aporiabitw.
Of previous commentaries I have used those of Gesenius
(1821), Dillmann-Kittel (1898), Duhm (2nd ed. 1902), and Marti
(1900) in German, Condamin (1905) in French, and Delitzsch
(trans. 1889), Cheyne {Prophecies, 5th ed. 1889, Pol. Bible,
1898), G. A. Smith (1889-90), Mitchell (1897), Skinner (1896-8),

X PREFACE
Whitehouse (1905-8), and Box (1908) in EngUsh; and to all
of these I am under great obligations. I am also indebted to
Giesebrecht's Der Knecht Jahves des Deutero-Isaia (1902),
Littmann's Uber die Abfassungszeit des Trito-Isaia (1899),
Oheyne's Introduction to the Booh qf Isaiah (1895), Driver's
Life and Times of Isaiah (2nd ed. 1904), R. R. Ottley's Isaiah
according to the LXX. (1906), Davidson's Old Testament
Prophecy (1903), Oesterley's The Evolution of the Messiamic
Idea (1908), Peake's The Problem of Suffering in the O.T.
(1904), Batten's The Hebrew Prophet (1905), and Workman's
The Servant of Jehovah (1907). For the Hebrew text I have
used Kittel's edition in Biblia Hebraica (1906) and Cheyne's
edition in Haupt's Sacred Boohs of the O.T. (1899); and
I have constantly consulted the Oxford Hebrew Lexicon (1906),
Hastings' Dictionary ofthe Bible (1898-1904), and the Encyclo
pcedia Biblica (1899-1903). Various other works which have
proved of service are mentioned in the foot-notes ; whilst there
are many besides which have been suggestive or informing in
different ways, but which it is impossible to enumerate in detail.
Finally, I have received help from several friends. The book
has been read both in MS. and in proof by the Warden of Keble
College, Oxford, whose advice has been of much value. The
proofs have likewise been read by the Rev. Dr Burney, FeUow
of St John's College, Oxford, whose criticisms have enabled me
to correct many errors and inaccuracies. The readings of the
Syriac version have been verified for me by the Rev. W. H.
Hayman, M.A., formerly Lecturer in Theology at this CoUege ;
whilst most of the Biblical references (which are uniformly to
the R.V., save where the Hebrew is indicated) have been verified
by another former colleague, the Rev. B. Davies, M.A. To each
of these friends I desire to express my sincere gratitude for
their kindness.
G. W. W.
Lampeter.

CONTENTS.
FAQE
Inteoduction :
Chapter I. The Structure of the Book op Isaiah i
Appendix : The Book of Isaiah in the N.T. . vii
Chapter II. Proto-Isaiah.
§ 1. Hebrew Prophecy and its Credentials . viii
§ 2. Life and Times of Isaiah .... xvii
§ 3. Theology of Isaiah . . . xxxii
Appendix : The Chronology of Isaiah's Times xl
Chapter III. Deutero-Isaiah.
§ 1. Origin and Date ... .... xiii
§ 2. Jewish Histoiy in the interval between Isaiah and
Deutero-Isaiah . . ... .Iii
§ 3. Theology of Deutero-Isaiah . . . Iviii
Chapter IV. Trito-Isaiah.
§ 1. Origin and Date . Ixvii
§ 2. Jewish History in the interval between Deutero-Isaiah
and Trito-Isaiah  . Ixxiii
§ 3. Theology of Trito-Isaiah ... . . Ixxix
Commentary on Proto-Isauh and Appended Prophecies 1
Additional Notes :
On i. 9 (The title Lord of hosts) ... 12
On vii. 14 — 16 (The Prophecy of Immanuel) . 52
On xi. 1 — 9 (Vei-gil's Messianic Eclogue) . 85
On xxvi. 19 (The expectation of a resurrection) 170
Commentary on Deutero-Isaiah . . . . . 248
Additional Note :
On xiii 1—4 and allied passages (The Servant of the
Lord)  345
Commentary on Trito-Isaiah  356
Chronological Table . . . . . • • 423
Index ....  425

ABBREVIATIONS.

Aq. Aquila's Version.
COT. Schrader's The Cuneiform Inscriptions and the O.T. (translated by
Whitehouse), 1885—1888.
DB. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898—1904).
DCG. Hastings' Dictionary of Christ and tfis Gospels (1906—8).
EB. or Encyc. Bib. Cheyne and Black's Encyclopcedia Biblica (1899—1903).
HBA. Rogers' History of Babylonia and Assyria (1900).
HCM. Sayce's The Higher Criticism and the Monuments (1894).
HPM. M"Curdy's History, Prophecy, and the Monuments (1894—1901).
JE, Prophetic Source of the Hexateuch.
JTS. Journal of Theological Studies.
Kings. Bumey's Notes on the Hebrew Text ofthe Books of Kings (1903).
Lex. HArew and English Lexicon of the 0. T. By Brown, Driver and Briggs
(1906).
LOT. Driver's Introduction to the Literature of the O.T, ed. 7 (1898).
LXX. Septuagint Version.
„ Luc. „ „ Lucian's recension.
„ N Sinaitic MS.
„ A Alexandrine MS.
„ B Vatican MS.
NSI. Cooke's North Semitic Inscriptions (1903).
N.T. New Testament.
O.L. Old Latin Version.
O.T. Old Testament.
OTJC. W. R. Smith's Tfie Old Testament in the Jewish Church, ed. 2 (1892).
P. Priestly Source of the Hexateuch.
R.V. Revised Version.
Rel. Sem. W. R. Smith's Tfte Religion ofthe Semites, ed. 2 (1894).
Sam. Driver's Notes on the Hebrew Text ofthe Books of Samuel (1890).
SBOT. Cheyne's Critical Edition ofthe Hebrew Text of Isaiah (1899).
Sym. Symmachus' Version.
Syr. Syriac Version.
Th. or Theod. Theodotioii's Version.
Vulg. Vulgate.

INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I.
The Structure of the Book of Isaiah.
When the Book of Isaiah is referred to elsewhere in the Bible
virtuaUy all parts of it are represented as the work of the writer whose
name it bears. In Ecclus. xlviii. 23 — 25 (circ. 180 B.C.) it is said of
the prophet that In his days the sun went backward; and he added life
to the king. He saw by an excellent spirit what should come to pass at
the last ; and he comforted them that mov/rned in Sion. He shewed the
things that should be to the end of time, cmd the hidden things or
ever they came. This statement obviously has in view cc. xxxvi. — Ixvi.
(see xxxviii. 5 — 8, xl. 1 f., Ixi. 2, 3, xli. 25 — 27, xliv. 28), which must
therefore have been united; and since cc. xxxvi. — xxxix. are only an
appendix to the prophecies included in the preceding thirty-five cc,
it may be inferred that in the time of the writer of Ecclus. the whole
sixty-six cc. formed one book passing as Isaiah's. Similarly in the
N.T., passages are cited from various parts of the book as being equally
the utterances of Isaiah, e.g. i. 9 (Rom. ix. 29), ix. 1 — 2 (Matt. iv. 15,
16), vi. 10 (Job. xii. 40), xxix. 13 (ML vii. 6—7), xl. 3 (Matt. iii. 3),
Uii. 4 (Matt. viii. 17), Ixv. 1 (Rom. x. 20).
Certain portions of the book, however, can be shewn, by the internal
evidence which they contain of their origin, to be the products of a
later age than Isaiah's ; and from this it foUows that the book in its
present form is the work of an editor. But an examination of its
contents further makes it clear that it is not a collection of separate
prophecies derived from various sources, which have been combined
by a single editor, but that it is a combination of several earUer
coUections, each of which must have had its own editor. It reached
its present shape by a lengthy process, its compilation being effected by
various stages ; and the completion of it was not accomplished imtil
many centuries after Isaiah's Ufetime.

u INTRODUCTION
That the existing book is not a collection of prophecies by a single
hand but an amalgamation of several prior coUections of less compass
is indicated by the following facts. (1) WhUst the whole book has a
heading, describing it as the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz (i. 1),
similar headings occur elsewhere within the book (see ii. 1, xiii. 1),
which look like the titles of smaUer works which have been incorporated
in the larger. (2) Great disorder is observable in the arrangement of
some of the prophecies. Thus c. vi., relating to the call of Isaiah
(about 740), might be expected to be placed at the beginning of
the book (cf Jer. i., Ezek. i.) instead of in its present position ;
xxviii. 1 — 6, which is addressed to the kingdom of Ephraim and so
must have been written before 722, whilst that kingdom was stiU in
existence, should precede, instead of foUowing, c. xx., which was
composed in 711 ; ix. 8 — 21 and xvii. 1 — 11 ought chronologicaUy to
be grouped with cc. vii., viii., since like them, they belong to the reign
of Ahaz ; and xvii. 12 — 14 is aUied by contents and date with x. 5 f
and was composed in the reign of Hezekiah. Such disorder points to
the fact that the final editor was not free to place the cc. in their
natural sequence, according to their chronological order or the character
of their subject-matter, but found the prophecies in question already
occupying particular positions. (3) The historical section (cc. xxxvi. —
xxxix.), which is attached to cc. i. — xxxv., has the appearance of being
the conclusion of a coUection which once existed apart from the
cc. (xl. — Ixvi.) that foUow it. From these features it may be inferred
that certain smaU aggregates of prophecies attributed to Isaiah were
first of all circulated separately, that these were subsequently united
in a larger compilation, and that at a stiU later date other prophecies,
contained in cc. xl. — Ixvi., which may be assumed to have constituted
originally distinct coUections, were added to this, thus bringing the
book to its present size.
The primary sources from which the earUest coUections of Isaianic
prophecies were derived were doubtless the records which on certain
occasions the prophet himself ordered to be made of his utterances.
Brief predictions of great importance he sometimes directed to be
committed to writing at the time in order that their tenor might be
accurately compared with the event (see viii. 16 and xxx. 8). Longer
oracles were perhaps written down in a summarized and revised form
by the prophet at a later date. Other prophecies, again, may have
been preserved by the independent action of his disciples, who would
naturally from time to time make coUections of the oracles uttered by

INTRODUCTION iii
their master. Records would also be composed of historical events
with which the prophet was associated, and these would enshrine the
memory of noteworthy predictions relating to them (such as that
contained in c. xx.).
The authentic prophecies of Isaiah are comprised within cc. i. —
xxxix. These cc. faU naturaUy into three groups, cc. xiii. — xxiii. being
marked off from the preceding twelve cc. by having a separate heading,
descriptive of authorship, prefixed to the initial prophecy (xiii. 1 —
xiv. 23), and distinguished from the succeeding twelve cc. by the title
burden (or oracle), which is used to designate the large majority of
the component prophecies in this group, but is absent from the group
that foUows (except in xxx. 6). Each of these three groups was
probably at one time an independent coUection.
The first group consists of ce. ii. — xu. (the separate heading in
ii. 1 shewing that it was not originaUy preceded by c. i.), and includes
oracles that date from both the earliest and the latest periods of the
prophet's career. The fact that the account of his prophetic caU
(which occurred in the reign of Uzziah) appears as c. vi., instead of
being placed at the beginning, renders it probable that it once formed
part of a separate document from which the editor did not see his way
to extract it in order to put it in its natural position. These cc.
(ii. — xii.) seem, indeed, to contain several such documents or minor
coUections, which may perhaps be delimited thus: u. — iv., v., vi.
1 — ix. 7, ix. 8 — xii. 6. Of these c. v. is made up of two parts, one
of which, vv. 25 — 30, has lost its true connection, it being reaUy the
conclusion of ix. 8 — 21. Chapter vii. 1 — 17 looks like an extract from
a biography of the prophet, recording the circumstances under which
certain of his oracles were deUvered. The arrangement of the in
dividual prophecies within these smaUer coUections seems in general
to have been guided by chronological considerations ; but it is probably
not without design that several of the coUections close with a passage
of consolatory purport (see ii. 6 — iv. 6, vi. 1 — ix. 7, x. 5 — xii. 6).
After the first collection had been compiled, c. i. (which, like c. v.,
is a combination of stray oracles) was probably prefixed to it as a
general introduction, a purpose for which it is exceUently adapted.
The superscription (i. 1) presumably has in view the contents of
cc. i. — xii.
The second group consists of cc. xiii. — xxiii. This is distinguished
from the foregoing not only (as has been said) by the superscription
prefixed to c. xiii. ascribing it to Isaiah the son of Amoz, and by the
w. I. h

IV

INTRODUCTION

title oracle applied to ten of the prophecies, but also by the fact that
the constituent prophecies are mainly addressed to foreign nations\
They are only partiaUy Isaianic in origin, those which can with
confidence be assigned to Isaiah being few : of the latter, one (c. xx.)
appears (Uke c. vii.) to be derived from a biography. The insertion
of these Isaianic oracles here seems best explained by the assumption
that the editor of this coUection was distinct from the editor of the
earUer one, in which such oracles would be more in plaoe, but to the
collector of which they were not knovra. To this group the prophecy
contained in cc. xxiv.— xxvii., which is of an Apocalyptic character,
forms a kind of appendix, though it lacks a descriptive title.
The third group is composed of cc. xxviii.— xxxiii. It has no
separate superscription, but its unity is evidenced by the faot that aU
the cc. (except c. xxxii.) begin with the exclamation Woe (ox Ho!).
This coUection consists almost entirely of prophecies by Isaiah, which
(with the exception of xxviii. 1—6 and xxxii. 9—20) belong to the
reign of Hezekiah. At the end of it is attached a prophecy (cc.
xxxiv., xxxv.), which is not Isaiah's, but later than the Exile. The
resemblance to xi. 10— xii. 6 (the end of the first coUection) which
is shewn by xxvii. 12, 13 (the end of the second), and by c. xxxv. (the
end of the third), aU the passages predicting a restoration of dispersed
Jews, favours the beUef that the same principles have governed the
intemal arrangement of aU the three large coUections, at least to the
extent of concluding each of them with a section of hopeful tenor.
When these groups were combined, there was added at the end of
the compilation an historical section, taken from the books of Kings
(a work not completed before 561, during the Exile, see 2 Kgs. xxv. 27)',
and containing an account of certain occurrences in which Isaiah was
concerned, the purpose of the addition being to round off the record
of his prophetic work, just as the section 2 Kgs. xxiv. 18 — xxv. 30 was
supplied at the end of the prophecies of Jeremiah (see Jer. Iii.). In regard
to the arrangement of the three collections within the comprehensive
work, cc. i. — xxxix., the separation of the two containing the bulk of
Isaiah's prophecies by the group of oracles (mainly anonymous) con
cerning foreign nations may be accounted for by the desirabUity of
bringing the Isaianic oracles treating of the deliverance from Assyria
in the time of Hezekiah into close juxtaposition with the concluding
1 Of the oracles to which headings are prefixed, the only one that does not
apply to a foreign people ia u. xxii.
2 See Driver, LOT. p. 198.

INTRODUCTION v
historical section which deals with the same period. Finally to this
composite aggregate of Isaianic and other writings there were subjoined
two other collections of anonymous prophecies, one (cc. xl. — Iv.)' com
posed in the sixth century between 546 and 538, and the other
(co. Ivi. — Ixvi.) probably dating (save for the last two vv.) from the
fifth century — not later than 445.
The attachment to the prophecies of Isaiah of a number of others
of different authorship is paraUeled by what has taken place in the
instances of Jeremiah and Zechariah, to whose writings there have like
wise been appended works of extraneous origin (see Jer. 1., U. 1 — 58,
Zech. ix. — xiv.). Such a proceeding has perhaps in some cases been
occasioned by a confasion of names, two prophets of different dates
but bearing the same or similar appeUations being mistaken for one
another. The name Isaiah was not an uncommon one ; and instances
of it in both its forms (see p. xvii) occur in 1 Ch. iii. 21, xxv. 3, 15,
xxvi. 25, Ezra viii. 7, 19, Neh. xi. 7. But it is probable that more
frequently such appended compositions were anonymous, and were
attached to the writings of famous prophets either that they might
be the better preserved, or even through the mere accident that a roU
containing the work of a writer of note was only partiaUy fuU. There
must, however, have been a special reason why so large a number of
anonymous writings have been appended to those of Isaiah, and it has
been suggested that it has been due to the wish to render the works
of that prophet considerable enough to be placed by the side of those
of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, with whom it was deemed fitting that he
should be associated". Perhaps in the case of cc. xl. — Ixvi. a more
plausible explanation of their position is the fact that in c. xxxix.
Isaiah is represented as predicting a captivity in Babylon, and this
being identified with the deportation thither of Jewish captives by
Nebuchadrezzar, it may have been thought that so eminent a prophet
must have foretold their release likewise, and these cc. were considered
to contain his prediction of it. The ascription of them to him would
be faciUtated by the occurrence of a prophecy of the destruction of
Babylon in the coUection cc. xiii. — xxvii. In regard to some short
passages of seemingly aUen origin which are combined with Isaiah's
authentic utterances, another reason has probably been operative.
There was always sufficient motive amongst the Hebrews for the
1 This collection seems itself to consist of two groups, viz. xl. — xlviii. and
xlix. — ^Iv.
' See Cheyne, Introd. to the Booh of Isaiah, p. xvii.
62

vi INTRODUCTION
enlargement of their early writings by the inclusion of additional
matter in the mere desire to make them more useful to later genera
tions, especially by stimulating in a distressed community hopes of
deliverance and restoration. In antiquity generally, a sense of the
rights of authorship was comparatively little manifested ; and writings
were valued by the Hebrews more for their capabiUty to edify than for
their historic or Uterary interest. Hence Jews of the exiUc or post-exUic
periods would feel no hesitation in supplementing eighth century pro
phecies, if they were of a depressing character, by incorporating with
them fresh prophecies of the consolatory tenor that contemporary
conditions seemed to demand. Of the supplementary matter which
may have been added from the motive described, examples are to be
found in vi. 13 (last clause)\ xxviii. 5—6, and probably ii. 2—4.
Of the dates when the successive coUections were formed it is
impossible to speak with confidence. Probably the process of uniting
together the separate prophecies of Isaiah that were in circulation was
begun by the prophet's personal followers, and some of the smaUer
coUections are doubtless pre-exilic. Of tbe three larger coUections
that make up cc. i.— xxxix., the first and third, which consist mainly
of Isaianic writings, are probably earUer than the second. But since
each of them contains insertions of post-exiUc origin (e.g. xi. 10 — xii. 6,
xxiv.— xxvii., xxxii. 6—8, xxxiii. 21—24, xxxiv., xxxv.) none can
have reached its present shape until tbe post-exilic age. The com
bination of the three into the composite work, cc. i. — ^xxxix., probably did
not take place until the third century B.C., inasmuch as the historical
section (cc. xxxvi. — xxxix.) which closes it seems not to have been trans
ferred from the books of Kings until after 300 b.c. : at any rate the writer
of Chronicles (circ. 300 B.C.) whilst alluding to the vision of Isaiah
as one of the authorities for the reign of Hezekiah (apparently with
reference to what is related in cc. xxxviii., xxxix.) seems to imply that
it was contained in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel
(2 Ch. xxxii. 32)^^, and not in a collection of Isaiah's prophecies. In
regard to cc. xl. — Iv. it may be inferred, from tbe fact that xliv. 28
seems to be quoted in 2 Ch. xxxvi. 22, 23 (= Ezra i. 1, 2) as Jeremiah's',
that in the time of the Chronicler (circ. 300) these cc. were stiU a
1 This does not seem to have been inserted until after the production of the
LXX. version, from which it is absent.
' This work is not identical with the canonical books of Kings (see Driver,
LOT, p. 528).
' It is possible that the writer of Chronicles has in view Jer. xxix. 10, though
this seems unlikely.

INTRODUCTION vii
separate work, and not yet incorporated with the writings of Isaiah.
The addition, however, of both these cc. and cc. Ivi.— Ixvi. to the
earUer compUation, cc. i. — xxxix., was presumably effected before the
close of the third century B.C. The whole book, cc. i.— kvi., seems
to have reached its present form by the beginning of the second
century, since (as has been seen) reference is made to the last twenty-
seven cc. as Isaiah's work in Ecclus. xlviii. 22 — 25, which probably
dates from circ. 180 B.C.
The foUowing is an analysis of the book. The non- Isaianic parts
of cc. i. — xxxix. are placed within brackets, smaU insertions being
ignored. (i) Proto-Isaiah : cc. i. — xxxix.
(a) First Collection : i. [ii. 2 — 4], ii. 5 — iv. 6, v. 1 — 7, x. 1 — 4
+ V. 8—24, vi., vii.— viii., ix. 1—7, ix. 8—21 -i- v. 25—30, x. 5— xi. 9,
[xi. 10— xii. 6].
(b) Second Collection : [xiii. 1 — xiv. 23], xiv. 24 — 27, xiv. 28 —
32, [xv. — xvi.], xvii. 1 — 11, xvii. 12—14, xviu., [xix.], xx., [xxi. 1 — 10,
xxi. 11 — 12, xxi. 13 — 17], xxu. 1 — 14, xxu. 15 — 25, [xxiii.], [xxiv. —
xxvii.]. (c) Third Collection : xxviii. 1 — 6, xxviii. 7 — 29, xxix. 1 — xxxii. 8,
xxxu. 9 — 20, xxxiii., [xxxiv. — xxxv.].
(d) Historical Supplement : [xxxvi. — xxxix.J.
(u) Deutero-Isauh : cc. xl. — Iv.
cc. xl. — xlviii., xlix. — Iv.
(iii) Trito-Isaiah : cc. Ivi. — Ixvi.
Ivi. 1 — 8, Ivi. 9 — Ivii. 20, Iviii. — lix., k. — kii., Ixiu. 1 — 6, kiii. 7 —
Ixiv. 12, kv. — kvi.

APPENDIX TO CHAPTER I.
The Book of Isaiah in the N.T.
. The book of Isaiah is more frequently quoted in the N.T. than any other
writing of the O.T. Many of its predictions and statements are described as
"fulfilled" by incidents narrated in the Gospels or by conditions obtaining in
the early Church; whilst others, though not actually cited, have left their mark
upon the language of St Paul and St John. In the notes attention is drawn to
most of the passages to which reference is made by the N.T. writers ; but it
will be of service to collect here the more important.

viu INTRODUCTION

Is. vi. 9—10

Matt. xiii. 14, 15, Joh. xii. 39, 40.

vii. 14

Matt, i, 22, 23.

ix. 1, 2

Matt. iv. 15, 16.

xxix. 13

Mk. vii. 6, 7, Matt. xv. 8, 9.

xl. 3—5

Mk. i. 2, 3, Matt. iii. 3, Luke iii. 4r-6.

xiii. 1—4

Matt. xii. 18—21.

xlix. 6

Acts xiii. 47.

Iiii 1

Joh. xii. 38.

Iiii. 4

Matt. viii. 17.

Iiii. 7, 8

Acts viii. 32—35.

Ixi. 1, 2

Luke iv. 18—21.

CHAPTER IL

Pkoto-Isaiah (cc. i. — xxxix.)
§ 1. Hehrew Prophecy and its Credentials.
Among the Semitic peoples, as among other races, it was believed
that knowledge which was not ordinarily accessible to men, especiaUy
knowledge of the future, was sometimes imparted through special
channels. It was thought that superhuman powers, which either con
troUed, or had cognizance of, coming events vouchsafed intimation
of the same either (a) by means of signs in physical nature, or
(b) through revelations made directly to the human mind. Informa
tion about future events was occasionaUy communicated to the
individuals whom it concerned, without the agency of any medium
specially qualified to convey or interpret it, the significance of
physical portents or of dreams and other impressive psychical ex
periences being understood at once by those to whom such occurrences
happened'. But usuaUy the desired information was obtained through
persons endowed with exceptional aptitudes for the function of re
vealing what the gods or other spiritual powers were wiUing to disclose.
Those who claimed to be able to ascertain this secret knowledge through
external objects were, as a class, called diviners, whilst those to whom
revelations were made through visions, spiritual intuitions, or un
controllable impulses were usually described as seers or prophets.
The ominous sights and sounds in the material world which con
stituted the province of the diviner were thought to occur everywhere ;
and there were few things from which it was not believed that intima
tions, serviceable for human guidance, could be derived. Prominent
^ See Gen. xx. 3, xxviii. 12 f., 1 Kgs. iii. 5.

INTRODUCTION ix
among the sources whence in antiquity omens could be deduced were
those objects or creatures which seemed to be nearest to heaven, such
as the stars, birds, and perhaps clouds. Others were trees with their
quivering foliage, sacrificial victims, and the fall of lots. Augury
through birds prevailed chiefly among the Greeks and Romans', and is
scarcely mentioned in the Bible; but divination through the stars
was widely prevalent among the Babylonians (Is. xlvii. 13)"; and it
is possible that the Heb. word commonly rendered soothsayer
(Is. ii. 6) means an observer of clouds. Trees were believed by the
Hebrews, as weU as by the Greeks', to convey Divine communications :
there was an oak of the augurs near Shechem (Jud. k. 37 mg.) ; and
in David's time the rustling of the mulberry trees in the vaUey of
Rephaim was taken as an indication that the Lord had gone out
to battle (2 Sam. v. 22 — 24) ^ The use of sacred stones for the
purpose of drawing lots is iUustrated by the Urim and Thummim, which
seem to have been two gems or pebbles carried in some receptacle,
the faU of one or other, when the receptacle was shaken, being held
to determine which of two alternatives was the right one (1 Sam.
xiv. 41 LXX.)"- An appeal to the arbitrament of the lot is also
impUed in Jud. xx. 9, 1 Sam. x. 19 — 21, Jonah i. 7, though the
means used is not stated. The shaking of arrows (belomancy), which
perhaps had various alternatives inscribed on them, is mentioned in
Ezek. xxi. 21 as employed by the king of Babylon ; and possibly a
kindred method of augury by wands (rhabdomoMcy) is referred to in
Hos. iv. 12°- Divination by the drawing of lots was practised before
images, which were presumably regarded as the source of the decisions
obtained. Images used in this connection were the teraphim (Zech.
X. 2, Ezek. xxi. 21), which must have been models of the human body
or bust (cf 1 Sam. xk. 13 — 16) and perhaps symbolized deceased
ancestors (even if they were not actuaUy mummies), and the ephod,
which seems to have been a plated figure of some kind (Jud. viii.
' According to Cicero intimations of the future were thought to be obtainable
from birds by the Cilieians, Pisidians, Phrygians, Pamphylians, and Arabians
(de Div. 1. §§ 2, 92, 94) ; and Tacitus asserts that the same belief prevailed among
the Germans, though their distinctive practice was to deduce omens from the
neighing and snorting of horses (Germ. x. §§ 3, 4).
^ Cf. Cic. de Div. i. §§ 2, 91.
' At Dodona oracles were obtained from an oak : cf. Hom. Od. xiv. 327 — 8, tAv
S' is AiaSiivriv ipiro ^^/tCKai, oippa Beoio 'Ex Spvbs i\pixbii.oio Aios /SouXV iwaKoiffai,
* Possibly the palm tree under which the prophetess Deborah sat when judging
Israel (Jud. iv. 5) was regarded as a source of inspiration.
" Cf. MoNeile, Exodus, pp. 182—184.
8 Of. Hdt. IV. 67, Tac. Germ. x. §§ 1—2.

X INTRODUCTION
26, 27, xvii. 3—5, 1 Sam. xxi. 9), possibly representing Jehovah—
at least this is suggested by passages like 1 Sam. xxiii. 9, 10 and
xxx. 7, 8. Other methods of augury aUuded to occasionaUy in the
O.T. are hydromancy (Gen. xliv. 5, 15) and the inspection of the
entrails of victims (Ezek. xxi. 21)S whilst the rite of passing children
through the fire (2 Kgs. xvi. 3, xxi. 6, Jer. xxxu. 35) was possibly
practised with a similar end in view (see p. 363).
Revelations conveyed directly to the human mind by spiritual
beings might proceed from either ghosts or gods. When it was
desired to consult the ghosts of the dead (necromancy) it was usual
to apply to a class of persons who claimed to be able to raise spirits
from the Under-world or otherwise bring them into communication
with the living (1 Sam. xxviii. 3 1, Is. viii. 19). But intimations from
the dead could also be obtained by spending the night in the neighbour
hood of their tombs (incubation, cf Is. kv. 4)^ the dead man's spirit
appearing or speaking to the sleeper in a dream. In Israel necro
mancy was held to be incompatible with fidelity to the Lord, and was
early prohibited (Ex. xxii. 18, 1 Sam. xxviu. 3). Communications
from gods were generaUy thought to be imparted through prophets^
Prophets are mentioned in the O.T. as existing among several Semitic
peoples beside the Hebrews, as, for example, the Syrians or .Arameans,
the nation whence Balaam came (Num. xxiii. 7), and the Phoenicians,
whose god Baal, when his worship was introduced into Israel, was
served by 450 prophets (1 Kgs. xviii. 19). Amongst the Hebrews
Jehovah was beUeved to disclose His wiU aUke by dreams*, by Urim,
and by prophets (1 Sam. xxviii. 6) ; but eventuaUy divination by Urim
passed into abeyance, and it was the prophets who came to be regarded
as the normal channel for the Lord to employ in making known His .
mind to His people (.Am. iii. 7, cf Deut. xviii. 18), though the drawing
of lots for the ascertainment of the Divine decision between two
alternatives never altogether lost its attraction (cf Acts i. 26).
It is stated in 1 Sam. k. 9 that one who in later times was caUed

1 Cf. Diod. Sic. II. 29 (of the Babylonians), oiiic do-o^ws xoioOi^es koX ra wepl riiv
lepocTKOTlav. ^ Cf. Cic. de Div. i. §88 (of Amphiarans), ut ab eiw solo, in quo eat humatiu,
oracla peterentur.
' A usual name for a prophet was a man of God (2 Kgs. iv. 22, 27, viii. 4).
^ So in Homer, dreams come from Zeus (II. i. 63). Pausanias (i. 34) relates
that at Oropus Amphiaraus, who was there worshipped as a god, gave revelations
by dreams. Oracles at Amphiclea were similarly given by Dionysus through
dreams (id. x. 33).

INTRODUCTION

XI

a prophet was, in the age of Samuel, caUed a seer. It does not appear,
however, that the word prophet was not in use as early as the time
of Samuel (see 1 Sam. x. 5, 10), but that it was employed in a more
restricted sense than was common afterwards, se^ and prophet being
then appropriated to two different classes. The term seer^ described
one who possessed, or was credited with, an exceptional faculty of
foresight, or of such insight as enabled him to discern facts which
were not apparent to ordinary observers (see I Sam. k. 6, 9, 20) ;
whereas the term prophet was appUed to a man mastered by some
violent excitement or frenzy, both the exceptional faculty of the one
and the excited condition of the other being attributed to Divine
origin' and regarded as means whereby God sought to influence the
community at laige. Seers were probably in general men of some
individuaUty and capacity, whilst the prophets of Samuel's time were men
of emotional temperament who usuaUy gathered in bands, a circum
stance which would naturaUy intensify the lack of self-control which
characterized them. As the appearance of these bands coincided with
the stru^le of Israel against PhiUstine domination, it has been
plausibly su^ested that they were the spontaneous product of the
insurrectionary movement, into which reUgious fanaticism must have
largely entered (zeal for national independence and zeaJ for the
nation's God being in that age practicaUy indistinguishable). Pro
phesying was originally the raving of these frenzied zealots', whose
utterances were often stimulated by music (1 Sam. x. 5, c£ 2 Kgs.
iii. 15)*. What they said in their excited state (attributed as this
was to the infiuence of the spirit of God, cf 1 Sam. x. 10, 11) led them
to be regarded as "forth-teUers " of things Divine, or perhaps " spokes
men " for God (see Jer. xv. 19, and cf Ex. iv. 16), though at first much of
their speech must have been only haJf-inteUigible'. But such com
panies of wUd enthusiasts, which most periods of religious conflict
tended to create, were capable of being organized and tumed to
^ Hebrew has two words for seer, DKT and Hin (1 Sam. ix. 9, 1 Ch. ix. 22,
xxix. 29, 2 Ch. xvi 7, 2 Sam. xxiv. II, Am. viii 12, etc.).
- Cf. Terg. A. vi. 78, 79 (of the Sibyl), Baeehatur votes magnum si pectore possit
Exeusasse deum.
' Cf. 1 Kgs. xviii. 29 (of the prophets of Baal).
* The term prophesying came to be used in connection with the musical service
of the Temple (I Ch. xxv. I, 3).
' The word K*3J (prophet) seems to be akin to an Arabic root which in certain
conjugations means to acquaint, inform, cf. also the Assyrian nabu, call, proclaim,
name. But some connect it with the root y2i to bubble up, pour forth. See Lex.
e.v. and W. B. Smith, The PropheU of Israel, pp. 390—391.

xii INTRODUCTION
account ; and at a later date bodies of men caUed sons of the prophets'^
were settled in orderly communities or guilds (perhaps at sanctuaries,
2 Kgs. ii. 3, 5) under the direction of some influential leader (1 Sam.
xk. 20, 2 Kgs. iv. 38, vi. 1), who presumably trained them in his own
religious faith and ideals, and used them as agents in promoting the
purposes which he had at heart (2 Kgs. ix. 1 f ).
The function of the earliest seers, so far as can be judged from
the narrative in 1 Sam. ix., did not necessarily involve any ethical
qualities ; and probably the chief ethical feature about the companies
of prophets in the time of Samuel was their patriotism : but from the
age of Samuel onwards^ there emerged from among both these classes
(which became indistinguishable, the names seer and prophet heing used
synonymously, cf 1 Sam. xxii. 5 with 2 Sam. xxiv. 11)' a succession
of men conspicuous for their spirituality and for the decisiveness with
which they afiirmed moral principles before kings and people alike.
The germ of the later ethical prophetism existed, no doubt, earUer than
the age of Samuel. Moses is termed, not inappropriately, a prophet
in Deut. xxxiv. 10, Hos. xii. 13 ; and so far as he was responsible for
the earliest Hebrew legislation, he must have had moral aims in view.
Unfortunately, however, it is impossible to decide how much of the
Pentateuchal laws date from Mosaic times, since even the most
ancient, such as those contained in the two decalogues (Ex. xx. 1 — 17,
xxxiv. 12 — 26), and in the book of the covenant (Ex. xxi. — xxiii.),
shew tiaces of having assumed their present form after the conquest of
Canaan, when Israel first began to practise agriculture. Probably
they were all framed in a greater or less degree under the influence of
prophets contemporary with the early monarchy; but it wUl be
sufiicient in this brief notice of prophetic activity prior to Isaiah
(which is intended merely as a preliminary to an account of that
prophet) to iUustrate the spirit of early prophecy from the records
comprised in the historical books, only citing a few parallels from the
earliest legislative codes.
The features in the history of the prophets from Samuel to Isaiah
which are of most interest for the purpose of comparison are three.
(a) The prophets were the champions of the religion of Jehovah
1 In this connection sons is equivalent to disciples : cf. the correlative father in
1 Sam. X. 12.
^ In Aots iii. 24 the succession of prophets is represented as beginning with
Samuel. ' Compare the powers of the prophets Elisha in 2 Kgs. v. 26, vi. 12 and Ahijah
in 1 Kgs. xiv. 4 — 6 with those of the seer Samuel in 1 Sam. ix. 20.

INTRODUCTION xiii
whenever its claim to the exclusive aUegiance of the people was
threatened by the intrusion into the land of foreign cults (which
generaUy foUowed the contracting of alliances with external powers').
In combating alien religions in Israel they did not hesitate to use or
support violence. Elijah put to death the priests of the Tynan Baal,
and Elisha instigated Jehu to conspire against Jehoram, whose father
Ahab had been responsible for tolerating the Baal worship to which
his wife Jezebel was devoted. The wholesale massacres by which Jehu
exterminated the house of .Ahab and which afterwards evoked the
censure of the prophet Hosea (i. 4) seem to have been approved by
EUsha. It seems probable, too, that the prophet Ahijah contributed
to the disruption of the kingdom in the reign of Rehoboam by
encouraging the ambition of Jeroboam, his motive being indignation
at the erection by Solomon of shrines for the foreign deities worshipped
by his wives^.
(b) The prophets were the upholders of social moraUty, and
denounced acts of outrage and oppression committed by the powerful
upon the weak'. Their conception of the nature and character of the
Lord was ethicaUy a high one, and it led them to condemn in His
name deeds of tyranny. Nathan rebuked David for compassing the
death of Uriah and committing adultery with his wife, and announced
that punishment from the Lord would overtake him for his sin;
whUst EUjah, when Ahab obtained the vineyard of Naboth after
Jezebel had brought about the death of its owner, assured the king
that the blood of the murdered man would be required of his house.
From the narrative of the deaths of Jehoram and Jezebel at the hands
of Jehu it would appear that antagonism to Baal worship was only one
of the causes behind the successful conspiracy, and that Elijah's de
nunciation of Naboth's murder first prompted Jehu to his work of
vengeance. (c) But whilst the prophets here under consideration were not
backward in denouncing religious and moral offences, there was absent
from their denunciations any foreboding of overwhelming disaster in
store for their country. Though defeats and other calamities were
from time to time predicted for the nation by reason of the sins of
1 Cf. Ex. XX. 3, xxii. 20, xxiii. 24.
' Another prophet, Shemaiah, opposed Behoboam's attempt to recover bis lost
provinces (1 Kgs. xii. 21 — 24).
^ Cf. the prohibitions in Ex. xx. — xxiii. against wronging the stranger, the
fatherless and the widow (xxii. 21 — 24) and wresting the judgmeut of the poor
(xxiii. 6).

xiv INTRODUCTION
its rulers (1 Kgs. xxii.), there was no prevaiUng tone of pessimism in
regard to the future. In the nation's conflicts with foreign enemies
the prophets were generally sources of confidence to their countrymen.
Samuel was instrumental in giving the people a king to deliver them
from the PhiUstines', just as Deborah before him had inspired Barak
to put an end to the domination of the Canaanites ; whilst both Elijah
and EUsha were thought to afford to Israel a defence as valuable as
chariots and horses (2 Kgs. ii. 12, xiii. 14, cf vi. 10).
When, however, about the middle of the eighth century there arose
a succession of prophets who used literature" as a means for preserving
and disseminating their oracles aud of whom Isaiah was one of the
earUest, they presented some striking contrasts to their predecessors.
Like them, indeed, they stienuously opposed any divided aUegiance
on the part of the nation between the Lord and other gods ; and Uke
them they championed the cause of the weak and defenceless against
the oppression of the powerful. But in seeking to put an end to
corruption both in religion and morals they did not aUy themselves
with men of violence, or try to subvert by force the estabUshed
authorities. The means they used to direct the national policy and to
conduct it into the right channels was moral suasion only : and when
it failed, they patiently awaited the judgment which they anticipated
would ensue, and which they expected the Lord to execute through
the agency of foreign invaders. And they differed likevrise from
their predecessors in taking a more sombre view of the condition of their
countrymen and the fate which they merited. In proportion as their
own conception of the Lord's spirituality and holiness became more
elevated, the sins of the people appeared more heinous, and their
impending punishment more certain and severe. They believed that
the forbearance of the Lord was weU-nigh exhausted, and there was
in store for the majority of the guilty nation captivity in a distant
land (Am. v. 4, 5, 27, Hos. ix. 17, Is. v. 13, cf Jer. xUv. 22).
It was the conviction of the Hebrew prophets that they were
directly commissioned by the Lord Himself to speak and act on His
behalf They were empowered by His spirit to declare unto His
1 The account in 1 Sam. ix. 1 — x. 16, which represents the institution of the
kingship as a token of Divine favour, is older and probably more historic than that
in viii., x. 17 — 27, which describes the popular demand for a king as an offence
against the Lord.
2 The Chronicler, indeed, refers to prophetic writings of much earlier date
(see 1 Ch. xxix. 29, 2 Ch. ix. 29, xii. 15, xiii. 22, xx. 34) : on the subject of such
references see Driver, LOT. p. 529 f.

INTRODUCTION xv
people their sins (Mic. iii. 8) ; they were made acquainted with
His secret purposes (Am. iii. 7) ; and the words which they spake
they believed to be put into their mouth by Him (Ezek. ii. 8 — iii. 3),
and to be the forerunners of His certain chastisements (Jer. i. 9, 10,
Hos. vi. 5). Several of the prophets describe the precise circumstances
in which they thought themselves to have been charged with the
Divine mandate (Am. vii. 14, 15, Is. vi., Jer. i. 4 f , Ezek. i. 1 f ). But
the occasions which they represent to have been decisive of their
vocation and to have determined their life's work were probably in
many cases only the culmination of a protracted process of reflection.
Being men of strong spiritual faith and acute ethical perceptions, they
would be keenly sensitive to the reUgious and moral conditions of their
age ; and if their final apprehension of the truth, and of their duty
in regard to it, was sometimes gained in a moment of sudden illumina
tion, it was doubtless the result of impressions which had been long
accumulating. And whether the impulse to speak to their countrymen
in the Lord's name came slowly or suddenly, there was attached to
it a feeUng of authoritativeness which they could not disregard, and
which overpowered in them aU considerations for their own safety or
welfare (Jer. i. 8, 17, xx. 7 — 18, Ezek. ii. 6).
But a Hebrew prophet's own conviction that he was authorized by
the Lord to speak for Him was not one which could be conveyed to
others without some proof At aU times probably there were numerous
rival prophets, who equaUy claimed the Lord's authority for their
utterances. Between such conflicting claims some criterion was
necessary ; and among the tests to which appeal was made when the
authority of a prophet was in dispute were the working of signs and
the fulfilment of predictions. It was beUeved that none could work
signs unless God were with him (cf Joh. iii. 2) ; and the performance
of marvels by prophets and others claiming a Divine commission, as
a means of establishing their pretensions, was common in early Hebrew
history (Ex. iv. 1 — 9, vii. 8 — 12, 1 Sam. xii. 16 — 18). But it was not
an infallible test (see Ex. vii. 22, viu. 7, cf Deut. xiii. 2, 3) ; and from
the eighth century onwards recorded instances of prophets resorting to
such proofs of authority are extremely rare, though Isaiah is related
on one occasion to have given a sign of a marvellous nature, in order
to inspire confidence in his assertions (xxxviii. 4 — 8). Ordinarily, it
was the faculty of prediction which was regarded as the distinguishing
mark of a genuine prophet. Prevision was an inherent attribute of
Deity, and in Is. xiu. 9, xUv. 8, xiv. 21 emphasis is expressly laid upon

xvi INTRODUCTION
the Lord's predictive power as contrasted with that of other gods,
appeal being made to Israel's experience of it (xliii. 10). And since
the Hebrew prophets professed to be the channels through which
the Lord disclosed His purposes (Am. iii. 7), their ability to foreteU
the future correctly became the test by which they were wUling to be
judged, if their claims to speak for the Lord were chaUenged. Thus,
when conflicting prophecies were uttered by Jeremiah and Hananiah,
the former, to decide between them, appealed to the principle that
when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet
he known whom the Lord hath truly sent (Jer. xxviii. 9 rug.). In Deut.
xviii. 21, 22 the converse rule is affirmed, and the non-occurrence of
a predicted event is expUcitiy declared to be the decisive proof that
the prophet predicting it had spoken presumptuously and not by tbe
inspiration of the Lord (cf 1 Kgs. xxii. 28). To such a test as this,
however, the foremost Hebrew prophets were not uniformly equal, even
if aUowance is made for the conditional character of many prophecies,
which, uttered as warnings, were calculated to avert the very evils
predicted, and so to defeat their own accompUshment (cf Jer. xxvi. 12 f ,
xviii. 7, 8, xxxvi. 1 — 3, Jonah iii. 4 — 10). But even the accurate fulfil
ment of a prediction, if it related to a distant occasion, or involved some
irremediable catastrophe, might establish too late the authority of the
prophet who uttered it (cf Ezek. xii. 22). A prophecy that a course
of action contemplated by the people was destined, if persisted in,
to bring destruction on those responsible for it would be useless as
a warning against such action unless the prophet could previously
convince his countr3rmen that he was worthy of credence. -And since
prophets generaUy had a practical end in view, and sought to influence
their own generation, a more immediate test than the one described
in Jer. xxviii. 9 and Deut. xviii. 21, 22 was needed ; and a surer, if
less impressive, one was afforded by a comparison between a prophet's
message and the principles of the religion of Jehovah. A prophet
could be put to the proof by the agreement or disagreement of his
teaching with the nation's historic faith, in which, if he were reaUy
a messenger of the Lord, he would seek to confirm his countrymen ;
whereas if he sought to seduce the people from the worship of the
Lord to that of other gods, he would shew himself undeserving of
confidence, even though he were supported by signs that came to pass,
for such signs might be wrought by the Lord's permission in order to
try His people (Deut. xiii. 2, 3). The issue did not turn upon a mere
question of names. The essence of Israel's religion was not the worship

INTRODUCTION xvii
of a deity distinguished by a certain appellation, but a deity dis
tinguished by certain qualities of character, the like of which He
demanded in His people. Hence the test just described turned upon
the ethical standard which was held up by the prophets before the
nation, the true prophets being discernible from the false by the more
exacting claims which, as the Lord's representatives, they made upon
the people for justice, rectitude, and purity. And since during the last
half century prior to the destruction of Samaria and the last century
and a half preceding the fall of Jerusalem there were rife in both Israel
and Judah crimes and abuses which were calculated to provoke the
anger of the Lord, a simple criterion between the two classes of prophets
was the tenor of their predictions. Many who professed to speak for the
Lord were men of debased character (Is. xxviii. 7, Zeph. iii. 4, Jer.
xxiii. 14, xxk. 23); whUst others, if not themselves vicious, were tolerant
of evil in their countrymen. These, having no fear of a Divine judgment
waiting upon the national corruption, prophesied not evil but good
(Mic. iii. 5, Jer. vi. 14, xiv. 13, 14, xxiii. 17, cf 1 Kgs. xxii. 6, 23), and
thereby proved themselves to speak a vision of thei/r own hea/rt, and not
out of the mouth of the Lord. On the other hand, if a prophet
predicted evU for the land because of its wickedness, he to that extent
evinced insight into the Divine character (Mic. iii. 8, Is. Iviii. 1).
A righteous God could not permanently aUow unrighteousness to go
unpunished (cf Jer. v. 9) ; and a prophet who foresaw and foretold the
coming retribution thereby attested that he had stood in the Lord's
councU and revealed His mind.

§ 2. The Life and Times of Isaiah.
Of the personal Ufe of the prophet Isaiah everything that is reaUy
known is either stated in the book that bears his name, or is inferred
from its contents, although about the history of his times much
additional information is forthcoming from the Assjrrian inscriptions.
His name (meaning salvation of Jehovah or Jehovah is salvation)
is a synonym of Joshua or Jeshua and is spelt in two forms — -inw^
(i. 1, ii. 1, xiu. 1, xxxvii. 2, 21), and njVB''. (in the title of the book) :
LXX. 'Ho-aias. Neither the year of his birth nor the year of his
death is recorded ; and all that is related respecting the duration of
his prophetic ministry is that it began in the last year of the reign
of Uzziah, and continued through the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz
into the reign of Hezekiah, as far, at least, as the year 701. This

xviii INTRODUCTION
leaves the precise length of it undetermined, since the date of Uzziah's
death is uncertain; but inasmuch as that event probably occurred
about 740 or 738, Isaiah's prophetic career must have extended over
at least 40 years. He was one of the earliest of the literary prophets,
and contemporary with Hosea, Amos, and Micah. His father's name
was Amoz (r's?): and he himself was married (viii. 3) and father of
at least two children^ who were caUed Shear-jashub (vii. 3) and
Maher-shalal-hash-baz (viii. 1 — 4). Jerusalem, if not his home, was,
at any rate, the chief scene of his activity. It was there that his caU
took place (vi. 1) ; it was there that he had interviews with Ahaz and
Hezekiah (vii. 3, xxxix. 3) ; only there could appeals to the people,
such as those described in viii. 1, xx. 2, xxx. 8, have been made with
effect; and sights which he witnessed there are aUuded to in his
prophecies (iii. 16 f , xxii. 1, 16). There is some reason for supposing
that he was a man of rank and distinction in the state ; for he could
summon the high-priest Uriah to act as his witness (viii. 2), the
politicians of Judah deemed it important to conceal from him such
of their schemes as they expected him to disapprove of (xxk. 15,
xxx. 1), instead of attempting to suppress his opposition by violence,
and his influence seems to have been great enough to'bring about the
displacement of the minister Shebna from his original office (xxu.
15 — 23, cf xxxvi. 3). Besides being the author of many of the
prophecies included in the book to which he gives a title, he is
credited in 2 (jh. xxvi. 22, xxxii. 32 with having written a history
of Uzziah, and a "vision" relating the acts of Hezekiah. To these
statements and inferences of a late source, stiU later and doubtless
altogether untrustworthy tradition adds that his father Amoz was
a brother of king Uzziah's father Amaziah (thus representing Isaiah
to have been of royal lineage), and that the prophet outlived king
Hezekiah and was put to death in his old age by Manasseh (cf Asc. Is.
V. 1, 11, Just. Mart. c. Tryph. 120), being sawn in sunder with
a wooden saw (cf Heb. xi. 37). In Asc. Is. iv. 22 his father Amoz is
confused with the prophet Amos (didj?)^
The circumstances in which Isaiah received his prophetic caU are
recorded by himself in c. vi., where he relates how in the Temple at
Jerusalem he had a vision of the Lord, Who empowered him to become
His messenger to His people. Unlike Jeremiah, who, when he ex-

• Some scholars have thought that he had three children and that Immanuel
(vii. 14) was the first-born son of a second wife (see p. 52).
^ The names Amoz aud Amos are not distinguished in the LXX.

INTRODUCTION

xix

perienced a similar Divine call, shewed much hesitancy, Isaiah
spontaneously offered himself for the Lord's service. The duty with
which he was charged was the denunciation of his country's offences
and the prediction of national disaster. The land was the scene
of idolatry, oppression, intemperance, and the perversion of justice ;
and Isaiah bent himself to the task of rebuking unsparingly such evils,
which could not fail to provoke retribution from the Lord. But not
only was the internal condition of the state corrupt, but its extemal
policy was governed by an irreligious confidence in its military strength
or its foreign alliances, instead of by trust in its God. The Lord was
dishonoured by tbe self-sufficiency of Judah's politicians, as well as by
the venality of its judges and the greed and profligacy of its upper
classes. From his position in the capital Isaiah could closely observe
the tortuous diplomacy pursued, and he constantly protested against
it. In his hostility both to the politics and to the social abuses of his
time he was inspired by reUgious faith. He sought to revive in his
countrymen reverence for, and trust in, the Lord, of Whose holiness
and majesty he himself had so profound a sense. And to the pursuit
of this purpose he devoted vrith singleness of heart all his energies and
talents throughout a long life. He regarded his own name (see p. xvii)
as significant of the truth he was commissioned to proclaim (viii. 18);
and he made the names of two of his children contribute to the dis
semination of two of his predictions (vii. 3, viii. 3). He did not
shrink from adopting the garb of a captive in order to impress a
warning upon the minds of his countrymen (xx. 2). And when he
failed to influence the nation at large, he gathered round him a small
circle of faithful disciples, who, he trusted, would serve as a nucleus for
a regenerate community when the chastisement which he anticipated
for the state as a whole had done its work (viii. 16).
Isaiah's ministry began at the close of the reign of Uzziah of
Judah, whose rule roughly synchronized with that of Jeroboam II.
of Israel. The reigns of both of .these kings were times of great
prosperity for their respective countries. Israel under Jeroboam
recovered much of the strength and importance which it bad lost
under his predecessor Joash, and its borders were extended both in
the north (at the expense of Damascus and Hamath) and in the
south (presumably to the detriment of Moab); see 2 Kgs. xiv. 25'.
'' In 2 Kgs. xiv. 28, as rendered in the E.V. , it is represented that Jeroboam
recovered Damascus and Hamath, which is inconsistent with r. 25: see Burney
ad loc. W. I. c

XX INTRODUCTION
Uzziah in Judah also developed the military resources of his kingdom ;
he conducted successful wars against the Philistines and -Arabians ;
and he received tokens of homage from the more distant Ammonites
(2 Ch. xxvi. 6 — 8). Agriculture was encouraged (2 Ch. xxvi. 10),
and commerce was fostered by the facilities arising from the possession
of the port of Elath (or Eloth) on the Red Sea (2 Kgs. xiv. 22). But
in both countries prosperity brought vices in its train. In Israel there
prevaUed a tone of national pride and arrogance which took no account
of the judgments with which the Lord had previously humbled the
nation (ix. 9, 10) ; and this irreligious self-confidence was accompanied
by idolatry, luxury, and sensuality (xxviii. 1 — 4). In Judah the re
sultant conditions were similar. There, too, the increase of wealth and
of military strength (2 Ch. xxvi. 11 — 15, cf Is. ii. 7) had produced a
proud sense of security ; the inclination to idolatry was fostered by
foreign trade, which led to the introduction of foreign superstitions
(ii. 6); drunkenness was common (v. 11, 22); and a spirit of scepticism
and a confusion of moral distinctions penetrated society (v. 19, 20).
The accumulation of riches enabled the wealthier classes to acquire
most of the land of the country (v. 8, cf Mic. ii. 2), and so tended to
impair and to destroy the independence of the poor. Nor was the evil
of the existence of a large landless and dependent class brought about
only by the action of economic forces. Justice was corrupt (i. 23,
V. 23) ; and the expropriation of the peasant proprietors was accom
plished by dishonest means (iii. 14, 15). It was the prevalence of
these and other abuses which first impeUed Isaiah to undertake the
work of reUgious and social reform. He foresaw that the continuance of
them could only rouse the resentment of a holy and righteous God, and
that a heavy judgment was impending over both branches of the
Hebrew people.
But Isaiah's reUgious faith not only led him to foresee that the
conduct of his countrymen was bound to bring chastisement upon
them : his political foresight enabled him to discern the form in which
it would come and the agency by which it would be inflicted. N.E. of
Palestine lay the empire of Assyria. Its situation, on the western
side of the mountains of Kurdistan, pointed to the W. as the direction
of its natural expansion; and as early as 1120 — 1115 Assyrian kings
began to push their arms towards the Mediterranean. The Hebrew
people first came into coUision with it in the reign of Ahab of Israel.
In 854 an Israelite contingent was sent to support the king of Hamath
against it, and the aUied forces, which included auxiliaries from

INTRODUCTION xxi
Damascus, Ammon, Arvad, and other smaller nationalities, met with
a severe defeat at the battle of Karkar'- Jehu, Ahab's successor, found
it expedient to send tokens of homage to the Assyrian king Shal-
maneser II., and a list of his presents is preserved on the Black obelisk
in the British Museum. But in spite of this, Assyria for some time
was not a serious menace to the Hebrew states^ It was not until the
succession of Tiglath-pileser III. (the Pui of 2 Kgs. xv. 19), about the
time when Isaiah entered upon his prophetic ministry, that Assyrian
enterprise began gravely to endanger Israel and Judah ; but from that
time onward for more than a century the westward progress of Assjrrian
invasion suffered little interruption. The possession of Palestine was
coveted both for its own intrinsic value and for ulterior reasons. The
range of Lebanon produced quantities of exceUent timber ; the ports
of Phoenicia were centres of maritime trade ; and the plains of Jezreel
(Esdraelon) and Sharon were extremely fertile. But in addition to these
attractions Palestine offered access to the countries lying to the S. of
it. It commanded the roads to Egypt and N.W. Arabia; and in
consequence its occupation was essential for any Eastern power that
contemplated an attack upon those rich lands. An ordinary political
observer could not mistake the sinister significance which the advance
of Assyria had for the two Hebrew peoples. But Isaiah, who believed
that the destinies of nations were controlled by the Lord, and who
felt that his own race deserved punishment for their want of faith and
for their moral offences, traced in the movements of Assyria a Divine
purpose, and saw in its menacing hosts the agency whereby the Lord
designed to chastise first Israel and then Judah.
Isaiah's writings, if arranged chronologically, according to the
crises which form the subject of them, may conveniently be divided
into four groups. Of these, one includes prophecies dating from the
last year of Uzziah, the reign of Jotham, and the early years of Ahaz ;
a second comprises prophecies belonging to the time of the Syro-
Ephraimite war, in the reign of Ahaz, which eventuaUy led to the faU
of Samaria in 722 ; whUst the other two consist of utterances evoked
by two distinct occasions in the reign of Hezekiah. The contents of
these various groups of vyritings, and their relation to the particular
circumstances that caUed them forth are explained in the course of
the commentary : it wiU be expedient here to bring them into connec-
1 See Sohrader, GOT. i. pp. 185—186.
^ Shalmaneser's campaigns against Damascus (Schrader, COT.i. pp. 200, 201),
were indirectly of service to Israel by reUeving it of Syrian pressure.
c2

xxii INTRODUCTION
tion with the main features of Assyrian history during the period
which they cover.
1. From the end of Uzziah's reign to the beginning of the reign
of Ahaz (prior to 734) : — (a) cc. vi., i. (part), ii. — iv., v. 1—24, x. 1 — 4,
xxxu. 9—20 (Judah); (b) ix. 8— 21 -i- v. 25—30 (Israel).
During this period (as has been explained) the condition of both
Israel and Judah was very prosperous. The former country in the reign
of Jehoahaz had suffered severely from Syria under Hazael and his son
Ben-hadad (2 Kgs. xiii. 3) ; but Syria met with a serious reverse from
Assyria under Ramman-nirari III., or Adad-nirari (811 — 783) \ and this
so crippled it that not only was Israel delivered from further Syrian
attacks (cf 2 Kgs. xiii. 5) but in the reign of Jeroboam, the grandson
of Jehoahaz, its territory underwent great expansion. The develop
ment of both Israel and Judah in the time of Jeroboam and his
contemporary Uzziah was assisted by a period of inactivity and
weakness on the part of Assyria after its successes over Syria'; and
the increase of wealth in both the Hebrew states brought with it
the moral evils which Isaiah describes in the prophecies enumerated
above. 2. From 734 (the Syro-Ephraimite coalition against Judah) to
722 (the fall of Samaria) : — (a) cc. vii. — viii. (Judah) ; (b) cc. xvii.
1 — 11 (Israel and Damascus), xxviii. 1 — 4 (6) (Israel).
Assyrian military enterprise was revived by Tiglath-pileser III. (745 —
727), whose energy began to menace anew the smaller Palestinian nation
alities. Among the first to suffer were Arpad and Hamath, which were
captured in 740 and 738 respectively (cf Is. x. 9)^ Damascus and
Israel, under Rezin and Menahem, saved themselves for a time from
destruction by becoming tributary (cf 2 Kgs. xv. 19, 20)*; but both
nations chafed under the yoke, and both eventually revolted. It seems
likely that Damascus was the first to move, and that it attacked
Israel which, under Menahem and his son Pekahiah, remained loyal
to its suzerain (cf Is. ix. 12 and note). But Pekahiah, after a short
reign, was murdered by an anti-Assyrian faction headed by Pekah,
who mounted the throne; and a coalition was then formed between
Damascus and Israel (in which Gaza and some other states joined) for
mutual defence against Assyria. To strengthen the confederation the
alUes sought to induce Judah (where Uzziah had been foUowed on

1 Rogers, HBA. n. p. 96. ' Eogers, HBA. ii. pp. 101—103.
3 Bogere, HBA. ii. pp. 117, 121. * Sohrader, GOT. i. p. 245.

INTRODUCTION xxiii
the throne by Jotham) to enter into it; and when Jotham was
succeeded by .Ahaz, they invaded the country in order to compel
compUance. But both Damascus and Israel were exhausted by war,
and the latter probably by anarchy as weU (cf Is. ix. 19 — 21); and
Isaiah confidently predicted that the two hostile nations would them
selves within a very brief interval be devastated by invaders (vu. 16,
viii. 1—4). It was clear, indeed, that before long Assyria, in the
pursuit of its own projects, would crush both of them. But Ahaz,
in his alarm, would not heed Isaiah's assurances and determined to
seek help from the power which his foes wished to coerce him into
resisting. He accordingly became tributary to Tiglath-pileser S thereby
placing a foreign yoke upon his country aud exposing it to the
certainty of invasion in the event of the tribute being refused (2 Kgs.
xvi. 7, 8). For the moment, however, the desired relief from the
attack of Rezin and Pekah was secured. In 734 Tiglath-pileser,
presumably detaching some of his forces to keep Rezin in check,
invaded Ephraim and PhiUstia. Hanno, the king of Gaza, fled,
whilst Pekah of Israel saw his eastern and northern provinces ravaged
and their inhabitants deported (2 Kgs. xv. 29). Two years later
(732) the Assyrian king turned his attention to Syria, took Damascus,
and kiUed Rezin (2 Kgs. xvi. 9). Shortly after this Pekah was
murdered by Hoshea (circ. 730), whom Tiglath-pileser appointed to
succeed him as an Assyrian vassal. But Tiglath-pileser died in 727 ;
and against his successor Shalmaneser IV. (727—722) Hoshea revoltedl
In consequence, Samaria was besieged in 724, and endured a blockade
of more than two years. In the course of the siege Shalmaneser died
and was succeeded by Sargon II. (722 — 705), who in 722 took the city,
and deported its inhabitants to different provinces of the Assyrian
empire, replacing them by a population drawn from other countries
(2 Kgs. xvii. 5, 6)=.
3. The years 713 — 711 (Sargon's siege of Ashdod) : — c. xx.
The date of Ahaz' death and Hezekiah's accession is uncertain,
but the latter must have succeeded his father not later than 714
(see p. xli). At the beginning of Hezekiah's reign Judah was a
^ The fact is recorded in Tiglath-pileser's inscriptions (Schrader, GOT. i.
p. 255), where Ahaz is called Jehoahaz.
^ Hoshea relied for support upon Egypt (2 Kgs. xvii. 4), though it is disputed
whether the So (or Seve) mentioned by the historian of Kings is the Pharaoh
Shabaka or a petty prince of the Delta. Por the fluctuations of Israel's poUoy
cf. Hos. V. 13, vii. 11.
' Cf. Schrader, i. p. 264.

xxiv INTRODUCTION
vassal of Assyria ; but it was not long before it grew restive, and m
713 a spirit of disaffection was manifested both in it and in the
neighbouring states of PhiUstia, Edom and Moab, which were also
subject to Assyria^ The centre of disloyalty seems to have been the
PhiUstine city of Ashdod ; and hopes were entertained of assistance
being forthcoming from Egypt or (as some authorities think) from
Muzri, a country of N. Arabia. Isaiah exposed the futiUty of such
hopes, and, probably in consequence of his warnings, Judah escaped
being seriously compromised, for although Sargon sent an expedition
against Ashdod, which was taken in 711 ^ there is no evidence of an
Assyrian invasion of Judah at this time^ The same year 713 is most
likely the date when Hezekiah received an embassy from Merodach-
baladan of Babylon, which probably conveyed proposals to Hezekiah
for a mutual alUance against Assyria (see c. xxxk. and cf Jos. Ant.
X. ii. 2). To such proposals, if made, Isaiah offered strong opposition,
and the embassy proved resultless.
4. The years 705 — 701 (Sennacherib's invasion of Judah) : — cc. xiv.
28 — 32, xviii., xxu., xxix. — xxxu., i. (part), xvii. 12 — 14, x. 5 — 34,
xxxiu., ix. 1 — 7, xi. 1 — 9, xxxu. 1 — 8.
Sargon died in 705, and was succeeded by Sennacherib (705 — 681).
The change of sovereign renewed in many of Assyria's vassals hopes
of regaining their independence. PhiUstia sent an embassy to Judah
to exchange views, and if possible, to organize a revolt (Is. xiv. 28 — 32).
A second embassy with promise of support came from Shabaka, the
Ethiopian ruler of Egypt (Is. xvui.), to whom the prospect of the
re-conquest of the revolting Palestinian states by Assyria was fraught
with danger. All such overtures met with opposition from Isaiah,
whose counsel to his countrymen was to refrain from embroiling them
selves in the insurrectionary movement and to await events in reliance
upon the Lord. But his efforts to guide his country's policy at this
juncture proved vain. The people became infected with the spirit of
the neighbouring states. Most of the cities of Phoenicia and PhiUstia,
together with Moab and Edom, were refusing tribute and disavowing
allegiance to Assyria. They had the support of the North Arabian
countries of Muzri and Meluhhi, and no doubt received fresh promises

' Bogers, HBA. ii. p. 169. " Sohrader, GOT. ii. pp. 90, 91.
' Sargon in his inscriptions once claims to have subdued Judah (Schrader,
GOT. I. p. 178) ; but the occasion alluded to is uncertain (id. ii. p. 100), and
there is no confirmation of the claim.

INTRODUCTION

xxv

of aid from Egypt'. At the same time Merodach-baladan, who in 710
had been driven from the throne of Babylon by Sargon, was again in
possession of it. Consequently in Judah a war party, probably led by
Shebna, obtained the ascendancy. Negotiations were conducted with
^gypt> ffom which reinforcements of cavalry were expected (xxx. 2,
xxxi. 1), in spite of Isaiah's emphatic assurances that Egypt always
disappointed those that trusted ber (xxx. 5 — 7, cf xxxvi. 6). The people
of Ekron had dethroned their king Padi, who was probably a nominee
of Assyria and remained loyal, and Hezekiah undertook to receive him
and keep him under arrest. He also introduced into Jerusalem a body
of Arabian troops in order to strengthen its garrison. Such a policy
and such preparations could have only one issue ; but the populace
of Jerusalem faced it confidently, and contemplated with Ught-hearted-
ness the invasion which was bound to foUow (xxii. 1 — 14).
As has been seen, the counsel recommended by Isaiah at the
beginning of this crisis differed from that which he tendered in 735.
On the earlier occasion he sought to dissuade Ahaz from becoming
the vassal of Assyria ; whereas now he advised his successor to remain
loyal to his suzerain. His advice in each case shewed statesmanship.
He estimated aright the relative strength of the smaUer Palestinian
nationaUties and Assyria; and saw that neither Damascus and
Ephraim in the time of Ahaz, nor Judah and its aUies in the time
of Hezekiah could withstand the empire on the Tigris. But on both
occasions he was actuated more by religious principles than by poUtical
calculations. He consistently advocated poUtical inaction in reUance
upon the Lord's protection (vii. 7, xxx. 15), and trusted that the
nation, its tranquiUity undisturbed by foreign entanglements, might
turn its energies in the direction of social and religious reforms. On
both occasions, too, his counsel was disregarded, and the rulers of
the country placed more confidence in their own statecraft than in
their God. At the present crisis, when the country, penetrated with
a spirit of self-confidence and unbelief, was committed to a struggle
with Assyria, Isaiah felt that its conduct only aggravated its previous
offences, and that a heavy chastisement was in store for it (xxviii.
7 — 29). He anticipated that numbers of the people would be carried
' It is here assumed that the Muzri mentioned in Sennacherib's inscription
(see p. xxvii), which was formerly taken to be Egypt (see Schrader, GOT. i. p. 297),
was in Arabia; but it cannot be inferred from this that the O.T. representation
that Egypt (Heb. Mizraim) was the chief abettor of the revolt is due to a confusion
in the names. It is very difiScult to suppose that Egypt played no leading part in
the politics of this period (see xxx. 4 and of. Whitehouse, Is. i. pp. 17, 18).

xxvi INTRODUCTION
into captivity, and that only a remnant would be spared to return
to the ways of piety and peace; and if he continued his protests
against the suicidal policy which his countrymen were pursuing, it was
only in the hope that by submission at the last moment the severity
of their punishment might be mitigated (xxviii. 22).
Sennacherib began the work of repression by operations against
the insurgent who was nearest; and succeeded in expeUing from
Babylon Merodach-baladan after he had occupied its throne for only
a few months. The expedition against Palestine was deferred until
701 ; and the narrative of it may with advantage be given in the
Assyrian king's own words ^: —
"In my third campaign 1 marched to the land Hatti (Hittite). Lull
(Blulaeus), king of Sidon, the terror (inspired by) the splendour of my rule
had overwhelmed ; far away amid the sea he fled and his land I subjugated,
Sidon the great and Sidon the less, BSt-zitti, Sarepta, Mahalliba, Ushft, Akzibi
(Bkdippa), Akko, his strong towns, the fortresses, spots of pasturage and of
watering, his garrison-towns, the power of the weapons of Asshur, my lord,
overwhelmed. They subjected themselves to my feet. Tuba'lu (Ethbaal)
I placed on the royal throne over them, and imposed upon him payment of
yearly unceasing tribute of my supremacy. Minhimmu (Menahem) of Samsi-
maruna, Tuba'lu (Bthbaal) of Sidon, Abdili'ti of Arvad (Aradus) Urumilk
(Jerumelech ?) of Gebal (Byblus), Mitinti of Ashdod, Buduilu of Beth-Ammon,
Kammusunadab (Chemoshnadab) of Moab, Malikrammu (Malchiram) of
Edom, all kings of Martu (the Western country) brought large gifts, rich
products as well as possessions, into my presence and kissed my feet. But as
for Sidka, king of Ashkelon, who had not submitted himself to my yoke, the
gods of his ancestral house, himself, his wife, his sons, his brothers, the seed of his
ancestral house 1 carried oif^ and brought to Assyria ; Sharruludari, son of
Rukibti, their former king, I set over the inhabitants of Ashkelon, the pay
ment of the tribute of the subjection I appointed, imposed (?) my yoke^. In
the onward advance* of my campaign I besieged, captm-ed, and plundered
of their booty Beth Dagon, Joppa, Bene-barka (Bengbarak), Azuru, towns
of SidkEi which had not speedily subjected themselves to my feet. The rulers,
the chief men, and the [other] inhabitants of Amkarruna (Ekron), who had
cast Padl (who according to law and covenant with Assyria was their king)
into iron chains, and had delivered him up to Hezekiah of Judah with hostile
• The translation that follows is Dr Whitehouse's rendering of the extract from
the Prism Inscription (Taylor cylinder) of Sennacherib narrating his Palestinian
campaign (701 b.o.), as given in his edition of Isaiah (i., pp. 370 — 371) in the
"Century Bible" by permission of the publishers, Messrs T. C. & E. C. Jack.
Some variant renderings, kindly communicated to me by Dr Burney, are added in
the footnotes.
2 Burney, dragged forth.
' Burney, the tribute of subjection I imposed upon him, and he became subject (?)
to me. * Burney, the course.

INTRODUCTION

XX Vll

purpose. He bound him in prison. Their heart feared. The kings of the
land Musri summoned archers, chariots, the steeds of the king of Melulihi,
an innumerable host, and came to their aid. Before Altaku (Bltekeh) the
battle array was set confronting me, they raised (?) their weapons. In reliance
upon Asshur, my lord, with them I fought and brought about their defeat.
The commander of chariots and the sons of the king of Musri as well as the
commander of chariots of the king of Meluhhi alive in the midst of the battle
my hand captured. Altatai and Tamna (Timnath) I besieged, captured, and
carried off their booty.
1 advanced to Amlj;arruna (Bkron), the rulers, the chief men, who had
incurred sin^ (i.e. revolted), I slew. On poles (? pillars) around the town
1 hung (bound) 2 their corpses. The inhabitants of the town who had practised
evil deeds and outrages I reckoned as prisoners of war (spoil) ; as for the
remainder of them who had not instigated (?) sin or misdeed, who had not
committed their trespasses, their pardon I proclaimed. Padl their king 1
brought forth from Jerusalem (and) placed him on the throne of rule over
them. The tribute of my rule I imposed on him. And as for llezeMah the
Jew^, who had not submitted himself to my yoke, forty-six strong towns,
fortresses, and smaller towns in their circuit* which are innumerable, by
destruction through battering rams, and advancing of siege engines, assault....
I besieged, 1 captured; 200,150^ men 6, young and old, male and female, horses,
mules, asses, oxen, and flocks without number I brought forth from their
midst, I reckoned as spoil. Himself hke a bird in a cage in the midst of
Jerusalem, his royal town, I shut ; ramparts around him I drew ; those who
came forth from the gateway of his town I caused to return. His towns which
1 had plundered I separated from his land, and gave them to Mitinti king of
Ashdod, Padl king of .Amkarruna (Btron) and Sil-bel king of Haziti (Gaza),
(and so) diminished his land. To their former tribute their yearly gift the
payment due to my rule 1 added (and) imposed it upon them. Hezekiah
himself the dread of the splendour of my rule overpowered. The Urbi
(-Aj-abians) and his faithful soldiers which he had introduced to strengthen
(defend) Jemsalem his royal town (?) laid down their arms. Along with 30
talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, precious stones of value, large lapis-lazuU
stones, ivory couches, ivory seats made of elephant-hide, ivory... wood, urka-
rinnu wood, all kinds of valuable treasure, and his daughters, his palace-wives,
male and female attendants (?) I caused to be brought after me into Nineveh
my royal town ; and he sent his (mounted) envoy to present tribute and to
render homage."
This extract from the inscription of Sennacherib confirms and ex
pands the brief account in 2 Kgs. xviu. 13 — 16 relating the Assyrian's

' Burney, offended. ^ Bnmey, on stakes...! impaled,
' Burney, of Judah. * Barney, neighbourhood.
' This figure, when compared with the 27,280 captives deported by Sargon from
Samaria (Schrader, GOT. i. p. 266) and the number of Jews led into exile after the
fall of Jemsalem by Nebuchadrezzar (see p. Iv), appears much exaggerated.
^ Burney, inhabitants.

xxviu INTRODUCTION
capture of Judsean fortresses and the submission of Hezekiah. The
latter's surrender of the Ekronite king Padi, though mentioned prior
to his payment of the treasure demanded, must have foUowed upon
his formal capitulation. To the cuneiform records the BibUcal narra
tive adds a subsequent demand made by Sennacherib, when engaged
in the siege of Lachish, for the surrender of Jerusalem. It is a
plausible supposition that this was a breach of a stipulation (cf
Is. xxxiii. 8) that had accompanied Hezekiah's sacrifice of his
treasure— viz. that the Assyrian forces were to be withdrawn and that
the capital was to be left without further molestation. Reflection had
presumably convinced Sennacherib that he could not, when advancing
further in the direction of Egypt, aUow so strong a fortress near the
line of his communications to remain unoccupied. The defenders of
Jerusalem were encouraged to resist his demand by Isaiah, who, now
that judgment had been executed upon the nation, felt assured that
the career of the overweening Ass3n:ian would be checked (x. 5 — 34),
and who declared that Zion in its extremity would be protected by the
Lord^; and the BibUcal narrative (xxxvii. 36) asserts that the capital
was really saved in accordance with the prophet's prediction. The
statement receives negative corroboration from Sennacherib's inscrip
tions, which are silent respecting any capture of the city, or any
later expedition against it. The explanations given by the O.T. for
Sennacherib's failure to effect his object are two, which appear to
proceed from alternative accounts of the incident (see p. 225), but
each of which probably contains elements of truth. One explanation
represents him as retreating in consequence of a rumour that inspired
him with alarm ; and this may be idontified with the report of renewed
trouble created at Babylon by his vassal Bel-ibni (see p. 231)^ The
second makes the cause of Sennacherib's non-success to be the destruc
tion of his forces by pestilence. This account is obviously exaggerated
in respect of details ; but the liability of armies to be decimated by
disease, which in this instance was increased by the situation of the
Assyrian forces on the low-lying Mediterranean seaboard, renders the
substance ofthe statement sufficiently probable (see also p. 237).
At several of the crises here reviewed Isaiah, as has been seen,
committed himself to various predictions, some of which were wonder
fully verified, whilst others turned out erroneous. The most remarkable
example of his prevision was his prediction that the Assyrians, though
1 See xxix. 5—8, xxx. 27—33, xxxi. 5, 8—9, xxxiii. 1—12, xxxvii. 6, 7, 21—35.
2 Eogers, HBA. ii. p. 205.

INTRODUCTION xxix
destined to overrun the country of Judah, would not capture the
capital, so confident a declaration being aU the more singular inas
much as he expressly discouraged care for the city's material defences
(xxii. 9 f ). The explanation of his prophetic power, so far as it admits
of being analysed, must be looked for in the nature of his religious
faith, and in his acute discernment of the signs of the times. In the
conviction that the control of events was in the hands of a Power
whose action was determined by moral considerations, he held that
when national offences had been committed, material retribution would
follow, and that the Lord would enforce His moral laws even though
it meant the humiUation and aU but total extermination of His people
(cf V. 13, 14, 24). But he beUeved also (and believed with reason,
see p. xxxvii) that the survival of the religion of Jehovah was at that
time dependent upon the survival of a remnant of Israel in its own
land ; and he was therefore confident that, though the Lord designed
to bring punishment upon the nation, He would in the end preserve it
from complete destruction, and naturaUy in the city associated with
the memory of His servant David and consecrated by the presence of
the Temple (x. 24—27, xiv. 32, xxviii. 16, xxxvu. 33—35). In
judging of the means and stages whereby the Divine purposes would
be achieved, he was guided by his observation of the political forces
in movement around him ; and in general his measure of those forces
was remarkably accurate. The most ominous feature in the political
world (as has been said) was the extension of the empire of Assyria ;
Isaiah, Uke .Amos, could not fail to recognize in that power the rod
of the Lord's anger (x. 5), before which the smaller states of Palestine,
Uke Damascus, Ephraim, and the PhiUstine cities, were bound to go
down. Nor would Egypt avail to defend them : the power on the
NUe was rightly judged by Isaiah to be alike pretentious and in
effective. But whUst, in the main, his anticipations were realized, his
forecast of events was not always correct in respect of time and place.
Whilst his prediction of the overthrow of Damascus was fulfilled
almost within the exact period which he named, the capture of
Samaria, which he expected to occur about the same time, did not
take place tUl more than a decade had elapsed. He ante-dated the
invasion of Judah by some 30 years (iii. 16 — 24, v. 24, vii. 17 — 25,
viii. 7, 8), and that of Egypt (if Egypt is meant in xx. 3) by more
than 50 ; and when the former took placQ, the Assyrian forces did not
advance against Jerusalem from the north (as predicted in x. 28 — 33),
but from the direction of Lachish in the south-west. Hence it is

xxx

INTRODUCTION

apparent that whUst Isaiah's faith in the deUverance which Divine
Providence had in reserve for Zion was signally vindicated, there
entered into his expectations of the future more of human miscalcula
tion than is often supposed.
Isaiah's prophecies were originally oral discourses, being addressed
either to the people at large, or to various classes in it (like the rulers
(iii. 14) or the fashionable ladies (xxxii. 9)), or even to individuals
(xxii. 16f); and they uniformly have the liveliness and vigour natural
in speeches, and sometimes reflect the emotions stirred by the particular
circumstances in which they were deUvered (see xxii. 1, xxviii. 14).
They were, no doubt, carefully prepared (see v. 1—7), and subsequently
written down to preserve them (cf Jer. xxxvi.) : but their present
compressed and highly-finished form' is probably the result of revision,
in the course of which much may have been omitted which, if retained,
would have rendered intelUgible many things that are now obscure" In
his writings Isaiah combines rare Uterary exceUences— delicate discrimi
nation in giving to every thought or feeling its appropriate expression,
extreme conciseness and condensation in composition, and a vivid and
resourceful imagination. Of his judgment and taste in tbe handling of
his subject-matter illustrations are afforded by the reticence which
marks the account of his vision of God (c. vi.), by the brevity of the
description of the instantaneous and universal collapse ensuing on the
Lord's judgment (ii. 12 — 17), and by tbe effectiveness of the refrain
in ix. 8 — 21, suggesting, as it does, the succession of blows enumerated
in the passage. Of the terseness of his style, in which a redundant
word can scarcely be found, examples are furnished by the epigrammatic
phrases (some of them rendered more striking in the original by
assonance) which occur in iii. 12, v. 7, vii. 9, xxx. 7, 15. Many
passages are given impressiveness by antithesis (see i. 18 — 20, iii. 12,
24, ix. 16, xxii. 12, 13), others by verbal plays (x. 30) or by such
artifices as alliteration and the like (xxii. 5, xxix. 9, xxxii. 19)".
Conspicuous instances of his vigour in description occur in v. 26 — 30,
xvii. 12 — 14, xxx. 30, of his scorn in x. 15, of his irony in xxxi. 2, and
of his invective in xxii. 16 f Of the rich resources of his fancy, and
the facility with which he illustrated his ideas by imagery dravra from
the most varied fields evidence is abundant everywhere. On one
occasion he had recourse to a symbolic act to add vividness to the
> Notable instances are v. 1 — 7, ix. 8 — 21, y. 25 — 30, xi. 1 — 9.
" E.g. the prophecy in vii. 14.
^ The last instance is perhaps unautheutio.

INTRODUCTION

xxxi

warning he desired to convey (xx. 2) : on other occasions he enforced
his meaning by elaborate parables (v. 1 — 7, xxviii. 23 — 29). Apt
similes occur in i. 31, v. 24, xvii. 6, 13, xviii. 4, xxix. 8, xxx. 13, 28,
xxxii. 2, xxxiii. 3, whilst his metaphors are equaUy numerous and
appropriate, noteworthy instances being found in vii. 4, 20, viii. 6 — 8,
X. 15, 16, 17, xviii. 5, xxviii. 17, xxxi. 9, xxxiii. 11. Sometimes,
indeed, the rapidity with which imagery crowds upon him is such that
a close succession of incongruous figures in connection with the same
subject produces an unpleasing impression (see v. 24, x. 16, xiv. 29,
xxx. 28) : and in xxviu. 15, 18 (if the text is sound) there is a strangely
confused metaphor. But ordinarily the variety and expressiveness of
his figures constitute one of the great charms of his writings. In
many instances a statement expressed through a figure is repeated in
plainer terms, so that aU obscurity is precluded (see i. 5, 6, 7, 22, 23,
25, 26, iii. 14, 15, v. 1 — 6, 7). Effectiveness is further added to the
prophet's addresses by the aUusions which they contain to past history.
Both Israel's own experiences, and circumstances recorded about other
peoples, are recalled whenever thereby force can be imparted to a
description or directness to an appeal (see i. 9, iii. 9, vii. 17, x. 24 — 26,
xvii. 9 mg., xxviii. 21).
A very noteworthy feature in Isaiah's prophecies, is the abruptness
with which a passage of minatory tenor is followed by another of
consolatory meaning. Examples occur in the sequence of iii. 16 — iv. 1
and iv. 2 — 4, x. 28 — 32 and x. 33, 34, xxix. 1 — 4 and xxk. 5 — 8,
xxxi. 4 and xxxi. 5. In some cases there is no contradiction, since it
is rendered apparent that the promise of consolation wiU only be
realized by that section of the people who may survive the threatened
judgment (see iv. 2 — 4). But in other instances this is not made
clear; and it is possible that when the passages were originally spoken,
they were addressed to different audiences, those of a menacing nature
being directed to the people at large, and those of an opposite
character being intended for the small body of faithful disciples which
the prophet gathered round him (viu. 16). When the prophecies were
put into writing the dissimilar passages were probably placed in juxta
position for the sake of the effect produced by the contrast which they
offer to one another. In certain cases, however, it may be suspected
that insertions have been made by later writers, who have sought to
modify some predictions of sinister tone by attaching to them others of
a comforting import (cf p. vi).

xxxii INTRODUCTION
§ 3. Theology of Isaiah.
Isaiah's theological beliefs, as presented in his writings, are not
abstracted from the controversies in which they took shape, and
systematized into a body of doctrine, but appear in connection with
the emergencies which called for their expression. He emphasized from
time to time different aspects of the Divine character, as he conceived
it, in opposition to the prevalent misconceptions of his countrymen ;
and his theology remains in the form it assumed under the pressure
of practical needs. His convictions respecting the Lord's nature,
supremacy, and purposes are not in general peculiar to himself but
are shared by his contemporaries Hosea, Amos, and Micah. The
reUgious beliefs of all of the eighth century prophets were influenced
by the momentous changes occurring or impending in the political
world around them. The extinction by Assyria of the smaller
nationalities involved either the conclusion that Israel's God was
inferior to Asshur, the god of Assyria, or the conclusion that He was
a Being of altogether different nature and authority, whose dealings
with His own nation had to be accounted for on other principles than
those which were popularly thought to explain them ; and it was in
the second that these prophets believed the truth to Ue. Their
convictions that the Lord was a holy and righteous God enabled them
to interpret the movements of history which portended disaster to their
own country as due not to any defect of power on the part of the Lord
but to the execution of a moral purpose of which Assyria was His
instrument. But whilst the views which they held respecting the
Lord and the service that He required from His people embraced much
that was common to all of them, each accentuated those sides of the
truth which the circumstances of his own time seemed to demand or to
which his own genius and temperament inclined him'.
The ruling conception of the Lord amongst Isaiah's countrymen
was that He was one of a large number of co-ordinate Divine powers.
The early idea about Him, that He was purely a national God, stiU
survived ; and though it was recognized that as the tutelary God of
Israel He had rightful claims to His people's worship, a belief in Him
as the sole God, universaUy supreme, had not yet been attained. This
imperfect conception of the Lord, which equated Him with a number
1 Thus Amos lays most stress upon the Lord's justice, Hosea upon His love.
Isaiah in the spirit of his teaching resembles the former rather than the latter :
cf. especially i. 13—17 with Amos v. 21 — 24.

INTRODUCTION xxxiii
of other divinities, produced its natural effects upon the kind of
worship rendered to Him and the strength of the trust reposed in
Him. On the one hand, He was thought to be satisfied by the same
formal rites and material offerings as other gods ; and it was believed
that, if His favour at any time was averted from His people, it could be
regained by more frequent petitions and more ample sacrifices. Hence
there was a tendency to divorce morality from religion ; and the
assiduous worship of the Lord by rite and ceremony co-existed with
the prevalence, within the state, of much moral and social corruption.
On the other hand, the protection of the powers that were His rivals
was held to be worth obtaining, either in addition to, or else as a
substitute for, that of the Lord. Among the powers whom it was thus
deemed desirable to propitiate were the ancient Canaanite divinities
who were supposed to dwell in forest trees (cf. i. 29, 30), and of whom
the Asherim or sacred poles (xvii. 8) were perhaps symbols (see on
p. 117). Intercourse with foreign nations led to acquaintance with
their deities likewise, whose claims to respect were enhanced by the
success of the peoples who worshipped them. Among these was
probably Tammuz, the spirit of vegetation venerated by the Babylonians,
with whom the people of the northern kingdom doubtless became
familiar through the Syrians, and to whom reference seems to be made
in xvii. 10, 11. Into Judah superstitions were introduced from
PhiUstia (ii. 6), where divination was widely practised (1 Sam. vi. 2),
and where there was a famous oracle of Baal-zebub (2 Kgs. i. 3).
Offerings were also made to the spirits of the dead, who were credited
with knowledge and powers exceeding those of the living ; and their
help was sought through the arts of necromancy (viii. 19, xxviii. 15).
Thus, though the Lord did not cease to receive the offerings due to the
national God (i. 11), the country was given to idolatry (ii. 8, cf xxx. 22,
xxxi. 7). The people in their religion were both unspiritual and
disloyal. Their worship of the Lord followed traditional usage ; but
their real confidence was reposed elsewhere (cf xxix. 13). The sources
of their trust were not only other gods, but their own material
possessions, or when these seemed inadequate, the arts of diplomacy
and the military support of foreign aUies. And so the ceremonial
reverence rendered to the Lord only aggravated the pervading sins of
greed and pride and self-indulgence, and the nominal allegiance to Him
was accompanied by a scepticism which openly questioned His power
(v. 19, xxk. 15) and by a self-will that would not be guided by the
¦counsel of His prophets (xxx. 9 — 11).

xxxiv

INTRODUCTION

It was these erroneous and unworthy ideas concerning the Lord
which Isaiah set himself to combat. His own conception of the Lord
emerges from his account of his inaugural vision (c. vi.) ; and the rest
of his writings are in the main an expansion of this, and of his
convictions about the doom awaiting the nation in consequence of its
offences. It wiU be convenient to describe his theology in detail under
two heads, viz. (i) the Lord's character and attributes, (ii) His purpose
towards Israel His people.
(i) The attributes of the Lord which impressed themselves most
deeply upon Isaiah's mind were His haliness and His glory. These
were the subjects of the hymn of the Seraphim in his vision ; and it
was these which he felt to be more especiaUy outraged by his sinful
countrymen. (a) The particular term holiness which Isaiah uses to describe
the essential quality of the Lord was one commonly employed by the
Semitic peoples to connote the quaUty which distinguished gods in
general from men (see on i. 4), and did not necessarUy convey any
moral significance. Hence to describe the Lord as holy did not
verbally mean more than calling Him divine'. But by Isaiah the word
was employed in an ethical sense, and as applied to the Lord, it
connoted especiaUy the quality of righteousness. It implied that the
Lord was separated from mankind not merely by perfection of power,
but by perfection of moral purity. And what the Lord was in Himself,
that He required (but vainly required) His people to be. Hence,
when the prophet found himself in the Lord's presence, it was his
sense of sin that made him afraid ; and only after his sin was removed
could he volunteer to be the Lord's messenger. And the aim of the
mission which he undertook was to rouse his countrymen to a sense of
the true character of the God whom they thought to satisfy by ritual
instead of righteousness. To the Lord sacrifice, accompanied by the
perpetration of social wrongs, could only be an offence. It was
principally breaches of social morality that Isaiah represented as
provoking the Divine resentment. Into his conception of the Lord's
requirements just dealing chiefly entered (i. 17, v. 7); and although he
assailed both drunkenness (v. 11, 22, xxviii. 7, 8) and feminine luxury
(iii. 16 f), his invectives were directed, in the main, against the
1 Cf. the expression the holy gods in Dan. iv. 8, 9, 18, v. 11, and Eshmunazar's
inscription, I. 22 (Cooke, NSI. p. 31). Holiness was so far equivalent to deity that
when the Lord swears by His hoUness (Am. iv. 2) it is tantamount to swearing by
Himself (Am. vi. 8).

INTRODUCTION xxxv
perversion of justice (i. 23, v. 23, x. 1, xxix. 21), the monopolizing of
the land (v. 8), the robbery of the poor (iii. 14, 15, x. 2), and the
prevalence of open violence (i. 15, 21).
(b) The Lord's glory, in the sense which it has in the Seraphs'
song, is equivalent to the majesty pertaining to Him in virtue of His
sovereign power. Isaiah regarded the Lord as paramount over both
nature and human history : the prophet's religious belief was a practical
monotheism. But in Judah at large the Lord's supremacy was-
impugned alike by the nation's idolatry (ii. 8), by its self-sufficient
pride (ii. 7, xxii. 9 — 11, xxx. 16, xxxi. 1), and by the schemes of its.
statecraft (xx., xxx. 1). In the face of hostile coaUtions threatening
attack, or of overtures from friends for combined defence, Israel's duty
was faith in the might of its God, and an attitude of tranquiUity
(vii. 4, 9, xxviii. 16). ReUance upon military resources or diplomatic
successes was a virtual denial of the adequacy of the Lord's strength
or wisdom to save His people : and political compacts with external
powers could only hinder the internal reforms so urgently needed, even
if they did not introduce additional corruption (cf 2 Kgs. xvi. 10 — 15).
But Judah, instead of putting its trust in the Lord, placed its
confidence in superstitious usages, in its military forces, or in the
purchased protection of foreign potentates. The futility of such
supports was exposed by Isaiah briefly and trenchantly. The impotence
of idols to save those who trusted in them was expressively indicated
by the contemptuous term he employed to describe them — not-gods or
non-entities (see on ii. 8). Towards the practice of consulting the
manes of ancestors and other deceased persons he was equally scornful :
on behalf of the living was resort to be had to the dead (viii. 19)?
To the politicians who plumed themselves on negotiating for help fromi
Egypt his tone was ironical : if they were sagacious, so too was the;
Lord. And the helplessness of Judah's vaunted military resources,
native or foreign, if opposed to the Lord, he made evident by reminding
them of the difference between their nature and His. They were flesh,
essentiaUy weak and dependent, whereas He was spirit. Himself
the perfection of Ufe and energy, and the source of those qualities in
aU other animate beings (xxxi. 2, 3). And inasmuch as the Lord
exercised sovereign control over the earth and its peoples. He, too,
had warlike hosts at His disposal. He was the arbiter of success and
defeat (xxxvii. 27), and against His offending nation Israel He purposed
to use as the agent of its chastisement the irresistible power of
Assyria (v. 26, 30, viu. 7, x. 5).
w. I. d

xxxvi INTRODUCTION
The principal elements of permanent value in this part of Isaiah's
teaching are not peculiar to him, though they receive from him
distinctive expression. Among them are the stress laid upon the
quaUties essential to the maintenance of civil order (such as impartiality
and incorruptibility), the assertion that formal acts of worship are
worthless apart from integrity of word and deed, and the emphasis
placed upon faith (vii. 4, xxx. 15, cf viu. 17). His conception of the
essence of religious duty is the same as Micah's (vi. 8) — to do justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. The prominence which
he gives to the subject of civil government and its requirements
supplements in a very important respect the teaching of the N.T.,
where, in consequence of the humble position then occupied by the
Christian communities and the expectation of Christ's imminent retum,
such matters fall into the background. His views, it is true, have
their limitations. The morality upon which he principaUy insists is
that which concerns men's social relations ; and he takes more account
of the outward conduct, which can be enforced by authority, than of
the inward motives. His doctrine of faith, too, seems to need some
qualification. He lived in an age which had a very imperfect concep
tion of the regularity marking God's mode of action in the physical
world, and which believed Him to intervene continually in human
affairs by direct interposition. This beUef has been corrected by
experience, which has shewn that the Almighty, whilst influencing
human minds immediately, normaUy works in nature through secondary
causes and in accordance with general laws. Though He is not bound
by the physical laws of which He is the Author, yet His processes and
methods are ordinarily uniform, so that neither nations nor individuals,
though engaged in a just cause, can confidently look to God to defend
them if they dispense with such means of self-defence as reason
(which is His gift equally with conscience) may suggest. But although
Isaiah's teaching thus requires to be qualified in certain directions, it
wiU ever remain an invaluable protest against religious formalism and
materialistic unbelief
(ii) From the Lord's attributes of righteousness and sovereignty
Isaiah concluded that He would punish Israel, the nation which was
peculiarly His own, for its unrighteousness and mistrust ; but he did
not regard punishment as exhausting the Divine intentions towards it.
The infliction of a severe chastisement was a necessary part of the
Lord's purpose in respect of His people, for since in their conduct they
did not honour Him as holy. He was bound to vindicate His holiness by

INTRODUCTION xxxvii
a purifying judgment (v. 16). Hence, the efforts which they made, by
compacts with infernal powers (xxviu. 15) and by negotiations with
foreign nations (xxx. 1, 2, xxxi. 1), to avert that judgment would avail
them nothing (xxvui. 17—21, xxx. 12—17) ; for the Lord's purpose
was immutable (xxviu. 22). But Israel was not to be exterminated :
when the judgment had removed out of it aU the evil elements, a
remnant of it would be delivered. Assyria, the implement of its
punishment (x. 5), would be arrested, in the moment of its triumph,
not by human but by Divine agency (x. 16—19, 33, 34, xiv. 32, xxxi. 8) ;
and there would then foUow for the chastened and repentant survivors
an era of innocence, security, and happiness (i. 26, 27, iv. 2 — 6,
ix. 2—7, xi. 1—9, xxx. 19—26 (?), xxxii. 15—20, xxxiu. 13—24).
This belief in the eventual survival of a remnant of his countrymen
found expression in the name which Isaiah gave to his eldest son —
Shear-jashub, "A remnant shall return." The "return" meant was
not restoration from captivity but conversion to holiness', for the
prophet looked for a minority of the nation to escape the deportation
into a foreign land which was the destined fate of the rest (i. 27, iv. 2).
At first he seems to have anticipated that a section of the northem,
no less than of the southern, kingdom would be spared (see xvii. 6,
xxviii. 5, 6 ?) ; but eventuaUy his hopes centred round Zion, which he
expected to be preserved from capture when the other Judaean
fortresses were taken by the Assyrians (x. 24 — 27, xiv. 32, xxix. 7,
cf XXXVU. 31 — 35). The preservation of the Jewish capital became to
him an article of faith for two reasons. In the first place, the religious
unit was stiU the collective nation, not the individual, so that the
maintenance of the reUgion of Jehovah seemed at the time bound up
with the maintenance of Jewish independence : if Jerusalem feU as
Samaria had faUen, Judah as a nation would perish as utterly as
Ephraim, and its distinctive faith would be lost amid the heathendom
in which the deported people would be merged. That this consequence
did not ensue when, a hundred years later, Jerusalem was captured by
Nebuchadrezzar was due in large measure to the existence of a law-book
Uke Deuteronomy, which kept the religion of Jehovah aUve when
the practice of its rites had to be intermitted^. And secondly, the
deliverance of Zion would demonstrate to the world at large the
supremacy of Judah's God. In Isaiah's conception of the Divine plan
1 Cf. Hos. xiv. 1, Jer. iii. 12, 14, Zech. i. 3, Mal. iii. 7.
^ See further, p. Iv. d'i,

xxxviii INTRODUCTION
of action, the extension of a knowledge of the Lord throughout the
world was not so conspicuously the end to which passing events were
tending as it seemed to be to some other prophets (see p. kii). But
the overthrow of the Assyrians when their schemes were on the verge
of success is represented in xviu. 3 as having an interest and
significance for the nations in general (cf xiv. 26) ; and in view of this
it is difficult not to see in Isaiah the germ (though only the germ) of
an idea which is more fuUy developed by the writer of the prophecies
contained in cc. xl. — Iv.
The conditions of the felicity which Isaiah anticipated to be in
store for the surviving minority of his countrymen are represented as
both spiritual and material. Injustice and violence are to be at an
end (i. 26, iv. 3, 4, xxix. 21, xxxii. 16), moral insensibiUty is to
disappear (xxix. 18, xxx. 21), idolatry will cease (xxx. 22), and faith
and confidence in the Lord will be permanently estabUshed (xxxii. 17).
The land will be endowed with exceptional fertihty (iv. 2, xxxii. 15), the
people will be undisturbed in the enjoyment of it (xxx. 23, xxxu. 17),
and security against aU perils wiU be ensured (xxxiu. 6, 21). The
reason for the prominence given in these pictures to the transformation
of the face of the ground is to be found not only in the fiict that an
enhanced productiveness of the soil would contribute to the material
well-being of the people and compensate them for the losses sustained
through war and other calamities, but in the fact that the Hebrew
prophets attributed to nature a sense of sympathy with the varying
fortunes of humanity. They were poets as weU as prophets, and Uke
the poets of every age and race they projected their own emotions
outside them, and felt that human joys and sorrows were shared by the
physical universe about them.
The time when Isaiah expected the era of happiness to begin was
the near future. His message of comfort as well as of menace was
addressed to his own generation, and he looked for the age of peace
and prosperity to be the immediate sequel of Assyria's overthrow.
His anticipations outran the tardy movement of events, so that taken
au pied de la lettre they appear signally falsified by the issue. But
whUst to his short-sighted vision the fulfilment of the Divine purposes
assumed a shape which was not realized, his faith in a high destiny
for his country was not left without justification by later history,
though it has to be sought in the sphere of spiritual influence and not
of worldly greatness and success.
In certain passages of Isaiah's prophecies the expected bUss is

INTRODUCTION xxxix
associated with the personal rule of the Lord in Zion (iv. 5, xxxiii. 22 (?),
cf xxviii. 16)' ; but in others it is connected with the reign of a
human king as the Lord's representative and deputy. In the earlier
history of the nation the Lord had achieved His beneficent purposes
towards His people through the instrumentality of gifted leaders
(cf. 1 Sam. xii. 8, 11, Jud. ii. 18, iii. 9, etc.); and it was natural that
the experience of the past should mould the prophet's conception of
the fature. Hence he looked for the advent of a virtuous and able
sovereign to fUl the place of the rulers who had been responsible for
the evils hitherto rife in the state (i. 10, iii. 14), and to secure for his
subjects the good government and sure protection which they had so
sorely lacked. Of the four passages where such a sovereign is aUuded
to or described, viz. vii. 14—16, ix. 2 — 7, xi. 1 — 9, xxxu. 1 — 8, the first
and second are the most remarkable, since in them names are applied
to him (vii. 14, ix. 6) which to modern minds seem appropriate only to
a superhuman personality. But by the contemporaries of Isaiah the
sharp distinction between the human and the superhuman which has
been drawn in later times was not felt; and men of extraordinary
endowments were held to partake of the character of Him with Whom
such endowments originated and of Whose spirit they were manifesta
tions. The time when Isaiah expected such a king to arise was (as has
been already implied) at the close of the Assyrian crisis, the magnitude
of which (it was presumably felt) could only be preliminary to an era
of happiness proportionally momentous. He does not appear to have
regarded the king as destined to be an agent in delivering the country
from Assyria. That deliverance is conceived to be the work of the
Lord alone (cf xxx. 27 — 33) ; the ideal sovereign is thought of as
designed to safeguard the people against a renewal of the disorders
that had hitherto distressed them.
The troubles of the Assyrian period were foUowed by the appearance
of no such sovereign as Isaiah anticipated. But confidence in the
ultimate fulfilment of his predictions was not abandoned by later
generations of his countrymen ; and of the four cited the first two in
particular shaped Jewish expectations respecting the advent of a great
national Prince (cf Acts i. 6), to whom the title Messiah ("Anointed")
was applied (cf Ps. u. 2, Dan. ix. 25, Joh. iv. 25). By the Christian
Church they have traditionally been held to be prophecies of our Lord
and to have been verified by His birth some 700 years afterwards.

' Cf. the conception in xxiv. 23.

xl INTRODUCTION
They seem, however, to be precluded from being predictions of Him in
any strict sense not only by the interval of time separating them from
our Lord's advent, but also by the difference between their tenor and
the circumstances of our Lord's life. Christ, though a king, was not
an earthly sovereign (cf Joh. xviu. 36), and His regal authority was
spiritual, exercised only through the impression wrought by His
teaching and example. Nevertheless the passages in question can
reasonably be regarded as expressions of faith in a Divine purpose of
grace which time justified much more slowly, indeed, and far otherwise
than the prophet expected, and yet more fully and effectively. Isaiah's
conviction that God would not permanently aUow evU to go unmitigated,
but would bring into operation means to ameliorate it, through the
agency of a wonderful Personality, has been verified by the moral and
spiritual forces introduced into human society by our Lord. His
prophecies, as predictions of the precise way in which Divine
Providence would work, were indeed widely removed from the truth ;
but as assertions of belief in a Divine order emerging out of disorder
they have been, and are stUl being, substantiated. And even in the
titles which, in the prophecies vii. 14 — 16, ix. 2 — 7, are given to the
promised king, there is a strange appropriateness to our Lord, for the
name God (Immanuel, Vii. 14, Fl Gibbor, ix. 6) was of fuller significance
in connection with Him than in connection with other men (see Joh. x.
34 — 36), and Prince of Peace (ix. 6) most aptly defined His office and
function (cf Luke u. 14, Eph. ii. 14).

APPENDIX TO CHAPTER II.
The Chronolooy of Isaiah's Times.
The accession-years of the four Judsean kings within whose reigns Isaiah's
ministry (so far as is known) was included cannot be flxed with certainty,
inasmuch as the figures given by the O.T. writers in connection with the reigns
of the Judsean kings from Uzziah to the fall of Jerusalem are irreconcilable
with one another. This will appear from the conflicting results obtained when
calculations are made on the basis of the statements (a) that 722 (the date of
the fall of Samaria) was the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign (2 Kgs. xviii. 10),
(6) that 701 (the date of Sennacherib's invasion) was the fourteenth year of
Hezekiah's reign (2 Kgs. xviii. 13), (c) that 587 (the date of the fall of Jemsa
lem) was the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign (2 Kgs. xxv. 2). The Hebrew
historians generally seem to have reckoned inclusively, the year in which a
change of reign occurred being counted both as the last year of the deceased

INTRODUCTION

xli

king and the first year of his successor. Consequently in the compilation of
the foUowing tables the years of the reigns of the several kings named, as given
in the O.T., have'been reduced by one.

(a)

ib)

(e)

Uzziah

8081

Uzziah

7951

Uzziah

801 »

Jotham

757

Jotham

744

Jotham

750

Ahaz

742

Ahaz

729

Ahaz

735

Hezekiah

727

FaU of Samaria
722
Fall qf Samaria 722
Fall of Samaria
722
Hezekiah
714
Hezekiah
720
Sennacherib's) Invasion ]
701
Sennacherib's Invasion
701
Sennacherib's Invasion
701
Manasseh
692
Amon
638
Josiah
637
Jehoahaz
607
Jehoiakim
607
Jehoiachin
597
Zedekiah
597
Fall of Jerusalem 587
It is an objection to the first and third of the above schemes that, since
Isaiah's call took place in the last year of Uzziah (757 or 750) (when he may be
assumed to have been at least 20), he would have been an old man at the time
of Sennacherib's invasion in 701 (which is improbable); and it is an objection
to the second (which places Isaiah's call later) that it implies that the devasta
tion of the northem provinces of Israel in 734 and the capture of Damascus in 732
occurred in the reign of Jotham, not of Ahaz (as represented in Is. vii). More
over, all the schemes conflict with the evidence of the Assyrian inscriptions,
which assert that Menahem of Israel, whom Uzziah outlived (according to 2 Kgs.
XV. 23), paid tribute to Pui (Tiglath-pileser) in 738'. One source of the incon
sistency is the assumption that Jotham reigned 15 years as sole sovereign; but
it is probable that the 15 years assigned to him really include a period of
regency for his father, who towards the close of his life was a leper (see 2 Kgs.
XV. 5), and that the duration of his sole mle was short. Where many of the
data are so precarious, any chronological table of the period must be largely
conjectural, but the foUowing seems the most plausible that can be furnished :
Uzziah (approximate) 789
Jotham „ 738
Ahaz „ 735
Hezekiah „ 727 — 692
This scheme involves the shortening of the reign of Ahaz from 15 to 8 years,
and the lengthening of the reign of Hezekiah from 28 to 35 years. But it is
possible to reconcile it with some of the Biblical statements by assuming (as
1 The calculations are made backwards from the dates 722, 701 and 587
respectively. 2 Sohrader, GOT. i. pp. 244, 245.
xiii INTRODUCTION
suggested by Whitehouse) that Ahaz associated his son with him on the throne
during the latter part of his life. If so, 727 was perhaps the date of Hezekiah's
joint reign with his father, and 720 the date of his accession as sole king '.

CHAPTER III.
Deutero-Isaiah (cc. xL — Iv.).
§ 1. Origin and Date.
Chapters xl. — Iv. constitute a group of cc. which are marked by
great uniformity both of subject-matter and style, and which coUec-
tively present a striking contrast to the preceding thirty-nine cc. They
have no heading attributing them to Isaiah, and from the oracles of that
prophet comprised in the foregoing cc. they are separated by the
historical narrative occupying cc. xxxvi. — ^xxxix., which seems to
form the conclusion of what was at one time regarded as a complete
coUection of Isaiah's prophecies. As they thus make no claim to
proceed from Isaiah, the only ground for their ascription to him (as
by Ecclus. xlviii. 22 — 25, see p. i) is their attachment to a book
containing his writings, though this may be accounted for by other
reasons than a conviction, on the part of the editor who appended
them, that they were really the work of the prophet. It has been aheady
pointed out that 2 Ch. xxxvi. 22 (= Ezra i. 1) which appears to refer
to Is. xliv. 28, assigns it to Jeremiah (cf p. vi) ; and possibly some
tradition that part of the book of Isaiah is later in origin than
Jeremiah and Ezekiel is preserved in the old Jewish arrangement
(mentioned in the Talmud) of these three prophets in the order
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah. And when the trustworthiness of the
belief in the Isaianic authorship of these cc. is tested by their contents
and character, it finds no support in the internal evidence which they
themselves furnish of their origin. This, when examined, points to
their having been composed at a much later date than the eighth
century, and under very different conditions from those which sub
sisted in Isaiah's lifetime. The evidence in question comprises (1) the
historical situation implied, (2) the prevaiUng tone and predominant
ideas, (3) the characteristic style and phraseology.
' Whitehouse thinks that the joint reign of Ahaz and Hezekiah lasted from 727
to 715. This gives the former a reign of 20 years instead of the 15 (16) of
2 Kgs. xvi. 2, but renders less improbable the statement that Hezekiah was 25 when
he succeeded his father (2 Egs. xviii. 2).

INTRODUCTION xUii
(1) The general purport of these cc. is to comfort a body of Jews,
whose native city has been destroyed and who for their sins have long
been in exUe at Babylon (xiii. 22, xlix. 9), with an assurance that
their period of punishment has expired (xl. 2) and that their release
from captivity and their return to their own country is at hand. Their
deUverance is to be accomplished for them by a foreign prince whose
name (Cyrus) is given and who is regarded as marked out, by the
successes he has aheady achieved, to be the destined destroyer of
their oppressor and the rebuUder of Jerusalem (xliv. 28). The faU
of Jerusalem and the deportation of its inhabitants to Babylonia took
place in 587, and the restoration of the Jews to Palestine occurred in
537 after the overthrow of Babylon by the Persian prince Cyrus in 538.
Thus the ostensible standpoint, consistently maintained, of the writer
is that of one Uving between these two dates. But a discourse, or a
series of discourses, such as these cc. contain, is only inteUigible if the
ostensible standpoint is also the real one. For the writer does not
predict (as Isaiah might be expected to do if he were their author)
that Assyria, which was the dominant nation of Western Asia in the
eighth century and is continuaUy aUuded to in the Isaianic oracles
comprised in cc. i. — xxxk., is to be replaced by Babylon, and that the
latter is to enslave his countrymen until forced to relinquish them ;
but be views the Assyrian oppression of Judah as an event of the
distant past, and Babylon as the tyrant power of the present (Ui. 4, 5)
whose pride is about to be humbled (c. xlvii.). He does not successively
foreteU for the people of Jerusalem both exile and release, as did
Jeremiah (v. 10—19, xxi. 3—10, xxv. 8—11, xxxi. 7—9, 23—30,
xxxii. 28—44), Ezekiel (v., vi., xi. 16—20), and Micah (iv. 10');
but the conditions of the exile are pre-supposed, and the writer's
predictions relate only to his countrymen's deliverance from it (xiv. 13).
The prophet writes as a contemporary of the captives in Babylon, and
even includes himself among them (xiii. 24) ; and that such was really
his position, and that what he describes was by himself witnessed and
heard is shewn by his knowledge of the situation and feeUngs of the
exiles, knowledge which is too comprehensive and detailed to be
credible in a writer merely prophesying of conditions not yet existing,
and the minuteness of which is thrown into relief by the visionary
character of his expectations about the undoubted future, which were

^ The mention of Babylon here is thought by many to be due to an interpolator
(see Cheyne, ad loc).

xliv INTRODUCTION
largely falsified by the event (see p. kxvi). Among the circumstances
with which he shews acquaintance are the foUowing :
(a) The local features of the city of Babylon, including its shipping
(xliu. 14), its wealth (xiv. 3), its great gates (xiv. 1), its gods Bel and
Nebo (xlvi. 1), its manufactories of images (xli. 6, 7, xUv. 12 — 17), its
idolatry, its sorcerers, and its astrologers (xlvii. 12, 13).
(b) The desolate state of Jerusalem, with its soU laid waste
(xlix. 19, li. 3, Ui. 9), its waUs and temple destroyed (xliv. 26, 28),
and its population in large part deported into exUe.
(c) The sentiments prevailing among the Jewish exUes, the de
pression of some by reason of their protracted captivity (xl. 27, xlvi. 12j
xUx. 14, U. 12, 13), the discontent of others at the Divine scheme for
their rescue (xiv. 9 — 13), and the lack of response to the Lord's
advances (1. 2).
(d) The name and origin of Cyrus, the destined conqueror of
Babylon (xliv. 28, xiv. 1 — 4), who is aUuded to as though already
known by reputation to the prophet's auditors or readers, and who is
represented as already launched upon his successful career (xU. 2, 25,
xlviii. 15).
(e) The imminence of Babylon's overthrow (xlui. 14, xlvi. 1), of
the deUverance of the captives whom it holds in bondage (idvi. 13,
xlviu. 20, xlix. 13, Ui. 9), and of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (xUv. 26) —
achievements of which Cyrus is the destined agent (xiv. 13, xlviii. 14,
xUv. 28).
(/) The nature of the country to be traversed between Babylon
and Palestine, with its treeless and waterless wastes and its burning
heat (xli. 17 f, xliii. 19).
(g) Certain prophecies known to have been recently fulfiUed, to
which appeal is made as justifying confidence in the Lord's fresh
predictions (xli. 26, xiii. 9, xlui. 8 — 10, xUv. 8, xiv. 21, xlvi. 10,
xlviii. 3, 6, 14, 16) and which, if relating to the overthrow of
Jerusalem and the captivity of its people, must be those of Jeremiah
(see Jer. xxx. 3, xxxi. 4 f ).
Acquaintance with such matters as these is sufficient to render it
in the highest degree improbable that the author of the cc. in which
they are mentioned was Isaiah. The only world-power in Asia of
which Isaiah shews any knowledge is Assyria, and he nowhere an
ticipates its displacement by Babylon. The latter country in his time
was only occasionally independent of Assyria, and the Medo-Persian
power had not yet risen above the poUtical horizon. Elam, whence

INTRODUCTION xiv
Cyrus came, is represented by Isaiah as furnishing contingents to the
jA^syrian armies (xxii. 6), and Media was a subject Assyrian province
(2 Kgs. xvii. 6). Of predictions foretelling a captivity of Judah in
Babylon there is only one which is expressly connected with Isaiah,
viz. xxxix. 6; and that, if in its present form authentic (see note
ad loc), is most reasonably understood of a deportation thither of
Judsean captives by an Assyrian king ; whilst no mention of a release
from such a captivity is made anywhere in writings which bear the
stamp of Isaiah's own age'. The prophecies contained in these cc.
could only have been written by that prophet if he, in his old age, had
completely detached himself from his own time, and, projecting himself
into the future, had placed himself in the situation of a distant genera
tion and devoted himself to meeting their needs exclusively. Whether
it was psychologicaUy possible for a prophet to do this may be arguable ;
that the result for his own generation would have been in a high degree
perplexing cannot be doubted. Nor indeed would any purpose have
been served by a prediction delivered 150 years before the event. The
function of a Hebrew prophet was ordinarily to explain to his own
contemporaries the trend of their own conduct and to foretell the
consequences it would have for themselves; and an eighth century
prophecy of the termination of the Babylonian exile would have been
a useless forestalUng of the predictions afterwards delivered about it
by Jeremiah and Ezekiel in the seventh and sixth centuries. The
only conclusion which is consistent both with the antecedent prob-
abiUties and with the actual aUusions is that these cc. are the work of
a prophet who lived during the Exile, that they were occasioned by
events that occurred shortly before the close of it, and that they were
addressed to those who were reaUy resident in Babylon.
(2) These cc. differ conspicuously from the prophecies of Isaiah, as
preserved in cc. i. — xxxix., in respect both of their writer's spirit and
temper, and of many of the thoughts and ideas presented.
(a) The pervading spirit is consolatory, in marked contrast to
that of Isaiah, whose utterances are mainly denunciations of his
countr)rmen's sins, and exhortations to amendment. This distinction
cannot be adequately explained by a difference of conditions and by
the fact that the chastisement for the national offences is assumed to
have already faUen, for it is plain from various passages that the
community addressed is by no means regarded as free from fault.
^ On Mic. iv. 10 see p. xliii.

xlvi INTRODUCTION
Nevertheless, though the prophet shews himself conscious of their
mistrast of the Lord and their unresponsiveness to His advances, he
does not dwell on their shortcomings, but seeks by every device to
animate and encourage them.
(b) In the conception of the Lord's character here presented the
dominant attributes are His love for Israel (xliii. 4, cf xliv. 21, xlk. 15),
His tenderness and compassion towards it (xl. 11), and His faithfulness to
His original purpose in regard to it (xiii. 6, 21 and perhaps xli. 2, 10);
whereas the quality in God's nature which Isaiah chiefly accentuates is
His sense of right and equity, which resents in His people the com
mission of social injustice and wrong. Hence the terms righteous and
righteousness, when predicated of the Lord, are not significant, as in
Isaiah, of retributive justice (i. 27, v. 16, x. 22) but of salvation or
deliverance (xiv. 8, xlvi. 13, li. 5, 6, 8), the redress of Israel's wrongs
being required by the Lord's trustworthiness and moral consistency (cf
xiv. 21)'.
(c) The theme of the Lord's supremacy, though a subject common
to both Isaiah (vi. 3) and the writer of these cc, is handled by the
latter in a distinctive manner. Both prophets look to the events of
history for the proof of the Lord's superiority over the powers upon
which the worshippers of other gods, whether within Israel or among
foreign peoples, rely; but whereas Isaiah assumes that the occurrences
which he has in mind wiU carry conviction to the hearts of aU who
witness them, without his explicitly defining how the conviction is to
he produced that the Lord is the sole Author of them, the writer of
cc. xl. — Iv. appeals specifically to the coincidence of the events with
the Lord's prior predictions of them (xli. 21 — 29, xliii. 9 — 13).
(d) Their writer contemplates, like Isaiah (iv. 2 — 4), the re-estab
lishment in Jerusalem of happy and glorious conditions (Ui. I, liv. 1 f ),
but it is not represented (as in Isaiah) as reserved for a mere " remnant "
of the nation, or associated with the rale of an ideal king. There is but
a single passage that is remotely suggestive of the advent of the
Messianic King, viz. Iv. 3, 4, but the real tenor of it seems to be that
the Divine promises made to the historic David are to be realized by
the nation as a whole. The actual deUverance of the exUed people
from their calamitous circumstances is depicted as achieved by a
foreign prince, to whom alone the title of the Lord's "Anointed"

1 Sometimes righteousness only means truthfulness, correctness (xiv. 19
xli. 26).

INTRODUCTION xlvii
(Messiah) is applied (xiv. I). The only king in the restored
community is the Lord (xli. 21, xliii. 15, xliv. 6).
(e) In these cc. there emerges a conception of Israel's relation to
the world which transcends anything that appears in Isaiah^ The last-
named prophet, indeed, implies in xviii. 3 that the Lord's overthrow of
Assyria has an interest for aU nations (cf p. xxxviii), and in xviu. 7 (if
the V. be authentic) declares that a single foreign people, who have
sought alliance with Judah, will send a token of homage to the Lord in
consequence of that signal manifestation of His power. But the writer
of these cc. looks forward to the rescue of his countrymen from Babylon
as being instrumental in extending amongst mankind at large a know
ledge of Judah's God and attracting their adhesion (cf xiv. 4 — 6,
U. 4, 5, Ui. 10). The coUective nation is personified, and, under the
name of the Lord's Servant, is regarded as designed to witness, both by
the predictive powers with which (through its prophets) it is endowed,
and by the extraordinary course of its fortunes, to the wisdom and
might of the Lord, and thereby to win for Him the allegiance of the
Gentiles and promote their salvation (xiv. 22, cf xliv. 5). This theme
is further developed in a series of passages which are probably insertions
in the original prophecy ; and the Jewish people is depicted as having
atoned, by its sufferings and national extinction, for the sins of the
heathen and as being destined to labour for their conversion.
(/) To certain of the characteristic thoughts of the writer paraUels
are found only in the post-Isaianic prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Of
those aheady enumerated the conception of Israel as the Lord's Servant
is found in Jer. xxx. 10, xlvi. 27 ; whilst another, not previously men
tioned, namely, the view that the people's release from exile is required
not by then deserts but by consideration for the Lord's honour (xliii. 25,
xlviii. 9 — 11), occurs also in Ezek. xxxvi. 22.
Such distinctive differences between the modes of thought per
vading these sixteen cc. and the writings of Isaiah can scarcely admit of
the conclusion that they are the production of one and the same mind
working under dissimilar conditions. They seem intelligible only if the
two groups of prophecies are regarded as proceeding from two separate
writers, who were not only placed in different situations, but were also
endowed with diverse temperaments and inteUectual qualities.
(3) The style and phraseology of these cc. are as 'individual as the
ideas, and are in keeping with the position in which the historical
1 On ii. 2 — 4, see note.

xlviii INTRODUCTION
allusions imply that the writer was situated. Whereas Isaiah was a
statesman, who addressed his utterances to the nation's rulers or to
gatherings of the people, and whose writings exhibit the energy, the
pregnant phrasing, and the rapid transitions of an orator, the author
of these cc. writes as one who, if he sought to influence his countrjnnen,
had to do so not by public addresses but through literary channels.
His style is impassioned, imaginative, and stately, and marked by the
structural symmetry of poetry. In striking contrast to the brevity
of Isaiah, it is remarkably diffuse and expansive. The writer circles
round his favourite thoughts, often without appreciably advancing
them, and sometimes vrith a reiteration, ahnost tedious, of particular
phrases (such as lift up thine (jjowr) eyes (xl. 26, xlix. 18, U. &), fear not
(xli. 10, 13, 14, xliii. 1, 5, xliv. 2, liv. 4), the first and the last (xU. 4,
xliv. 6, xlviii. 12), I am the Lord (God) and there is none else (xiv. 5,
6, 18, 22, xlvi. 9)). Again, unlike Isaiah, whose utterances are more
calculated to impress and awe than to persuade, his tone is tender and
pleading, and he makes his appeals by reasoning and argument. But
in spite of the argumentative strain in his writing, the poetic quaUty of
his genius is evidenced by the short lyrics which occur here and there,
and by his frequent resort to Personification (xl. 10, xlui. 6, xlvii. 1,
xUx. 13, li. 9, 17, Ui. I, liv. 1, Iv. 12), Metaphor (xli. 14, xUii. 2,
xiv. 9, xlvi. 1 1, 1. 1, Uv. 9) and SimUe (xl. 1 1, xUv. 4, xlk. 18). Other dis
tinctive features of his diction are the duplication of emphatic phrases
(xl. I, xUii. II, 25, xlviii. 11, 15, U. 9, 12, 17, Ui. 1, 11), the number
of rhetorical questions (xl. passim, xli. 2, 4, 26, xUi. 23, 24, xliu. 19,
xliv. 7, 8, 10, xiv. 9, 21, xlvi. 5, xlix. 15, 24, etc.) and the accumula
tion of epithets and descriptive clauses in connection vrith the names of
the Lord (xl. 28, xiii. 5, xliii. 14, 16, 17, xliv. 6, 24—28, xiv. 11, 18,
xlviii. 17, li. 13), of Israel (xli. 8, xlvi. 3, xlviii. 1, xlix. 7), and of Cyrus
(xiv. 1).
His phraseology, as compared with Isaiah's, offers almost as many
points of contrast as his style, for it is marked both by (a) the absence
of many of Isaiah's favourite words and figures, and (b) the inclusion
of many expressions which are foreign to that prophet, (a) Of phrases
that recur with some frequency (three times or more) in Isaiah the
foUowing are wholly or almost wholly absent from these cc. : —
Jehovah of hosts. Lord, idols (^''^"'P^^, a treading-down (DO")!?), to
smear (i.e. to blind) the eyes, mighty ('•''??), a remnamt, to be wasted (pW),
a burden ('^D), a fruitful field (or plantation, '^l?), tempest (or rain
storm, Q^J), briers and thorns, to fight (or war), to flee (DW), and it

INTRODUCTION xlix
shall come to pass, in that day. Of metaphors and similes to which
Isaiah is partial (each being used at least twice) the foUowing do not
occur -.—to arise (of the Lord's activity), to exalt Himself (3|^J), to
stretch out the hand (of the Lord's infliction of chastisement upon
a nation or country), the thickets of the forest (a figure for large forces),
head and tail, palm branch and rush (terms applied to the highest and
lowest ranks in the state), fatness and leanness (figures for prosperity
and adversity), briers and thorns (figures for hostile armies), a scourge
(a metaphor for a severe infliction), an overflowing stream (applied to
an overwhelming calamity), to he broken, snared, and taken (of the
victims of a disaster), (b) On the other hand the following words and
expressions which are comparatively rare or wholly absent in Isaiah
are frequent in these cc. : all flesh, anger (^^U), bring good tidings,
break forth into singing ("VS), comfort, choose (of the Lord's choice
of Israel), create, coastlands (or isles), declare ("^'ji'!'), gather (f??),
nothing (D??), offspring (^''^V^V), pleasure (Y^U), praise, right hand,
redeem ('^1), shew (V''apn)^ spring forth QyQt),from the beginning (B'N'iip),
the fm-mer things (nwWKn), salvation (V^"!,, r\VW^;), the Lord's (my, his)
servant. Two words which, though occurring in Isaiah, are much
commoner in these cc. are righteousness (PTf) and f(yr ever (D?ij??).
Among favourite figures in cc. xl. — Iv. are widowhood (for the desolation
of a city), darkness (for imprisonment), and the Lord's arm (for His
power). But most significant of all are certain particles or adverbs
which are used (each more than half a dozen times) in these cc. but
which occur rarely or not at aU in Isaiah's undoubted writings. The
most noteworthy are :— "inK «!« |3{<, b, jn, \sm)^ im, n»pn. Other
peculiarities which are only manifest in the Heb. are the omission of
the relative ("^S) and the use of fem. adjectives and participles
(in the plural) to express the neuter.
These literary features constitute by themselves a strong argument
in favour of cc. xl. — Iv. having been produced by another writer than
Isaiah, for they extend beyond the choice of particular words (which
might in some instances be determined by the subject-matter) to the
stracture and articulation of sentences. If Isaiah was their author, it
must be supposed that he not only put himself into the situation, and
became imbued with the ideas and sentiments, of a later generation,
but that in writing for such he departed widely from his ordinary
phraseology and manner of composition. Thus, three separate lines of
proof converge to establish the conclusion that this part of the book
does not proceed from that prophet. This conclusion the traditional

1 INTRODUCTION
ascription of the whole book to him is not sufficient to neutraUze.
Inasmuch as independent investigation shews that the Pentateuch,
which is traditionaUy attributed to Moses, the Psalter, which is
generaUy associated with the name of David, the book of Proverbs,
which is simUarly connected with Solomon, and the book of Zechariah,
which has for its title the name of a single prophet, are aU compilations
from several sources, it is far from surprising that the book of Isaiah
should likewise be composite. Nor can the accuracy of the tradition
which treats the book as the work of one author be decided by the
citation in the N.T. of aU parts of it (cc. xl. — Iv. no less than cc. i. — xxxix.)
as Isaiah's (see p. i). Both by our Lord and by the N.T. writers
the name of the prophet was used to denote the book from which they
quoted because it was popularly known as his ; and by such use the
question of the integrity of the book is left untouched'. The extemal
testimony, therefore, to the unity of authorship cannot counterbalance
the intemal evidence that it is the work of more than one vmter, and
that cc. xl. — Iv. are the composition of a prophet who Uved a century
and a half after Isaiah. That the memory of one who has written so
noble a book should have passed so completely into obUvion is, no doubt,
strange, but may perhaps be accounted for by the character of the
prophecy, which, if the writer lived in Babylon, might make it ex
pedient that the authorship should not be widely known. In any case,
it is not unexampled, for the author of the book of Job, a work equally
remarkable, is also forgotten. In the absence of aU knowledge of the
real name of the writer of these cc, he is usually designated as Deutero-
Isaiah. The limits of time vrithin which the prophecy was written can be
deduced with some confidence from the statements made in regard to
Cyrus, who is represented not as about to start upon his course of con
quest, but as having already entered upon it (xli. 2), and as having
been summoned by the Almighty from the north and the east (xU. 25).
This description is only applicable to him if he had by this time become
master of Media, of which he was made king in 549. But it is possible
that tbe date is a little later than this; for the declaration that the
isles (i.e. the coasts of the Mediterranean) trembled before him (xli. 5)
seems to imply that he had also subdued Croesus of Lydia, the aUy of
1 It is not implied that our Lord and His Apostles used the title by way of
" accommodation " to the popular beliefs of the time ; the latter inevitably shared
such, whilst the former participated in them through His self-limitation which waa
inherent in the Incarnation.

INTRODUCTION li
the Babylonian king Nabunaid (the Labynetus of Hdt. i. 77), who
was defeated in 546. The work, however, cannot be subsequent to 538,
when Babylon, whose fall is regarded as stUl in the future (xUii. 14,
xlvii. 1, xlviu. 14), was captured; and accordingly its composition may
be plausibly assigned to some period between 546 and 538. The place
of its origin has been variously identified. Marti (foUowing Ewald)
favours Egypt on the inadequate grounds of the reference to that
country in xUii. 3, xiv. 14, of a supposed aUusion to the oracle of
Ammon in xiv. 19, and of the use of Syene (if this is meant by Sinim
in xlk. 12) to designate the extreme south. Duhm suggests Phoenicia
since the writer has so much in mind the isles of the west, and alludes
to Lebanon (xl. 16), where he could see snow (Iv. 10) and become
acquainted with cedars (xU. 19) and other trees mentioned in xU. 19,
xliv. 14, Iv. 13. But the bulk of the available evidence points to
Babylonia. Only if the writer Uved in Babylon is the word here
natural in Ui. 5'. In that country information respecting the early
successes of Cilyrus would be disseminated sooner than in Palestine or
Egjrpt: there, more than in any other locaUty, would the prophet
become famUiar with the idolatry, the processes of image manufacture,
the names of Babylon's chief deities, the sorcery and the astrology,
which he describes; there the Semitic mythology (aUuded to in U. 9)
would be stUl current; and there the chcumstances and feelings of the
exUed people would be most readUy learnt. About the mountains and
trees of Palestine he could obtain information through hearsay or
Uterature, or he might have seen trees of Palestinian origin introduced
into Babylonia ; whilst two that are named by him appear to be reaUy
Babylonian — the wUlow (or poplar), which is referred to in Ps. cxxxvii.
2, and the myrtle, which is mentioned as growing in Palestine only by
post-exUic writers (Zech. i. 8, 10, 11, Neh. viu. 15) and seems to have
become knovm to the Jews in the course of the ExUe. In a few passages
which appear to be written from the standpoint of a resident in
Palestine (xh. 9, Ui. 7, 11), the prophet obviously places lumself in
fancy in the land of his fathers.

' This V. occurs in a passage deemed by some critics to be an interpolation
(see note).

w. I.

Iii INTRODUCTION
§ 2. Jewish History in the interval between Isaiah and
Deutero-Isaiah.
The kingdom of Judah survived the crisis of 701 for more than a
hundred years, and outlasted the empire of Assyria itself Sennacherib,
who made one or more expeditions westward after 701, but did not
again threaten Jerusalem', was assassinated in 681 (Is. xxxvii. 38) and
was succeeded by his son Esarhaddon (681—668). The most notable
events of his successor's reign were the destruction of Zidon (cf p. 150),
and the invasion of Egypt, the latter being the first successful attempt
on the part of an Assyrian monarch to penetrate into the land
of the Pharaohs. On Esarhaddon's death the Assyrian dominions
passed to Asshurbanipal (668 — 626), the Osnappar of Ezra iv. 10, and
the Sardanapalus of Greek historians. Like his father, the new king
made campaigns in Egypt; but the country was not permanently
occupied, and Psammetichus, the son of Necho, one of the Egyptian
vassal kings, declared himself independent before 660. Asshurbanipal
reduced Tyre, which had successfully defied his father, and ravaged
Elam ; but the power of the Assyrian empire was already beginning to
be impaired ; and when he died in 626 it quickly crumbled. After the
death of Asshurbanipal the annals of Assyria are fragmentary; his
successors are mere names ^. Babylonia, which had occasioned so much
trouble to Sargon and Sennacherib through the activity of Merodach-
baladan of Bit-yakin, now passed into the hands of Nabopolassar, who
like Merodach-baladan, was a Chaldean by race. Nabopolassar, however,
was attacked by Sin-shar-ishkun, the contemporary king of Assyria;
and to defend himself he appealed for help to the Manda, a group of
nomadic tribes of Kurdistan, speaking an Indo-European tongue, who
seem to have incorporated the Medes. The Manda drove the .Assyrians
out of Babylonia, and pursued them to Nineveh, their capital. The
city failed to withstand the assault of the invaders; it was stormed,
sacked, and burnt; and Sin-shar-ishkun perished in the flames that
consumed his palace. The date of Nineveh's capture was 607.
In Judah Hezekiah died about 692, and was succeeded by Manasseh
(692 — 638), in whose reign there was a violent reaction against the
religious reforms advocated by Isaiah and perhaps carried out in some
degree by Hezekiah (p. 227), in the course of which the prophet him
self is said to have been put to death (p. xviii). According to 2 Ch.
1 See ou CO. xxxvi., xxxvii., Eogers, HBA. ii. 203 (note), 213.
2 Asshur-etU-ili, Sin-shum-lishir, Sin-shar-ishkun.

INTRODUCTION Uii
xxxiii. II, retribution fell upon Manasseh at the hands of Assyria, the
Assyrian king (Esarhaddon?) invading Judah and carrying its ruler
into captivity (cf Is. xxxix. 6, note), whence he is said to have been
subsequently released'- Manasseh was succeeded by Amon (638 —
637), and .Amon by Josiah (637—607) ; and it was in the reign of the
latter that Assyria began to totter to its fall. The signs of the coming
coUapse were apparent to its neighbours, and a claimant for the prospec
tive spoUs of the falling empire appeared in Egypt. As has been
mentioned, Psammetichus had there asserted his independence in the
reign of Asshurbanipal, and his son Necho II. aspired to extend
Egyptian power eastward. Palestine was the country which lay nearest,
and the Philistine city of Gaza was the first which Necho assailed ^-
After the capture of this, he was opposed by Josiah, whose independ
ence the Egyptian invasion of Asia threatened. The encounter took
place at Megiddo', and Josiah was defeated and mortally wounded.
The control of Judah then passed for a while into Egyptian hands, and
Necho dethroned Josiah's son Jehoahaz, or Shallum (Jer. xxii. 11), who
had been made king by popular choice, and replaced him by his brother
Eliakim or Jehoiakim. But the Egyptian king did not long enjoy the
fruits of his success. About the same time that the battle of Megiddo
was fought, Nineveh was taken by the Manda; and the Chaldean
Nabopolassar set about securing for himself the region of Mesopo
tamia. Hence when Necho, seeking to extend his conquests, marched
to the Euphrates, he was opposed by Nebuchadrezzar, son of Nabo
polassar, at Carchemish (cf Jer. xlvi. 2), and completely defeated (605).
This victory placed Judah in the power of the Chaldeans. For three
years Jehoiakim paid tribute to Nebuchadrezzar*, who succeeded (605)
to the throne of Babylon on the death of his father (2 Kgs. xxiv. 1);
but then revolted. Judah was thereupon harassed by detachments of
the Chaldean hosts, aided by the S3rrians, Moabites and Ammonites;
but after the death of Jehoiakim, who was succeeded by Jehoiachin,
the Chaldean king advanced in force against Jerusalem and compelled
its surrender. Jehoiachin, with his court and the flower of the popu
lation (cf Jer. xxiv.), was carried into captivity (597), and his uncle
Mattaniah under the title of Zedekiah was made king in his room.
* Manasseh is mentioned as an Assyrian vassal iu the inscriptions of both
Esarhaddon and Asshurbanipal (Sohrader, GOT. n. 40). Much doubt attaches to
the story of his captivity at Babylon and his subsequent release, in consequence of
the silence of the writer of Kings about it.
^ Herodotus (n. 157) mentions an attack of Psammetichus on Ashdod.
The Magdolus of Hdt. ii. 159. * Strictly Nebuchadrezzar II.
e2

liv INTRODUCTION
Meanwhile in Egypt Necho had been succeeded by Hophra (the
Apries of the Greek historians), and it was probably through Egyptian
encouragement that the states of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Zidon
sought to induce Judah to unite with them in rebeUing against their
suzerain. The policy was opposed by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. xxvii. ) ;
but eventually Zedelciah, in spite of his oath of fealty (Ezek. xvii. 13),
decided on revolt. Nebuchadrezzar sent an army to blockade Jerusa
lem; but for a time the siege was raised through the approach of an
Egyptian relieving force. The Egyptians, however, soon retreated,
perhaps in consequence of a defeat (Jos. Ant, x. vii. 3), and Jerusalem
was again invested. Zedekiah himself attempted to escape across the
Jordan, but was overtaken near Jericho, carried to Riblah, where
Nebuchadrezzar himself was, and there, after witnessing his sons'
deaths, had his eyes put out, and was carried captive to Babylon. His
capital, meanwhile, had been entered, its treasures seized, its waUs
breached, and its buildings burnt. Of its remaining inhabitants a
large number were deported, only the poorest being left to cultivate
the soil (587 B.C.). As governor of these there was appointed a Jew of
royal descent named Gedaliah; but he, together with a number of those
about him, both Jews and Chaldeans, was murdered by another de
scendant of the royal house called Ishmael ; and in fear of the possible
vengeance that the Chaldean king might wreak on the country, the
bulk of the survivors fled to Egypt, whither some Jews had withdrawn
after 597 (see Jer. xxiv. 8), and where there was eventually gathered a
large Jewish population.
The principal facts of importance in the religious history of Judah
during this period were the promulgation of the Deuteronomic Law in
the reign of Josiah, and the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah during the
reigns of his successors. The importance of Deuteronomy lay in its
injunction that the national worship of the Lord should be restricted
to a single sanctuary, an injunction which was enforced by king
Josiah. Such a departure from the previous usage aUowing worship
to be conducted at numerous local shrines was calculated to preserve
the reUgion of the Lord from being contaminated with the idolatrous
and immoral rites which found shelter in obscure sanctuaries, and it
thus helped to safeguard both the purity and the spirituality of the
Hebrew faith. In the long run, however, the centraUzing of all
worship at the Temple could scarcely fail to have a narrowing effect
upon Jewish conceptions of the Deity, and of the conditions under
which He desired to be approached (cf Joh. iv. 20). On the genera-

INTRODUCTION Iv
tion that was confronted with the armies of Nebuchadrezzar it had a
further calamitous infiuence by encouraging them to defy the enemy
in reUance upon the beUef that Jerusalem was secure against capture
in virtue of the existence of the Lord's Temple within it (cf Is. xiv. 32,
xxix. 7, 8, xxxi. 9). It was among the services rendered by Jeremiah
to his countrymen that he sought to disabuse them of this superstitious
confidence in the Temple as a palladium. He maintained that Jerusalem
was doomed to faU into the hands of the Chaldean enemy, in conse
quence of its sins, and that its people would be carried into captivity,
whence they would be restored only after a long period of exile.
Jeremiah's view of the destiny awaiting his countrymen contrasts so
strikingly with Isaiah's that an explanation of it must be sought in
the different conceptions of religion entertained by the two prophets.
For Isaiah the religious unit was the state ; and so the survival of the
reUgion of Jehovah seemed to require the survival of the nation
which professed it. On the other hand, for Jeremiah the reUgious
unit had become the individual : the existence of a law-book had
made the preservation of tbe religion of Jehovah possible, apart from
the preservation of the state ; and so the prophet could contemplate
without fear the extinction of his country's independence by exile,
whence it was to emerge and enter upon a better future when the
Lord would create in each member of the community a new spirit
(Jer. xxxi. 31 — 34). It is this recognition of the individual heart as
the real sphere of religious life that is the most distinctive feature in
Jeremiah's teaching, and constitutes his most valuable contribution to
reUgious thought.
The number of the Jews carried into exile at the various deporta
tions can only be approximately estimated. Those taken in 597 are
put in 2 Kgs. xxiv. 14 at 10,000 : whUst those taken in 587 and
afterwards are reckoned in Jer. Ui. 28 — 30 at 4600'. This makes a
total of about 15,000 ; so that if these figures relate to men only, and
if many were accompanied by their families (though see Ezek. xxiv. 21),
the fuU number of captives may have amounted to 50,000'' They
were drawn from the most valuable sections of the community, only the
poorest classes being left in occupation of the country. The localities
where they were settled cannot with certainty be ascertained. One of
them was Tel-abib on the stream Chebar (Ezek. iii. 15), which has been

1 In Jer. Iii. 28 seventh should be emended to seventeenth.
" Meyer (cited by Whitehouse) places the probable total at over 100,000.

Ivi INTRODUCTION
thought to be a large canal near the city of Nippur. Other places
where Jews in 458 assembled to retum with Ezra were Tel-melah,
Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer (Ezra u. 59); but their
situation has not been identified. Another settlement was at Casiphia
(Ezra viii. 17), which is equally unknown. It may be inferred, however,
that the exiles were widely distributed in order to preclude treasonable
combinations. Many of the first generation of exiles, though enslaved,
were probably enabled to practise the occupations to which they had
been accustomed in their own land, for the Babylonians were an
industrial people, and skilled labour would be valued. By Jeremiah
they were exhorted to enter into the life of the country and to be loyal
to their Babylonian rulers (c xxix.) ; and it would seem that many
acted on his counsel and thereby acquired considerable wealth. Conse
quently, although complaints occur in the Hebrew writers of harsh
treatment undergone by their countrymen (Is. xiv. 3, xiii. 22, xlvii. 6),
it is not likely that in general the conditions of their servitude were
rigorous. They appear to have had among them some kind of civil
organization, the patriarchal system of elders naturaUy replacing the
princes to whose authority the Exile put an end (Ezek. viii. 1). In
their new home the exiles came in contact with a very elaborate
system of idolatrous worship. Upon some of them it would doubtless
exercise attraction. But in others it would induce feelings of revulsion ;
and upon those who eventuaUy returned to their own land their
experiences in Babylon seem to have exerted a purifying influence, for
such idolatry as existed in the post-exiUc community seems to have
had its seat among the dregs of the population that were left on their
native soil (p. kix). A cause which helped to detach the captive Jews
from idolatrous tendencies was the study of the writings of their
prophets. During the Exile sacrifice was suspended, and religious
activity took a literary direction. A body of prophetic literature had
by this time accumulated, and was now coUected and edited ; historical
records were put into shape and their lessons enforced by comments ;
and the legal and ritual regulations which had been transmitted by
tradition began to be codified. But beside the influences of the past
which it was thus sought to preserve, there was operative among the
exiles the influence of contemporary prophets. Of these the chief
were Ezekiel and the unknown writer designated as Deutero-Isaiah.
These not only pointed the moral of their past experiences but cheered
them with hopes for the future. Ezekiel, whose writings were produced
between 592 and 570, was a priest, and his interest was chiefiy centred

INTRODUCTION Ivii
in the reorganization of the national religion, with its Temple, priest
hood, and sacrificial system, against the time when the national life
should be renewed on the soil of Judah. Deutero-Isaiah, who (as has
been shewn) Uved nearer the close of the Exile and wrote between 549
and 538, was principally concerned to induce his countrymen to welcome
the prospects of redemption afforded by the successes of the Persian
Cyrus, whom he described as the Lord's Anointed. Many of the exiles
were depressed by the protracted duration of their captivity (cf Lam.
ui. 18, V. 20) : others probably looked for rescue to the rise among
them of a deliverer of their own race, and not to a foreign conqueror.
To the dissipation of such despondency and discontent the prophet
devoted all his efforts, embodying his appeals and consolations in
writings which in some ways constitute the crown of Hebrew prophecy.
The external history of the Babylonian empire from its destruction
of Jerusalem in 587 to its own overthrow by Cyrus can be summarized
briefly. Nebuchadrezzar, upon the conclusion of the war against
Judah, attacked Tyre (585), which had been one of the states that
encouraged Zedekiah in his rebeUion. The siege lasted 13 years, and
ended without the city being captured. He next invaded Egypt (567),
and penetrated into it, but does not appear to have effectively sub
jugated the country. He was succeeded in 561 by Amil-marduk (the
EvU-merodach of the O.T.). This king displayed clemency to the
captive Jehoiachin by releasing him from prison (2 Kgs. xxv. 27 — 30,
Jer. Ui. 31 — 34); but Uttle else is recorded of him, and he died by
violence after a reign of only two years. The author of his death was
Nergal-shar-usar^ (Neriglissar), who succeeded him, and whose reign
was also short. He was foUowed by Labashi-marduk (Labassarachos),
a youth who was murdered after occupying the throne for less than a
year. His successor was Nabu-naid (Nabonidus) (556 — 538), who was
more interested in the building of temples than in the cares of empire,
and who left the administration of the state largely in the hands of
his son Bel-shar-usar (the Belshazzar of the O.T.). Early in his reign
the Manda, who had been instrumental in the overthrow of Assyria,
and who had subjugated, and become amalgamated with, the Medes,
had been conquered by Cyrus, the ruler of Anshan (a little state in
N.W. Elam)^, their king Astyages being betrayed by his own troops
(549). After this success Cyrus, who now called himself king of the

1 Perhaps the Nergal-sharezer of Jer. xxxix. 3.
2 On Elam see Driver, Gen. p. 128.

Iviii INTRODUCTION
Parsu (or Persians), conquered Ooesus of Lydia and captured Sardis
(546) ; and he then menaced Babylon. He advanced upon it in 538
and entered it without resistance, Nabunaid being taken within his
capital. Thus Babylon fell, some 50 years after it had brought about
the faU of Jerusalem, so fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah deUvered
66 years previously (Jer. xxv. 12)'.

§ 3. Theology of Deutero-Isaiah.
The prophecy of Deutero-Isaiah, Uke other prophecies, was composed
in view of a particular crisis, , and its theological affirmations are not
made as abstract propositions, but designed to interpret certain passing
and impending events to a particular body of people. The events in
question were the movements of the Persian Cyrus against Babylon and
its allies ; and of the peoples whom they affected none were more deeply
interested in them than the Jevrish exiles in that country. But what
ever hopes were inspired in these by the report of Cyrus' successes, they
could not overcome the influences conducive to depression and despair.
The reasons for their despondency were partly the vast material re
sources of their oppressors (li. 13), and partly the imposing system of the
Babylonian religion, with its ritual, its enchantments, and its vaticina
tions, which induced doubts whether the gods of Babylon might not be
more potent than their own God. Accordingly the prophet's efforts
^were directed to encouraging and stimulating the disheartened exiles
l*^ by dwelling upon (a) the sovereignty of the Lord over the forces of
1 nature and the events of human history, (b) His love for, and fidelity
to. His people, (c) the powerlessness of Babylon's idol-gods, as evinced
both by the processes of their manufacture and by their inabihty to
yforesee and predict the future. The writer in developing his thesis
i that the Lord had both the power and the wiU to deliver His people
(. out of all their tribulation pursues in some measure the ordinary
method of the Hebrew prophetic writers. In regard to the Lord's
' creation of and rule over, the physical world he starts from the current
beliefs, deeply rooted but vague, of his countrymen, and proceeds to
enlarge their conception of the extent of the Lord's resources by a
series of affirmations' respecting His relations to various parts of the
universe. But in respect of His influence over human fortunes, and

1 The seventy years which Jeremiah declared that the Exile was to last is
probably a conventional number (cf. Is. xxiii. 15, Zech. vii. 5).

INTRODUCTION Ux
His superiority in regard to this over the idols of Babylon he essays
demonstration, and appeals to the evidence of prophecy. To the
Lord's foreknowledge of the future the Jews could furnish testimony.
They were His witnesses, their own experience supplying instances of
predictions verified by the event, which argued in the (Jod Who inspired
them control over the occurrences foretold. To the idols a challenge
is flung to produce similar proofs of prescience; and as it is assumed
that none is forthcoming, an adverse conclusion concerning their power
and reaUty is inevitable.
(a) That heaven and earth were the creation of the Lord was a
behef much older than Deutero-Isaiah, being found in the Pentateuchal
narrative JE (Gen. ii. 4 b) and implied by Amos (v. 8, ix. 6). But in
this prophecy it is re-affirmed with the utmost emphasis (xl. 12, 28,
xUi. 5, xUv. 24, xiv. 12, 18, xlviu. 13). The Lord is declared to be the
Creator and MarshaUer of the stars (xl. 26), to be the Ruler of the sea
(xliii. 16, li. 10, 15), and to be the Source of all that lives on the earth
(xU. 4, xUi. 5). The warrior who uses, and the smith who forges,
deadly weapons, aUke owe their existence to His creative power (liv. 16).
He is able to effect the most marvellous transformations of nature
(xl. 4, xU. 18, 19, xUi. 15, xUu. 19, xUv. 27, 1. 2, 3), and in the whole
of His operations He is independent of aU counsel and help (xl. 12 — 14).
In comparison with Him nations are negligible quantities (xl. 15, 17),
and the inhabitants of the world shrink into insignificance (xl. 22, 23).
He is the Author of light and darkness, the Originator of good and evil
(xiv. 7). His existence extends through all time (xli. 4, xUv. 6, xlviii.
12), He is an everlasting God (xl. 28), and He foresees and correctly
announces events before they come to pass (xli. 26, 27, xUi. 9). In
fine, He alone is God, before or after Him there is none other, and beside
Him there is no Saviour (xliii. 10, 11, xliv. 6, 8, xiv. 6, 14, 20, 21, xlvi. 9),
In consequence of His thus being the only existing God, the epithet Holy
One, a term connoting Divinity, becomes appropriate to Him as a
proper name (without the article, xl. 25) : He concentrates in Himself
all that constitutes godhead. Hence, in opposition to the Lord all
hostUe combinations of human forces are vain (xl. 6, 7, 23, xUii. 13, li.
12). Tireless and inexhaustible Himself He is able to recruit the
strength of the faint and weak, if they trust Him (xl. 29, 31). His
promise is unfaUing (xl. 8, Iv. 11); Cyrus is His agent for rescuing His
people (as the Assyrians had once been His instrument for their chas
tisement, X. 5, 12) ; and their return to their own land is therefore
assured (xUv. 28, xiv. 13, Iv. 12).

Ix INTRODUCTION
(b) The conviction that a special bond subsisted between the Lord
and Israel may be described as part of the racial heritage of the peopjle,
for every Semitic nation and community beUeved itself to be an obifect
of care and interest to a particular god, whom it repaid by exclusive
worship. Originally a Semitic divinity seems to have been regarded as
attached primarily to the land in which his worship was maintained,
and which was thought of as united to him by conjugal ties, its
inhabitants being the offspring of the union (see on i. 2). -Among the
Jews any sensuous associations suggested by this view of the relations
between the Lord and themselves were early replaced by ethical con
ceptions; and whilst terms derived from marriage were retained to
describe the bond between the Lord and Jerusalem, they were expres
sive of nothing but the tenderest and purest emotion. And it is
especiaUy to these that Deutero-Isaiah has recourse when seeking to
renew in the despondent exiles trust in the love and faithfulness of the
Lord. The Lord had chosen them in the person of their ancestor
Abraham (li. 2), and to that choice He was consistently loyal (cf. xU. 8 —
14). They were His sons and daughters (xliii. 6) ; and any interrup
tion in the current of His affection for Jerusalem, their mother, was
only temporary (1. 1), and its flow would soon be renewed for ever
(liv. If). There was no divorce between her Husband and her; the
period of her widowhood was on the point of terminating; and the
/-Lord was about to recall her to Him (Uv. 5, 6). But the writer does
not confine himself to figures like these : he uses most of the metaphors
and comparisons which best convey thoughts of compassion and soUci-
tude. The Lord is Israel's next of kin (Goel), Whose right it is to
redeem it from slavery (xli. 14, xliii. 14, xliv. 6, 24, xlviu. 17, xUx. 7,
liv. 8). His unfailing care for Israel exceeds even the unforgetting love
of a mother (xlix. 14, 15). 'His tendance of its people is Uke that of
a shepherd who leads his sheep, and carries his lambs in his bosom
(xl. 11). / It is His purpose to facilitate their homeward journey across
the desert (xl. 3, 4, xUi. 16), to reUeve aU their wants (xU. 18, 19, xUn.
19, xlix. 10, 11), and to restore Jerusalem to honour and happiness
(xl. 9, xlix. 14—21, Ui. I, 2, liv. 1—17). The Lord is represented as
magnifying in His pity the sufferings of the exiles as compared with
their sins (xl. 2), and as assuring them ample compensation for the
vreongs they have sustained (xlix. 22 f ). It is in consequence of this
view of Israel as more innocent than the agents of its punishment
that the term righteousness undergoes the transition of meaning to
which allusion has been made (p. xlvi). Tbe Divine righteousness

INTRODUCTION M
which in Proto-Isaiah causes the Lord to inflict chastisement upon His
people on account of their misdeeds is, in Deutero-Isaiah, the motive —
faithfulness to His original beneficent purposes — which inspires Him to
achieve through Cyras their redemption (xiv. 13, 23, cf xli. 2, 10, xiii.
21), or else the proof of His justice as thereby manifested (xiv. 8, xlvi.
13, U. 5, 6, 8), and so equivalent to victory or triumph (synonymous
with strength (xiv. 24) or salvation (xlvi. 13, U. 5, 6)). And similarly,
as the effect of the earUer purifying judgments upon Israel is regarded
by Isaiah as the renewal in it of righteousness in the sense of social
uprightness and integrity, so the effect of Israel's rescue from its
oppressors is thought of by the vmter of these cc. as re-estabUshing its
righteousness by pubUcly vindicating its character, upon which its
calamities had cast reproach.
(c) In the contrast drawn between the Lord as the Helper of
Israel, and the idols in which Babylon's confidence was placed, use is
made of two Unes of argument. In the first place, the Lord's claim to
be the prime mover in the events that were transpiring (the successes
of Cyrus and his advance upon Babylon) is supported by the evidence
of His wisdom and foreknowledge afforded by the fulfilment of His
earUer predictions (xliii. 12, xiv. 21, xlviii. 14), which Israel could
attest (xlui. 10, xliv. 8, xlviii. 6) ; whereas no proof of prophetic power
could be produced on behalf of the idols (xli. 21 — 24, xUu. 9, xiv. 21).
Secondly, the materials out of which the idols had been constructed
and the process of their manufacture are derisively set forth as a
crowning demonstration of the impotence and unreality of deities so
made (xl. 19, 20, xU. 6, 7, xUv. 9 — 20, xlvi. 6, 7)'. In the description
of the fabrication of a god out of the same block of wood from which
the artificer obtains fuel to give him warmth and to cook his food, the
writer's sarcasm is mordant and scathing.
But if the prophet, in contending for the superiority of the God of
Israel over the gods of Babylon, had done no more than point to the
success of Babylon's enemy, the evidence of prophecy, and the helpless
ness of images made by human hands, he would not have advanced
much beyond the ideas of many of his predecessors. Although to Israel
Cyrus' success might be evidence of the potency of the Lord Who had
set bim in motion (cf Josh. iii. 10), yet Babylon might have accounted
for its disasters by the plea that its god Bel was angry with his land
(just as Mesha of Moab, in his inscription, explains the disasters of the
1 The authenticity of xUv. 9 — 20 and xlvi. 6, 7 is denied by many critics.

Ixii INTRODUCTION
Moabites as caused by the resentment of Chemosh)'- The Babylonian
soothsayers, if allowed to speak for themselves, would probably have
been at no loss for instances of true vaticination on the part of Nebo
the god of prophecy, the tutelary divinity of Borsippa. j^d even the
prophet's exposure of the folly of idol-worship is effective only against
the vulgar view that identifies the god with his image. Deutero-Isaiah,
however, did not stop here ; and his first great distinction in the sphere
of theology is the explicitness with which he affirms the Lord to be the
fionly_6od. It is possible that his mind may at times have fluctuated a
/ little in regard to the gods of the heathen, and that he did not uni-
' formly consider them as altogether non-existent powers (see xlvi. 2).
But even if he does not quite consistently maintain the monotheistic
position, he seems to gain it. He repeatedly represents the Lord as
declaring that He is God and none else (xliv. 6, 8, xiv. 5, 6, 18). It is
to this conclusion that the exhaustive description of the Lord as the
Creator and Ruler of the world naturally leads ; it is this behef in the
existence of only one God that is destructive of the claims of any rival
deities; and it is upon this faith that he builds his hopes for his
countrymen. But a conviction that the God hitherto worshipped by one single
nation is really the only God that exists to receive worship at aU is, if
thought out, fatal to the belief that He can be the God of that nation
in any exclusive sense ; and it is the second, great distinction of Deutero-
Isaiah that he became sensible of this./ He recognized that if Israel
was the favoured people of the God of the whole universe, Who was
controlling a great contemporary movement for its advantage, the
favour bestowed upon it must be a means to a further end and contri
bute to the good of all mankind.) Hitherto the Lord's choice of ^, and
love for, Israel had been assertfed, but not accounted for (Am. iii. 2,
Hos. xi. I, Deut. vii. 6f ); and it could only be saved from appearing
arbitrary by being regarded as subsidiary to a purpose embracing the
whole human race. The prophet's conclusion took expression in the
designation of Israel as the Lord's Servant. The title, which implied
that those who were thus described were devoted to the worship and
service of the Lord (cf Neh. i. 10, Dan. vi. 20, and the proper name
•Obadiah, I Kgs. xviii. 12), had been previously for the most part
1 See the inscription on the Moabite stone in Driver, Sam. p. Ixxxv f. or
Hastings, DB. in. p. 403 f.
* The event which originally manifested the Lord's choice of Israel is variously
represented as the Exodus or the Call of Abraham (Hos. xi. 1, Is. xli. 8, U. 2).

INTRODUCTION Ixiii
applied to individuals (see on xli. 8); but by Deutero-Isaiah (foUowing
the precedent of Jeremiah, see xxx. 10, xlvi. 27) it was appUed to the
coUective people of Israel. The function which Israel, as the Lord's
Servant, was commissioned to discharge was that of manifesting and
attesting before the world the Lord's power and wisdom and goodness
(xliii. 21). It was qualified to do this by its experiences, which
Ulustrated the nature and character of its God, His faculty of predic
tion, and the justice of His claim to direct and control events (xlui. 10,
xUv. 8). In the immediate future it was destined to have an unprece
dented opportunity for fulfiUing this function. Its approaching release
from captivity and its restoration to its own land were events which by
their unexpectedness were calculated to attract the attention of the
world at large (xl. 5). So extraordinary a rescue could not fail to excite
among those who witnessed it emotions of reverence and awe towards
the Deity who brought it about (xiv. 6, 14). A desire would be kindled
in them to secure for themselves the protection of so mighty a Deity;
and the heathen peoples would be led to renounce their idolatries and
to attach themselves to Israel in order to share the blessings derivable
from a knowledge of the one true God (xliv. 5, xiv. 22, 23).
In thus setting before his countrymen the Divine scheme which
they were intended to be instrumental in promoting, the prophet
doubtless aimed at stimulating them, depressed as they were by half a
century's slavery, with the thought of their being called to a high and
ennobUng destiny. But truth would not allow him to ignore altogether
the many defects of his nation. In spite of the privileges which had
been conferred upon it, Israel had hitherto not responded adequately to
its obligations. It had shewn itseK spiritually blind and deaf (xiii. 18,
19, xliii. 8), had transgressed against its God, and had been in conse
quence punished by exile in a foreign land (xiii. 24, 25). Even there
it had been refractory, querulous, and unresponsive to the Lord's
advances (xl. 27, xiv. 9, xlvi. 12, 1. 2). It could not, however, be
aUowed to defeat the Lord's purposes. His name would be dishonoured,
and His power disparaged, if His people were left in the hands of their
enemies indefinitely (xiii. 8), for the heathen could not be expected to
understand the disciplinary purpose which Israel's humiUation sub
served, and would only infer from it the powerlessness of its God.
Consequently, since, notwithstanding their ill-treatment by Babylon,
they could not be deemed to deserve redemption by any merits of their
own, the Lord was constrained to forgive and deliver them for His own
sake (xliii. 25, xlviii. 11), and Israel was stUl to become, despite its

Ixiv INTRODUCTION
failings, an agency whereby a saving knowledge of the Lord might reach
mankind (xliv. 5, xiv. 14, 22, 23, li. 4, Ui. 10).
Deutero-Isaiah thus harmonized the truth of the Lord's interest in
the nations of the earth generally with his ancestral belief in the
Lord's peculiar relation to Israel in particular by the thought that
Israel, in being chosen for special privileges, was intended to be an
agent in the extension of the same to others. The idea, however,
was not peculiar to him, for the passages within his writings in
which it is most fuUy developed seem to have been incorporated by
him from another source. These passages', generaUy known as the
"Servant Songs," are marked by a much higher estimate of Israel's
character and conduct than that entertained by Deutero-Isaiah, and
by a very singular view of the significance of its history and ex
periences. In them Israel, as the Lord's Servant, is represented, with
even more expUcitness than in Deutero-Isaiah, as expressly designed
to acquaint the Gentiles, whose spiritual condition is sympathetically
described (xiii. 3, 4), with a knowledge of the true religion (xiii. 1).
It is afiirmed of him that he will use the methods of a gentle and
unobtrusive, but at the same time, an unflagging, teacher (xiii. 3, 4).
Por the discharge of his duty he is portrayed as equipped vrith the
faculty of incisive speech (xlix. 2), and as submissive and responsive
to the Lord's instruction (1. 5). In the course of his career he has
overcome by his faith feelings of disappointment and failure (xlix. 4) ;
he has patiently endured humiliation and outrage (1. 6, Uii. 7) ; and,
though innocent of evil, he has been destroyed as a criminal (Uii. 8, 9).
But it is predicted that his career is not finally closed : his life wUl be
renewed because his sufferings and death have been vicarious (Uii. 4 — 6),
procuring the Divine forgiveness for those who occasioned or witnessed
them (Uii. 10^12). This fact will be brought home to men by the
marvel of his triumphant restoration, which wiU excite the greatest
astonishment amongst kings and peoples, and wiU evoke from them
marks of the utmost veneration (Ui. 15).
In this delineation of the Lord's Servant, his calamities and death
are obviously regarded as past ; it is only his restoration to Ufe, his
exaltation to honour, and the success of his mission, that are stiU
future. By the writer the former must be intended to denote the
oppressive treatment which Israel underwent at the hands of its
heathen neighbours, which was consummated by its extinction as a

' Viz. xiii. 1—4, xlix. 1—6, 1. 4—9, Ui. 13— Iiii. 12.

INTRODUCTION Lxv
nation; whilst the latter represent the expected renewal of its
national life and independence. In the vivid personification exhibited
in these passages there is nothing that goes beyond Deutero-lsaiah's
portrayal of Israel as an individual (see xliv. 1, 2, xlvi. 3, 4, and
cf c. xlvu. of Babylon): the features in them which are really
remarkable and distinctive are the qualities of innocence and patience
attributed to the coUective nation, and the vicarious character of its
sufferings, which are represented as avaiUng to intercede for the offences
of the heathen. There is nothing, however, to suggest that the inno
cence is to be construed as sinlessness ; and for the claim that Israel
was relatively righteous in comparison vrith the heathen, parallels are
not wanting (see on liu. 9). On the other hand, the substitutionary
value here assigned to the adversities and national extinction of Israel
does not occur anywhere else in the O.T. But it is not unnatural that
such an estimate of the significance of Israel's calamities should have
oome to be entertained when once the problem pressed for solution as
to why a race, which, with all its faults, was in faith and morals
superior to nations like Assyria, Babylon, or Persia, should have been
allowed to be oppressed and destroyed. The writer of these passages
seeks therein to furnish an answer to a question which perplexed his
predecessor Habakkuk — the question why the Lord permitted the
wicked to swaUow up the man that was more righteous than he
(Hab. i. 13) ; and he finds it in a theory of vicarious atonement, to
which he was possibly led by the increasing thought bestowed, during
the ExUe, upon sacrifices of expiation'. The substitutionary idea
admitted of extension from the sphere of animal, to that of human,
life ; and the author of the Songs applied it to remove the feeling
oi injustice which the thought of their past adversities might have
created in his countrymen. Israel's sufferings were not to be regarded
as an altogether inexpUcable calamity, but accounted for as a factor
in the accomplishment of a Divine plan. They had been designed to
¦expiate the sins of the Gentiles, and to exert upon them, when know
ledge of the truth should be brought home to them, a redemptive
influence. Israel's sense of injustice might thus be lost in the con
sciousness of service done for God and man ; and the nation, when
made acquainted with the purpose of its experiences, might not only

^ Cf. Lev. xvii. 11, where, however, the manner in which tbe sacrifice of an
animal made atonement is left unexplained. The LXX., departing from the Heb.,
renders the final clause by t6 yap alfia airov di^rl ^vxijs e^tXdtreTat.

Ixvi INTRODUCTION
be reconcUed to the past but stimulated to become an active agent for
the conversion of the heathen for whose transgressions it had atoned.
The view of Israel's history and destiny set forth in the prophecies
of Deutero-Isaiah and in the "Servant Songs" began to be justified in
the century immediately following the Return; for when cc. Ivi. — kvi.
were written, foreigners were already seeking to attach themselves to
the Jewish community as proselytes (Ivi. 3, 6, 7) ; and in later times
such proselytes were numerous. But a still more signal verification
of it has been furnished by Christianity, through which the Hebrew
doctrine of God has become the religious faith of the foremost nations
of the world (cf Luke ii. 32). Of the description of the Servant's
sufferings contained in the last of the Songs (c Uii.) a fulfilment has
also been traced by the N.T. writers in the Passion and Death of our
Lord (see Mk. ix. 12, Luke xxiv. 46, Acts iii. 18). That the descrip
tion cannot be strictly a prediction of Christ's sufferings wiU be clear
from what has been said (cf also p. 347). But so far as Israel's
afflictions, which c. Uii. is really meant to depict, contributed in their
degree to promote the same end as that which our Lord had in view,
namely, the bringing of all mankind to a knowledge of God, they may
be justifiably regarded as prefiguring His Passion. The destiuction
of Israel's national existence by the Exile was symbolic of our Lord's
death in the same sense as its restoration, as foretold by Hosea, was
symboUc of His resurrection (see Luke xviii. 31, 33, xxiv. 46, and cf
Hos. vi. 1, 2). In Christ, a Jew after the flesh, the noblest attributes
of His race reached their culmination. By His character and life He
fulfiUed the vocation to which His countrymen so imperfectly responded.
He reproduced on a higher plane His nation's experiences, and He
consummated the Divine purpose which it was designed to subserve.
On His withdrawal from the earth, the perpetuation of His teaching
was committed to the Christian Church. There thus devolved upon
the Church the religious responsibilities toward mankind which
formerly rested upon the people of Israel; and in consequence the
figure of the Servant has received a fresh realization. The denotation
of the term has again become collective; the Servant is, in a trans
ferred sense, a personification of the whole Christian community ; and
the account of bis office and mission describes the duty and work of
the Church throughout the world.

INTRODUCTION Ixvu
CHAPTER IV.
Trito-Isaiah (cc. Ivi. — kvi.).
§ 1. Origin and Date.
The last eleven cc. of the Book of Isaiah are not distinguished
from the preceding sixteen by the same conspicuous contrasts that
differentiate the latter from cc. i. — xxxix. Indeed, both in subject-
matter and in diction, cc. Ivi. — kvi. present many features of resem
blance to Deutero-Isaiah. Like the latter they anticipate in their
contents the release of Jewish exiles and their return to their own
country (k. 4, 9, Ixi. 1, cf. xlix. 12), the rebuilding of Jerusalem's
ruined waUs and dweUings (Ixi. 4, cf xliv. 28), the rendering of
homage to her by the heathen nations (Ix. 14, cf xlix. 23), the enrich
ment of her by their wealth and labour (Ix. 6 f , 16, ki. 5, cf xlix. 23),
and the bestowal upon her of security and glory (Ix. 18 f, cf liv. II f,
ki. 8, cf Iv. 3, 4). With the latter, too, they have certain common
elements of style (e.g. the dupUcation of an emphatic sentence or
word') ; and a number of the words and phrases which are distinctive
of cc. xl. — Iv., as compared with cc. i. — xxxix., recur in them^.
Nevertheless, by the side of these similarities there exist differences
of so grave a character that it is difficult to suppose that these cc
proceed from the same writer or from the same period as cc. xl. — Iv. ;
and it consequently seems necessary to postulate for them another
author or other authors, who lived after Deutero-Isaiah and wrote
under different circumstances, but became acquainted with, and in
fluenced by, his prophecies.
The contrast presented to cc. xl. — Iv. by cc. Ivi. — kvi. is most
apparent in connection with (1) the extemal situation and the social
and other conditions which are implied in them, (2) the convictions
and sentiments pervading them, (3) the distinctive features of their
style and the peculiarities of their diction.
(1) The contemporary situation which the contents of most of
the cc. in question reflect is one which is only compatible with a
date after the Exile.
1 The dupUcation of a word occurs in Ivii. 6, 14, 19, Ixii. 10, lxv. 1.
^ Of the words and phrases enumerated on p. xlix. as characteristic of Deutero-
Isaiah the following occur in cc. Ivi. — ^Ixvi. : — all flesh, anger (or fury), comfort,
create, isles, gather, offspring, pleasure, praise, right-hand, redeem, spring forth.
W. I. /

Ixviii INTRODUCTION
(a) No mention is anywhere made of Babylon. When the author
wrote, a large proportion of the IsraeUte people were stiU dispersed,
but a body of exiles had already returned to their own land (Ivi. 8),
where they were in much distress (ki. 3), their numbers being few;
and one of the purposes of the \vriter was to encourage hopes of an
early and large increase in the population from abroad (k. 4, 8, 22,
kvi. 6 — 9, 20), where many Jews were resident long after the Retum
under Zerubbabel in 537. Among the places from which arrivals were
expected were over-sea countries (k. 9), a circumstance pointing to a
wide dispersion of Jews at the time, which is more natural in the
post-exilic than in the exilic period.
(b) The Temple was no longer in ruins', but had been rebuUt
(Ivi. 5, 7, ku. 9, kv. 11, kvi. 6), though it was stUl mean in
appearance and lacked adomment (Ix. 7, 13). The reconstruction of
it was completed as early as 516 B.C. (Ezra vi. 15) ; but when these cc.
were composed, the religious reorganization must have been fuUy
accompUshed, and the Temple worship restored and regularly main
tained, for participation in its privUeges was an object of desire to
foreigners (Ivi. 3, 6), and a refusal of it was apprehended, whilst the
Jews themselves are regarded by the author as designed to be the
priestly nation of the world (Ixi. 6). These features seem to involve a
date considerably later than 516.
(c) The walls of Jerusalem were stiU unrestored' (Iviii. 12, k. 10),
much of the land was waste (kii. 4), and many of the cities of Judah
were desolate (ki. 4) ; but the country was in part occupied by Jewish
husbandmen, who were exposed to the raids of iU-disposed neighbours
and lost the produce of their exertions (kii. 8, kv. 21 — 23). The
animosity displayed by the vn:iter against the Edomites (kiii. 1 — 6) is
easily accounted for, if the resentment originally excited by their
attitude on the occasion of the capture of Jerusalem (Ps. cxxxvii. 7)
had been aggravated by their complicity in such raids.
(d) Much assiduity was manifested by the people in the formal
observance of the ordinances of religion, and in the practice of
austerities (Iviii. 2), which made the delay in the relief of their
distress seem the more inexplicable (Iviii. 3) ; and whereas the exUes
in Babylon were charged by Deutero-Isaiah with indifference to the
worship of the Lord (xliii. 22 — 24), the community addressed in these
1 The only passage representing Jerusalem as desolate and the Temple in ruins
is Ixiv. 10, 11 ; bnt this belongs to a section probably distinct in origin from the
rest of CO. Ivi. — Ixvi., and dating from a period shortly after 537 (see p. 397).

INTRODUCTION Ixix
cc. shewed no lack of interest in the external rites of devotion. This
difference in the popular attitude points to the lapse of some interval
since the Exile, during which the influence of an organized religious
system had again made itself felt.
(e) The moral state of the people is depicted as extremely grave,
and complaint is made, less of their mistrust and unresponsiveness
in face of the Lord's promise of a deliverance close at hand (as in
xl. 27, xiv. 9, 10) than of the prevalence among them of the sins of
violence (Ivu. 1), bloodshed (lix. 3), and falsehood (lk. 3 — 8), which
retarded the return of felicity (lix. 9, 11). The community was torn
by social disunion and strife ; the observance of fasts put no check
upon rapacity and contentiousness ; and the tribunals of justice were
depraved and corrupt (Ivii. 1, 2, Iviii. 3, 4, 6, 7, lk. 14, 15). For the
existence of such disorders, the leaders of the community, by reason
of their selfishness and supineness, are represented as accountable
(Ivi. 10 — 12) ; and this seems to imply that the government of the
Jewish people was at the time to some extent exercised by their own
responsible heads. Such a position of comparative independence is
more probable in the post-exilic period at Jerusalem under Persian
rule, when Jews were placed in authority over their countrymen (e.g.
Zerubbabel (Hag. i. 1) and Nehemiah (Neh. v. 14)), than during the
ExUe in Babylonia.
(/) A section of the people were guilty of idolatry (Ivii. 3 — 10,
kv. 1 — 7, kvi. 3, 17) ; and some of tbe localities where it was practised
shew the scene of it to be Palestine, not Babylon (Ivii. 5 — 7) ; whilst
of the deities to whom sacrifice was offered, one is known to be
Canaanite, whUst the other was probably Arabian (kv. II). The
section of the population which was addicted to heathen practices
appears to have been in the majority, and to have persecuted those
who were faithful to the Lord (kvi. 5) ; and it is a plausible inference
that of the two factions into which the community at this time was
divided, that which indulged in idolatrous rites consisted of the residue
of the population left in the country by Nebuchadrezzar in 587,
which, mingling with the inhabitants of adjoining countries like Moab,
Arabia, and the province of Samaria, had adopted a syncretistic
variety of religion, in which both Jehovah and heathen gods were
worshipped in combination (Ivii. 12, 13, kv. 11, kvi. 3 ; cf 2 Kgs.
xvii. 33).
(2) In these cc, which, in general, present less unity of sentiment
and feeling than prevails in Deutero-Isaiah, the tone of the writer in
/2

lxx INTRODUCTION
certain passages is in conspicuous contrast to the spirit pervading the
preceding sixteen cc.
(a) In several places the writer, in response to the people's surprise
at the Lord's delay in redressing their wrongs, gives as an explanation
the existence amongst them of heinous sins (lix. 1, 2), and impUes
that the desired realization of the Lord's promise is conditional upon
a moral reformation (Iviii. 9); whereas in Deutero-Isaiah the deliverance
announced is unconditional, the nation's sins are forgiven (xl. 2, xUv. 22),
and the only obstacle to its redemption is its own backwardness in
welcoming it (1. 2).
(b) A difference in the motive impelling the Lord to intervene
in His people's cause distinguishes these cc. from the work of Deutero-
Isaiah. Here it is the reflection that human nature is too frail to
support protracted chastisement, whereas there it is consideration for
His own name which the continued oppression of His people by their
enemies would bring into contempt (contrast Ivii. 16 with xliii. 25).
(c) In these cc. the Lord is represented as having no human aid
in the achievement of His people's deliverance (lix. 16, kiii. 5), but in
Deutero-Isaiah He uses Cyrus as His agent.
(d) Whilst in these cc. the term righteousness is sometimes
synon3rmous with salvation, which is its predominant signification
in Deutero-Isaiah (see Iviii. 8, lix. 9, ki. 10, kii. 1), it is also
frequently employed to describe the conduct required by the Lord
from His people, embracing both moral and ceremonial duties (Ivi. 1%
Iviu. 2, lix. 4, 14, ki. 3, Ixiv. 5).
(e) Though in these cc. there is no tendency to regard the per
formance of reUgious exercises as a substitute for moral duties, and
though there is displayed in general a spirit of religious tolerance and
comprehensiveness, yet there appears to be more interest in the sacrificial
system and in consecrated days and localities than is the case with
Deutero-Isaiah. The thoughts of the writer (or writers) of these cc
often circle around the practice of sacrifice and sacrificial feasts (Ivi. 7,
k. 7, ku. 9, kvi. 20) ; and there is attached much importance to the
observance of the Sabbath (Ivi. 2, 6, Iviii. 13) and to attendance at the
Temple, which is described as a house of prayer for all nations (Ivi. 7).
By Deutero-Isaiah little prominence is given to the institution of
sacrifice (though see xlui. 23, 24) ; the Sabbath (the observance of
which was emphasized by the exiUc prophet Ezekiel) is not mentioned
at all; and though it is predicted that to the Lord every knee shall
bow, it is not declared, explicitly at least, that the worship of the

INTRODUCTION Ixxi
Gentiles is to be rendered at Jerusalem. Thus in contrast to the
preceding sixteen cc. these are pervaded by a decidedly legaUst
atmosphere, pointing to a difference in the authorship, if not in the
date of production.
(3) The structure and phraseology of this group of cc. manifest
certain distinctive features.
(a) These cc. are not marked by the same uniformity of subject-
matter as cc. xl. — Iv. They fall into certain smaUer groups wliich,
indeed, seem (with one exception) to belong to the same period, but
which are otherwise detached from one another, and appear to have
been evoked by varying circumstances.
(b) The strain of argument is less prominent ; the prevailing tone
is that of promise or of menace; and the tone of menace is more
conspicuous than in Deutero-Isaiah.
(c) Whilst the language in many respects offers great similarity to
that of Deutero-Isaiah, it produces in certain passages the impression of
being borrowed, but used in a different connection from that in which it
was originaUy employed, or else varied with imperfect success. Thus in
Ivu. 14, a command adopted from xl. 3, where it is intended in a Uteral
sense, is appUed metaphoricaUy; in k. 13 the same three trees which
in xU. 19'' are to serve for one purpose are designed for another ; in
k. 16 the thought of xlk. 23* is couched in a different and rather
unpleasing form.
(d) The vocabulary in some measure is different from that of
Deutero-Isaiah. Among the phrases used within cc. xl. — ^kvi. which
are ahnost, if not quite, limited to the last eleven cc. are keep (in con
nection with religious ordinances, see Ivi. 1, 2, 4, 6), many generations
(7111 -f\1)^ do righteousness, separate, recoDipence (-'¦'"¦^l), rejoice (^'i^),
minister unto (^1^), choose that wherein (the Lord) delights not, do that
which is evil in the eyes (of the Lord). Several of these expressions are
characteristic of Deuteronomy^; and there are a few others, such as
afflict the soul and abominable things, which are found only in Ezekiel,
the Priestly Code of the Hexateuch and certain Psalms. A very
significant form is inK3, used in kv. 25 (instead of in*, as in xi. 6,
7), which is elsewhere found only in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and
Ecclesiastes. One or two quite late words occur in kvi. 23, 24, verses.

1 Other parallels with Deuteronomy axe joy of heart (lxv. 14, of. Deut. xxviii. 47
'H.eh,), provoke to anger (lxv. 3, of. Deut. iv. 25, ix. 18, xxxi. 29).

Ixxii INTRODUCTION
however, which are, perhaps, subsequent to the rest of the composition
(see note, p. 421).
The conclusion to which the facts just reviewed point is that these
cc. are not exilic in origin, but were written after the Exile and do not
proceed from Deutero-Isaiah. It is more difficult to decide whether
they aU belong to one period and are the work of a single hand, or
whether their composition covers a considerable time and was shared
by several writers. If the former view, maintained by Duhm, is correct,
the date probably synchronizes approximately vnth that of Malachi, who
is thought by some to have vrritten shortly before 445 and by others
shortly before 458'. Social and religious corruption, such as that
described in Ivu. 1—10, Ivui., lix., kv. 3 f , kvi. 17, prevailed in the time
of that prophet (see Mal. u. II, iu. 5, 13—18), who also, Uke the writer
of kiii. 1—6, regards Edom as the object of Divine wrath (i. 2 — 5) ;
and many of the circumstances implied in other cc. present a close
correspondence to the situation and conditions existing at Jerusalem
shortly before the arrival there of Nehemiah in 445. It was the de
fenceless state of the city and the afflictions of its inhabitants that led
Nehemiah to proceed thither from Babylon (Neh. i. 3, ii. 3). He found
the population of the place scanty, and its buildings unrepaired (Neh.
vii. 4, xi. 1). Early in his governorship (which lasted from 445 to 433)
he received complaints of the oppressive treatment of the poorer by the
richer classes (Neh. v.), which recall what is asserted in cc. Iviii., lix.
He took measures to enforce respect for the sanctity of the Sabbath
(Neh. xiii. 15 f), in accordance with the spirit of Ivi. 2, Iviii. 13.
During his rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem he encountered great
opposition from SanbaUat of Samaria, who was aided by Arabians,
Ammonites, and Ashdodites (Neh. iv.) ; and the activity of semi-
paganised elements in the population such as these, with whom some
of the Jews intermarried (Ezra k. 1, 2, Neh. xiii. 23 — 28, cf Mal. ii.
10, 11), accounts best for the idolatry vrith which a section of the
people are charged in Ivii. 3 — 13, lxv. 1 — 5, kvi. 1 — 4, 17. The cc,
however, must have been written before Nehemiah's reconstruction of
the city's walls in 445 (for these are represented as stiU to be built),
and perhaps before the arrival of Ezra in 458, who forced those of his
countrymen who had married foreign wives to repudiate them (Ezra ix.),
for here a separation between the Jews and their heathen or semi-
1 Some scholars would place Malachi after 458 but before 432 (see Driver,
Minor Prophets, ii. (Century Bible) p. 292).

INTRODUCTION Ixxiii
heathen neighbours is still in the future (Ivii. 13, lxv. 8 f ). Accordingly,
on the assumption that these cc. are the work of a single author, they
may be dated some time in the first half (perhaps in the second quarter)
of the fifth century B.C., some 80 or 90 years after the composition of
Deutero-Isaiah. Littmann thinks that the date of their production
may be more closely defined, and that they were written between the
arrival of Ezra in 458 and that of Nehemiah in 445 ; but the allusions
do not seem precise enough for this. But the theory of single author
ship is not undisputed. Cheyne rejects it, and considers the various
compositions, ten in number, to be devoid of unity, though he assigns
them aU, except kiii. 7 — Ixiv. 12, to one period, namely, the time of
Nehemiah, and aUows that most of them proceed from the same school,
and that several may possibly come from the same writer. DiUmann (ed.
Kittel) does not think that they are the products either of a single vmter
or of a single period, but holds that whilst some are as late as the time
of Ezra-Nehemiah (458 — 445), or even later, others may date from the
early beginnings of the new community. Certainly parallels to the
passages concerning the return of exiles (cc. Ix. — Ixii.), the practice of
fasting (c Iviii.), and the prevalence of social oppression (cc. Ivii. — lix.)
are found in the writings of Zechariah (see Zech. i. 17, ii. 4, 7, v. 3f,
6 f , viu. 16-19 ; cf also Is. kv. 20 with Zech. viii. 4). And in the case
of one section, at any rate, an early post-exilic date is probable, viz. the
section kin. 7 — ^Ixiv. 12, which for reasons given in the commentary
(p. 397) may be plausibly assigned to the first fifteen years immediately
succeeding the Retum in 537. Accordingly, whilst for purposes of dis
tinction the group of cc. Ivi. — Ixvi. is here comprehensively designated
by the name Trito-Isaiah (proposed by Duhm), the expression is not
inteinded to imply that aU the cc. can be confidently regarded as the
production of a single prophet.
§ 2. Jewish History in the interval between Deutero-Isaiah
cmd Trito-Isaiah.
Cyrus entered Babylon in the autumn of 538, and in the first year
of his reign over the subjugated empire (537) he aUowed the Jewish
exUes to return to their own country, and restored to them the vessels
that had been piUaged from the Temple at Jerusalem in order that they
might renew after their traditional manner the worship of their God.
The permission seems to have been part of a general poUcy of concUia
tion adopted by the Persian king towards his new subjects, for in one
of his mscriptions he states in regard to certam Babylonian towns.

Ixxiv INTRODUCTION
" whose abode from old time lay in ruin, the gods who dwelt in them I
brought back to their places, caused them to inhabit a permanent
abode " ; and further declares that the gods of Sumer and Accad whom
Nabunaid bad brought into Babylon he caused to dweU in their abode
in security'. A certain number of the exiles availed themselves of the
leave thus granted, and left Babylon for Palestine under the leadership
of Zerubbabel, a grandson of king Jehoiachin ^ who was accompanied by
Jeshua or Joshua as high priest, the latter being a grandson of Seraiah,
who filled that position at the time of Jerusalem's destruction (2 Kgs.
xxv. 18). In certain passages of the records giving an account of the
Return (Ezra i. 8, 11, v. 14 — 16) another personage is mentioned as
being in authority, viz. Sheshbazzar (1 Esd. ii. 12, Sanabassar). In
Ezra i. 8 he is termed the prince of Judah, and by Josephus (Ant. xi.
i. 3) he is identified with Zerubbabel, the name being thought to be
a Babylonian appeUation given to the Hebrew Zerubbabel, just as the
names Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were bestowed
on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan. i. 7). The two,
however, are distinguished in 1 Esd. vi. 18; and since, if they were
identical, the fact might be expected to be stated in Ezra v. 14 — 16
(compared with v. 2, iii. 8), it is probable that they are reaUy distinct.
Some scholars have deemed Sheshbazzar to be the same as Shenazzar,
one of the sons of Jehoiachin (1 Ch. iii. 18), and so uncle of Zerubbabel*.
But it is more likely that he was a Persian official, who was governor
of Judsea (Ezra v. 14)* and responsible for the re-establishment of the
Jews on their native soil, the delivery to them of the Temple vessels,
and the formal foundation of the Temple, and who was afterwards suc
ceeded in his office by Zerubbabel, to whom the title of governor at a
later date is applied (Hag. i. 1, 14). The route taken by the returning
exiles probably foUowed the course of the Euphrates to Carchemish, and
then turned S.W., the more direct route across the desert being avoided
on account of its arduousness. The distance has been calculated to be
about 900 miles, and since a second body of Jews some 79 years after
wards occupied 108 days on the journey (Ezra viii. 31, vii. 9), the time
spent on the march must have been about four months.
1 See the inscription on the Clay Cylinder of Cyrus, translated in Whitehouse's
Isaiah, ii. pp. 342 — 3.
^ Zerubbabel is represented as a son of Shealtiel, son of Jeooniah (or Jehoiachin)
in Hag. i. 1, but as the son of Pedaiah in 1 Ch. iii. 19. Probably he was the real
son of the one and the legal son of the other.
' This would account for his being entitled the prince of Judah (Ezra i. 8).
¦• The LXX. here styles him o ffria-avpoit>i\a( d iirl rod $ri<Tavpov.

INTRODUCTION Ixxv
The number of those who returned is given in Ezra ii. 64 (= 1 Esd.
V. 41, Neh. vu. 66) as 42,360, besides servants and attendants amount
ing to some 7500 more ; and according to 1 Esd. v. 41 the total only
included those of 12 years old and upwards. The sum of the items,
however, which make up the total, only reaches in Ezra ii. to 29,818,
in 1 Esd. V. to 30,143, and in Neh. vu. to 31,089 ; and there is reason
to question whether those who accompanied Zerubbabel in 537 were
reaUy as numerous as is represented by even the lowest of these figures.
For (a) Deutero-Isaiah describes his countrymen as being backward in
responding to the promise of redemption which the Lord through him
made to them (1. 2) ; (b) there were serious deterrents in the ties con
tracted in Babylon, and in the length of the journey to Palestine ;
(c) many Jews were stiU in exile 17 years after this date (Zech. ii. 7) ;
(d) Judah, even 92 years later, was still but thinly populated (Neh. vii.
4), and the Jewish community was so weak as to excite the scorn of its
adversaries (Neh. iv. 2) ; (e) a certain proportion of those who are
enumerated in Ezra ii. are classified not by families or clans but by
localities (Ezra ii. 20 — 35), and these are more likely to be the places
which the people referred to occupied after the Return than their
original homes, so that if this is so it suggests that the list represents
conditions prevailing at a date subsequent to the time of Zerubbabel.
But though on these grounds the numbers recorded appear exaggerated,
there would be many who had ample motives, both religious and patriotic,
for taking advantage of Cyrus' clemency. The memory of their past
glories, the degrading associations of exile in a foreign land, the
prospect of resuming their ancestral mode of worship, and the bright
future which Deutero-Isaiah had displayed before them cannot have
failed to have their effect, and to induce the more pious and hope
ful among them to encounter the difficulties and perils attending the
re-occupation of a land which had, in some measure at least, fallen out
of cultivation. On reaching Palestine the new comers at once restored the worship
of the Lord by erecting an altar on the spot where the earlier altar had
stood ; and in the second year after their arrival (536) they began the
reconstruction of the Temple, the foundation being laid by the Persian
official Sheshbazzar (Ezra v. 16). Progress in it, however, was checked
in consequence of the hostility of the neighbouring Samaritans. These
were the hybrid population (cf Ivii. 3) which at this time inhabited what
had once been the kingdom of Ephraim, and which traced its descent
to unions between those IsraeUtes who had been left in the land

Ixxvi INTRODUCTION
when a number of their countrymen were deported in 722, and the
foreigners who from time to time had been introduced to fill the places
of those who had been taken away. These people claimed to be wor
shippers of the Lord, and appealed to the Jews to be allowed to share
in the rebuilding of the Temple. Their appeal, however, was rejected,
chiefly perhaps because of the admixture of heathen elements in their
worship (see 2 Kgs. xvn. 24 — 41), but partly from prudential motives,
since such an alliance might excite the suspicions of the Persian authori
ties ; and on being thus repelled, they succeeded, by misrepresentation
at the Persian court, in having the work suspended. The Jews them
selves seem, in consequence, to have lost heart; and the depression
caused by the opposition of their neighbours was aggravated by a suc
cession of bad harvests (Hag. i. 5 — 11) which plunged them in poverty
that contrasted ill with the felicity which they had been led to expect.
Accordingly they made no further effort to accomplish their design,
and the Temple remained unfinished for 16 years.
In the meantime Cyrus had been succeeded by Cambyses (527 — 525),
of whose reign the chief event was an invasion of Egypt (525) ; and he
by Pseudo-Smerdis (the Magian Gaumata), who occupied the throne for
only a few months. He was murdered by a number of conspirators ;
and to the vacant throne one of these was elevated, Darius I. (Hystaspis)
(521 — 486), the beginning of whose reign was disturbed by revolts in
aU parts of the empire. One of the most serious occurred in Babylon,
where a certain Nidintu-bel claimed to be son of Nabunaid, and took the
title of Nebuchadrezzar III. ; but Babylon was captured in 520 and the
pretender put to death. These disturbances, which seemed to herald
a general collapse of the Persian domination, were perhaps among the
causes that led the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (see Hag. ii. 6, 7)
to come forward in 520 to encourage their countrymen to re-commence
the building of the Temple as a necessary preliminary to a happy tum
in the nation's fortunes and the advent of its predicted glories. The
rebukes and promises of the two prophets had their influence, the work
of reconstruction was renewed, and confirmation being obtained from
Darius of the original authorization granted by Cjnrus (Ezra v., vi.), the
Temple was finaUy completed in 516 in the governorship of Zerubbabel,
who appears to have succeeded to the office previously held by
Sheshbazzar. By some critics it has been inferred from the prophecies of Haggai
and Zechariah, which are contemporary with the events just described,
that the erection of the Second Temple was not begun until 520, and

INTRODUCTION Ixxvu
that the writer of the book of Ezra, who was separated from the time of
Zerubbabel by some 220 years, has ante-dated it; whilst others have
maintained that those who undertook the work in 520 were not Jews
who had returned from Babylon, but Jews who had never been in
Babylon, that the account of the re-estabUshment of a body of Jews in
Jerusalem under Zerubbabel (Ezra i.— iv., vi. 1—5) is unhistorical,
and that there was really no retum from Babylon until the time of
Ezra, who first brought back a body of exiles in 458. The evidence
for the first contention consists in the statements in Haggai (a) that
the house of the Lord in 520 was lying waste (i. 4, 9), and (b) that the
foundation was laid on the 24th day of the ninth month of Darius'
second year (ii. 18, cf i. 14, 15)'; whilst in support ofthe second it is
urged (a) that in neither prophet are those who are addressed described
as the children of the captivity or they of the captivity (as in Ezra iv. 1, vi.
16, k. 4, X. 6), but as the remnant of the people (Hag. i. 12, 14, U. 2,
Zech. viu. 6, 11, cf Jer. xiu. 2, 15, xUv. 12) or the people of the land
(Hag. u. 4, Zech. vii. 5, cf 2 Kgs. xxiv. 14), (^>) that the desolation of
Judah is represented as having lasted for 70 years without interruption
(Zech. i. 12), (c) that the only return of Jews to which allusion is made
is considered as stiU future (Zech. ii. 6, 7, cf vi. 15, viii. 7, 8)^ But in
regard to the second view, that the builders of the Temple in 520 were
the reUcs of the population left in the land by Nebuchadrezzar, the
arguments noticed above are far from cogent. The evidence cited from
Haggai and Zechariah amounts to little, for (a) the phrases quoted are
appUcable to a body of returned exiles as the most representative sur
vivors of the Jewish nation', Qf) the arrival of such a body, doubtless
small in numbers, would not necessarily bring about much improvement
in the condition of the land, (c) the return of some is compatible vrith
the continuance of others in captivity. The account in Ezra i. — iv. of
the re-settlement of a party of Jews in Palestine with permission to
rebuild the Temple is at least consistent with what is known of Cyrus'
sympathy with the reUgious feelings of the peoples of whom he became
master (see p. kxiii). Moreover, it is more probable that the response
evoked by the appeals of Haggai and Zechariah should come from
persons who had recently migrated from Babylon to Palestine through

1 According to 1 Esd. iv. 42 — 57, it was Darius, not Cyrus, who aUowed
Zerubbabel (see v. 17) to proceed to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
2 Cf. EB. ool. 1482.
^ Zech. vi. 10, them of the captivity refers to a deputation from Babylon to the
people of Jerusalem.

Ixxviii INTRODUCTION
pious motives than from a people who for more than two generations
had done nothing to restore the sanctuary of the Lord, which lay
desolate before them. And if the builders of the Temple were reaUy
exiles who returned with Zerubbabel in 537, it is antecedently more
Ukely, in view of the hopes that inspired them, that they should have
begun the reconstruction of it on their arrival and desisted from it after
wards in consequence of opposition than that they should have deferred
the beginning of it for 16 years ; whilst the language of Haggai (i. 4, 9,
ii. 18) is not seriously inconsistent with the supposition that though
the foundation was laid originally in 536, it did not become the basis
of a superstracture tiU 520, and so might be said to be laid effectively
then for the first time.
It was probably to the children or grandchildren of the builders of
the Second Temple that the prophecies of Trito-Isaiah were addressed.
Darius I. died in 486 and was succeeded by Xerxes I. (486 — 465) and
-Artaxerxes I. (Longimanus) (465 — 424) ; and for the period between
520 and 458, an interval of 62 years, the historical books of the O.T.
are silent respecting the condition and fortunes of the Jews in Palestine.
In 458 Ezra, a priest, arrived at Jerusalem from Babylon vrith a com
pany of exiles numbering 1496 (in 1 Esd. 1690) men, who were presum
ably accompanied by their wives and children, so that the whole party
might amount to 5000 or more. He brought with him a legal code
(Ezra vii. 14)' which he was empowered by the Persian king to enforce
(Ezra vii. 25, 26) ; and when on his arrival he found that the Jews
settled at Jerasalem had contracted marriage aUiances with the various
nations around them, in violation of the laws comprised in Ex. xxxiv. 16,
Deut. vii. 3, xxiii. 3, he insisted upon their repudiating their foreign
wives. Some time after this, an attempt was made to surround Jerusa
lem with a wall (Ezra iv. 7 — 23) ; and it is a plausible conjecture that
the proposal originated with Ezra, who desired to secure the city against
the hostility of the neighbouring peoples to whom, by his recent action,
he must have given great offence. But a letter despatched to the
Persian court informing Artaxerxes of what the Jews were doing brought
a. rescript forbidding the undertaking; and such portions of the waU as
had already been constructed were destroyed. The ruins remained un
repaired until 445, when Nehemiah came from the Persian court with
authority from the king to carry out their restoration'^: and consequently,
1 On the character of this code see T. W. Davies, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
^Century Bible), pp. 8—11.
' Cheyne (Jewish Bel. Life after the Exile, pp. 38, 39) suggests that Artaxerxes'

INTRODUCTION Ixxix
in spite of the opposition of the enemies of the Jews, Jerusalem was
fortified by a wall in less than two months. It was within the interval
between the erection of the Second Temple and the rebuilding of the
city waUs that most of the writings included in Is. Ivi.— kvi. seem to
have been produced. As has been shewn, they were composed at a time
when the Temple was in existence and its rites practised, but when
Jerusalem was still unwalled and the Jews were exposed to the depre
dations of their foes. The pagan superstitions represented as prevalent
among a certain section of the people agree with this date, being
expUcable by the influence of the surrounding peoples, especially the
Samaritans, upon those Jews who had remained in the land when the
upper classes were carried into exile. It was to a condition of disorder
and distress similar to that depicted in these cc. that relief was brought
by Nehemiah in 445 ; and to a date later than 520, but before Nehemiah's
arrival at Jerusalem in 445, or even before the arrival of Ezra in 458',
the bulk of Trito-Isaiah may with some reason be assigned.

§ 3. Theology of Trito-Isaiah.
The post-exilic writer (or writers) of Trito-Isaiah had to confront
a situation of no little difficulty. There was the depression caused by
the hardships which the smaU and unprotected body of Jews who
were re-established on their native soil had to endure from jealous
ralers and unfriendly neighbours — hardships which must have created
aU the greater disappointment by contrast with the bright hopes held
out to them before the Retum. There was the corrupting influence
exerted by the semi-paganism of the population that had remained in
the land since the FaU of Jerasalem in 587. FinaUy, there were moral
evUs within the Jewish community itself: — negligence on the part of
those responsible for the maintenance of civil order, oppression of the
poorer by the wealthier classes, falsehood and partiality in the adminis
tration of justice. And the prevalence of these social offences was
accompanied by much zeal for the outward ordinances of reUgion, so

change of attitude was due to the Jews' abstention from any share in the revolt of
Megabyzus in 448.
^ Some critics hold that Ezra's visit to Jerusalem, related in Ezra vii. — x., was
later than that of Nehemiah and took place either in the seventh year of Artaxerxes II.,
i.e. 398, or in the twenty-seventh year of Artaxerxes I., i.e. 438 (Ezra vii. 7, 8,
seventh being emended to twenty-seventh, see EB. 3385). But see the writer's
O.T. Hist. p. 479.

Ixxx INTRODUCTION
that there was added to the crimes of violence and injustice the sin of
religious formalism. All these elements of difficulty form the subjects
of oracles variously designed to console, to rebuke, to instruct, or to
warn the distressed and disunited people.
(a) In those cc. of Trito-Isaiah which are devoted exclusively to
renewing in the depressed community hope for the future of Zion there
is little originality; and the felicity and glory which are promised
afresh to Jerusalem are depicted in colours resembling, and probably
imitated from, those used by Deutero-Isaiah. But a feature of
difference between the two compositions is the absence in the later
one of any figure corresponding to Cyrus. In more than one passage
within cc. Ivi. — kvi. it is definitely affirmed that the Lord could find
no human helper to co-operate with Him in the deliverance of His
people (lix. 16, kiii. 5), and that He in Person would have to intervene
alone. In cc. k. — kii., which are mainly occupied vrith a description
of the security, wealth, and dignity that are to be the lot of Zion's
inhabitants, spiritual feeling is by no means lacking, for it is predicted
that her people will be all righteous (k. 21, cf Ixi. 3). Similarly in
lix. 21 (if the v, be authentic) it is asserted that the people vriU be
permanently endowed with the spirit of the Lord. The Jewish society
is regarded as destined to be the priestly nation of the world (ki. 6) ;
and though most stress is laid upon its privileged position as entitUng
it to be supported by the Gentile peoples (k. 6, 10, 11, 16, ki. 5,
kvi. 12), the thought that the whole world is to be, through it, brought
into right relations with tbe Lord is likewise present (k. 3). It is also
plainly contemplated in c. Ivi. that foreigners will desire to attach
themselves to the Lord, and to worship Him, and that the Temple is
designed to become a house of prayer for all mankind (Ivi. 7, cf
kvi. 23). But whilst there thus breathes throughout this series of
prophecies a spirit of universalism, it is yet hampered by the Jewish
particularism fostered by the legislation of Deuteronomy which made
Jerusalem the only lawful centre for the public worship of the Lord
(contrast Joh. iv. 21). Moreover, in these prophecies there is no
reproduction of the idea conveyed by the " Servant Songs " that Israel
was invested with a commission to carry the knowledge of the Lord
to the Gentiles. The attitude assumed towards the Gentiles in some
degree varies ; for in c. kvi. a feeling of antagonism is displayed to
them, and an avenging judgment is predicted for them. Only the
more distant peoples are exempt (seemingly because less responsible
for the oppression of the Jews), and these are represented as being

INTRODUCTION Ixxxi
made acquainted with the Lord's glory (as manifested by the judgment)
through the agency of such of the others as should survive it (kvi. 19).
(b) The idolatry to which reference is made in Trito-Isaiah
(Ivii. 3—13, kv. 1—7, kvi. 1—4, 17) probably had its centre among
that section of the population that had not undergone the discipline
of the Exile. The rites denounced are Canaanite in character ; and it
is a plausible conclusion that what the prophetic denunciations had in
view was a syncretism of the worship of Jehovah with the ancient
Canaanite nature-worship and ancestor-worship. It was the prevalence
of these superstitions in the land that caused the predictions of judg
ment in these cc not to be confined, like those in Deutero-Isaiah, to
the external foes of Israel. There was a body of Jews attached to
the practices condemned which was numerous enough to cause great
annoyance to their more pious brethren, and sought to exclude them
from social intercourse (kvi. 5) ; and hence it is declared that the
Lord wiU interpose to destroy the disloyal in Israel as weU as the
foreign tyrants outside it (kv. 7 f , kvi. 17, cf Ivii. 13).
(c) In order to account, in answer to complaints, for the postpone
ment of the nation's final deUverance from its troubles, the explanation
furnished is the prevalence within it of falsehood, rapacity, and blood
shed that excites the Lord's anger (c lix.). And occasion is at the
same time taken to correct the current behef that outward acts of
worship avaU, of themselves, to propitiate the Lord. It is insisted
that aU extemal appeals to Him through fast or prayer are valueless
when they are divorced from the practice of moral and social duties.
No performance of ceremonies, no abstinence from meat or drink, can
secure the Lord's favour, if the cardinal virtues of justice and mercy
are disregarded. The fast which the Lord approves involves abstention
from cruelty and the cultivation of charity : only such will dispose
Him to listen to entreaties, and to remove the cloud of calamity which
has so long hung over the nation.
The protest here made against the belief that ceremonial prostra
tions and bodUy mortification on the part of worshippers have for the
Lord some intrinsic worth recalls the teaching of Isaiah. But it is aU
the more remarkable in Trito-Isaiah because it was delivered at a time
when circumstances seemed to require the accentuation of the formal
side of religion, and when some of the best spirits of the age were in
sympathy vrith it. In the absence of political independence, religious
rules and ritual might well appear to be the only means of dis
criminating between the Lord's people and the surrounding heathen.

Ixxxii INTRODUCTION
The protracted suspension of the sacrificial system during the Exile
was calculated to cause a high value to be put upon it when it was
once more resumed. Moreover, in Trito-Isaiah itself there is a sense
of the importance of the external accessories and regulations of religion.
The rebuilding of the Temple had once more provided a sanctuary
where prayer could confidently be offered : and accordingly it is the
Temple that is thought of as becoming a house of prayer for aU
peoples. The absence of sacrifice during the Exile had rendered the
observance of the Sabbath more solemn and austere ; and Sabbath-
keeping and adhesion to the covenant (i.e. the Deuteronomic law) are
insisted upon as the conditions of the admission of foreigners to the
privileges of the Temple worship (Ivi. 6, 7). Consequently, in this
legalist atmosphere (as it may be denominated) the warnings just
described gain in impressiveness, and illustrate how deeply at every
period morality entered into the prophetic conception of true religion.
And inasmuch as rules of abstinence are often desirable in the reUgious
life as an aid to self-discipline, whilst they are peculiarly liable to be
regarded as possessing a virtue of their own instead of being merely
means to the development of character, it is with much appropriateness
that the use of c. Iviii. in the Church is directed at the beginning of
Lent.

THE BOOK or ISAIAH.
PART I. PROTO-ISAIAH AND APPENDED PROPHECIES.
CHAPTERS I.— XXXIX.
Ch-Apter I. Introductory Prophecy.
This initial c. is an arraignment of Judah by the Lord for its disloyalty, for
its false conceptions of the service He values, and for the prevalence of crime
and injustice, and is marked by a uniform tone of denunciation. It cannot,
however, as a whole date from a single occasion, since it consists of sections
which imply diverse conditions, and so must have been composed at different
periods. On the one hand, the opening section (m, 2 — 9), of which the next
(w, 10 — 17) is probably a continuation, contains an indictment of the nation
for sins that have already brought upon it retribution, from which it is at the
moment suffering (in v, 7 the Heb. has a pres. part. — are devouring). On the
other hand vv, 18 — 20 imply that chastisement has not yet fallen, and can be
averted by repentance; whilst vv, 21—28 (31) contain a prediction of a penal
judgment in the near future. But if the constituent elements really thus
proceed from different occasions,, they have probably been designedly united
to form an introduction to the succeeding prophecies.
The actual dates of the component parts have been differently estimated.
The situation depicted in the first half of the c, which describes the country
as devastated and the capital as isolated, might apply to a date in the reign of
Ahaz, after the land had been invaded by the Syrians and Ephraimites (vii. 1),
if reliance could be placed on the account of the serious injuries inflicted by
them, which is given in 2 Ch. xxviii. (where an inroad of the Philistines is also
recorded). But the Chronicler is not a good authority for this period, and his
account does not harmonize with the contempt for the power of Syria and
Ephraim expressed by Isaiah in vii. 4. Hence vv. 2 — 17 may with greater
probability be assigned to Hezekiah's reign (circ. 701), when Judah was
ravaged and Jerasalem blockaded by the Assyrians (xxxvi. 1, 2), to whom
the term strangers (in v. 7) is more appropriate (cf xxix. 5, Heb.) than to a
hostile combination which included the sister-kingdom. The main constituents
of the section w. 18 — 28 must be earlier than this ; and just as the contrast of
the evil present with a better past (v. 21) points to the reign of Ahaz (rather
than to that of Hezekiah), so the vagueness of the threats of chastisement
favours an early period in the prophet's career. The concluding portion
(w. 29 — 31) is of doubtful origin and date, and if Isaianic, is also probably
early (see note).
w. 1. 1

2 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [i. ., .
I. 1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham,
Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of JudaL
2 Hear, 0 heavens, and give ear, 0 earth, for the Lord
hath spoken : I have ^nourished and brought up children, and
' Or, made great and exalted See Ezek. xxxi. 4.
I. 1. The superscription serves now as a heading for the whole
coUection of prophecies contained in cc. i. — xxxix. ; but in view of the
fact that these cc. include oracles directed against a number of foreign
countries, it cannot have been originaUy intended for this. It may
have been at first prefixed to the smaUer compilation cc. i. — xii., though
it is not strictly true even of this, since k. 8 — 21, v. 25 — 30 relate to
Ephraim'. It must have been written not by Isaiah but by an editor,
for (a) the order of the words Judah.,, Jerusalem (cf. xxxvi. 7) differs
from that which obtains in the body of the prophecies (iii. 1, 8, v. 3,
cf xxii. 21), and (b) the form of the name Hezekiah (in'ptn*) is late
(occurring in 2 Kgs. xx. 10, Jer. xv. 4, and in Chron.).
The vision. The term was originaUy descriptive of such visual
sensations as those sometimes experienced in dreams and trances
(Dan. viii. 2 f ) ; but later it lost its etymological meaning and became
a current word for revelations received through the inteUectual and
spiritual faculties (not through the senses) and expressed either with
or without symbolic imagery : see Ob. v. 1, Nah i. 1, Hab. ii. 2,
1 Ch. xvii. 15. In the present context it must have a coUective
signification, as in Hos. xii. 10.
in the days of, etc. For the date implied see p. xl f
2 — 3. The Lord's complaint that Israel has shewn more than the
insensibility of brutes to the claims of His love. Verse 3 is quoted in
Pseudo-Matt. xiv. in connection vrith the birth of our Lord in a stable
(cf Luke ii. 7, 12) where the ox and the ass adored Him.
2. Hea/r, 0 heavens. The invocation proceeds from the prophet :
cf Deut. xxxii. 1. When the Lord arraigns His people, the whole of
nature is the appropriate audience (cf Mic. vi. 2, Jer. ii. 12, Ps. 1. 3, 4),
and is expected to share the indignation which the conduct denounced
excites. nmurished and brought vp. The rendering is supported by xxiii. 4,
though the second word in this context perhaps conveys the sense of
promoted or exalted (see mg.) : LXX. ui/ruo-a, Vulg. exaltavi.
children. Among the Semites a land (or city) was considered to
be the wife of its god, and the mother of its inhabitants (see
Num. xxi. 29, Mal. ii. 11, Jer. ii. 27 and cf 2 Sam. xx. 19) ; and as
Jerusalem was regarded as the wife of the Lord (liv. I, 5, Ezek. xxiii.
4), its people were accounted His sons.
they have rebelled. The pronoun is emphatic : the recipients of the
greatest benefits are they who have shewn the most signal ingratitude.
1 The heading cannot apply to o. i. exclusively, since this oan scarcely have
been composed in the reigns ot four kings.

1.3-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 3
they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his owner,
and the ass his master's crib : but Israel doth not know, my
people doth not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden
with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly :
they have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One
of Israel, they are estranged and gone backward. 5 ^Why will
ye be still stricken, that ye revolt more and more? ^the whole
' Or, TVhy should ye be stricken any more ? ye will revolt <&c. 2 Or, every
For similar complaints over Israel's base retum for the Lord's goodness
see Deut. xxxii. 10 — 18, Ezek. xvi.
3. doth not know. The LXX. has doth not know me... doth not
consider me. Israel practicaUy disavowed the Lord by ignoring His
requirements : cf Jer. viii. 7.
4 — 9. The prophet's remonstrance with his countrymen on the
gravity of their offence and the serious condition to which their sin
has brought the country.
4. a seed of evil-doers, i.e. a brood consisting of (not, descended
from) evil doers (for their forefathers are regarded in the opposite
light, V. 21) : LXX. a-n-ipiia. TTovr^pov. Cf xiv. 20, kv. 23, and the
similar expressions in xxxi. 2, Ivii. 4, Matt. iii. 7.
they have forsaken. The LXX. has ye have forsaken (in harmony
with vv. 5 — 7). Sin is regarded by the prophets less as the infraction
of a law than as defection from a Person. It may be inferred from
vv. 10 — 14 that what is meant here is not an open transfer of allegiance
from the Lord to other gods (as in Deut. xxxi. 16, Jud. ii. 12, 13,
Jer. i. 16), but an aUenation from Him in moral character (vv. 15 — 17).
the Holy Otic of Israel. The expression is characteristic of Isaiah
among the eighth century prophets, though reproduced by some of
later date (xli. 14, 16, 20, xlui. 3, 14, etc., Jer. 1. 29, U. 5, Ps. kxi. 22,
kxviii. 41, etc.). Since the epithet holy connoted what was Divine
(cf 1 Sam. ii. 2, Hos. xi. 9), to designate the Lord as tke Holy One of
Israel was popularly synonymous with caUing Him the God of Israel
(see xxk. 23). But the expression, as Isaiah used it, especiaUy em
phasized His separateness from human sin and infirmity (see vi. 5, 7,
cf Josh. xxiv. 19, 1 Sam. vi. 20), and with it the corresponding claim
that He made upon the people that stood peculiarly near to Him and
were in a sense consecrated to Him (cf Ex. xix. 6) ; see p. xxxiv.
they are... backward. Cf Ezek. xiv. 5. The words here are absent
from the LXX. and the O.L., and as the balance of the clauses in the
V. is disturbed by them, they are best regarded as an interpolation.
5. Why, etc. This rendering (supported by the LXX. and Syr.)
is preferable to the altemative translation (supported by the Vulg.)
Upon what part (of the body) will ye be still stricken ? (as though no
sound part were left for fresh blows to light upon^), for the people are
' Cf. Ovid, Ep. n. vii. 41, Vix habet in vobis iam nova plaga locum, Eur. Here, Fur.
1245, yifiu KaKwv bij, KoiKir ^<r$' Sttov red^. 1—2

4 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [1.6-8
head is sick, and ^the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of
the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it ; hvt
wounds, and bruises, and ^festering sores : they have not been
closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil. 7 Your
country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your
land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate,
^as overthrown by strangers. 8 And the daughter of Zion is
^ Or, every ^ Or, fresh stripes ^ Or, as the overthrow of strangers
still addressed in the plural, and the corporate body is not spoken of
as an individual sufferer untU the next clause. Kittel proposes How
long will ye he fwrther stricken ? (i^P ly for np bv) ¦, cf Ps. kxix. 5.
the whole head. There is a transition here (cf v. 6) from the
separate members of the state to the state as a whole, personified as a
single individual, suffering under a succession of blows : cf Hos. v. 13.
6. there is no, , ,in it. This clause is omitted by the LXX.
festering sores. Better, raw stripes (cf mg.).
closed. Better, pressed out (Jud. vi. 38), for the removal of im
purities or matter.
mollified with oil. The use of oil to ease the pain of wounds occurs
in Luke x. 34 ; cf Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxxi. 47, In vulnerum curatione et
sucidae lanae vicem implent, nunc ex vino et oleo, nunc, etc. King Herod,
in his last illness, was bathed in a vessel full of oil (Jos. Ant. xvn. vi. 5,
Wars, I. xxxiii. 5). For figures borrowed from medical practice to
describe the amelioration of political or moral conditions cf iii. 7.
7. devour it in your presence. The expression suggests that those
whom the prophet addressed were cooped up in the capital, and
watched from its walls the ravage of the country — a situation realized
in Sennacherib's invasion in 701 (see p. xxvii).
as overthrown hy strangers. So Vulg. sicut in vastitate hostili,
LXX. KaT€crTpafA,fji,ivri inro Xawv aWorpioiv. But such a Comparison,
when the country was actuaUy overran by a foreign army, seems
otiose ; and the text, which is literally as the overthrow of strangers
(see mg.), probably means "like an overthrow which only foreigners
(who were not the Lord's people) might be expected to suffer" (an obj.
gen.) ; cf kiii. 19. But it is suspicious that the word for overthrow is
elsewhere only used of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (xiii. 19,
Deut. xxix. 23, Jer. xlix. 18, 1. 40, Am. iv. 11, cf Gen. xix. 25); so
that it is not improbable that the text should be corrected to as
the overthrow of Sodom (QiiP for ^''H), i.e. a complete overthrow
(cf V. 9), the word strangers being an accidental substitute from tbe
first part of the verse. Duhm and others reject the whole clause and
it is desolate as overthrown by strangers as a gloss which spoils the
symmetry of the verse.
8. the daughter of Zion. Equivalent to the daughter Zion (the
gen. being appositional). Lands and cities were often thus personified

1.9] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 5
left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cu
cumbers, as a besieged city. 9 Except the Lord of hosts had
left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as
Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
as women ; cf the parallels in xxxvii. 22, x. 32, xxiii. 10, 12, xlvii. 1,
Ui. 2, Jer. xlvi. 11, Lam. iv. 21, Ps. xiv. 12.
is left, etc. The capital, the soUtary survivor of the general over
throw, is compared to the lonely platforms (supported on poles and
screened by brushwood), which were erected in vineyards and in gardens,
when the fruits were ripe, to shelter the watchman who guarded them
against depredation : cf Job xxvii. 18.
cucumbers. These were a favourite food. Num. xi. 5.
as a besieged city. i.e. as isolated (by reason of the surrounding
devastation) as if it were actually invested. But since in the Assjrrian
war of 701 Jerusalem was really blockaded (see p. xxvii), Duhm is
perhaps right in taking the participle as a noun (not elsewhere found)
and rendering a city of watch, i.e. an outlying fort, situated in an
exposed and lonely spot (cf 2 Kgs. xvii. 9).
9. the Lord of hosts. This expression, commonest in Isaiah,
occurs also frequently in several of the other prophetic writers (Jer.,
Am., Hag., Zech., Mal.) and, as employed by them, refers especially to
the supramundane resources of the Lord, and so describes Him as
possessed of power irresistible by mortal men. By the LXX. it is
either left untranslated, or rendered by Kuptos twv 8wa/ie<ov (Ps. xxiv.
10, etc.) or Kvpios iravTOKpaTuip (Jer. V. 14, etc., the Almighty of the
Nicene Creed). Sj'm. and Theod. also have Kvptos t<Sv SwdpLewv, but
Aq. has xupios o-TparcKuv, and the Vulg. Dominus exercituum. On its
probable origin see p. 12.
a very small remnant. As Jerusalem could not be considered a
small or unimportant part of Judah, the original of the words very
small (which is omitted by the LXX., Syr., O.L., and Vulg.) is best
connected (despite the Heb. accents) with the second half of the v. in
the sense of soon (Ps. kxxi. 14) — we should have been soon like Sodom
(which had been completely destroyed. Gen. xix. 24 — -28). The v. is
applied by St Paul (Rom. ix. 29) to the smaU minority of Jews who
accepted Christianity.
10 — 17. An exposure of the worthlessness of formal worship when
divorced from morality.
This section seems to date from the same period as the preceding,
to which it is linked by the reference (in v. 10) to v. 9 (Sodom,,.
Gomorrah). The people may be supposed to meet the charge that
they have forsaken the Lord, by adducing the number of their
sacrifices to Him. The Lord's rejoinder is that He derives no satis
faction from their offerings because they are accompanied by moral
offences, and that what He requires is the practice of social justice and
mercy, for which sacrifices can be no substitute. Utterances of the
same tenor as this occur in Hos. vi. 6 (quoted in Matt. k. 13, xii. 7),

6 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [i. lo-i.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye ^rulers of Sodom; give
ear unto the ^law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To
what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? saith
the Lord : I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat
of fed beasts ; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of
lambs, or of he-goats. 12 When ye come ^to appear before me,
' Ot, judges ^ Or, teaching
' Or, as otherwise read, to see my face
Am. V. 21—24, Mic. vi. 6—8, Jer. vii. 4—7, 21—23, Ps. xl. 6—7,
1. 7 — 15, U. 16 — 17, Prov. xv. 8, xxi. 3, 27. The censures here and
elsewhere passed upon the belief that God derives gratification from
formal worship and material sacrifices, independently of the wor
shipper's conduct, obviously do not disparage external acts of worship
as a means both of expressing and of fostering sincere religious
devotion. 10. ye rulers of Sodom. Since Jerusalem had almost experienced
the fate of the cities of the Plain, it must be comparable to them in
moral state : cf iii. 9, Jer. xxiii. 14, Ezek. xvi. 48, Rev. xi. 8. The
governing classes are specially arraigned because they were responsible
for the maintenance of civic justice (cf iii. 14). Gesenius quotes an
Arabic proverb (probably derived from this passage). More unjust than
a judge of Sodom.
the law. Better (as in the mg.), the teaching or the direction (and
so in ii. 3, v. 24, viii. 16, xxx. 9, xiii. 21), i.e. the Divine revelations
imparted by the prophet (e.g. w. 11 — 17) : cf Jer. xxvi. 4, 5.
11. To what purpose, etc. Probably the desperate situation of the
country had led to the multiplication of offerings in order to obtain
deliverance. your sacrifices. The term here used was confined to flesh offerings
which included (a) burnt offerings, in which the victim was wholly
given to God and consumed by fire (Lev. i. 3 f ), (h) peace offerings, in
which only the fat and the blood were given to God (cf 1 Sam. ii. 16,
xiv. 34, Deut. xii. 16, Lev. iii. I — 5) whilst the rest of the victim was
eaten by the priests and worshippers (Lev. vii. 28 — 34).
or of lambs. Omitted by the LXX.
12. to appear before me. i.e. to attend at my sanctuary (cf.
Ex. xxiii. 17, xxxiv. 23). The most natural rendering of the original
(differently pointed) is to see my face (cf mg. and Ex. xxxiv. 24, Deut.
xxxi. 11). The phrase to see the face of God is analogous to seeing the
face of a king (which implied admission to the court and royal favour,
2 Sam. xiv. 24, 2 Kgs. xxv. 19), and perhaps originated at a time when
the presence of the Lord was associated with some material object like
the Ark (cf Num. x. 35, 36) which privUeged worshippers were aUowed
to behold. When a higher conception of Deity made the thought of
actually seeing the Divine face inadmissible (cf Ex. xxxiii. 20, Deut.
iv. 12), the pointing of the verb was altered.

Lis] the BOOK OF ISAIAH 7
who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
13 Bring no more ^vain oblations; incense is an abomination
unto me; new moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies, —
' Heb. an oblation of vanity.
who hath required, etc. Attendance and offerings at the three
agricultural festivals are prescribed in those parts of the Pentateuch (JE)
which are believed to be of earliest, and certainly pre-prophetic, date
(Ex. xxiu. 14 — 17, xxxiv. 22 — 23, cf 1 Sam. i. 22), so that Isaiah's
language must be rhetorical. What the question here really implies is
that God does not want such worship as His worshippers actually
rendered Him — formal service and practical apostasy (cf I Sam. xv. 22).
to trample. The phrase, appropriate to acts of desecration (1 Mac.
iii. 45, 51, iv. 60), is a contemptuous description ofthe formalism that
prevailed. my courts. The LXX. has my court. Solomon's temple in strictness
had only a single court ; but a second court enclosed the palace, and a
third surrounded both temple and palace together (see DB. iv. 695).
13. oblations. The word denotes both (a) offerings in general,
whether animal or cereal (Gen. iv. 3, 4, 1 Sam. u. 15 — 17), and
(b) offerings of grain or meal in particular (1 Ch. xxi. 23, Jer. xli. 5 m^.,
I Kgs. viii. 64, 2 Kgs. xvi. 13, Lev. ii. 1, etc.). The context is m
favour of the word here having the wider meaning.
incense. Better, abominable incense are they unto me. The term
incense is ambiguous, and signifies both (a) the savour or steam of
burnt sacrifices (Ps. kvi. 15 and perhaps Deut. xxxiii. 10, cf the
Homeric kviotj, E. i. 66), and (6) incense of spices (Ex. xxx. 35,
2 Ch. ii. 4). Here the first signification is most likely, for the earliest
mention of frankincense is in Jer. vi. 20, the references to it in the
Hexateuch occurring only in the Priestly code.
The connection of this v. with the preceding is given differently in
the LXX., which implies a text like the following : When ye come to
appear before me, who hath required this (i.e. the sacrifices mentioned in
V. 11) at yov/r hands? Trample my courts no more; to brinq an
oblation is vain; incense is an abomination unto me. This furnishes
a more appropriate context for the words at your hands, but involves
a sUght change in the text ("IJ^P or ninjp for nn^p).
new moon and sabbath. Directions for observing the sabbath occur
in the earliest legislation of the Pentateuch (see Ex. xx. 8 — II, xxxiv. 21,
cf also Lev. xix. 3, Num. xxviii. 9 — 10), whereas the observance of
the new moon is enjoined only in the Priestly code (Num. x. 10,
xxviii. 11 — 15) ; but evidence that the latter was an early institution
in Israel is furnished by 1 Sam. xx. 5, 18, 24 ; cf also 2 Kgs. iv. 23,
Hos. ii. 11, Am. viii. 5.
the calling of assemblies, i.e. for the observance of religious festivals
— occasions on which no servile work was permitted (Lev. xxiii., Num.
xxvin., xxix.).

8 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [i. 14-17
^I cannot away with iniquity and the solemn meeting. 14 Your
new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth : they are
a ^trouble unto me ; I am weary to bear them. 15 And when
ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you:
yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear : your hands
are fuU of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean ; put away the
evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil:
17 learn to do well; seek judgement, ^relieve the oppressed,
judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
^ Or, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting
^ Or, cumbrance ' Or, set right the oppressor
I cannot away with, etc. Better, / cannot brook (the combination
of) iniquity and a solemn meeting. The term solemn meeting (Am.
V. 21) was specially applied to the religious gatherings at the close of
the feasts of Unleavened Bread (Deut. xvi. 8) and Tabernacles (Lev.
xxiii. 36) which were accompanied by abstention from labour.
14. appointed feasts. For an enumeration of these, as prescribed
in the Priestly code, see Lev. xxiii., Num. xxviii., xxix. In the
LXX. the division between this v. and the preceding differs from
that in the Heb. : your new moons and sabbaths and holidays (-qix-ipav
IxeydXriv) I cannot brook : fasting (reading Di^ for !!,!<) and idleness
(reading n^yu for il'iVl!) and your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hateth,
15. And when ye spread, etc. i.e. in prayer (cf 1 Kgs. viii. 22, 38,
Ex. k. 29, Ezra ix. 5, Ps. xliv. 20, Hor. Od, in. xxiii. 1, Caelo supinas
si tuleris manus.
when ye make many, etc. Cf Matt. vi. 7, where the practice is
discouraged by our Lord as reflecting heathen conceptions of God.
you/r hands, etc Cf v. 21, iv. 4. The context (vv. 17, 23) suggests
that the blood-guiltiness was incurred by the commission of judicial
murders (similar to that of Naboth, I Kgs. xxi. 8 f ).
16. Wash you. A figure for repentance and amendment (c,i.
Ps. xviii. 20, 24, xxiv. 4, Job ix. 30). Duhm connects this clause with
the last clause oiv. 15.
16, 17. cease to... well. This abstract generalisation is omitted
by Duhm as an insertion.
17. seek judgement, i.e. pursue justice. Hebrew judges were pro
bably unpaid, and so were the more liable to be bribed by wealthy
suitors (cf V. 23, v. 23). The prevalence of corruption is evidenced
by the numerous warnings against it (Ex. xxiii. 6 — 9, Deut. xvi.
19, 20, xxvu. 19, Lev. xix. 15, Am. v. 12, Mic. iu. 9—11).
relieve the oppressed. Better (as in the mg.), set right the oppressor.
Cheyne and Marti substitute discipline (or chastise) the (^pressor
(lllp! for ^ifX).

i.i8-ai] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 9
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool 19 If
ye be wiUing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land :
20 but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the
sword : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! she that
was fuU of judgement ! righteousness lodged in her, but now
18 — 20. An appeal to the people to consider the alternatives
before them — security attending obedience, and destruction ensuing
on disobedience. This section, which seems to be a detached oracle, must, from its
tenor, have been written before the country had been devastated in the
manner described in v. 1.
18. let us reason together. This may mean either "let us come to
an understanding " (the apodosis in the sentence that foUows being
a gracious promise), or "let us implead one another" (the foUowing
clause being an exclamation of indignant irony). In the latter case, the
"second haU' of the v. vrill run : if your sins be as scarlet, they are to he
as white as snow! if they be red like crimson, they are to be as wool!
(i.e. accounted by you as non-existent or of no importance).
19. ye shall eat, etc. Plenty and the secure enjoyment of it are
simUarly promised as the reward of obedience in Lev. xxvi. 1 — 13,
Deut. xxviii. 1 — 14.
20. ye shall be devoured, etc. There is a rhetorical antithesis to
¦y. 19 : according to their conduct they should eat or be themselves
consumed. Some render, ye shall be made to eat the sword.
21 — 26 (28). A lament over the contrast between the present and
the past state of Jerusalem, and an announcement of a purifying judg
ment which will restore it to its earlier and better condition.
This section is written in the Hebrew elegiac rhjrthm, compositions
in which often begin with the exclamation How ! (cf xiv. 4, Lam. i. 1,
u. 1, iv. 1).
21. an harlot. The relation between the Lord and Jerusalem
being comparable to those of husband and wife (see on v. 2 and of
Rev. xxi. 2, 9), the disregard shewn by the city for His authority is
described as an act of conjugal infidelity (cf Ex. xxxiv. 15, Ezek. xvi.
22, Hos. i. — iii.. Matt. xii. 39). The expression, which is here used
of moral unfaithfulness, is more commonly applied to idolatry (Jer. ii.
20, Ezek. vi. 9, xx. 30, etc.) than to social sins.
was full of judgement. There is perhaps a reference to Solomon
(1 Kgs. iu. 16 f ) or to Jehoshaphat (2 Ch. xix. 5—7).
righteousness, i.e. the upright administration of justice (see v. 7,
xxxu. 16, and cf Am. v. 24).
but now murderers. These words, which spoil the balance of the
clauses and do not harmonize with the preceding abstractions (judg-

10 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [1.22-25
murderers. 22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed
with water. 23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions
of thieves ; every one loveth gifts, and foUoweth after rewards :
they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the
widow come unto them.
24 Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty
One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and
avenge me of mine enemies: 25 and I will ^tum my hand
upon thee, and ^throughly purge away thy dross, and will take

¦* Or, bring my hand again
" Heb. as with lye.

ment, righteousness), seem rightly rejected by Duhm as a gloss suggested
by vv. 15, 18.
22. Thy silver, etc. The figure of adultery (v. 21) is here replaced
by that of adulteration. The metaphors of silver and wine probably
refer to the highest classes in the state : cf Jer. vi. 28, 30, Ezek.
xxii. 18.
mixed. Literally, circumcised : cf the similar phrase in Pliny,
Hist. Nat. XIX. 19, vina saccis castrari (i.e. strained and weakened).
23. Thy princes, etc. Better, Thy princes are unprincipled (there
being an assonance in the Heb.). The title princes probably only
denotes high oflBcials (cf their function in Jer. xxvi. 10 f ).
companions of thieves. Perhaps by accepting bribes to acquit
them. 24. saith. LiteraUy, an utterance of (the term being usuaUy con
fined to solemn communications imparted by the Lord to the prophets
(cf Jer. xxiii. 31)).
the Lord. Heb. Ha-Ad6n, a title of honour, distinct from the
LoBD, which is the equivalent of Jehovah (and so in iii. 1, x. 16,
23, 33, xix. 4).
the Mighty One. The term (which appears first in Gen. xlk. 24)
recurs in xlix. 26, Ix. 16, Ps. cxxxii. 2, 5. The multiplication of the
divine titles is designed to heighten the people's alarm, now that they
have made an enemy of Him Who was formerly their champion, and
Whose resources are so vast.
25. throughly purge away, etc. More literaUy, refine away thy
dross as with alkali and take away all thy alloy. One of the metaphors
of -B. 22 is resumed ; the debased metal must be re-smelted, the process
being effected by mking the ore or unpurified metal with an alkali and
exposing the whole to great heat. But since all the expressions are
figurative, the qualifying as prefixed to alkali alone is inappropriate, and
the conjecture in a furnace is not improbable (135 for 133), cf Ezek.
xxii. 18, 20. The LXX. has Trvpioa-ai a-t cli naOapov ; the Vulg.
excoquam ad purum scoriam tuam (reading 1?? for 133).

1.26-29] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH U
away aU thy ^tin: 26 and I wiU restore thy judges as at the
first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou
shalt be caUed The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
27 Zion shaU be redeemed with judgement, and ^her converts
with righteousness. 28 But the ^destruction of the trans
gressors and the sinners shall be together, and they that
forsake the Lord shall be consumed. 29 For they shall be
ashamed of the *oaks which ye have desired, and ye shaU be
^ Or, alloy ^ Or, they that return qf her
' Heb. breaking. * Or, terebinths
26. and I vdll restore, etc. i.e. by the elimination of the in
corrigible. thou shalt be called. The name is supposed to refiect faithfully the
character; cf iv. 3, k. 6, xk. 18, xlvii. 1, xlviii. 8, Ivi. 7, Ivui. 12,
ki. 6, kii. 4, Zech. viii. 3.
city... city. Better, citadel... city (distinct words being used in the
original). 27 — 28. These two vv. are thought by Duhm and Cheyne to be an
addition (both the Lord and Zion being spoken of in the 3rd pers.,
contrast vv. 24 — 26), and to date from the post-exiUc period (cf the
phraseology of lk. 20, kv. 11). But the contents are not inconsistent
with the context ; the metre of v. 27 at least seems the same ; and
judgment and righteousness (i.e. the execution of a just sentence) form
a characteristic Isaianic combination (v. 16, xxviii. 17).
27. redeemed, i.e. delivered from her disordered condition by the
removal of the impenitent (v. 28) ; cf iv. 3.
her converts. Literally, they of her that turn (or return, cf mg.),
i.e. her penitents (vi. 10 Heb.). The LXX. and Syr. have her captivity
(KW for ij''^^), i.e. her captive people, but the antithetic terms in
V. 28 are against this.
29 — 31. A prediction of destruction for idolaters.
The abrupt transition from complaints of oppression and judicial
corruption to a charge of idolatry, coupled with a change of number
and metre, makes it probable that these vv. are alien to their context,
and since in both contents and diction they bear some resemblance to
cc. lxv., kvi. (see kv. 3, 12, kvi. 3, 17), they may be post-exUic. Those
critics who regard them as Isaianic mostly think they refer to Ephraim
(cf Hos. iv. 13).
29. For they... ashamed of. Better (with a few MSS.), in agree
ment with the foU. verbs. For ye shall he ashamed because of.
oaks. Better (as in the mg.), terebinths (or turpentine trees^).
These are named as representatives of large trees in general, which
were objects of idolatry (Ivii. 5, Deut. xii. 2, Jer. u. 20, Ezek. vi.
^ These have pinnate leaves and bear clusters of small berries of a reddish
colour.

12 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [1.30,31
confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. 30 For ye
shall be as ^an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that
hath no water. 31 And the strong shaU be as tow, and his
work as a spark ; and they shall both burn together, and none
shall quench them.
' Or, a terebinth
13). The worship of such doubtless originated in an animistic con
ception of them, to which the phenomena of their life and growth were
calculated to give rise. In Britain oaks were similarly regarded by
the Druids as sacred, the appearance of mistletoe upon one of them
marking the tree as chosen by a god (Pliny, Hist. Nat. xvi. 95).
30. ye shall be, etc. i.e. your prosperity shall fade like the trees
you worship (contrast Iviu. 11, Jer. xvu. 8, Ps. i. 3).
31. the strong, i.e. he who in reliance upon superstitious practices
deems himself secure against adverse fortune.
his work. i.e. his idolatry, which will occasion his destraction ; cf.
ix. 18. The translation involves a slight correction (supported by the
LXX.)oftheHeh Additional Note on v. 9 (Tlie Lord of hosts).
Though in later times the expression Lord (or Jeeovah) of hosts (of
which the Ood of hosts (Am. v. 27), and Jehovah the Ood of hosts (Am.
iv. 13 etc.) are variant forms) had relation to the Lord's supramundane powers
(cf ii. 12, vi. 3), it has been thought by some scholars that it originally had
reference to the hosts of Israel, because (a) the forces of Israel are actually
styled the hosts of the Lord (Ex. vii. 4, xii. 41) and the armies of the living
God (1 Sam. xvii. 26, 36), (6) the two phrases the Lord of hosts and the God
ofthe armies of Israel appear as synonyms (1 Sam. xvii. 45), (c) Israelite wars
were entitled the wars of the Lord (Num. xxi. 14), (d) it is only in connection
with earthly hosts, especially those of Israel, that the plural form tsebdoth is
otherwise found', (e) the Ark which usually accompanied the Israelite armies
to battle (1 Sam. iv. 3, 2 Sam. xi. 11, Num. xiv. 44) was called by the name ofthe
Lord of hosts (2 Sam. vi. 2). But on the whole, it is more probable that the
phrase under consideration had in view, from the first, celestial, and not terres
trial, forces. Whatever may have been the original conception of Jehovah,
He was from very early times associated with the heavens and atmospheric
disturbances, commotions in the elements being represented as manifestations
of His presence or as His agencies for aiding His people and destroying His
enemies. The wind in the trees was the sound of His marching (2 Sam. v. 24),
hailstones were His missiles (Josh. x. 11, cf Ezek. xxxviii. 22), the driving wind
or cloud was His war chariot (Ps. xviii. 10, Hab. iii. 8), and the lightning was
the glancing of His spear or arrows (Hab. iii. 11, Ps. Ixxvii. 17, cxliv. 6). The
1 This plural form in connection with the hosts of Israel occurs chiefly in the
Priestly source of the Hexateuch : elsewhere only in 1 Kgs. ii. 5, Deut. xx. 9, and
ihe later compositions 1 Oh. xxvii. 3, Heb., Ps. xliv. 9, Ix. 10 (oviii. 11).

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 13
Lord, when thought of as present in such phenomena, would naturally be
imagined not as a solitary warrior but as accompanied by an army of celestial
beings or angels (cf. Deut. xxxiii. 2, Josh. v. 14, Zech. xiv. 5, Joel iii. 11), to
whom the expressions God}s camp (or company), God's hosts (tsebdim), and
the host of heaven are actually applied (Gen. xxxii. 2, Ps. ciii. 21, cxlviii. 2,
1 Kgs. xxii. 19, Neh. ix. 6) : cf also arparia oupavtoj (Luke ii. 13). Such celestial
armies were probably connected in popular fancy with the stars (cf Job
xxxviii. 7), which, besides being styled collectively the host of heaven (Deut.
iv. 19, 2 Kgs. xvii. 16, Is. xxxiv. 4) are represented as being marshalled by the
Lord (Is. xl 26), and described in Jud. v. 20 as fighting (for the Lord)
againat Sisera. (Cf Driver in Hastings, DB. in. 137.)
FIRST COLLECTION OF ISAIAH'S PROPHECIES.
CHAPTERS IL— XIL
Chapters IL — IV.
Within the first collection of Isaiah's prophecies (cc. ii. — xii.) to which the
superscription in ii. 1 is at present prefixed, a minor group is constituted by
cc. iL — iv., to which the heading may originally have belonged. This group
consists of a number of distinct oracles, viz. (a) ii. 2 — 5, (b) ii. 6 — 22, (c) iii.
1 — 12, (d) iii 13 — 15, («) iii. 16 — iv. 1, (/) iv. 2 — 6 ; and some of these may
themselves l)e composite. They form, however, in some measure, a literary
unity (iv. 4, lor instance, refers to iii. 16 f), and have been so arranged that the
announcement of an imminent judgment closes with a promise of felicity for
the survivors of it. Such of the oracles as are Isaianic in origin are probably
among the earliest of the prophet's utterances that have been preserved, and
date from the reign of Jotham or the beginning of that of Ahaz. This period
is fixed by the contemporary situation implied in them. (I) The accumulation
of wealth (ii. 6, 7, iii. 16 f.), and the multiplication of the means of defence
(described in iL 6, 7, 15) reflect the prosperity which the country had enjoyed
under Uzziah and Jotham, and the provision which these kings had made
for its security (2 Ch. xxvi. 8, 10, xxvii. 3 — 6, cf Hos. viiL 14) ; and point to a
time preceding the reverses sustained in the reign of Ahaz from Syria and
Ephraim (c. vii.). (2) The allusion to the nation's shipping (iL 16) implies that
Elath, Judah's port on the Red Sea, acquired by Amaziah (2 Kgs. xiv. 22) but
taken from Ahaz by the Syrians (2 Kgs. xvi. 6), was not yet lost. (3) The
description of the judgment (ii. 12 f.) looks as if it had been composed when
the impression produced on the writer by the earthquake in the reign of
Uzziah (Zech. xiv. 5, Am. i. 1) was still fresh. (4) The character of the
country's rulers in iiL 12 suggests that when that passage was written Ahaz
had already come to the throne.
Chapter IL
This c. consists of two originally distinct sections very awkwardly connected
together : (1) a prediction, of uncertain origin, announcing the future pre
eminence of mount Zion, the site of the Temple, as a centre of enlightenment
for the world (w. 2 — 5) ; (2) a description of the godless condition of the nation,
and of the judgment impending over it (6 — 22).

14 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ii. i
II. 1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concem
ing Judah and Jerusalem.
II. 1. This superscription, which like that in i. 1 gives the name of
Isaiah's father, is obviously the heading of a collection which was once
detached from c i., and did not include cc. xiii. foil., though whether
it originaUy referred to the group, cc. ii. — xii., or the smaller group,
cc. ii. — iv., there is nothing to shew.
The word.,, saw. The term wordis equivalent to revelation (Jer.
xviii. 18) ; the verb saw, used in connection vrith it, merely visualises
the prophet's intuitions : cf xiii. 1, Am. i. 1, Mic. i. 1, Hab. i. I, ii. 1,
Lam. ii. 14^
2 — 5. A prediction that in the time to come the Temple hill
wiU attract to itself all the nations of mankind, for there the Lord wiU
instruct them and usher in an age of universal peace.
These vv. recur in Mic. iv. 1 — 3, S*", the variations being unimpor
tant ; and the coincidence implies that the passage is unoriginal in
one or both of the books that contain it. (1) In Isaiah the abraptness
with which the section begins, and the awkwardness of the transition
from it to the passage that follows (vv. 6 — 22), suggest that it is an
insertion here. (2) In Micah the section appears in a longer and
seemingly more original form; but there also it is introduced too
abruptly to be quite appropriate to its context ^ (3) Hence it is
probable that the passage really belongs to neither, but is derived from
a third writer, and transferred to the books of Isaiah and Micah by an
editor. It was perhaps originally inserted as a sequel to the description
of the purifying judgment in i. 24 — 28 (31) to which it was meant to be
attached: if so, the superscription of c ii. has somehow become mis
placed, and should foUow, instead of preceding, this section. Its author
is more likely to have been a successor than either a contemporary or a
precursor of the two prophets amongst whose writings it appears. It is
in compositions later than the eighth century that the ideal it describes
seems to obtain earliest expression. It is in Jeremiah and in the exilic
And post-exilic prophets that it is first anticipated that the heathen
peoples wiU gather to Jerusalem to receive religious instruction and
¦offer worship (Jer. iii. 17, Zech. ii. II, vui. 20 — 22, xiv. 16 — 19, Is. Ivi. 7,
k. 3, kvi. 23), and that the Jewish nation will become a source of
.spiritual enlightenment to mankind'. Moreover, it is in Zech. ix. 10
that the prediction of a universal reign of peace has its nearest
counterpart ; and the conception of the physical elevation of the hiU of
.Zion finds a parallel only in Ezek. xl. 2, Zech. xiv. 10.

' Cf. 1 Sam. iii. 15 where vision is used in reference to the Lord's calling Samuel.
* The previous v. (Mic. iii. 12) predicts the desolation ol Zion, so that some
.mention of its re-building should precede the prophecy of its exaltation. It is a
further objection to the view that the passage is authentic in Mioah and borrowed
by Isaiah that in Mioah it foUows upon a prophecy delivered in the reign of
Hezekiah (see Jer. xxvi. 18).
* On Is. xviii. 7 see note.

II. .,3] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 15
2 ^And it shaU come to pass in the latter days, that the
mountain of the Lord's house shall be established ^in the top
of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hiUs ; and aU
nations shaU flow unto it. 3 And many peoples shall go and
say. Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to
the house of the God of Jacob; and he wiU teach us of his
ways, and we wiU walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go
1 See Mioah iv. 1—3. 2 Or, at the head
2. And it shall come, etc. This phrase naturally suggests that the
section which it introduces was once the continuation of a preceding
passage and not the beginning of a separate collection of prophecies, as
its present position impUes.
in the latter days. LiteraUy, in the sequel of days. The phrase
does not imply finality but succession ; and describes a future which is
the sequel of the present, without distinguishing between what is near
and what is remote. It is generally employed in connection with pre
diction, in order to designate the period when the hopes, whatever they
are, that reUeve a dissatisfying present wUl be fulfilled (see (ien. xlix. 1,
Num. xxiv. 14); and in the prophetic writings it is most commonly
applied to a future time of recovery and restoration from existing
material or spiritual iU^ (Deut. iv. 30, Hos. iii. 5, Jer. xlviu. 47,
xlk. 39). The expression has given rise to imitation in the N.T., see
Heb. i. 2, 1 Pet. i. 20, 1 Cor. x. 11. Cf the last day in Joh. vi. 39,
xii. 48.
the mountain, etc. i.e. Mount Zion, the eastern of the two hiUs on
which Jerasalem stands. The LXX. implies the reading the mountain
of the Lord shall he established, even the house of God on the tops of the
mountains, which is favoured by «. 3 ; though cf Mic. iii. 12.
in the top. Better, on the top. The writer's conception seems to be
that the Temple hiU (which was lower than many rival hiUs, Ps. kviii.
15, 16) is to be physicaUy elevated above all others (cf Zech. xiv. 10,
Ezek. xl. 2) partly as a token of the dignity belonging to it, as the
earthly seat of the Lord's sovereignty (Jer. iii. 17), and partly to
render it a conspicuous landmark, so that the nations of the world may
see it, and be able to converge towards it from aU directions.
3. he will teach us. The conception of the Lord as a Teacher
recurs in xlviii. 17 (and perhaps xxviii. 26), Ps. xxv. 8, xciv. 10.
of his ways. Strictly, out of his ways, i:e. out of His store of
precepts regulating the course of life which He requires; cf xiii. 24,
Iviu. 2, Ixiu. 17, Deut. viii. 6, x. 12, Ps. xvui. 21, xxv. 4, U. 13,
cxix. 15. For the sense of way compare the use of 080's in Mk. xii. 14,
Matt. xxu. 16.
for, etc. The speech of the peoples continues to the close of v. 3.
^ An exception occurs in Deut. xxxi. 29.

16 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [n.4-6
forth Hhe law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge ^between the nations, and shall ^reprove
many peoples : and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruninghooks : nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 0 house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of
the Loed. 6 For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of
' Or, instruction ^ Or, among * Or, decide concerning
the law. Better (as in the mg.), instruction (and so in li. 4).
The prediction has obtained a fulfilment in the fact that it was within
the Jewish nation that Christianity, with its universal range, had its
origin. 4. he shall judge, etc. Since all nations will acknowledge the
Lord, disputes will be settled by Him instead of by the arbitrament of
the sword.
reprove. Better, arbitrate for (xi. 4, Gen. xxxi. 37, Job ix. 33).
plowshares. Perhaps better, mattocks, see 1 Sam. xiii. 20. For
the promise of universal peace cf Zech. ix. 10. The phraseology
resembles Mart. Fp. xiv. 34 (of the sickle). Pax me certa ducis placidos
curvavit in usus ; Agricolae nunc sum, militis ante fui. A converse
prediction occurs in Joel iii. 10.
This V. forms an appropriate conclusion to the present passage,
though in Micah it is followed by a fourth verse.
5. This V. (an exhortation to Israel to use the privileges which it
possesses and which the heathen will desire to share) seems to have
been adapted from Mic. iv. 5, perhaps by an editor who, finding
m}. 2 — 4 incorporated in c ii., instead of concluding c i., sought by it
to adjust the citation rv. 2 — 4, to its new context.
house of Jacob. Here a designation of Judah only, as in viii. 17,
X. 20. the light. For this term, applied to instruction as a source of
illumination, see xhi. 6, xlix. 6, Prov. vi. 23.
6 — 22. This section, perhaps the very earliest of Isaiah's prophecies,
consists of an account of the advent of the Lord in judgment, to
punish and humiliate the nation for its self-sufficiency and idolatry.
The prophecy, though tolerably uniform in tenor, is marked by the
repetition (in slightly variant forms) of two refrains, one occurring in
w. 10, 19, 21, and the other in the intervening vv. II and 17, and this
feature has suggested that it is really a combination of two separate
fragments (a) vv. 6—10, 18—21, (b) vv. 11—17.
6. Forj etc. This v. cannot without harshness be connected with
V. 5 as an explanation of conduct occasioning the foregoing exhortation,
since the Lord's rejection of His people should be the consequence, not
the cause, of His people's perversity. If the opening word is rightly
rendered by For, the true beginning must have been lost. But possibly
For should be replaced by Surely (cf iii. 1, xv. 1).

II. 7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 17
Jacob, because they be filled with customs from the east, and
a/re soothsayers Uke the PhUistines, and they strike hands with
the children of strangers. 7 Their land also is full of silver and
gold, neither is there any end of their treasures ; their land also
is fiiU of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.
thou hast forsaken. Better, thou hast cast ojf (Jud. vi. 13, 2 Kgs.
xxi. 14). The pronoun refers to the Lord : the LXX. and O.L. have he
hath cast off his people.
they be filled with, etc LiteraUy, they are filled from the east.
The original is probably defective, and the succeeding clause suggests
that the word to be supplied is not customs but diviners or divination
(D'Ppp or ^Pi?). The prevalence of divination in Judah in Isaiah's time
(cf ui. 2) is attested likewise by Micah (v. 12); and the addiction
of the people to it appears from the prohibitions against it in Deut.
xviii. 10 f , Lev. xk. 26. By the east here is probably meant Syria
(the Aram whence the enchanter Balaam came (Num. xxiii. 7)) : cf
Gen. xxix. 1.
and are soothsayers. Or cmd are full of soothsayers. The word
rendered soothsayers probably means either "crooners of charms," or
" observers of clouds " : see EB. i. 1119.
like the Philistines. Reference to diviners in PhiUstia occurs in
1 Sam. vi. 2, and there was a famous oracle at Ekron (2 Kgs. i. 2).
strike hands, etc. i.e. make engagements, probably (as the context
suggests) in order to obtain the services of heathen enchanters
(cf. Balak's hiring of Balaam, Num. xxii. 5 f ). But even commercial
and poUtical compacts with foreign countries tended, by the increase of
wealth and the introduction of heathen usages, to impair the nation's
religious faith, and were accordingly disapproved of by the Hebrew
prophets. As the original of children of strangers is not the usual
periphrasis for strangers (Joel iii. 6, Am. ix. 7), the text, which has
^ip23-1, should possibly be corrected to *'n'3-1. But some scholars,
retaining the text, take the verb in a different sense, and render
abound with (cf. 1 Kgs. xx. 10, Heb.) the youmg children of strangers
(i.e. youthful foreign slaves) : cf. LXX. riKva rroXXa d.\\64>vX.a lytrrjOr}
avToh. The Vulg. has pueris alienis adhaeserunt (reading -in^D^ for
•IP'S?'!). 7. silver and gold. The possession of Elath facilitated commerce
vrith the gold-producing regions of S. Arabia and B. Africa and perhaps
even India (cf 1 Kgs. x. 11, 22).
horses... chariots. Horses were associated with war and martial
pride (Job xxxix. 19 — 25) (just as the ass was with peace and peaceful
quaUties, Zech. k. 9), and the multiplication of them was in con
sequence censured by the prophets (see xxx. 16, xxxi. 1, Mic. v. 10,
cf Deut. xvii. 16). In the time of David horses began to be used for
riding by persons of dignity (2 Sam. xv. 1, contrast Jud. v. 10, x. 4) ;
but it was by Solomon that a force of chariots and horses was first
w. I. 2

18 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [11.8-1.
8 Their land also is full of idols ; they worship the work of their
own hands, that which their own fingers have made. 9 And the
mean man ^is bowed down, and the great man ^is brought low :
therefore forgive them not. 10 Enter into the rock, and hide
thee in the dust, from before the terror of the Lord, and from
the glory of his majesty. 11 The lofty looks of man shall be
brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 12 For ^ there
shaU be a day of the Lord of hosts upon all that is proud and
' Or, boweth down ^ Or, humbleth himself
' Or, the Lord of hosts hath a day
acquired for military purposes (1 Kgs. x. 26). The country from which
they were principaUy obtained was Egypt (1 Kgs. x. 28, but see Burney).
8. idols. The original term (D77X) seems to mean nonentities,
being associated with the negative particle ^^. It occurs several
times in Isaiah (vv. 18, 20, x. 10, 11, xxxi. 7, cf also xix. 1, 3), but is
otherwise rare (Lev. xix. 4, xxvi. 1, Ezek. xxx. 13, etc.). For the pre
valence of idolatry in Judah, see Mic. v. 13.
9. tlie mean man, ,,the great man. The terms probably do not here
describe contrasted classes (as in Ps. xlix. 2), but are synonyms,
equivalent to mankind... man; cf v. 11, xxxi. 8 (Heb.), Prov. viii. 4
(Heb.). is bowed down. The perfect expresses the certainty and inevitable-
ness of the approaching catastrophe. The mg. howeth down,., humbleth
himself, in homage (k. 14) before the idols (v. 8), is inconsistent with
the sense which the verbs have in ». 11, cf v. 15.
therefore, etc Better, and thou must not forgive them. But the
sentence is not very appropriate to the context, and Duhm conjectures
amd swrely there is no uplifting (recovery)/or them (ri?<^ DX] for XB'n"?X1.).
10. Enter, etc. The LXX. (probably rightly) has the fuU refrain
as it recurs in vm, 19, 21, and replaces the 2nd sing, by the 2nd plur.
Refuge will be sought in dens and caves from the anger of the Lord as
once from the rage of men (Jud. vi. 2, 1 Sam. xiii. 6). The first part of
the V, has influenced Rev. vi. 15, and the latter part 2 Thess. i. 9.
11. The lofty looks. Better (by an omission which restores the
grammar of the Heb.), The loftiness ; cf «. 17.
12. For there shall be, etc. Better (as in the mg.) Far the Lord
of hosts hath a day. The word day was applied to the occasion of a
decisive victory (ix. 4, cf Ezek. xiii. 5) ; and the Lord being thought
to be Israel's champion, the phrase the day of the Lord popularly
described the occasion when He was expected to intervene to over
throw the nation's enemies (see xiii. 6, 9, xxxiv. 8, Ob. v. 15). But
Isaiah foreboded that the Lord's intervention would bring a catastrophe
upon the nation itself and used the phrase to denote a day of chastise
ment for the national offences (cf xxii. 5, Am. v. 18, Zeph. i. 7), and the

II.I3-I6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 19
haughty, and upon all that is lifted up ; and it shall be brought
low: 13 and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and
Ufted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; 14 and upon all the
high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fenced wall;
16 and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon aU pleasant
expression was afterwards employed to denote the universal judgment
(Matt. vii. 22, 2 Tim. i. 12, iv. 8). Here the predicted overthrow is
especiaUy directed against the sources of the people's pride. Among
the Hebrews (as weU as other nations) everything in human conduct or
human possessions that seemed to encroach upon, or rival, the Divine
prerogatives was considered to be peculiarly provocative of the Divine
resentment (see Gen. iu. 22, xi. 6, 1 Sam. viii. 7, 2 Sam. xxiv.S
Is. xiv. 13 — 15, xxx. 16, xxxi. 1, Ezek. xxviii., Hos. x. 13, xii. 8, Am.
vi. 13, Mic V. 10).
and it shall be brought low. This clause requires to be replaced by
the words and high ('5'i33'!) ; cf v. 13 and the LXX. i-rn iravra vtj/r]\bv
Koi fierioipov koX TamiviD6r)(T0VTaL (a conflate reading).
13. upon all the cedars, etc. Better (by transposition), upon all the
cedars of Lebanon that are high, and upon all the oaks of Bashan that are
lifted up ; cf V, 14. The day of the Lord is conceived as a violent con
vulsion of the earth, sea, and atmosphere, levelling and demolishing
everything elevated, the source of the imagery being doubtless the earth
quake in the reign of Uzziah which Isaiah probably witnessed. The mere
physical altitude of Lebanon and Bashan (which are named as t3rpical
heights, though neither belonged to Judah) is thought of as a chaUenge
to the Lord's supremacy (cf Ps. xxk. 5) ; whilst their cedars
(1 Kgs. iv. 33, Ps. xcii. 12) and oaks (Ezek. xxvii. 6, Zech. xi. 2)
furnished materials for military defence (cf xxii. 8). Probably, too,
the idea that such were the objects of the Divine resentment was helped
by their being frequently struck by lightning''.
15. lofty tower.,, fenced wall. The fortifications erected by Uzziah
and Jotham (2 Ch. xxvi. 9, xxvii. 3, 4) are perhaps in the writer's mind.
16. ships of Tarshish. i.e. sea-going ships (LXX. rrav rrXolov
OaKdcrarrji;), The vcssels are probably so described from their build
(like our "Indiaman") and not from the place to which they voyaged,
for Tarshish, a western region (Ps. Ixxii. 10), famous for its mines
(Jer. X. 9, Ezek. xxvii. 12), and probably colonized from Tyre (xxiii.
6, 10), is usually identified with Tartessus in Spain at the mouth of
the Baetis (mod. Guadalquivir), whereas Elath, Judah's only port, was
on the Red Sea.
pleasant imagery. Cf Vulg. omne quod visu pulcrum est. But
^ To number Israel was parallel to attempting to number the stars (Gen. xxii. 7)
which only the Almighty could do (Is. xl. 26).
^ Cf. Hdt. VII. 10, bpq,s us h oU-fipara. tA. p.4yi.<rTa alel Kal d^vSpea ra tomOt
dirocTK^TTei p4\ea, <pi.\iei yap 6 debs rb, iirepix."^'''''' '"'Avra KoXoieiv,
2—2

20 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ii. 17-M
Mmagery. 17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low: and the
Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols
shall utterly pass away. 19 And men shall go into the caves
of the rocks, and into the holes of the ^ earth, from before the
terror of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he
arisetb to shake mightily the earth. 20 In that day a man
shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which
they made for him to worship, to the moles and to the bats ;
21 to go into the caverns of the rocks, and into the clefts of
the ragged rocks, from before the terror of the Lord, and from
the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the
earth. 22 ^ Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils :
for wherein is he to be accounted of?
1 Or, watch-towers " Heb. dust. ^ The Sept. omits this verse.
since the context suggests something elevated, the word rendered
imagery may perhaps mean gazebos or belvederes (from a root signifying
"to look out," cf the mg. watch-towers), though the apparently
cognate term in Num. xxxiii. 52, Lev. xxvi. 1, Ezek. viii. 12 suggests
sculptured stones (as objects of worship). The LXX. has iirl iraa-av Oiav
irXoiW KaWovs, and some scholars accordingly take the word to mean
the ornaments (Lat. aplustria) at the sterns of ships, whilst others
would substitute stately vessels (reading niyQl? for Tivy^r^ cf Jon. i. 5).
18. And the idols, etc This v., which consists of one clause only,
seems incomplete.
19. And men shall go. hiteTaHy, And they shall go. The paraUel
of V. 10 (LXX.) suggests that in place of the future there should be
substituted the imperative, go (or enter), reading -iNa for ¦'"<?'i. The
passage is imitated in Rev. vi. 15.
20. In that day. This v. seems to be an interpolation (in prose)
expounding the mutilated v. 18. The day of the Lord wiU reveal the
worthlessness of idols : cf xvii. 8, xxx. 22, xxxi. 7.
which they made for him. Better (with the LXX.), which he made
for himself. 21. to go into, etc As this v. is substantially a repetition of the
refrain in v. 19, it must be either a variant of it, or some vv. must
have been lost before it. The infin. (for the imperat.) is perhaps due
to the sentence having been adjusted to the intrusive v. 20.
22. This V. is omitted by the LXX., and is perhaps the moralizing
comment of an editor.
Cease ye, etc. i.e. cease to place trust in man (cf Jer. vii. 16,
Ps. cxlvi. 3 — 4, cxviii. 8, 9).
whose breath, etc. Better, in whose nostrils is hut a breath (which
is so easily quenched, cf Ps. civ. 29), for at what is he to be valued ?
(i.e. how little is his worth !).

III. 1-3] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 21

Chapters IIL — IV.
The prophecies in these cc. are distinct from those in the preceding, the
sins here denounced being not idolatry and national self-sufficiency, but social
injustice and private luxury. Their date, however, cannot be far removed from
that of c. ii., the description of the nation's condition being appropriate to the
beginning of the reign of Ahaz (cf on p. 13).
The prophecies comprise four separate oracles, (a) iii. I — 12, (6) iii. 13 — 15,
(c) iii. 16 — iv. 1, (d) iv. 2 — 6, of which the first three announce an imminent
judgment, and describe the offences that call it down, whilst the last depicts
the future felicity of Jerusalem after the corrupt elements in it have been
destroyed. III. 1 For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take
away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole
stay of bread, and the whole stay of water ; 2 the mighty man,
and the man of war; the judge, and the prophet, and the
diviner, and the ^ancient; 3 the captain of fifty, and the
honourable man, and the counseUor, and the cunning ^artificer,
1 Or, elder ^ Or, charmer
1.TI. 1 — 12. A prediction of the removal from the state (by
deportation or death) of its chief supports and the surrender of it to
disorder as a penalty for the oppression that is rife in it.
1. For. As at present arranged, c. iii. serves to illustrate the
means whereby the national overthrow predicted in c. ii. will be
accompUshed ; but, since this c seems to be separate from the foregoing,
the conjunction should perhaps be rendered Surely (cf ii. 6).
J&rusalem.,, Judah, The order of the words (cf v. 8, v. 3) is
significant of the preponderant influence of the capital.
the whole stay, , ,water. This clause misinterprets the terms stay and
staff, and is probably a gloss, suggested by v. 7 and influenced by
Lev. xxvi. 26, Ezek. iv. 16. The true sense of the terms is given in
V. 2, viz. the classes that chiefly sustain the social fabric (cf the
metaphors in xix. 13, Jud. xx. 2 mg., and Hom. P, xvi. 549, e/o/m ttoXt/os,
of Sarpedon). 2. the mighty man. Representing the royal bodyguard (2 Sam.
xxiii. 8 f ).
the mam of war. The representative of the national militia.
the diviner. The original word seems to mean one who practised
his art by drawing lots (perhaps with arrows, cf Ezek. xxi. 21, 22). _
the a/ncient. Better, the elder, who was responsible for the admini
stration of justice (cf 1 Kgs. xxi. 8).
3. the captain of fifty. Cf 1 Sam. viii. 12, 2 Kgs. i. 9.
the honourable man. Strictly, one who has received promotion,
i.e. (probably) a royal favourite (2 Kgs. v. 1).

22 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ni.4-7
and the skilful enchanter. 4 And I will give children to be
their princes, and ^ babes shall rule over them. 5 And the
people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one
by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly
against the ^ancient, and the base against the honourable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of
his father, saying. Thou hast clothing, be thou our ^ruler, and
let this ruin be under thy hand : 7 in that day shall he lift up
his voice, saying, I will not be *an healer ; for in my house is
neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of
1 Or, with childishness shall they rule over them ^ Or, elder
^ Ot, judge * Heb. a binder up.
the counsellor, i.e. a member of the royal council (cf i. 26, Mic.
iv. 9). the cunning artificer. Although craftsmen were a very important
class of the community (cf 2 Kgs. xxiv. 14, 16, Jer. xxiv. 1), the
context is in favour of the mg., the cunning charmer (literaUy, the
wise in (magic) arts).
the skilful enchanter. LiteraUy, one skilled in whispered charms :
Vulg. prudentem eloquii mystici.
4. / will give. The Lord is abraptly represented as speaking
(cf V. 14).
children. After the removal of the older and more experienced
men the control of affairs wiU pass into the hands of the young and
hare-brained, with deplorable results (cf Eccles. x. 16).
babes. Literally, wantonness, the abstract term being used to de
scribe irresponsible and wayward characters : cf v. 12.
5. the child shall, etc. With young and insolent upstarts in
power, respect for experience and worth will disappear.
6. When. . .his brother. A Heb. idiom for When one shall take hold
of another. in the house of his father. The man importuned to assume
authority and put an end to anarchy is one who in the coUapse of the
social order has retained some portion of his patrimony.
clothing, i.e. the outer garment which in more normal times every
one would have (Ex. xxii. 26, 27, Deut. x. 18), but which in the
prevailing distress is an exceptional possession.
ruler. The office meant is not that of king, the word being the same
as that used in i. 10.
this ruin. i.e. the disorganised commonwealth.
7. an healer. The cure of physical iUs as a figure for moral or
political restoration recurs in xix. 22, xxx. 26, Ivii. 18, 19 : cf also
the expression " The Good Physician."
for in my house, etc. The appeal is refused on the ground of lack
of means to support the burden of office, most civic officials among the
Hebrews probably being unpaid.

III. 8-..] THB BOOK OF ISAIAH 23
the people. 8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen:
because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord,
to provoke the eyes of his glory. 9 ^The shew of their
countenance doth witness against them; and they declare
their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul!
for they have ^rewarded evil unto themselves. 10 Say ye of
the righteous, that it shall be well with him : for they shall eat
the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall
be ill vnth him: for the ^reward of his hands shall be *given
him. 12 As for my people, children are their oppressors,
and women rule over them. 0 my people, they which lead
thee cause thee to err, and ^destroy the way of thy paths.
^ Or, Their respecting of persons doth dsc. " Or, done
' Or, doing ^ Heb. done to him. ^ Heb. swallow up,
8. because, etc. The approaching ruin of the state has its causes
in acts of social oppression (vv, 14, 15) and utterances of defiant impiety
(see V. 19).
the eyes of his glory. Better, his glorious eyes. The Lord is not
unobservant, as His people imagine, of their conduct, and the iniquity
He vritnesses rouses His resentment (cf Hab. i. 13).
9. The shew of their countenance, i.e. the expression, bold and un
blushing, of their faces : they do not pay to virtue even the homage of
hypocrisy. But since the passage seems to be an indictment of the
ruUng classes in particular (see vv. 14, 15, cf i. 17, 23), perhaps
better as in the mg.. Their respecting of persons, i.e. partiality in judg
ment (Deut. i. 17, Prov. xxiv. 23, Heb.). The Vulg. has agnitio vultus
("a glance at their face," which suffices to read their characters).
rewarded. Better, done or dealt out. The evil which they have
wrought to others wiU recoil upon themselves : cf the phrase sinners
against themselves in Heb. xii. 3.
10 — 11. These vv. are not improbably a marginal comment, since
the generalizations they contain are out of keeping with the directness
ofthe rest of the address (though cf. i. 19, 20).
10. Say ye of. The parallelism with v. \1 seems to require the
emendation Happy is ('l!?'^ for ¦liP'?) the righteous, for, etc.
11. the reward, etc. Better, the work of his hands shall he done to
him, in accordance with retributive justice.
12. children, etc. Better, their oppressor plays the child (the
plural being a plural of dignity). The description suits Ahaz.
women, i.e. the queen mother and the ladies ofthe royal harem. The
important place often occupied by the mother of the reigning sovereign
appears from the allusion in 2 Kgs. xxiv. 12, cf also 2 Ch. xxii. 3.
they which lead, etc. The original is more graphic : they which
should set thee right lead thee wrong, and confuse the way of thy paths ;
cf ix. 16.

24 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [iii. 13-17
13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the
^peoples. 14 The Lord will enter into judgement with the elders
of his people, and the princes thereof : It is ye that have eaten
up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses:
15 what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face
of the poor? saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.
16 Moreover the Lord said. Because the daughters of Zion
are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton
eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling
with their feet: 17 therefore the Lord will smite with a scab
' Ot, people
13 — 15. A trial scene, wherein the Lord judges the rulers of His
people. This short section would be more in place after v. 1 — 7.
13. to plead, i.e. to contend as a complainant.
the peoples. Better (with the LXX. and Syr.) his people^ (cf Deut.
xxxii. 6).
14. the elders,,, the princes. The first are the representatives of
the old patriarchal system (perhaps surviving chiefly in the country
districts), the second are the royal officials brought into existence by
the monarchy.
It is ye. The words begin the Lord's address to the offenders.
the vineyard. The LXX. has my vineyard. The metaphor is
elaborated in v. 1 — 7 and recurs frequently (see xxvii. 2, Jer. ii. 21,
V. 10, xu. 10, Ps. kxx. 8 f , Matt. xx. 1 f , xxi. 33). The guardians
of the Lord's vineyard have themselves done what it was their duty
to prevent (cf v. 5).
15. crush,,. grind the face. For the figures here used to describe
the merciless treatment of the poor, cf the paraUel metaphors in Mic.
iii. 2, 3, Am. iv. 1.
16 — IV. 1. This oracle, though distinct from the preceding, is pre
sumably contemporaneous in time as it is similar in spirit. It
denounces the fashionable ladies, who spend the wealth, which their
lords have gained by extortion, upon luxury and frivolity.
16. the daughters of Zion, For the denunciation of the women
of Jerusalem see xxxii. 9 — 12 : cf also Am. iv. 1 f (of the women of
Samaria). stretched forth necks, i.e. expressive of an arrogant demeanour.
mincing,,, tinkling. The unnatural gait, and the sound accom
panying their movements, were produced by the anklets and ankle
chains mentioned in to. 18 and 20.
17. the Lord, Heb. Adonai, a title, not a proper name : and so
in vi. 1, xxviii. 2, xxxvii. 24, xxxviii. 16.
smite, etc. The beauty of which they are so vain will be

1 In Deut. xxxiii. 3 where peoples seems to be used of the tribes of Israel the
LXX. has his people (see Driver ad loc).

IIH8-24] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 25
the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord
wiU lay bare their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will
take away the bravery of their anklets, and the ^cauls, and the
crescents; 19 the pendants, and the ^bracelets, and the mufflers;
20 the headtires, and the ankle chains, and the sashes, and the
perfume boxes, and the amulets; 21 the rings, and the nose
jewels ; 22 the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls,
and the satchels ; 23 the hand mirrors, and the fine linen, and
the turbans, and the veils. 24 And it shall come to pass, that
instead of sweet spices there shaU be rottenness ; and instead of
a girdle a rope; and instead of weU set hair baldness; and
1 Or, networks * Or, chains
disfigured by disease, and their persons, which they adorn so sumptu
ously, will be exposed to indignities (cf xlvii. 3). The last clause
DiUmann and others render, will lay bare their temples (reading
in'?^? for in^pS) : cf Vulg. crinem eorum nudahit.
18 — 23. This long and prosaic catalogue of finery (21 articles in
aU) is deemed by Duhm, Cheyne, and others an interpolation, conceaUng
the close connection between vv. n and 24. The insertion, however, if
such it be, is not ineffective as a satire, and, though inartistic, deepens
the contrast between the fashionable lives which the ladies lead now
and the condition to which they will shortly be reduced.
18. anklets. These are said to be still used in Egypt, Syria, and
Abyssinia. cauls, A kind of head-dress : "front-band." But some explain
the word to mean little suns, which, charged vrith solar and planetary
influence by sympathetic magic, were worn as amulets.
crescents. Probably used as charms ; cf Jud. viii. 21, 26. The
metal crescents that still adorn the harness of horses are, in origin,
Ukewise charms.
19. pendants. Or ear-drops.
mufflers. Perhaps better, gauzes.
20. ankle chains. Or stepping -chains, connecting the anklets
(v. 18), and rendering the steps taken by their wearers short and
tripping. But some explain the word to mean armlets-
amulets. Or charms, worn as a protection against hostile incanta
tions. 21. rings. Better, signet rings (Gen. xli. 42).
nose jewels. For the wearing of nose-rings see Gen. xxiv. 47.
23. hand mirrors. These consisted of discs of polished metal (Job
xxxvii. 18). But the LXX. has Siatf>av^ AaKuvtKa, i.e. transparent robes.
24, rottenness... a rope. The accompaniments of disease and
captivity. baldness. Caused by tearing the hair as a mark of distress (see
XV. 2, ,xxu. 12, Am. viu. 10, Mic. i. 16). Among the Hebrews and

26 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [111.25-iv..
instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth : branding instead
of beauty. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy "^mighty
in the war. 26 And her gates shall lament and moum; and
she shall be ^desolate and sit upon the ground. IV. 1 And
seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying,
We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only
let us be caUed by thy name ; take thou away our reproach.
^ Heb. might. ^ Or, emptied
Greeks it was more particularly a sign of mourning for the dead (Jer.
xvi. 6, Ezek. xxvii. 31), the severed hair being placed on the corpse
or the grave (probably as a means of effecting union vrith the departed);
cf. Hom. P. xxm. 135, Opiil Se iravra veKvv KaraeLWaav, as erriPaWov
Kiipoixivoi, Aesch. Cho, 167, opw rojxaZov TovSe jSoo'Tpv^ov Toitfxo.
stomacher. Bym. has o-Tij^oSeo-jnts, the Vulg. fascia pectoralis.
sackcloth. A usual sign of woe (2 Kgs. vi. 30, Am. viii. 10, Jer. iv.
8). Possibly the wearing of it was a mourning custom originally adopted
as a disguise to hinder the ghost from recognizing and troubling the
living, but retained to prevent the ordinary attire from being con
taminated by proximity to the dead body and thereby rendered useless:
cf Num. xix. 13—19.
branding. This they would undergo as slaves. The final clause
spoils the symmetry of the v. and is omitted by the LXX. and Vulg.
25 — 26. These two vv. contain an apostrophe to a devastated city,
and interrupt the connection between v. 24 and iv. 1. They are pro
bably citations from a poem bewailing the capture of Jerusalem (perhaps
in 587), which have been added to the text by an editor.
26. her gates. These, the resort of the citizens in prosperity, are
personified as grieving over their deserted condition: cf xiv. 31, Jer.
xiv. 2, Lam. i. 4.
sit upon the ground. The depopulated city is regarded as a woman
seated in a posture of distress and abasement ; cf xlvii. I, Lam. ii. 10.
On coins struck by Vespasian to commemorate the capture of Jerusalem
in A.D. 70 Judsea is similarly represented as a woman seated on the
ground (see Madden, Coins of the Jews, pp. 208, 209).
IV. 1. And seven women. This v. connects with iii. 24. It is
presupposed that in the predicted overthrow the bulk of the male
population will perish, so that ofthe survivors the women vrill outnumber
the men ; and as in their forlorn condition they each wiU seek a husband,
seven (a round figure for many, see xi. 15) will woo one man.
We will eat, etc. Their motive is not the desire to relieve themselves
of the burden of their own support (though every wife could claim from
her husband food and raiment, Ex. xxi. 10) but to gain protection from
the insults to which they are exposed.
called by thy name. Cf Lucan, Phars. n. 342, Da tantum nomen
inane Conubii ; liceat tumulo scripsisse, Catonis Ma/rcia.
owr reproach. Amongst other circumstances provoking insult would

IV. 2-4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 27
2 In that day shaU the ^branch of the Lord be beautiful
and glorious, and the fruit of the ^land shall be ^excellent and
comely for them that are escaped of Israel. 3 And it shaU
come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth
in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is
written *among the Uving in Jerusalem : 4 when the Lord shaU
¦' Or, shoot Or, sprout ^ Or, earth ^ Or, majestic * Or, unto life
be their unmarried and childless condition (see liv. 4, Gen. xxx. 23,
Jud. xi. 38, 1 Sam. i. 5 — 11). In the absence of the hope of personal
immortality, it was the perpetuation of the family that was the chief
solace for the transitoriness of the individual life.
2 — 6. A prediction of a wonderful change in the material con
ditions of the people, after the impending chastisement has eradicated
from among them all evil.
The authenticity of this passage has been questioned by Duhm,
Cheyne, and others, the diction, the ideas, and the imagery being
aUeged to be non-Isaianic and postexilic But the objections to vv. 2 — 4
at least seem insufficient (see below).
2. In that day. The event that executes God's vengeance (iii. 18)
also ushers in an age of bliss.
the branch of the Lord. Better (as in the mg.), the sprout of the
Lord. The close paraUelism with the next clause is decisive for the
conclusion that the phrase (like the fruit ofthe land, cf Num. xiii. 26)
denotes vegetation, and is not meant figuratively (like sprout of
righteousness in Jer. xxxiii. 15, xxiii. 5, cf Zech. iii. 8, vi. 12). The term
translated sprout is ordinarily used of that which springs from the
ground (see ki. 11, Gen. xix. 25, Ezek. xvi. 7, Ps. kv. 10), and the
phrase sprout of the Lord is a natural expression for luxuriant wild
produce, which is made to grow exclusively by Divine and not by
human agency (Num. xxiv. 6, Ps. Ixxx. 10, civ. 16). The augmented
fertility ofthe soil is a feature in other descriptions of the final happiness
of the Lord's people ; see xxx. 23 — 25, xxxii. 15, Iv. 13, Am. ix. 13,
Hos. ii. 21, 22, as well as Jer. xxxi. 12, Ezek. xxxiv. 27, 29, Zech. ix.
17, Joel u. 19, 22—27.
beautiful and glorious, etc. Better, for beauty and for majesty...
for pride and for glory, i.e. enhancing the reputation of the people
among the nations (cf Deut. xxviii. 10).
for... escaped, etc. That Isaiah believed that a remnant, though
only a remnant, of his countrymen would escape the judgment is
evidenced by the name of his eldest son (vii. 3). The phrase here used
occurs in x. 20, xxxvii. 31, 32.
3. shall he called holy. i.e. shaU be holy (see on i. 26). Though
the epithet is not elsewhere applied by Isaiah to tbe people (for vi. 13
see note), its connotation here (as shewn by v. 4) is the Isaianic ideal of
civic righteousness (i. 26), not the later ideal of religious- consecra
tion and dignity (kii. 12, cf Deut. vii. 6, xxvi. 19, Lev. xix. 2).
written among the living. Better, registered for life (cf mg. and

28 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [iv.5,6
have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall
have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof,
by the ^spirit of judgement, and by the ^spirit of burning.
5 And the Lord will create over ^the whole habitation of
mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by
day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night : for over aU the
glory shall he spread a canopy. 6 And there shall be a pavilion
' Or, blast 2 0]._ every dwelling place
LXX. 01 ypa(f>a'Tes eU f<o)fv). Thosc who are destined to survive the
coming judgment are thought of as entered by the Lord in a book,
the figure (which occurs in early as well as late writings) expressing
the precision and fixity with which He regulates human existence,
cf Ex. xxxii. 32, Ps. kix. 28, cxxxix. 16, Dan. xii. I ; also Jer. xxii. 30.
Here the life meant is life on earth : in Phil. iv. 3, Rev. iii. 5, xvii. 8,
xiii. 8, XX. 15, xxi. 27 the language is applied to eternal life; cp. Luke
X. 20. 4. the filth. A figure for moral foulness (Prov. xxx. 12) — see ui. 16.
the blood, etc. i.e. such as accompanied the acts of oppression
implied in iii. 1 — 15 ; cf also i. 15. The capital, Jerusalem, is
representative of the country at large.
the spirit of, etc Better, a blast of judgment (i. 27, v. 16) and a
blast of destruction, i.e. an exterminating judgment.
5 — 6. The genuineness of these two vv. is more doubtful than
that of vv. 2—4, for the contents and phraseology are both rather
suggestive of a late date, though some of the suspicious features do
not occur in the LXX.
5. And the Lord will create, etc. The text is best corrected (in
part after the LXX.) to And He will come, and there shall he over the
whole habitation of mount Zion and over her suburbs (reading n^Ol X3-1
for nin; xna-l and n^f-j^p for O'Knpp). It is impUed that the protection
of the Lord's presence will not be confined to the Temple alone, but
extend to the dweUings on the Temple hill and to the fields and pastures
in the vicinity. The emendations remove a word (create) which is
characteristic of the Priestly source of the Hexateuch.
a cloud and smoke, etc. Better (after the LXX.), a cloud by day
and the smoke of a flaming fire hy night. The Lord is thought of as
being present in an enveloping cloud which becomes luminous at night
(the conception being apparently based on Num. ix. 15, 16, Ex. xl. 38
(P); cf Zech. ii. 5).
fw over all the glory. The text is probably in some disorder, and
should be corrected (by the insertion of nin] ^ after the LXX. (A), and
the transfer to this v. of the first word of the next) to for over every
thing (Ezek. xliv. 30) shall the glmy of the Lord be a canopy and a
pavilion (cf Ps. xxvii. 5, xxxi. 20). Point li^? ?3 for li33"73.
6. And there shall be, etc Better (with the LXX.), And it (i.e.
the glory) shall be for a shadow, etc (reading njni. for ^Ij^P) i.e. the

v.i,i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 29
for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a refuge
and for a covert from storm and from rain.
Lord's Presence will be a screen and shelter against aU adversities
(which are described, as in xxv. 4, xxxii. 2, under the metaphors of
heat and storm). The words in the day-time are omitted by the LXX.,
and are doubtless inserted from v. 5.

Chapter V. 1 — 24.
This section falls into two parts : (1) a parable, setting forth the Lord's care
for Judah and the nation's unworthy return (vv. 1 — 7) ; (2) a series of denuncia
tions of national vices (vv, 8 — 24).
The section is independent of the preceding group of cc. ii. — iv. (of which
iv. 2 — 6 is manifestly the conclusion) ; but it has certain points of contact with
them, for it uses the same figure of the vineyard which occurs in iii. 14, and
denounces the sins of reckless living and social oppression which are the subject
of c. iii (w. 16 f , 14 — 15) ; whilst, in addition, an artificial link has been created
between it and c. ii. by the introduction at ». 15 of the refrain of ii. 9, 17.
Hence it is probable that the section dates from rirtuaUy the same period as
cc. ii. — iv., viz. the early years of Ahaz, when the country whose moral condition
is portrayed in such dark colours was as yet undistm-bed by war. The two
dirisions (vv. 1 — 7 and 8 — 24) into which it falls seem to be distinct, and
presumably proceed from different, though closely-connected, occasions.
V. 1 Let me sing ^for my wellbeloved a song of my
beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved had a vineyard
in *a very fruitful hiU : 2 and he ^made a trench about it, and
' Or, qf ^ Heb. a hom, the son of oil. ' Or, digged it
V. 1 — 7. A parable illustrative of Israel's moral unfruitfolness
and the consequent fate in store for it.
The prophet, who may be assumed to have gathered an audience
around him (perhaps by playing a few notes on an instrument), recites
to them a poem (cf Ezek. xxxiii. 32) of a certain Friend, relating his
disappointing experience with his vineyard, and then explains who his
Friend is, and who are represented by the vineyard.
The Hebrews were much addicted to the use of parables and aUe-
gories : see Jud. ix. 7 f , 2 Sam. xii. 1—4, 2 Kgs. xiv. 9, Ezek. xvu.
3 f , etc., and in the N.T. cf Matt. xiu. 3 f , xx. 1 f , xxi. 33, etc. For
the figure of the vineyard cf iii. 14.
1. for my wellbeloved. Better, about my wellbeloved (cf. mg.).
a song of ..his vineyard. Lowth and others would substitute a song
of love for his vineyard (Dnil for '11"^).
in a very fruitful hill. Vines were grown on hills to catch the sun
(cf Am. ix. 13, Verg. G. n. 113, Bacchus amat colles, Hom. Od. 1. 193,
yovvoi a\a)^s olvorriSoio) ; but there is perhaps also an aUusion to the

30 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [v. 3-6
gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest
vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out
a ^winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth
grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3 And now, 0 in
habitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you,
betwixt me and my vineyard. 4 What could have been done
more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore,
when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth
wild grapes? 5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do
to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shaU
be ^ eaten up; I wiU break down the fence thereof, and it shaU
be trodden down: 6 and I wiU lay it waste; it shall not be
pruned nor hoed ; but there shaU come up briers and thorns :
1 Or, winefat " Or, bumt
hiU-country of Judah, where the people typified by the vineyard had
their dweUing.
2. made a trench about it. i.e. for drainage. But probably better,
as in the mg., (with the Syr.), digged it.
the choicest vine. Literally, a sorek (cf Jer. ii. 21, Heb., Gen.
xlix. 11), a variety of vine bearing red grapes. The disappointing
results were due to no lack of care on the part of the husbandman.
a tower, i.e. a building (more substantial than the booth of i. 8)
designed as a shelter for the watchman who kept guard whilst the
grapes were ripening (cf Mk. xii. 1, Matt. xxi. 33), and as a store-house
for tools. a winepress. Better, a wine-vat, a deep receptacle hewn in the
rock to receive the juice extracted from the grapes by treading them
(Ixiii. 3, Joel iii. 13) in the press (a shallower but larger cavity on a
higher level).
3 — 4. And now, 0 inhabitants, etc. The appeal made by the
prophet, in the character of his friend, to the audience to decide where
the responsibility for the failure lies is meant to lead the people to
condemn themselves, as Nathan led David, and our Lord the Jews of
His own day (2 Sam. xii. 1—6, Matt. xxi. 33—41).
5. As the audience can offer no defence for the vineyard, the
owner explains his decision about it.
hedge ¦¦¦fence, i.e. of thorns (Prov. xv. 19, Mic. vii. 4) and stones'
respectively (cf Prov. xxiv. 30, 31, Verg. G, n. 371, texendae saepes
etiam etpecus omne tenendum, Praecipue dum frons tenera imprudensque
laborum). The verse has a close parallel in Ps. Ixxx. 12, 13.
6. / will lay it waste. Better, / will make an end of it.
1 Suoh walls at the present time are constructed without mortar and vary in
height from 4 to 12 feet (Whitehouse, Primer of Heb. Ant. p. 97).

v.7,8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 31
I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah ^his pleasant plant: and he looked for
judgement, but behold ^oppression; for righteousness, but
behold a cry.
8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to
field, till there be no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in
1 Heb. the plant of his delight. * Or, shedding of blood
command tke clouds, etc. The prophet in declaring his friend's
resolve to withhold the rain (which no human being could do) lays
aside the disguise in which he had wrapped his meaning, and prepares
his hearers for the announcement which follows.
7. the house of Israel. Not a designation of the kingdom of
Ephraim, but synonymous with men of Judah.
judgement, i.e. just decisions (cf i. 17, Ps. xxxvii. 30).
oppression. Perhaps better, bloodshed (cf i. 15).
righteousness, i.e. upright administration.
a cry. i.e. an outcry from the victim of injustice (Ex. xxii. 23).
The expressions used summarize the complaints respecting the
prevalence of social wrongs already made in i. 21 — 23, iii. 14. There
is an assonance in the original which may be distantly imitated by he
looked for rule and behold misrule ; for redress but behold distress.
(SimUar assonances occur in vii. 9, xiii. 6, Ivii. 6, ki. 3, kv. 11, 12.)
This parable was adapted by Christ and appUed by Him to the
Jews of His time, who simUarly disappointed the expectations of the
Lord (Matt. xxi. 33—41).
8 — 24. A series of Woes pronounced against various classes of
people who were guilty of flagrant sins.
These Woes are at present six ; but it is not improbable that
originaUy there was a larger number (see on v. 14). In the case of the
first two the denunciation of a particular sin is followed at once by the
announcement of an appropriate penalty ; but to each of the last four
a corresponding threat of judgment is lacking, and these may once
have existed in a longer form. It is possible that the Woe in x. 1 — 4
belongs to the same series (see on p. 71).
8. Woe umto them that join, etc. The first Woe is directed against
the rapacious owners of large estates who absorbed the property of
smaUer freeholders and left no room for a class of yeomen beside them.
It is probably implied that the appropriation of the land was brought
about by iUegitimate and cruel pressure upon the occupiers, e.g. through
loans at usurious interest, which forced them to surrender it (see
Mic. ii. 2 and cf 1 Kgs. xxi., Neh. v. 3, 5). In an agricultural com
munity Uke that of Judah in Isaiah's time the concentration of aU the
land in the hands of a few was even a more serious evil than in modern
industrial states, for those who lost their freeholds scarcely had any
other resource than to become hirelings or slaves, and the state

32 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [v. 9-"
the midst of the land 1 9 In mine ears saith the Lord of hosts,.
Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair,
without inhabitant. 10 For ten acres of vineyard shaU yield
one bath, and a ^homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.
11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that
they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night,
1 See Ezek. xiv. 11.
suffered by the independence of numbers of its citizens being impaired
or destroyed. The abuse was denounced not only by Isaiah but by his
contemporaries Micah and Amos (Mic. ii. 2, 9, Am. ii. 7, iv. 1) ; and
it was to prevent the permanent alienation of estates that the Law of
Jubilee was designed (Lev. xxv. 10). The same evil existed in Rome
and evoked like complaint from Roman writers ; see Sail. Cat. xx.,
Quis...tolerare potest... illos hinas, aut amplius, domos continuare? Hor.
Od. n. xviii. 23, Quid, quod usque proximos Revellis agri terminos et
ultra Limites clientium Salts ama/rus 1
9. In mine ears saith the Lord. The word to be supplied is
revealed himself (xxii. 14). The phrase, though perhaps originating
in experiences accompanying a state of trance, is here probably a con
ventional way of expressing the intuitive conviction that what is about
to be uttered is God's truth.
mamy houses, etc. The punishment is in keeping with the offence :
the land thus acquired will be doomed to steriUty, and famine will
force the rich landowners from their homes as they had previously
driven the poor from theirs : cf. Am. iv. 9, v. II.
10. tm, acres. The word rendered acres strictly means the extent
of ground which a yoke (or pair) of oxen could plough in one day :
cf the Homeric measure of distance ovpov -^p-iovouv (Od. vni. 124), the
English furlong (i.e. furrow-long), and the Latin iugerum and iugum
(cf. Varro, R.R. I. 10, in Hispania ulteriore metiuntur iugis: iugum
vacant quod iuncti hoves uno die exarare possint). The space denoted
by acre here is estimated to be equivalent to half an English acre.
one hath. Better, only one hath (little more than eight gaUons) of
vrine. a hrnner. About 83 gaUons.
an ephah. A dry measure of the same capacity as the bath (Ezek.
xiv. 11). The produce would thus be only one-tenth of the seed sown.
11. Woe umto them that rise, etc. The second Woe has in view
the dissolute, whose intemperance dulled their capacity for serious
reflection. The prevalence of drunkenness in both Israel and Judah
appears from xxii. 13, xxviii. 1, 7, Am. u. 8, iv. 1, vi. 6, Hos. iv. 11,
vii. 5,
early. To begin feasting early was a characteristic of those given
to excess : cf. Eccles. x. 16. So at Rome, tempestiva convivia had a bad
reputation ; cf Juv. Sat, i. 49, ah octava Marius bibit (the usual hour
being the ninth).

V. 12-16] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 33
till wine inflame them! 12 And the harp and the lute, the
tabret and the pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they
regard not the work of the Lord, neither have they considered
the operation of his bands. 13 Therefore my people are gone
into captivity, for lack of knowledge: and ^ their honourable
men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst.
14 Therefore ^hell hath enlarged her desire, and opened her
mouth without measure : and their glory, and their multitude,
and their ^pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, descend
into it. 15 And the mean man is bowed down, and the great
man is humbled, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled : 16 but
1 Heb. their glory are men of famine,
^ Or, the grave Heb. Sheol. See Gen. xxxvii. 35. ' Or, tumult
12. the harp, etc. Cf Am. vi. 5, 6. Of the two stringed instru
ments here named, the ha/rp (or lyre, LXX. Kiddpa) was square, with a
sound-box at the base, whilst the lute (or viol, LXX. i/^aXriypiov) was
triangular, or bow-shaped, with the sound-box above. The tabret was
a variety of hand-drum or tambourine; whilst the pipe (ot flute) was a
wind instrument (see DB. in. 458 f ).
regojrd not the work, etc. i.e. ignore the workings of Divine
Providence, and the tokens of God's moral government of the world,
cf V. 19, X. 12, xxviii. 21, xxk. 23, Deut. xxxii. 4, Job xxxvi. 24,
Ps. xxviii. 5.
13. are gone into captivity, etc. The perfects are perfects of
certitude : cf. ii. 9.
for lack of knowledge. The LXX. has Sio, to \i.r] eiSeVat airoiis tw
Kvpiov. But better, unawares, i.e. before they realize their danger.
famished. The text has men of famine, whilst the LXX. and Vulg.
have dead of famine (pointing 'DP for ''DP) ; but many critics adopt
the emendation wasted with famine (reading nj.p for ''no as in Deut.
xxxii. 24). The rich revellers are appropriately punished by privation.
their multitude. Better, their uproarious ones (the upper and
wealthy classes alone being in the prophet's thoughts ; cf vv, 14, 17).
14. Therefore, This v. foUows unnaturally upon v. 13 (which
likewise begins with therefore), and probably after v. 13 a verse has
been lost describing another sin of which this v. announces the penalty.
It may have contained a reference to the city or land, for the pronouns
in the second half are strictly fem. sing., not masc plur. (see below).
hell, Heb. Sheol, the abode of the dead (see on xiv. 9). This, like
a ravenous monster (cf. Prov. xxx. 16 mg., Hab. ii. 5), devours the
voracious. their ghry, etc Better, her (Jerusalem's) splendour and uproar
and tumult, and he who rejoices (or revels) in her.
15 — 16. These two vv., which, unlike their context, do not refer to
particular classes of offenders, but to all classes, and repeat in a
w, I. 3

34 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [v. 17-19
the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgement, and God the Holy
One is sanctified in righteousness. 17 Then shaU the lambs
feed as in their pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones
shall ^wanderers eat.
18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
and sin as it were with a cart rope : 19 that say. Let him make
speed, let him hasten his work, that we may see it : and let the
counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we
may know it ! ' Or, strangers
variant form the refrains of c ii. (see m. 9, 11, 17) are intrusive here,
and separate w. 14 and 17 which should stand in close connection.
16. is exalted.,, is samctified. By the righteous judgment (cf
i. 27) inflicted on offenders the Lord asserts His supremacy and
vindicates His Godhead, which their wickedness has insulted (see
iii. 8, and cf xxix. 23, Lev. x. 3, Ezek. xxviii. 22, xxxvi. 23,
xxxviii. 16).
17. Then shall, etc. This v- continues im. 13, 14, and describes
the land as depopulated and reduced to pasturage : cf the simUar
descriptions in vii. 21, 22, xvii. 2, xxxii. 14, Mic. iii. 12, Zeph. ii. 14,
Hor. Od. m. iii. 40, Dum Priami Paridisque husto Insultet armentum.
the fat ones. i.e. the once powerful and prosperous (cf x. 16,
Ps. xxii. 29).
wanderers. Literally, sojourners, which, if the text is sound, must
mean nomad shepherds. But the LXX. has apves, lambs (^''1? or D"l|
for Q'1?), which suits the parallel clause better. Duhm rejects the word
altogether as a corrupted gloss on the word rendered /a^ ones, which he
takes to vo.ea.Ti fallings (Ps. kvi. 15) and renders and failings shall eat
the waste places (nn'nn. for nuii;i).
18 — 19. The third Woe is directed against the impious who de
fiantly disbeUeve in any retribution awaiting upon sin. For the
presence of sceptics in Judah cf xxviii. 14, 22, Jer. v. 12, xxvii. 14,
Ezek. xu. 22.
18. draw iniquity, etc. i.e. court guilt and consequent destruc
tion (the words iniquity and sin connoting also penalty and punish
ment ; see Gen. iv. 13 mg., Zech. xiv. 19, 1 Sam. xxviii. 10,
2 Kgs. vii. 9).
cords of vanity, i.e. the unbelief which draws vengeance aU the
more speedily upon them by daring the Almighty to inflict it.
as it were with a cart rope. i.e. they use the surest means whereby
to bring guilt and retribution upon them. But the parallelism and
sense is improved by Knobel's emendation with a rope of wickedness
(rh)VT\ n'ni!3 for nJ'Jijn nni^s).
19. his work.,, the counsel, i.e. the execution of His retributive
purpose (cf v. 12).

T. 20-24] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 35
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evU ; that
put darkness for Ught, and light for darkness; that put bitter
for sweet, and sweet for bitter !
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and
prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men
of strength to mingle strong drink : 23 which justify the wicked
for a reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous
from him! 24 Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the
stubble, and as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame, so their
root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as
20. The fourth Woe denounces the class that sought to justify
iniquitous practices (such as those which are the subject of vv. 8, 11)
by sophistry, and confounded moral distinctions.
21. The fifth Woe is directed against the self-confident — probably
the pohticians who advocated courses which the prophet knew to be
opposed to the true interests of the country ; cf xxviii. 9 f , xxix. 14,
xxx. 1, 9 f, xxxi. 1 — 2.
* 22 — 23. The sixth Woe seems to embrace two distinct classes : (1)
the drunken, already denounced (v. 11) ; (2) venal judges.
to mingle, i.e. not, to dilute it with water (as in 2 iMac xv. 39), but
to compound ("muU") it out of various ingredients (such as spices.
Cant. viu. 2), the mixture (kv. 11, Prov. xxiii. 30) being probably a
headier liquor than the ordinary wine of the country. Cf. Pliny, Hist.
Nat. XIV. 15, lautissima apudpriscos vina erant myrrhae odore condita.
23. which justify, etc. To connect this v. with v. 22 it has been
suggested that the intemperate are thought of as seUing justice in
order to get means for indulging their cravings (cf Am. ii. 8) ; but it
is perhaps more likely that the text is defective and that two Woes
have become merged in one. By Giesebrecht this v. is placed after
X. I, and the whole section x. 1, v. 23, x. 2 — 4, in this order, con
sidered to be the opening Woe of the present series, and placed after
V. 7. Verse 22 he prefixes to ». 11.
24. Therefore, etc. This v., in which the punishment does not
correspond to the foregoing offences (as is the case with w. 9, 10 and
13, 14), and which ends with a general reason for the menace it
contains, is probably the conclusion of the whole series of Woes.
as the tongue, etc. The figure of a prairie conflagration is intended
to iUustrate the swiftness of the approaching doom: cf xlvii. 14,
Obad. V. 18.
their root... their blossom. The terms, like "root and branch,"
express the comprehensiveness of their extermination (cf. Mal. iv. 1,
Job xviii. 16, Am. ii. 9). The preceding figure is here (in the Heb.)
replaced by one derived from the decay of vegetation ; but the LXX.
seems to have read chaff (yti) instead of rottenness (P5).
3—2

36 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [v. 25, 26
dust : because they have rejected the ^law of the Lord of hosts,
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
^ Or, teaching
V. 25—30.
These m. are misplaced and belong to the section ix. 8 — 21 (a prophecy
against Ephraim). That they are alien to their present context appears from
the facts (a) that the preceding section v. 8 — 24 has its proper conclusion in
V. 24, so that another prediction of a judgment for Judah is here superfluous,
(b) that V. 25, beginning with therefore, is not the logical sequel of v. 'iA,
which begins similarly. Further, their connection with ix. 8 — 21 is shewn by
(a) the occurrence of the same refrain as in ix. 12, 17, 21, (6) the identity of
the Hebrew for therefore (v. 25, J5"7l?) with that employed in ix. 17 and not
with that used in v. 13, 14, 24 (13?). Accordingly the section ought to be
transposed to the end of ix. 21, though others would place it after x. 4 (but see
on x. 1 — 4).
25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his
people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and
hath smitten them, and the hills did tremble, and their carcases
were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger
is not tumed away, but his hand is stretched out still. 26 And
he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and wiU hiss for
25. This V. refers to the past, and describes a punitive judgment
that has already fallen upon the kingdom of Ephraim (see k. 9), but
has not yet exhausted the Lord's wrath. It is probably a fragment,
the end of a lost strophe, foUowing upon those contained in k. 8 — 21.
Therefore is the anger. Better, Therefore was the anger, etc.
the hills did tremble. The chastisement implied is perhaps an
earthquake (cf ii. 19).
their carcases, etc. The loss of proper burial added a further
horror to death : cf 2 Kgs. k. 37, Zeph. i. 17, Jer. viu. 2, xvi. 4,
xxv. 33, Ps. xviii. 42, Ixxxiii. 10.
26 — 30. A description of the nation whom the Lord wiU summon
to complete His vengeance.
These vv. are a prediction of a judgment to come, and form the
last strophe of the oracle ix. 8—21, v. 25. As it relates to the
future and depicts the last stage of the drama of retribution, when
the Lord's anger is finally exhausted, it appropriately lacks the refrain
that occurs in ix. 12, 17, 21, v. 25.
26. he will lift, etc. The summons wUl be communicated by both
sight and sound. For the employment of an ensign or banner, as a
signal, cf xi. 10, 12, xin. 2, xviii. 3, xlix. 22, Ixii. 10.
the nations. Better, with Duhm and others (reading Ppipp »JiS for

T. 27-30] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 37
^them from the end of the earth : and, behold, Hhey shaU come
with speed swiftly : 27 none shall be weary nor stumble among
them ; none shall slumber nor sleep ; neither shall the girdle of
their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken :
28 whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their
horses' hoofs shaU be counted like flint, and their wheels like
a whirlwind : 29 their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall
roar Uke young lions : yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the
prey, and carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver.
30 And they shaU roar ^against them in that day Uke the roaring
' Heb. him. ^ Heb. he, and in the following verses. ' Or, over
p^nip QlSib cf Jer. v. 15) a nation, since the sing, is used in the rest of
the V. (see mg.). The nation meant is the Assyrian (cf Am. vi. 14).
hiss. The word is here equivalent to our whistle (cf Zech. x. 8).
from the end of the earth. Though so far away, the summons of the
Lord can still reach them. The world of the Hebrews was a very
circumscribed one ; Assyria, Mesopotamia (xli. 9) and Media (xiii. 5)
are aU represented as being at the world's end.
27—29. All the details of this description help to deepen the
impression of the formidable character of the invaders, their readiness
for immediate battle, their rapid and untiring advance, and their
unyielding grip.
27. none shall slumber, etc. This clause (in strictness appropriate
to the Lord only, and metrically isolated) is regarded by Duhm as
introduced from Ps. cxxi. 4.
the girdle. This, worn by those engaged in active exertion (cf
1 Kgs. xviii. 46, Hom. Od. xiv. 72, tfaa-Trjpi ^oms o-ui/ecpye xiTwva, firj 8*
t/xev K,T,X,), was usuaUy laid aside for repose.
nor , , ,broken. The fact is intended to illustrate the excellence of
their military equipment.
28. their horses' hoofs, etc. A hard hoof was a valuable quaUty in
a horse, since in antiquity horses were generally unshod. Cf Hom.
7Z. V. 329, KpaT«p(ovDx«s "TTTot, Vcrg. G. iii. 88 (among the points of a
good horse) solido graviter sonat ungula cornu.
their wheels, etc. For the comparison see Jer. iv. 13, Ezek. x. 13,
Hom. H. Ven. 218, dcXXoVoSes ittttoi. Soph. O.T. 466, aeXAaSes Itrrroi.
The Assyrians used two-wheeled chariots in war.
29. their roaring, etc The comparison illustrates the terrifying
character of their war-cry : cf Jer. ii. 15, Ps. Ixxiv. 4.
yea, they shall roar. Better, yea, they shall growl (the verb differing
from the preceding).
30. And they shall roar; etc. The simile here changes, and
probably the subject of the verb also, which seems to be the Lord:
hence better. And He shall rumble (literally, growV) above them like
the rumbling of the sea, i.e. God with thunder and gloom wiU intensify

38 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vi. t
of the sea : and if one look unto the land, ^behold darkness and
distress, and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof
' According to the Massoretic text, behold darkness; distress and light; it is
dark <6c,
the horror of the onslaught. By Duhm and others the v. is considered
to be a late addition (of consolatory tenor), above them being tantamount
to against them (the Assyrians).
tmto the land. Better, unto the earth (in antithesis to the heavens
where the thunder manifests the Lord's wrath).
darkness and distress. Better (altering the accents), distressful
darkness (Vulg. tenehrae tribuhtionis) : cf viii. 22, Zeph. i. 15.
in the clouds thereof, i.e. in the clouds covering the earth. Possibly
the text should be corrected (with Houbigant) to (the light is darkened)
with heavy clouds (reading ^S'J?. for i?*5*"?i^, cf k. 2).
Chapters VL 1— IX. 7.
These cc. form another group of prophecies, beginning with Isaiah's call
(c. vi.) and ending vrith a Messianic passage (ix. I — 7); and since c. yi. would
naturaUy stand in the ft'ont of any collection which first included it, this group
probably once existed separately. When to this collection the collection
cc. ii — iv., with c. v., was prefixed, the original order of the cc. was not
disturbed; and the existing arrangement has the advantage of bringing into
view the nature of the national sins before the c. is reached that afiBrms the
people's impenitence, with its consequences. The prophecies here included,
the detached character of which appears from the introductory words prefixed
to several (rii. 3, 10, riii. 1, 5), belong to various dates.
Chapter VL
This c, which narrates the occasion when Isaiah first became conscious that
he had a commission from the Lord to speak to his countrymen, should be
compared with the accounts given by Jeremiah (i. 4 — 10) and Ezekiel (cc. i. I —
iiL 3) of the inauguration of their respective ministries. Though the event
here related was the earliest in Isaiah's prophetic career (see vv. 8, 9), the
dating of it suggests that the account was not written until after some
interval, perhaps late in the reign of Ahaz, at a time when Isaiah had come
to believe that the mass of his fellow-countrymen were incorrigible (see v, 10) —
a conviction which he can scarcely have entertained when he first entered
upon a mission to reform them.
VI. 1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his ^ train filled
' Or, skirts
VI. 1. In the year, etc. On the chronology see p. xl f For the
method of dating (by events and not by the years of a reign, as in
xxxvi. 1) cf xiv. 28, xx. 1, Am. i. 1, Jer. xlvii. 1. This seems to be
a trait of pre-exilio writers.

VI..] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 39
the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim : each one had
six wings ; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he
/ saw, etc. Isaiah's call, like those of Moses (Ex. iii. 3 — 4),
Ezekiel (Ezek. i. 1 f ) and St Paul (Acts ix. 1 — 9), is described as
attended by experiences that appealed to the senses. The sights and
sounds perhaps in part represent the instinctive externaUzing of inward
thoughts and reflections at a time of spiritual development and spiritual
conflict, and in part are the deliberately chosen imagery of conscious
art, suggested by contemporary beliefs and conceptions. But though
the experiences narrated were doubtless not objective in the sense of
being visible and audible to the physical eyes and ears, they none the
less express a real revelation, imparted to the prophet through mental
and spiritual processes, of God's nature and requirements, and of his
own duty (cf Acts x. 9 — 16).
high and lifted up. The description here applies to the throne,
though used in Ivii. 15 ofthe Lord Himself. The elevation of the Lord's
throne is s3rmbolical both of His exaltation above aU earthly powers
and of His separateness from human sinfulness.
his train, i.e. of His royal robes. The prophet, vrith reverential
self-restiaint, describes only the state and retinue of the Divine King,
not His Person.
the temple. Or palace (LXX. 6 oTkos). The prophet must be sup
posed to be standing in the court in front of the temple at Jerusalem
(see V. 6 and cf Ezek. viii. 3, x. 4, Jer. xxiv. 1), the open doors of
which revealed the interior, transformed from its ordinary aspect into
that of the Almighty's heavenly palace (Ps. xi. 4, xviii. 6, xxix. 9),
where He was present with His angelic attendants.
2. Above him. As theiLord was seated, Ithe figures of the erect
seraphs extended above Him.
stood. The term is not to be understood literaUy (see v. 2^), but
denotes the attitude of servants (cf 1 Kgs. x. 8).
the seraphim. These celestial attendants of the Lord are only
mentioned here, the word elsewhere denoting "fiery" or "burning"
serpents, real or figurative (Num. xxi. 6, Deut. viii. 15, Is. xxx. 6,
xiv. 29). As serpents in various places have been considered in the
Ught of guardians of sacred localities, it has been thought that the
seraphim were at first the serpent-guards of the abode of the Lord,
In Egypt, winged grifiins, represented as protecting tombs, were
actuaUy caUed serefs. But comparison with the cherubim, which
attend or convey the Lord in Ezek. x., points to a different explana
tion ; for as the conception of the cherubim seems to have been derived
from the wind or the clouds (Ps. xviii. 10), so that of the seraphim may
have come from the serpentine lightning. Here, however, the associa
tion of them with serpents or a serpent-like shape seems to have
disappeared, the description suggesting gigantic winged human figures,
inasmuch as they have hands, feet, and voice".
six wings. The description has influenced Rev. iv. 8.
' In Enoch xx. 7 the serpents who are represented as being, with the cherubim,
under the charge of the angel Gabriel seem to correspond to the seraphim.

40 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vi. 3-s
covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried
unto another, and said. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts :
^the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the foundations of
the thresholds were moved at the voice of him that cried, and
the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me !
^ Heb. the fulness of the whole earth is his glory.
covered his face. i.e. as fearing to look upon the Divine glory (cf
Ex. in. 6, 1 Kgs. xix. 13).
covered his feet. i.e. as shrinking from exposing the lower parts of
the body to the Divine gaze (Ezek. i. 11).
3. cried, etc. More accurately, kept crying. This descriptionis
reproduced in the Te Deum : incessahili voce proclamamt ; cf Rev. iv.
8, V. 9, 10, vii. 11, 12.
Holy, holy, holy. Holiness (see p. xxxiv) is the intrinsic quality of
the Lord's character. The threefold repetition is intensive (like the
Greek Tpto-/A£yto-Tos, TptAAio-ros, and the Latin ter felix (Ov. Met. vrn. 51),
cf also Jer. vii. 4, xxii. 29, Ezek. xxi. 27), though it gains special appro
priateness from the Christian doctrine of the Trinity.
the whole earth. . -glory. The glory of the Lord is the manifestation
of His external majesty and dominion, of which the sphere is the whole
world as contrasted with the limited area over which the authority of
a mere national god was supposed to extend (1 Sam. xxvi. 19): cf
Num. xiv. 21, Ezek. xxxix. 21.
The two central ideas respecting the Lord here impressed upon
Isaiah were (1) that He was in His essence a moral Being, to whom
everything impure and corrupt was alien (whence it followed that only
by moral service — ^by righteousness and not ritual merely — could He be
honoured, cf i. 11 — 17, v. 7, iv. 3, 4) ; (2) that He possessed universal
supremacy (so that His power both to punish sin and to vindicate faith
was absolute).
4. the foundations, etc. Better (in this context), the supports of
the lintel (Heb. lintels), the latter being here described by the term
more appropriate to the sill of the doorway, cf Am. ix. 1 (where the
Vulg. has superliminaria). The foundations (or supports) are the side-
posts sustaining the lintel. The LXX. has merely to mripOvpov.
were moved, i.e. rocked with the volume of sound.
smoke. This is probably to be regarded as a manifestation of the
Divine displeasure (xxx. 27, lxv. 5, Ps. Ixxiv. 1, kxx. 4 mg.), the reaction
of the Divine holiness at the approach of the prophet whilst yet un
purified from his sin : cf Rev. xv. 7, 8.
5. Woe is me. It was an early belief that the mere sight of God,
or intrusion into Divine concerns, was dangerous to a mortal (Gen. xix.
17, 26, xxxu. 30, Ex. ui. 6, xix. 21, xx. 19, xxxiu. 20, Jud. vi. 22,
xiii. 22, 1 Sam. vi. 19); but what inspired Isaiah with fear was the
sense of his sinfulness (cf xxxiii. 14) .
' Instances of human beings seeing God and yet surviving (like those recorded
in Gen. xxxii. 30, Ex. xxiv. 10) are regarded as very exceptional; see also
Ex. xxxiii. 21 — 23 (where the sight of God is represented as ouly partial).

VL6-9] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 41
for I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : for mine eyes
have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the
seraphim unto me, having a ^live coal in his hand, which he had
taken with the tongs from off the altar : 7 and he touched my
mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips ; and
thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin ^purged. 8 And I
heard the voice of the Lord saying. Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us ? Then I said. Here am I ; send me. 9 And
1 Or, hot stone ^ Or, expiated
unclean lips. The sin of his lips is uppermost in Isaiah's mind
because his being present with God naturally prompted him to speech
with, or praise of. Him, for which his unclean lips unfitted him
(cf Zeph. iii. 9). For the Divine displeasure against sins of the lips
cf in. 8, Iviu. 9, 13, lix. 3, Matt. xii. 34.
/ dwell in, etc The prophet's own sin could not be compensated
for by any merits on the part of his countrymen (cf Gen. xviii. 23 — 33),
for such were lacking.
the King. The title is appUcable to the Lord both as King of Israel
(xxxiii. 22, xli. 21, 1 Sam. xii. 12, Zeph. iii. 15) and as universal King
(Jer. X. 7, Zech. xiv. 9).
6. Then flew. Upon the consciousness and confession of sin there
followed at once its forgiveness and removal (cf Luke xviii. 13, 14).
a live coal. This rendering (LXX. avOpaKa Trvpos, "glowing charcoal")
seems preferable to the mg. a hot stone (Aq., Th., Sym. </'^<^os, Vulg. cal
culus) if the altar is the altar of incense within the Temple, where the
scene is laid. Fire, which was an agency for removing ceremonial de
filement (Num. xxxi. 22, 23), is here symbolic of an agency capable of
effecting moral purification (cf Mal. iii. 2, Luke xii. 49, Matt. iii. 11).
7. purged. Better, cancelled (by the free forgiveness of God).
The primary sense of the verb is disputed, some authorities taking it to
be "cover," others "wipe out": see W. R. Smith, OTJC. p. 381.
8. who will go, etc. The LXX. supplies •n-pos rov Xaov tovtov. The
Lord avaUs Himself of human agents for the admonishing of the sinful
as He does for the chastising of the incorrigible (x. 5, 6) and for the
dehverance of the distressed (xiv. 1 — 7) ; and He invites voluntary and
ungrudging service.
for us. The plural points to the attendance upon the Lord of a
councU of celestial beings whom He consults. These are elsewhere de
scribed as the sons of God (Job i. 6, ii. 1, xxxviii. 7), the holy ones
(Ps. kxxix. 7, Deut. xxxiii. 2, Zech. xiv. 5), the host of heaven (I Kgs.
xxii. 19)'; and their presence is implied in Gen. i. 26, iii. 22.
Then I said. With Isaiah's spontaneous offer the hesitation and
self-distrust of Jeremiah under similar circumstances (Jer. i. 4 — 8)
stand in marked contrast.

42 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vi. 10-12
he said, Go, and tell this people. Hear ye ^indeed, but under
stand not ; and see ye ^indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the
heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut
their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and ^understand with their heart, and turn again, and be
healed. 11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered,
Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses without
man, and the land become utterly waste, 12 and the Lord have
removed men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the
' Or, continually ^ Or, their heart should understand
9. this people. Probably Judah (since the scene is the Temple at
Jerusalem), though some of Isaiah's prophecies were addressed to the
northem kingdom (ix. 8 — 21, xvii. 4 — 11, xxviii. 1 — 6). The phrase
has a touch of scorn ; see viii. 6, 11, 12, xxviii. 11, 14, xxix. 13, xxxvi.
6, Ex. xxxii. 1, 1 Sam. x. 27, and cf also xxii. 15, Acts vi. 14, xix. 26.
Hear ye indeed. Better (cf mg.), Go on hearing... go on seeing.
The imperatives are equivalent to futures (cf viii. 9) : the people wiU
have repeated opportunities of learning God's vriU through His prophets
or through experience, but they will not heed (cf xxix. 10, xxx. 9 — 11).
Verses 9, 10 are quoted by Christ in Matt. xui. 14, 15, Mk. iv. 12,
Luke viii. 10 (cf also Joh. ix. 39), and they are used by St John
(xii. 40) and by St Paul (Acts xxviii. 26, 27) in connection with
Jewish disbelief in our Lord.
10. Make the heart,., fat, i.e. coarsen and dull their understanding,
(of which in Heb. the heart is the seat, x. 7, xxxiii. 18, Jer. v. 21 mg.,
Hos. vii. 11 mg.). For fat, in the sense of spiritually and inteUectuaUy
obtuse, cf Ps. cxix. 70, Ov. Met. xi. 148, pingue sed ingenium mansit.
The prophet is represented as bringing about the consequences destined
to follow upon his preaching (cf Jer. i. 10, xxxi. 28, Hos. vi. 5).
lest they see, etc. It was not God's original intention that His
people should be indifferent to His revelation, but it was His purpose
that an attitude of indifference or defiance, once assumed, should be
punished by an increasing incapacity to abandon it: cf kiii. 17, Ex. iv.
21, Joh. ix. 39. The very abundance of the revelations imparted to
them involved the greater guilt if they did not profit by them (cf Matt.
xui. 12).
turn again. Cf x. 21 and the name of Isaiah's son Shea/r-jashub.
But some take this in combination with the next verb (cf v. 13, Heb.),
as equivalent to he restored again to health.
11. Until, etc. i.e. the nation's perversity will be brought to an
end by nothing short of its extermination by death or exile : cf
xxii. 14.
become utterly waste. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.), he left waste
(iSB'l? for n^B!]!)).
12. removed men, etc. i.e. caused them to be deported by a foreign
enemy : cf. v. 13.

VI. 13 J THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 43
midst of the land. 13 ^ And if there be yet a tenth in it, it shall
again be ^ eaten up : as a terebinth, and as an oak, ^ whose
*stock remaineth, when they ^are felled ; so the holy seed is
the * stock thereof
^ Or, But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten up
" Or, burnt ' Or, whose substance is in them
* Or, substance ° Or, cast their leaves
13. And if there be, etc. The punitive judgment wiU be so
thorough that if a fraction of the people survive the first chastisement,
it vriU be subjected to a second, which wiU consume it altogether.
eaten up. Better, extirpated (cf Deut. xiii. 5, Heb.).
as a terebinth, etc. The comparison is intended to illustrate tbe
completeness of the nation's annihilation, the surviving tenth being
likened to the stump of a feUed tree, which is not aUowed to remain in
the soil but is rooted up. The LXX. ends the c. at this point, and if,
as seems probable, it preserves the true text, Isaiah does not manifest
here the hope which he expresses elsewhere that a remnant of the people
would permanently survive (see below).
so the holy seed, etc Better, so a holy seed is the stock thereof (i.e.
of the land). For the term holy seed, cf Ezra ix. 2. The addition of this
clause gives a different turn to the preceding comparison, which, instead
of illustrating the destruction, is thereby made to illustrate the survival,
of a fraction of the nation, from which it could again be revived (cf.
Job xiv. 7). The clause is probably a gloss, inserted with a consolatory
purpose ; for it is absent from the LXX., and Isaiah is scarcely likely to
have introduced so important a qualification of his preceding announce
ment of doom thus briefly and abruptly. But though probably a gloss,
it is a useful reminder that the prophet in reality did modify the pre
diction of extermination here uttered against his countrymen, as he
shewed by the name he gave to his eldest son (vii. 3) ; cf also i. 25, 26,
iv. 3, X. 24—27, xiv. 24, 25, xxxvii. 31, 32 (xxvui. 5).
Chapter VII.
The occasion which evoked the prophecies contained in this c. was the con
federation of Syria and N. Israel against Judah, circ, 735 — 4, in the reign of
Ahaz. The king of Israel at the time was Pekah, who, it is probable, was
anti- Assyrian in his policy (see Int. p. xxii) ; and it is a plausible supposition
that his aUiance with Bezin, king of Syria, against Ahaz was designed to force
the latter to unite with them against Assyiia, or, if he refused compliance, to
depose him.
The c. describes the alarm of Ahaz in consequence of the attack of Rezin
and Pekah, the endeavours of Isaiah to reassure him, and the calamity which
the prophet predicted would ensue for Judah from the king's want of faith in
the Lord. The prophecies which it comprises are placed in a setting of
historical narrative which in its present form proceeds from a late editor (see
on w, I, 8).

44 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vii. 1-3
VII. 1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of
Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king
of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up
to Jerusalem to war against it ; but could not prevail against it
2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria ^ is confederate
with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his
people, as the trees of the forest are moved with the wind.
3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet
Ahaz, thou, and ^Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the
1 Heb. resteth on Ephraim, ^ That is, A remnant shall return,
VII. 1 — 9. Ahaz's dismay at the coalition of Syria and Israel, and
Isaiah's assurance of the certain failure of the enemy's schemes.
1. And it came to pass, etc. This v. seems to have been borrowed
from 2 Kgs. xvi. 5 (with some slight modification), where it is more in
place; here it anticipates the issue of the events foretold in w. 4 — 16
(cf XX 1).
in the days of Ahaz. In 2 Kgs. xv. 37 the beginning of this hostile
movement is assigned to the reign of Jotham, whom Ahaz probably suc
ceeded in 735 (see p. xli).
Bezin. The LXX. (A) has Paao-o-ui', corresponding to a Heb. form
Mezon or Bazon, which comes nearer than Bezin to the Assyrian
equivalent Basunnu (Schrader, COT. 11. p. 252).
could not prevail, 2 Kgs. xvi. 5 has and they besieged Ahaz hut
could not overcome him. According to 2 Ch. xxviii. 5 — 8, Pekah
slew 120,000 Judseans in one day and carried off 200,000 women and
children as captives (who were afterwards sent back by the direction of
the prophet Oded), whilst the Edomites and the Philistines simul
taneously raided Judah (2 Ch. xxviii. 17 f). In view of the depreciatory
estimate of the confederacy in v, 4, and of the prevalent exaggeration
of the Chronicler some of these statements are improbable. The chief
disaster sustained by Judah was the loss of Elath, which was taken by
Rezin and restored to Edom (2 Kgs. xvi. 6 mg.).
2. the house of David, i.e. Ahaz and his family, the latter being
included in the plural ye, used in w. 9, 13 : cf iii. 12.
is confederate with. The rendering really implies the conjectural
reading nj?? (cf LXX. o-wcc^wi/r/o-ev) : the received text means (as in the
mg.) resteth upon (cf v. 19, Ex. x. 14, 2 Sam. xxi. 10), the pnrase de
scribing the encampment of the Syrians upon Ephraimite territory.
Ephraim. A common designation of the kingdom of the Ten tribes
(of which Ephraim was the strongest).
3. Shear-jashub. The child's name gave expression to one of
Isaiah's predictions (Only) a remnant shall return (see iv. 3, vi. 13,
X. 22) : cf the significant names bestowed on Hosea's children (Hos. i.
4, 9). Isaiah, in taking his son with him to meet the king, perhaps
hoped to convey to Ahaz a tacit warning not to precipitate by unbehef
the calamity of which the boy's name was ominous.

VII. 4-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 45
conduit of the upper pool, in the high way of the fuller's fleld ;
4 and say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet ; fear not, neither let
thine heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking fire
brands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of
Remaliah. 5 Because Syria hath counseUed evil against thee,
Ephraim also, and the son of Remaliah, saying, 6 Let us go up
against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for
us, and set up a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel :
the end, etc. i.e. the lower end, or outlet. It may be assumed
that Ahaz had gone thither to take measures for husbanding the supply
of water, in the event of a siege (cf. xxii. 9 of Hezekiah). The situation
of the upper pool has been variously identified. The most probable opinion
seems to be that it was the basin of the Gihon spring (2 Ch. xxxii. 30)
in the gorge of the Kidron. At Gihon (the mod. Ain Sitti Mariam
or Virgin's spring) was the principal water supply of Jerusalem in early
times ' ; and the conduit here mentioned was most likely a surface con
duit from it, which has been found to lead towards the Lower pool of
Siloam (the Birket el Hamrd, see xxii. 9), a little to the S.E. of the
Upper pool of Siloam (the Birket Silwdn), at the S. end of the Temple
hill. Another view identifies the upper pool with a pool reported to
have been discovered N.E. of the Birket Silwdn. (See further G. A.
Smith, Jerusalem, n. p. 127.)
the fuller's field. To full is to thicken wooUen cloth by washing,
beating, and drying it in the sun. The process serves also to bleach'it
(cf Mk. k. 3).
4. he quiet, i.e. maintain an attitude of abstention from political
entanglements (either with Syria and Ephraim by submission, or with
Assyria by an appeal for help), and of calm confidence in the Lord :
cf xxx. 15. Isaiah no doubt knew aheady that Ahaz was more inclined
to rely for defence upon material, than spiritual, means of protection.
these two tails, i.e. these two fag-ends of firebrands that are no
longer alight, but only smouldering, and so incapable of causing serious
harm. Possibly the strength of the two allies had previously been
exhausted in mutual conflict (cf on ix. 11, 12). Isaiah's contempt for
Pekah in particular is marked by the designation of him (here and vv. 5,
9, viii. 6) merely by the name of his father (cf 1 Sam. xx. 27, 31,
xxii. 12, 13), who was of humble, or at least not royal, lineage
(2 Kgs. XV. 25).
far the fierce. . .Remaliah. This clause is probably an explanatory
gloss, cf vv. 17, 20 : in view of u 5 it is certainly superfluous.
6. vex it. Better, dismay (or cow) it. But some critics would
substitute press it hard, as in xxk. 2 (rup'Sj for nay^pj).
the son of Taheel. The object of the confederates in seeking to re
place Ahaz by a creature of their own was to set over Judah a king more
' It is probably fhe fons perennis aquae mentioned by Tacitus (Hist. v. 12).

46 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vii. 7-9
7 thus saith the Lord God, It shaU not stand, neither shaU it come
to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of
Damascus is Rezin : and within threescore and five years shall
Ephraim be broken in pieces, that it be not a people : 9 and the
head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is
Remaliah's son. If ye will not beUeve, surely ye shaU not be
estabUshed.amenable to their wishes. Isaiah's contempt is again shewn (see v. 4)
by the omission of the man's own name. His father's name, Tabeel
(like Tabrimmon, 1 Kgs. xv. 18), is Syrian, and this suggests that the
person intended was a nominee of Rezin's'.
7. It shall not stand, i.e. the scheme shaU not succeed (cf viu. 10,
xiv. 24, xxviu. 18, Prov. xv. 22 Heb.).
8. For the head, etc. i.e. the head of Syria is only Damascus, and
the head of Damascus is only Rezin (simUarly in v, 9). The enemies
threatening Judah were merely insignificant units, unsupported by
other and more formidable powers.
within threescore, etc. i.e. before 669. This clause is probably a
gloss, since (a) it separates very awkwardly the first part of v. 8 and
the first part of v. 9, which should stand in close juxtaposition; (6) the
precision of the statement is contrary to the run of prophetic predictions
(numbers being usually expressed in round or conventional figures, see
xxiii. 17, Jer. xxv. II, Ezek. xxix. 1 1); (c) the interval it defines is too large,
for the faU of Ephraim at so distant a date could not ensure Ahaz's de
liverance from his present peril, whilst in «. 16 it is predicted for the near
future, and the country was actually invaded and seriously crippled
within a year or two (734). The interpolator must have had in mind
the introduction of heathen colonists into Samaria by the Assyrian
king Esar-haddon (681—668) (see Ezra iv. 2, 2 Kgs. xvii. 24), thinking
that thereby the prophet's prediction obtained the fuUest verification.
The interpolation has been accidentaUy misplaced; it should foUow
V. 9* (not V. 8^)1
9. If ye will not believe, etc. There is an assonance in the original
(occurring also in 2 Ch. xx. 20) which may be faintly reproduced by If
ye will not confide, ye shall not abide. The warning probably has re
gard to the continuance of the dynasty, for the verb rendered established
is the same as that used in the phrase a sure house in 1 Sam. ii. 35,
xxv. 28, 1 Kgs. xi. 38. The faith which was demanded of Ahaz and his
princes was entire reliance upon the Lord and renunciation of material
resources and political devices (cf xxviii. 16, xxx. 15). The penalty
1 Some scholars think that Rezin himself is meant, Tabeel being a cypher for
Eemaliah (the position of the first three letters of Tabeel in the first Taalt of the
Hebrew alphabet corresponding to those of the first three letters of Remaliah in
the second half).
'' That the gloss is late in date is shewn by the arrangement (in the Hebrew) of
the numerals.

CORRIGENDUM
P. 46. Delete footnote \

vii.io-14] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 47
10 And the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 1 1 Ask thee
a sign of the Lord thy God; ^ask it either in the depth, or in
the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I wiU not ask, neither will
I tempt the Lord. 13 And he said. Hear ye now, 0 house of David;
is it a smaU thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my
God also ? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign ;
1 According to some ancient authorities, make it deep unto Sheol.
which is here declared to foUow upon a lack of faith is not overthrow at
the hands of Syria and Ephraim (for deliverance from them is unquali
fiedly promised (v. 16, viii. 4)) but destruction in a subsequent judgment
of which Assyria was to be the instrument (see vv. 18 — 25).
10 — 16 (17). The offer of a sign in order to stimulate the king's
faith. Between the events recorded in the previous paragraph and what] is
related in this an interval may have elapsed, in which Ahaz shewed an
increasing disposition to ask from Assyria the aid which he eventuaUy
sought (2 Kgs. xvi. 2, 8).
10. And the Lord. The Lord's communication would be made
through Isaiah (see v. 13 and cf iii. 16); and some critics would
substitute the prophet's name.
11. a sign. i.e. some proof that the promise of security given by
the prophet had the Divine power behuid it (cf Jud. vi. 17, Deut. xviii.
21, 22).
thy. God. Ahaz, though not loyal to the Lord (see 2 Kgs. xvi. 10 —
15), was not an open apostate, for he gave to his son Hezekiah a name
which means Jebovah is strong, or Jeho'TAB strengthens.
ask it either... above. Better (linking this with the previous clause,
and emending the text after Aq., Th. and Sym.), either in the depth of Sheol
or in the height above (reading np'K^ for n^X^^ cf Vulg. in profundum
inferni), i.e. ask a sign of any description. The phrase was perhaps
proverbial : cf Job xi. 8.
12. neither will I, etc. Better, nor will I put the Lord to the proof
(cf Ex. xvii. 7, Deut. vi. 16, Ps. Ixxviii. 18, 41, 56). The language
veiled the king's unwiUingness to abandon his projected appeal to
Assyria, to which acceptance of the Lord's offer would have committed
him. 13. is it a small thing, ete. Better, is it too little for you to weary
men. Isaiah had presumably sought to influence Ahaz and his court,
but unsuccessfully, and the Lord's overtures were equally vain. The
prophet's resentment finds expression in the substitution of my God for
thy God (v. 11).
14. Therefore, , ,shall give, A sign spontaneously given in conse
quence of Ahaz's refusal to choose a sign would leave the king without
excuse, if he persisted in his contemplated policy.
a sign. The term does not, of itself, throw much light upon what
is meant, for it is used equally of occurrences which are distinct from.

48 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vii. 15
behold, ^a ^virgin ^shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name ^Immanuel. 15 ^Butter and honey shall he eat, ^when
' Or, the ^ Or, maiden ^ Or, ts with child, and beareth
* That is, God is with us. ^ Or, Curds « Or, that he may know
and prior to, the event of which they are designed to be a pledge (see
xxxviu. 7, 8, Ex. iv. 2—5, 7, 8, 1 Kgs. xni. 3—5, 1 Sam. u. 34, x. 2—7,
Jer. xliv. 29, 30, Luke ii. 12), and of circumstances which are incidental
to the event itself (see xxxvii. 30, cf Ex. iu. 12).
a virgin. Better, a (Uterally, the) young woman. The Heb. word
(nD?i;) seems etymologically to mean a girl of marriageable age, whether
actuaUy married or not (Gen. xxiv. 43, Ex. u. 8, Ps. kviu. 25, Prov.
xxx. 19, Cant. vi. 8). A different word ("^1"?) is employed for virgin
in the strict sense, and might have been expected here, if stress were
laid on virginity (see Gen. xxiv. 16). The LXX. has Trapdh>o<i, but the
other Greek versions have vcavts. It appears from this that the nature of
the sign does not turn upon a virgin birth, though the expression np?!?
is more natural if the prophet had in his thoughts a woman who at the
time when he spoke was unmarried.
shall conceive and hear. Perhaps better (as in the mg._), is with
child and heareth (or shall hear): cf Gen. xvi. 11, Jud. xin. 5. The
birth which was in the prophet's thoughts was presumably expected
to take place vrithin less than a year, and so to encourage trust in the
prediction of the event which was promised for a later date (v. 16).
shall call. Among the Hebrews in early times children were often
named by the mother (see Gen. iv. 1, 25, xxk. 32,, 33, 3^. 18, 20, 23,
1 Sam. i. 20; though contrast viii. 3, Gen. xxv 3, Hos\i. 4). LXX.
(A, B), Aq. and Sym. all have thm shalt call, probably identifying
Immanuel with a son of Ahaz (perhaps Hezekiah). Tne Vulg. has
vocahitur. i \
Immanuel. i.e. "God is with us." In the absence of any state
ment about the lineage, endowment, or futuite functions 01 the child
whose birth is predicted, it is difficult to decide with confidence
whether his name is expressive of an exceptional personality, or
whether it is merely commemorative (cf i Sam. iv. 21) and reflects
the circumstances under which he was to be born (see p. 52). But
certain considerations in favour of the view that Isaiah had in mind
the birth of a remarkable child arise from (a) the unrestricted choice
originally offered to Ahaz in regard to the sign (v. 11), which is a
presumption that the sign actually tendered was of no ordinary
character, (h) the designation ofthe mother as a, young woman, suggesting
that the child was to be her firstborn, (c) the reference to him in viii. 8,
where he seems to be represented as the owner of, or heir to, the country,
(d) the prophecies respecting a godlike king in ix. 6, 7 and xi. 1 — 9,
and in Mic. v. 2 — 5. It is not unlikely that there was already current in
Judah an expectation of the coming of a wonderful king (see Gen. xlix.
10 mg.), and such an expectation would account for the use of the ex
pression the young woman, i.e. the young woman famiUar to popular

VII.16] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 49
he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For
before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the
good, the land whose two kings thou abhorrest shaU be forsaken.
thought as the destined mother of the looked-for king (though the
article can be explained by a Heb. idiom, see Gen. xxviii. 11 mg.,
Ex. xxi. 20 (Heb.), Josh. u. 15 (Heb.), 1 Sam. xvii. 34 (Heb.)). If
so, the gist of the prediction is the imminence of his advent, which was
to occur within a very short interval. On the analogy of the prophecies
in ix. 6, 7, xi. 1 — 9, Mic. v. 2 — 5, it is probable that the child was ex
pected to be the divinely appointed means for ensuring for Judah, after
its present troubles, permanent security against the encroaching Assyrian
(see viii. 9, 10), his name implying his character (see on i. 26) as the
representative and agent of the Lord. It is also probable that he was
expected to be of the lineage of David (see ix. 7, xi. l) ; but the identity
of the mother^ was left to be disclosed by events, it being perhaps
assumed that some unusual circumstance or portent attending the
child's birth would indicate who he was, and lead to the bestowal
upon him of the appropriate name Immanuel. But whilst this view
does most justice to the language and spirit of this and the adjacent
prophecies, it necessitates the conclusion that a circumstantial fulfil
ment of them never occurred. There is no record of any chUd
answering to the prophet's expectations having been born in Isaiah's
own age ; and the birth of our Lord could be no fulfilment (as repre
sented in Matt. i. 22, 23) of a prediction relating to a deliverance of
Judah from temporal perils 700 years previously. Nevertheless the
advent of our Lord was an iUustration, in the spiritual sphere, of those
gracious purposes of God towards His people in which Isaiah expressed
such confident faith, and it verified in a pre-eminent degree the import
of the name Immanuel (cf. p. xl). For other views of the v. see p. 52.
15. Butter and honey, etc. This v. seems to be an insertion, for it
separates v. 16 from v. 14, of which v. 16 is the logical sequel. The
insertion is based on vv. 21, 22 : Immanuel, if born at the time
indicated (see on v. 14), would obviously share during his childhood
the privations destined to befaU the country vrithin a few years through
an Assyrian inroad: he could only be his people's defence at a maturer
age. Butter (or curds, Gen. xviii. 8) and honey (i.e. wild honey, Mk. i. 6,
Matt. iii. 4) are here regarded as products of a land that has gone out
of cultivation and only affords pasturage.
wh&n he knoweth, etc. i.e. when he begins to exercise his faculties
(cf 2 Sam. xk. 35 and perhaps Deut. i. 39), and to display tokens of
inteUigence. The age implied is about three. For the temporal
meaning of the preposition rendered when cf Gen. xxiv. 63, Ex. xiv. 27,
2 Sam. xviu. 29'^
16. For before, etc This v. connects with v. 14 (cf viii. 3, 4),
^ The young woman may possibly be a figurative expression for Judah : cf. the
personification of the nation as a virgin (xxxvii. 22).
^ The Vulg. has ut sciat puer reprobare malum et eligere bonum (taking the
W. I. 4

50 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vii. 17, i8
17 The Lord shaU bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and
upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day
that Ephraim departed from Judah ; even the king of Assyria.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall
hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt,
and explains the approaching reUef of which (together with a stiU
greater deliverance at a more distant date, viii. 10) the birth of
Immanuel was the assurance. Before the chUd should reach the age
of three or thereabouts the countries whose kings inspired in Ahaz such
alarm would be depopulated through a hostile invasion. Of the event
here predicted Immanuel could not be the author, for it is expected to
be realized during his infancy. But since his birth is anticipated to
occur within less than a year of the time when the prophet _ was
speaking, his childhood is taken as a measure of the interval within
which the event was to happen (though for this purpose any child bom
about the same period would have done as well). The prediction here
uttered was substantially fulfilled almost, if not altogether,_ within the
limited interval defined by the prophet. The northern provinces of the
kingdom of Israel were ravaged by Tiglath-pileser in 734 _: and two years
later the same Assyrian king took Damascus, deported its inhabita,nts,
and slew Rezin (2 Kgs. xv. 29, xvi. 9). (For a different view of this v.
see p. 53.)
17. This V. should probably be attached to the vv. that foUow, to
which it serves as an introduction : the LXX. marks the transition by
prefixing But. The rescue of Judah from the danger threatening it
from Syria and Israel was not to leave its future unclouded ; there was
in reserve for it, in consequence of Ahaz's want of faith (see viii. 6), a
chastisement severer than any sustained by it since the secession of
the Ten tribes (1 Kgs. xii.).
even the king of Assyria. This clause is probably a gloss (and so in
V. 20), since king harmonizes badly with days.
18 — 25. Predictions of the occupation of Judah by devastating
enemies, and of the thoroughness with which the country wiU be
ravaged. The prophecies contained in this section were probably
delivered by Isaiah when Ahaz's decision to seek Assyrian aid (2 Kgs.
xvi. 7, 8) was definitely known (cf viii. 5 f). They are obviously later
than those in vv. 1 — 16, and probably than those in viii. 1 — 4, and
are not addressed directly to Ahaz.
18. hiss. The word reflects the belief that bees are attracted by
sounds (Arist. Hist. An. IX. 40, Sokovo-i Sc y^alpeiv al //.eXtTrai Ktti T<3
/cpoVu) : cf Verg. G. iv. 64).
prepos. in the final sense). The thought suggesting the translation presumably
was that the disciphne of privation undergone by the child in his infancy would
conduce to the development in him of high ethical quaUties. But possibly milk
and honey were originally beUeved to produce these qualities, if Gressmann is right
in holding that such food was regarded as the proper fare of divine or spmi-divine
beings. The food of Zeus, when au infant in Crete, was the milk of the goat
Amaltheia and honeycomb (CaU. Hym. in Jov. 48, 49).

vii. 19-^2] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 51
and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they
shall come, and shall rest all of them in the '^ desolate valleys, and
in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all
^pastures. 20 In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is
hired, which is in the parts beyond the River, even with the
king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet : and it shaU
also consume the beard.
21 And it shaU come to pass in that day, that a man shall
nourish a young cow, and two sheep ; 22 and it shall come to pass,
for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat
butter : for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in
the midst of the land.
^ Or, rugged ^ Or, bushes
the fh/.., the hee. Swarms of flies and bees are common figures for
vast hosts (cf. Hom. J7. n. 469, rjvTe /widiov dSivawv iOvia iroXXa . . . ToVcrot
...'A)(awl tcrravTO, AeSch. PerS. 126, Tas yelp tTrTnyXaras Kal TreSoo'TiyS^s
Ae<os a-p.rjvo's <us cKXeXotirev fueXicrcrdv) ; and bees are used as similes for
aggressive enemies in Deut. i. 44, Ps. cxviii. 12. The text identifies
the fly with Eg3rpt (where flies are a constant plague, cf xviii. 1,
Ex. viii. 21 — 32) and the hee with Assyria (where bee-keeping is still
much practised), thus implying that Judah would become the battle
ground between the two nations. But at this period Egypt was not
in a position to make an inroad into Palestine, and it is possible that
tbe explanatory clauses that foUow the words fly and bee are (partiaUy
mistaken) glosses, and that only one hostile people is meant, viz.
Assyria, which alone is mentioned in v, 20. If Egjrpt is reaUy referred
to, Isaiah's anticipations were not realized.
19. in the desolate valleys. Better, in the precipitous ravines. The
various localities enumerated are designed to illustrate the ubiquity of
the invading enemy.
20. a razor that is hired. The expression alludes ironically to
Ahaz's hire of Assyrian help by the sacrifice of his treasures (2 Kgs.
xvi. 7, 8).
the Eiver, i.e. the Euphrates (cf Jer. ii. 18, Mic. vii. 12).
the beard. Since this was regarded as a symbol of dignity, and
injuries to it were acutely felt (cf 2 Sam. x. 4, 5), the metaphor is
significant of the utmost humiliation in store for the country (which is
personified as a man, cf. i. 5).
21. a young cow, and two sheep. Such scanty possessions would
attest the impoverished condition of the country.
22. and it shall,, -eat butter. If this clause is genuine, it indicates
indirectly the wide extent of pasturage in comparison with the small
numbers of the population and of their cattle : by some critics it is
rejected as a gloss on the next (thought to describe great fertility).
4—2

52 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vii. 23-25
23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place,
where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings,
shaU even be for briers and thorns. 24 With arrows and with
bow shall one come thither ; because all the land shall be briers
and thorns. 25 And all the hills that were digged with the
mattock, ^thou shalt not come thither for fear of briers and
thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for
the treading of sheep.
^ Or, where never came the fear of briers and thorns, shall be c6c. Ot, there
shall not come thither the fear,., but it shall be c&c,
23. a thousand vines at, etc. i.e. vineyards formerly planted with
costly vines wiU be reduced to thickets. A silverling (or piece of silver.
Gen. XX. 16, Jud. xvii. 2) was a shekel, estimated to have been worth
intrinsicaUy about 2s. ^d.
24. With arrows, etc. i.e. wild beasts, in consequence of the
depopulation of the country, wiU increase to such a degree (cf 2 Kgs.
xvii. 26, of Samaria) that the only persons who wiU resort to the land
vrill be hunters in pursuit of game to supply their needs.
25. the hills. These were the usual sites for vineyards (v. 1).
digged with the mattock. Better, hoed with the hoe (see v. 6).
thou shalt not come, etc. The 2nd pers. must represent an indefinite
subject : some critics would substitute one shall not come (as in v. 24).
for fear of briers, etc. Where briers and thorns abounded wild
animals were to be dreaded. (For the construction cf 2 Sam. xxiii. 3.)
it shall he for the sending, etc. i.e. it shall be fit for nothing but a
cattle-run and sheep-walk (cf on v. 17).
The prediction in vv. 17 — 25 of the devastation of Judah was not
fulfiUed until the reign of Hezekiah some 35 years later.
Additional Note on vv, 14 — 16.
Several explanations of this passage, diflFering from the one given on
p. 48, have been suggested.
(1) The prophecy has been held to be a prediction of the birth of
Hezekiah, the virgin (or young woman) being Ahaz's queen. But apart from
the inappropriateness of the expression for the queen, the explanation is
contradicted by the chronology, if any confidence can be placed in the state
ment (2 Kgs. xviii. 2) that Hezekiah was 25 years old at his accession ; for
whether this occurred in 727, 720 or 715 (see p. xli), he must have been bom
before 734.
(2) The virgin (or young woman) is identified by Gesenius with a woman
who was about to become Isaiah's second wifei. The sign would then consist
in the evacuation of Judah by its invaders vrithin a short period (perhaps less
1 Isaiah's first wife would be the mother of Shear-jashub.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 53
than a year) of the time when the prophet was speaking — a happy occurrence
which would be reflected in the name given by the prophet's wife to her first
born child 1. According to this explanation the name and not the personality of
the child is alone of importance. Verse 14 thus becomes an indirect prediction
of speedy relief for Ahaz from the pressure of invasion, and the realization of
it would be an earnest of the truth of the further prediction (in v, 16) of the
final overthrow of Ephraim and Syria. This riew has in its favour the analogy
of riii. 1 — 4, where Isaiah embodies a prediction of evil for the confederates
in the name of one of his children ; but it renders it necessary to under
stand the concluding words of riii. 8 as merely implying that Judah was
Immanuel's native land (not his realm), and it is scarcely probable that the
prophet would describe the woman whom he was about to marry in the terms
of ». 14.
(3) The prophecy is likewise regarded by Duhm and others as an indirect
prediction of the withdrawal of the forces of Ephraim and Syria from Judah,
but the term virgin or young woman is understood in an indefinite sense, the
prophet's declaration in ». 14 being taken to mean that any young woman who
was shortly to become a mother would have reason to call her child Immanuel
because the retirement of the foe by that time would have manifested God's
presence with His people^. Duhm omits v, 15 — a proposal which is intrinsically
defensible (see note) — and also emends riii. 8 (see note). This riew does not
account for the use of nD?y (for the sense would be more appropriately
expressed by HE'S), and seems to do less than adequate justice to the general
tenor of the prophecies in riii. 9, 10, ix. 2 — 7.
(4) The prediction in vv. 14 — 16 is regarded by Daridson (Hastings, DB, ii.
pp. 454 — 456) as foretelling the birth, within a year, of a remarkable child,
destined to be the pledge of his country's eventual deliverance, but is con
sidered to have for Ahaz himself an exclusively sinister significance (the
ther^ore oi v, 14 introducing an announcement of the penalty provoked by
the king's obstinate unbelief, v, 12). The prophecy is taken to have no
reference to a deUverance for Judah by the imminent overthrow of Ephraim
and Syria, but only to foretell an approaching devastation for Judah itself by
Assyria during Immanuel's childhood, in consequence of the king's mistrust.
This, however, involves either the omission of v. 16 altogether, or the cor
rection of it to For before the child,, .the good, the land shall be forsaken
(omitting n»5^P ^3f ^Jfl? yVi, nnx ¦l^^?). in favour of this x^nyt is the use of
the sing, land, which is more appropriate to Judah than to the two countries
of Syria and Ephraim ; but against it is the improbability that the prophecy
should lack all reference to the destined frustration of the designs of Rezin
and Pekah of which Isaiah was so convinced (see riii. 4).
(5) The name Immanuel is considered by Porter to express the popular
faith that the Lord would be present with, and support, His people in their

1 Cf. the name Ichabod, given by the wife of Phinehas to her child born when
the Ark was captured at Ebenezer (i Sam. iv. 19 — 22).
^ Peake (Hastings, DCG. i. 783) thinks that Isaiah predicts that some young
woman wUl bear a son and, in virtue of her faith, will call his name Immanuel
although he will be born in a time of invasion and distress.

64 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [viii.1,2
emergency, whatever their conduct might be (cf Am. v. 14) ; and Isaiah, to
disabuse them, is supposed to declare that though a woman, sharing that
belief, might give her child the name Immanuel, yet the significance of the
name would be contradicted by the privations which he would have to undergo
in his childhood in consequence of the desolation which was about to come on
the land. This riew, which requires the same explanation of viii. 8 as (2)
and the same modification of ». 16 as (4), and is open to the same objections as
(3), is opposed by the tenor of riii. 9, 10, which imply that Immanuel's name
was for Isaiah of good augury, and which therefore have to be omitted.

Chapter VIII.
This c. consists of a number of detached utterances, most of which belong
approximately to the same period as the previous c, and relate to the same
subject (the crisis of 735 — 4).
VIII. 1 And the Lord said unto me. Take thee a great
tablet, and write upon it ^with the pen of a man. For ^Maher-
shalal-hash-baz ; 2 and I will take unto me faithful witnesses to
1 Or, in common characters ^ That is. The spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth,
VIII. 1 — 4. A renewed prediction of the overthrow, within a
brief interval, of Damascus and Samaria.
This prophecy is a reiteration (later in date, see on v. 4) of the one
contained in vii. 14 — 16 ; but unlike that, which was communicated only
to Ahaz and his court, was made known to the populace at large, two
devices being employed with a view to its wide dissemination.
1. Take. . .tablet. The putting of the prophecy into writing en
sured not only its publication (cf Hab. ii. 2), but its preservation ; so
that when the event predicted occurred, proof of the prophet's pre
vision would be at hand ; cf xxx. 8. The tablet (cf irivaKtStoi', Luke
i. 63) was probably of wood or metal (the same word is used of a metal
mirror in iii. 23), smeared with wax, upon which characters were drawn
by means of an instrument like a Roman stilus.
the pen of a man. i.e. one suitable for making the letters that were
generally employed and understood by the common people (cf mg.)
whose attention was to be attracted (cf. the cubit of a man in Deut.
iii. II and the number of a man in Rev. xiii. 18). The Heb. script in
use at the time was not that in which modern Hebrew Bibles are
printed, but that which occurs in the inscriptions (Heb., Aram.,
Moabite) of the ninth and eighth centuries.
For Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Strictly, Maher-shalal-hash-baz' s (cf.
Ezek. xxxvii. 16, Heb.), the preposition marking possession, as in the case
of engraved seals (e.g. in'iayS, Obadiah'sY. The phrase constituting
the name means "Swift (is) spoil, speedy (is) prey," and is a con
densed announcement of the imminent sack by Assyria of the capitals
^ See Benzinger, Hebrdische Archdologie, p. 258.

VIII. 3-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 55
record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
3 And I went unto the prophetess ; and she conceived, and bare
a son. Then said the Lord unto me. Call his name Maher-shalal-
hash-baz. 4 For before the chUd shall have knowledge to cry.
My father, and. My mother, the riches of Damascus and the
spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before the king of
Assyria. 5 And the Lord spake unto me yet again, saying, 6 Foras
much as this people hath refused the waters of Shiloah that go
of the two countries that were menacing Judah. The enigmatic
sentence, calculated to excite curiosity, was doubtless explained oraUy
by the prophet.
2. and I will, etc. Better (with the LXX. and Syr.), and take,
etc. (f^T^? for nTl?K). The purpose of taking witnesses was to obtain
evidence for the utterance of the prophecy before the event.
Uriah. Probably identical with the priest mentioned in 2 Kgs.
xvi. 10, who would be a man of influence and therefore a valuable
witness. Zecha/riah. The person meant may have been the Levite bearing
the name who is mentioned in connection with the reign of Hezekiah
(2 Ch. xxix. 13).
3. the prophetess. Isaiah's wife is so caUed because of her con
nection with her husband (as the vrife of a bishop or a priest in
ecclesiastical canons is sometimes termed episcopa or preshytera).
Call his name. The use of such a name for the boy, as weU as the
sight of it upon the tablet, would keep the prediction which it conveyed
in the minds of the people. For similar lengthy appeUations see
1 Ch. xxv. 4, Num. i. 6 ; and cf the names assumed by the English
Puritans (e.g. " Had-not-Christ-died-for-me-I-had-been-damned-Bare-
bone ").
4. For before, etc. The present prophecy virtually repeats the
prediction of vii. 16 (this foretelling the capture of the enemies'
capitals, and that the devastation of their territory), but the limit
fixed for its fulfilment is shorter, for the child would learn to utter
simple words within a year or so. The prophecy is therefore a year, or
perhaps two years, later than the one just cited. Though Damascus
feU in 732 (2 Kgs. xvi. 9) Samaria was not taken tiU 722 (2 Kgs.
xviii. 10).
5 — 8. A prediction of the invasion of Judah by the Assyrians in
consequence of Ahaz's mistrust of the Lord.
This oracle, which bears the same relation to the preceding as
vii. 17 — 25 does to vii. 3 — 16, must have been delivered after Ahaz
had decided to rely upon the aid of Tiglath-pileser (2 Kgs. xvi. 7).
6. this people, i.e. Judah ; cf vi. 9.
the waters of Shiloah. These were the waters of Gihon, which
at this time were conveyed (the etymological meaning of Shiloah is

56 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [viii.7,8
softly, ^and rejoice ^in Rezin and Remaliah's son ; 7 now
therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters
of the River, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all
his glory : and he shall come up over all his channels, and go
over all his banks : 8 and he shall sweep onward into Judah ; he
shall overflow and pass through ; he shall reach even to the
neck ; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth
of thy land, *0 Immanuel.
' Or, even them that rejoice ^ Ot, with ' See ch. vii. 14.
"sent" or "conducted," cf Joh. ix. 7) from the Kidron valley to the
Lower pool of Siloam by an open channel (see on vii. 3). Springs and
fountains had for Semitic peoples religious associations (at Gihon,
as at a hallowed spot, Solomon had been consecrated king), and the
waters of Shiloah, as they issued from the rock, above which the
Temple stood, were an appropriate symbol of the Lord and the defence,
little regarded but unfaiUng, which He ensured for His people (cf
Ps. xlvi. 4, 5) so long as they trusted Him.
rejoice in, etc The expression seems to imply that a section
of the people sympathized with the designs of Rezin and Pekah (vu. 6) ;
but this is inconsistent with vii. 2. Hence most critics correct the
text to despond on account of (reading \??P oSoip for nS B'iE'P) : cf v. 12.
7. the Eiver. The Euphrates (vii. 20) is here an emblem of
Assyria (as it is of Parthia in Verg. A. vin. 726).
even the king... glory. This clause is generaUy considered a super
fluous gloss : cf. vii. 4, 17, 20. The king's glory is his imposing
military power (cf x. 16, xvii. 3, xxi. 16).
and he shall come up, eto. Strabo (xvi. I, § 9) states that the
Euphrates becomes swollen at the beginning of summer, when the
snow melts in Armenia; see also Arrian, Exp. Alex. vn. 21, § 2.
his channels, i.e. the artificial canals of Assyria and Babylonia
(cf Ezek. xxxi. 12).
8. he shall sweep, etc. For the comparison of an invading host to a
flood cf xxviii. 2, 18, Jer. xlvii. 2, Nah. i. 8, Dan. xi. 10. Ephraim,
with its ally S3n-ia, would naturaUy be the object of Assyria's hostility,
and Judah, which had thrown itself upon Assyrian protection, expected
to be undisturbed ; but Isaiah represents its chastisement as coming
from the very power which it had preferred before the Lord.
even to the neck. Judah is likened to a man struggling in a swollen
stream: cf xxx. 28.
the stretching out of his wings. Better, the extension of his margins.
The word which the R.V. renders by wings is used of the bounds of
the earth in xi. 12, Job xxxvii. 3, xxxviu. 13, and is here employed of
the edges of the spreading waters. It is not probable that there is a
change of figure from a river in flood to a bird of prey (cf Hos. viii. 1),
still less (as Cheyne and Marti suppose) that the clause represents

viii.9,io] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 57
9 ^Make an uproar, 0 ye peoples, and ye shall be broken in
pieces ; and give ear, all ye of far countries : gird yourselves,
and ye shaU be broken in pieces ; gird yourselves, and ye shall
be broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, and it shall be
' Or, Break According to some ancient authorities, Associate yourselves.
the Lord as a protecting bird (cf xxxi. 5, Ps. xvii. 8, xxxvi. 7, xci. 4),
and connects the contents with the section w. 9, 10.
of thy land, 0 Immanuel. Ahaz's policy was calculated to bring
devastation upon the native land and eventual realm of the wonderful
chUd who was the pledge of the country's ultimate salvation. Duhm
and other critics, in accordance with the view adopted by them of the
prophecy in vii. 14, emend the concluding words of this v. to shall fill
the breadth of the land. For with us is God (*?« -IJei? *? y-\^ for ^T^
^s -ijai;). 9 — 10. A challenge to Judah's enemies, and a prediction of their
ultimate overthrow.
These two w. are marked by a sudden transition fi-om denunciation
of Judah to defiance of its foes. The foes must be the Assyrians, not
the Syrians and Ephraimites ; for (a) the words ye of far countries are
appropriate only to the former (v. 26), not to the latter ; (b) the tone
is too exultant to be evoked by a prospective triumph over con
temptible enemies like Rezin and Pekah (vii. 4); (c) this passage
resembles xvii. 12 — 14 and xiv. 24 — 27, both of which have the
Assyrians in view. The utterance was probably intended for the circle
of believers who attached themselves to Isaiah at this time, and
designed to encourage them with the thought that, though the
Assyrian would invade and devastate the country (vv. 5 — 8), he
would be eventuaUy repulsed. The use in v. 10 of the phrase for
God is with us (recalling Immanuel's name, see mg.) renders unlikely
the opinion of some critics that the section belongs to a later date
(722 or 711) than its context.
9. Make an uproar, i.e. raise your war-cries. But better (if the
text is sound). Be ha/rmful. The peoples (Assyria and its subject
nationaUties, cf xvii. 12, xxix. 7, xxx. 28) are bidden ironicaUy to
pursue against Judah their hostile projects and take the inevitable
consequences (for the imperative cf. xxix. 9). The mg. Break (i.e. be
broken) connects the verb with a difi'erent root. But the LXX. has
Take knowledge QiH"^, for -IVi), which suits better the paraUel clause give
ear. On the other hand, Aq., Sym. and Th. have a-waOpoicrOrjTe, and
the Vulg. has congregamini (apparently reading IVI but connecting the
verb with nj?T instead of jjyi) : hence the mg. Associate yourselves.
and ye shall be broken in pieces. Cf xxx. 31. This sentence, in the
first half of the v., where it destroys the balance of the clauses, should
be omitted as an accidental reproduction of the same words that follow
later. gird yourselves, i.e. equip and arm yourselves for war.

58 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [viii. 11-13
brought to nought ; speak the word, and it shall not stand : for
^God is with us. 11 For the Lord spake thus to me ^with a
strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the
way of this people, saying, 12 Say ye not, A conspiracy, concern
ing aU whereof this people shaU say, A conspiracy ; neither fear
ye their fear, nor be in dread thereof. 13 The Lord of hosts,
him shaU ye sanctify ; and let him be your fear, and let him be
1 Heb. immanu El. " Heb. with strength of hand. See Ezek. iii. 14.
10. speak the word. Better, speak a word, i.e. announce your
resolve. for God is unth us. The prophet, to express his faith in his country's
final triumph over its enemies, uses the name of Immanuel, the chUd
whose advent was to be the earnest of it.
11 — 15. An exhortation to the prophet's followers not to share the
popular apprehensions, but to repose confidence in the Lord. The
subject here reverts to the situation produced by the attack of Rezin
and Pekah.
11. For. The causal particle connects the section with vv. 5 — 8
(especiaUy v. 6).
spake... strong hand. The expression mth a strong hand originaUy
referred to the abnormal physical conditions which sometimes charac
terised the earlier prophets, and which they attributed to their being
in the grasp of a superior power (cf I Kgs. xviii. 46, 2 Kgs. iii. 15) ;
and the figure was retained by the later prophets to express the forcible
mastery which strong mental impressions or convictions exerted over
them (see Ezek. iii. 14, Jer. xv. 17).
the way of this people, i.e. their conduct in misjudging the relative
power of their human antagonists and their Divine Protector (see v. 6).
The pronoun this marks contempt : cf on vi. 9.
12. Say ye not, etc Isaiah and his disciples are warned by
the Lord against discovering, like the multitude, reasons for panic in
all directions. The term conspiracy can apply to the external coalition
of Pekah and Rezin (cf the verb in Neh. iv. 8) ; but, as the word all
shews, the popular fears were not confined to this. Some critics (in
view of V. 13) emend the text to Say ye not, A holy thing, conc&rning
all whereof this people shall say, A holy thing (reading tJ'lP for i?'i?).
This emendation supposes that Isaiah here utters a warning against
superstitious practices, to which the populace, in its alarm, had
recourse (cf v. 19).
13. him shall ye sanctify. Better, him shall ye count holy and
therefore to be held in awe (cf. xxix. 23). The words are adopted by
St Peter in regard to our Lord (I Pet. iii. 14, 15). Duhm, for the sake
of a closer parallel with Say ye not, A conspiracy in v. 12, substitutes
him shall ye rega/rd as the conspirator (•ITIS'ipri for •1tJ'''npp), i.e. fear Him
as the source whence real danger wiU come (see v. 14).

VIII. 14-17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 59
your dread. 14 And he shall be for a sanctuary ; but for a
stone of stumbling and for a rock of ofience to both the houses
of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jeru
salem. 15 And ^many shall stumble thereon, and fall, and be
broken, and be snared, and be taken.
16 Bind thou up the testimony, seal the ^law among my
disciples. 17 And I will wait for the Lord, that hideth his face
' Or, many among them shall stumble, and fall dbc. ^ Or, teaching
14. for a sanctuary, i.e. the Lord, to those who stand in awe of
Him and trust Him, wiU be a centre of security — an asylum in
circumstances of peril (cf. Ezek. xi. 16). The thought of a sanctuary
as an asylum (cf 2 Mac. iv. 33) seems to be derived from the altar to
which those whose Uves were in danger fled for refuge (Ex. xxi. 14,
1 Kgs. i. 50, ii. 28). By Duhm the word (which does not harmonize
with his proposed correction of v. 13) is rejected from the text, since
it spoUs the balance of the clauses.
a stone of stumbling, etc. i.e. to all who underrate or ignore the
Lord's power and goodness (as did Ephraim by its aggression, and
Judah by its want of faith) He will be a cause of disaster (sjTnboUsed
by the figures of an obstacle by which they will be tripped, and a snare
by which they vrill be trapped) : cf Ezek. xliv. 12, xii. 13, xvii. 20,
xix. 8, Ex. xxxiv. 12. Part of the v. is cited in Rom. ix. 33,
1 Pet. n. 8.
15. And many... thereon. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.,
foUowed by the mg.), And many among them (i.e. tbe people of
Ephraim and Judah) shall stumble ; cf xxviii. 13, Hos. xiv. 9. The
verse has influenced Luke ii. 34 (the stone being interpreted of Christ) :
cf also Matt. xxi. 44.
16 — 18. Directions to preserve a record ofthe prophet's predictions.
This section must have been written after Isaiah had abandoned as
fruitless further public opposition to the king's policy, and was content
to wait, with a smaU body of adherents, for the vindication of his pre
science. 16. Bind. A command of Isaiah's to an attendant to tie up and
seal the roll upon which had been written the oracles (contained in
cc. vii., viii.) that were to be preserved against the future (cf xxx. 8,
Jer. xxxvi. 2, Dan. xii. 4).
the testimony. Better, the attestation (or admonition), i.e. the
solemn warnings and injunctions delivered through the prophet;
cf 2 Kgs. xvii. 15.
the htw. Better, the teaching (as in i. 10).
my disciples. It was probably these to whom Isaiah addressed
most of his consolatory utterances (cf. p. xxxi), and whom he expected
to form the nucleus ofthe remnant destined to survive the judgment.
17. I will wait for the Lord, etc. i.e. for the Lord's verification
of the predictions of ill for the people at large and of eventual deliver-

60 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vm. i8, 19
from the house of Jacob, and I wiU look for him. 18 Behold,
I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs
and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth
in mount Zion.
19 And when they shaU say unto you. Seek unto them that
have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that
mutter : should not a people seek unto their God ? on behalf of
ance for those who should trust Him. The words are the prophet's
personal expression of the same faith which he recommended to his
'Countr3rmen (vii. 9, xxviii. 16).
hideth his face. A metaphor for the withdrawal of favour : cf
Uv. 8, Ivii. 17, Lxiv. 7, Jer. xxxui. 5, Mic. iu. 4, Ezek. xxxix. 23.
18. / and, , ,given me, etc. In Heb. ii. 13 these words are apphed
to our Lord, and those who through Him become tbe chUdren of God.
for signs and for wonders. Better, for signs and tokens, i.e. agencies
designed to reveal God's purposes ; cf. xx. 3, Ezek. xii. 6, xxiv. 24,
Zech. ui. 8. The very sound of Isaiah's own name and those of his
•children (see pp. xvii, 44, 54) would recaU to such as heard them the
burden of his teaching.
which dwelleth, etc. Though the Lord, in Isaiah's conception, was
far removed from being a national or a local deity (see vi. 3), yet Zion
was the centre of His worship and His revelations (vi. 1 f , cf Am. i. 2);
and it was with Zion that His protective presence was _ expressly
a,ssociated: cf xiv. 32, xxviu. 16, xxxi. 5, 9 (cf p. xxxvu).
19 — 22. A description of the perplexity and helplessness of those
who in the coming distress should have recourse to necromancy.
This passage is united to the preceding by the reference in v. 20 to
V. 16. In it tbe prophet's disciples, who are aUuded to in the
3rd pers. in v. 16, are directly addressed, and cautioned against
being misled by their superstitious countrymen.
19. And when, etc. The time contemplated is when the predicted
judgment (vv. 7, 8, 14) has faUen, and people are seeking to obtain
oracles from the dead. Por seek unto cf. xi. 10, xix. 3.
them that, ,,the wizards. Perhaps better, the ghosts and the knowing
folk, the terms here designating the spirits of the dead (xxix. 4, cf
1 Sam. xxviii. 8), not the persons who professed to be able to caU
them up (who were in strictness described as possessors of a ghost,
I Sam. xxviii. 7, cf Lev. xx. 27) or to be in communication vrith
them (Deut. xviii. 11, cf Acts xvi. 16). The second of the two words
here used is perhaps merely explanatory of the first. The Semitic
belief that the dead possessed greater knowledge and power than the
living, and could be appealed to for aid, had its parallel among the
Greeks : cf. Aesch. Cho. 476 — 7, kXuovtcs, niaKapes x^°^'-°''> ¦'^•''S*
Ka.TiVXO'S rrifx-rrer apiayrjv.
chirp .. .mutter. The words express the feeble tones in which the
spirits were supposed to speak: cf xxix. 4, Hom. II. xxm. 100, ^xv---

viii.2o,ai] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 61
the Uving shoidd they seek unto the dead ? 20 To the ^law and
to the testimony ! ^if they speak not according to this word,
surely there is no morning for them. 21 And they shall pass
through it, hardly bestead and hungry : and it shall come to pass
that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and
* Or, teaching
^ Or, surely according to this word shall they speak, for whom there is no
rmming wxETo Ttrpiyvla, Verg. A. VI. 492 (of the shades of the Greeks) pa/rs
tollere vocem exiguam, Shaksp. Ham. I. i., the sheeted dead did squeak
and gibber. The LXX. by its rendering of the passage suggests that
the means used by the medium to create the impression that the voice
heard came from the Underworld was ventrUoquism.
should not,,. God "^ Cf. Eur. Hel. 753, ri hrJTa /navT£vo/J.£0a ; TOts
^coio-t XPV ©vovTas aiTiiv dyaOd, /iavretas 8' idv. By SOme Critics this
and the next sentence are regarded not as an answer to the preceding
exhortation, but as part of it, and rendered, should not a people seek
unto the spirits of their departed (cf 1 Sam. xxviii. 13, Heb.)? on
behalf of the living should they not seek unto the dead^
20. To the law, etc. See on v. 16. This is the counter advice
to be given to those who counsel resort to the necromancers : Let them
seek the revelations of tbe Lord.
if they speak, etc. The translation of this clause, and its relation
to the foUowing v. is uncertain. If the text is sound and the connec
tion of the passage unbroken, the best of several suggested renderings
is the mg.. Surely according to this word shall they speak for whom
there is no morning (or dawn), i.e. assuredly they shaU recognize as
true the prophet's revelations when it is too late, and when the calamity,
now impending, admits of no relief (for the metaphor cf Iviii. 8, lix. 9).
But against seeking the subject of the verb speak (pi.) in the relative
clause that foUows it is the fact that the pronoun for whom is reaUy
singular (not pi.), and as the verbs m v. 21 are also singular (a fact
disguised in the R.V.) it is probable that the clause for whom there is
no morning refers to the subject of v. 21, and that after this word in
V. 20 a lacuna should be assumed. If so, the subject of the verb speak
is the teaching and the admonition, i.e. the Divine oracles which (it is
implied) wiU be found self-consistent, and the passage will run : Surely
according to this word (i.e. Isaiah's recent utterances) shall they
(i.e. later revelations) speak,,. For whom (sing.) there is no morning.
21. And he shall pass through, etc.
21. And they. Better (as above). And he. The passage describes
the misery of some wanderer, a representative of those who had dis
beUeved the Lord's warnings. The pronoun it refers to the land
(presumably mentioned in a lost v.), which has been devastated as
predicted (v. 13, vu. 18 f).
when they shall, etc. Better, when he shall he hungry, he shall
burst into anger.

62 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [vni.12
^ curse by their king and by their God, and tum their faces
upward : 22 and they shall look unto the earth, and behold,
distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish ; ^and ^into thick
darkness they shall he driven away.
' Or, curse their king and their God
^ Or, and thick darkness shall be driven away: for there (&c. [Ch. viii. 23 in
Heb.] 3 Or, in
curse hy their king, etc. Better (with the Vulg.), cwrse his king and
his god, and turn his face upward. The word king is a title for the
divinity who has been consulted and trusted in place of the Lord ;
cf Am. V. 26. The false god cannot, and the true God wUl not,
aid him.
22. they shall look. Better, he shall look. Whether his eyes turn
heavenward or earthward, they can see no promise of relief (cf v. 30).
the ghom of... away. Cf Jer. xxiii. 12. But perhaps better (after
the LXX.), the gloom of anguish amd thick darkness, so that there is no
seeing (reading ni«"j» for n"53J?).
Chapter IX. 1 — 7.
This section forms a Messianic conclusion in the group of cc. vi. 1 — ix. 7,
and depicts, as a sequel to the description of distress contained in viii. 21, 22,
a wonderful transformation destined to take place in the condition of the land
and its people, the tyranny of the Assyrian oppressor being replaced by the
righteous rule of a native sovereign.
The Isaianic oracle is contained in vv. 2 — 7, and exhibits the usual paral
lelism of Hebrew poetry. From the reference to the throne of David (v. 7) it
appears to have in riew the prophet's own land of Judah, and since v. 4 seems
to reflect the actual experience of invasion (cf x. 27, xiv. 25), it is perhaps to
be assigned to the year 701 in the reign of Hezekiah, when Judah was occupied
by the forces of Sennacherib, rather than to 734 (as its context suggests). But
prefixed to the oracle is a prose introduction (v. 1), which is designed to
connect it with the preceding section, riii. 19 — 22, and the writer of which has
seemingly erroneously identified the land enveloped in darkness (viii. 22)
with the provinces of N. Israel which were ravaged by Tiglath-pileser in 734.
The association of the future felicity here depicted with the reign of a
national king (as in xi. 1 — 9, xxxii. 1 — 5) has been regarded as an objection to
the Isaianic authorship of the passage, an(J a reason for assigning it to post-
exiUc times, it being maintained by some critics that Isaiah took a sombre
yiG^x of his country's future (ri. 11, 12), and that his hopes for it were Umited
to the surrival of a small religious community (riii. 16 — 18) vrithout any
political organization. But Isaiah certainly expected Jerusalem to surrive
the Assyrian invasion of 701 (x. 24—27, xiv. 32, xxriii. 16, -xxix. 7, xxx. 19 ?,
xxxiii. 5, xxxrii. 31 — 35) ; and in an Isaianic picture of its future a king might
certainly be expected to figure, for the most glorious memories of Hebrew
history were connected with a king (David), whose dynasty had occupied the
throne of Judah continuously (save for the brief usurpation of AthaUah) for

ix.ili THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 63

¦I

some/ 300 years. Moreover, the king here portrayed is represented as pro-
motiiig the same ideal as that which Isaiah himself had in view for his
counjtry-^social righteousness (cf i. 26) ; whilst there is no trace of exiUc
or plost-exiUc anticipations, such as the return of dispersed Israelites, the
subnjiission of the heathen, or their attendance at the Temple worship. Nor
is it a serious difficulty that elsewhere Isaiah represents the personal presence
of tlpe Lord with His people as the guarantee of their safety and welfare
(xxvjiii. 16, cf iv. 5, 6?), for the Messianic king is what he is through being
endipwed with the spirit of the Lord (see xi. 2). There i§, it is true, no
explanation as to how the king is related to the reigning monarch ; but to
suclii a question an answer is scarcely to be looked for. The prophet was
conlient to assert his conriction that a bright destiny under a native sovereign
was in store for his country ; the precise manner in which it was to come about
he left for time to reveaU. On the relation of the passage to Christ see p. xL
IX.. 1 ^But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun
ami the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time hath he made it
glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, ^GaUlee of the
I 1 Or, For '' Or, the district [Ch. ix. 1 iu Heb.]
IX. 1. But. Perhaps better (as in the mg.). For. The sentence
is ]t)ossibly an interrogation and to be regarded (with Duhm) as a gloss
on the words gloom of anguish in the previous v. : For is there not
gloom to it (i.e. the land) which is in anguish ?
In the former time. i.e. in the unhappy past (cf Zech. viii. II).
The aUusion is to 734, when some of the northern districts of the
kingdom of Ephraim were ravaged by Tiglath-pileser (see 2 Kgs. xv. 29
and p. 50). The whole of this v. probably comes from a post-exilic
, editor ; and his reason for connecting the prophecy that follows with
the Israelite provinces mentioned in it can only be conjectured:
possibly he was a native of one of them.
he brought, etc. The subject is the Lord, Who was the ultimate
Author of the distress alluded to.
Zehulun. This tribe occupied a small district N. of the plain of
Jezreel (Esdraelon) and W. of Lake Chinnereth (the Sea of GaUlee).
Naphtali. Naphtali's territory extended to the N. and E. of
Zebulun. in the latter time. i.e. in a happier and better future (cf ii. 2).
hath he.,, glorious. The tense here must be a prophetic perfect
(and so in vv. 2, 3, 4). The editor probably had in view the restoration
of the northern tribes and their re-union with Judah in the Messianic
age; cf xi. 13, Am. ix. 11 — 15.

' If the prophecy of Immanuel (vii. 14) really relates to the birth of a great
fersonahty, Isaiah retained faith in his advent, in spite of his not being born within
ih? period then predicted. Probably more than 30 years separated that prophecy
from this.

64 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lyX-^j
nations. 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
Ught : they that dwelt in the land of the ^ shadow of deaMi, lipon
them hath the light shined. 3 Thou hast multipUed the nation,.
^thou hast increased their joy : they joy before thee a6cor(;iing
1 Or, deep darkness ^ Another reading is, thou didst not increas^thejoji/.
by the way of the sea. i.e. towards the Mediterranean : cf (fien.
xlix. 13. . . 1
beyond Jordan, i.e. west of the (upper) Jordan, the positioiji of
Zebulun and Naphtali being described from the point of view of a pjosl^
exilic writer resident somewhere E. of Palestine (cf 1 Kgs. iv. 24 m'ig.).
Galilee of the nations. Literally, the circle of the nations j(cf
1 Mace. V. 15, and the similar expression in Josh. xiii. 2, Heb.), and
caUed sometimes simply the circle (Galilee), see Josh. xx. 7, xxi. j 32,
1 Kgs. ix. 11, 2 Kgs. XV. 29; cf Matt. iv. 12. The land occu^)ied
by the two tribes named was very incompletely subdued at ithe
conquest, and in it a large Canaanite population survived (see Jud.
i. 30, 33). . i
2. The original prophecy begins here, and is probably addressed! to
the prophet's own disciples, the expected survivors of the judgment
(note unto us, v. 6).
The people, i.e. the inhabitants of Judah.
walked. A common Heb. synonym for lived: cf 'Eng. fare. _i
darkness. . ¦ light. Ordinary metaphors for adversity and prosperity ;
see V. 30, Lam. iii. 2, Mic vii. 8. ,
the shadow of death. Better, deep shadow (cf mg.): it is probably
only by an error of pointing that the word has become associated with
the idea of death.
Vv. 1, 2 are quoted in Matt. iv. 15, 16 in connection with ©ur
Lord's residence at Capernaum in tbe borders of Zebulun and
Naphtali. 3. multiplied the nation. Though an increase of population is a
feature in many prophetic descriptions of the nation's future (xxvi. 15,
xlix. 19, liv. 2, 3, Hos. i. 10), the parallelism favours the emendation
multiplied the rejoicing (n?*iin for (i?)^? ''1^5) : cf next note.
hast increased their joy. This (??'3,?ri i?) is the reading of the
Heb. mg. (supported by the Syr.) : the Heb. text has P(?l^>? *<? (sup
ported by Sym. the Vulg. and perhaps the LXX., whose o looks hke a
corruption of oi), which must be taken as a relative clause (thou hatt
multiplied the nation) for whom thou didst not formerly increase joy (a
litotes for whom thou didst greatly distress). But the true reading
is probably thou hast increased the joy ("i ? and ^ being merely corrup
tions of the last syllable of the concluding word of the preceding clausse
(n^'in)). before thee. The expression impUes that the Lord is recognize!
as the source of the people's joy.

IX. 4-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 65
to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoU.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staif of his shoulder, the
rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as in the day of Midian.
5 For ^all the armour of the armed man in the tv.mult, and the
garments rolled in blood, shall even be for burijing, for fuel of
fire. 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given ; and
the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall
be caUed ^Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, ^Everlasting
' Or, every boot of the booted warrior '^ Or, 'Wonderful counsellor
2 Heb. Father of Eternity.
the joy in harvest. Proverbial for great delight (Ps. iv. 7, cf.
cxxvi. 6).
when they divide the spoil. Another proverbial occasion for great
satisfaction (Ps. cxix. 162).
4. the yoke, etc. The terms used (the yoke which beasts of burden
wore, the staff, and the rod (or club) vrith which slaves were beaten) are
aU symbols of the oppression which the nation had to endure from
Assyria (cf. x. 24, 27, Nah. i. 13). But for staff of his shoulder some
propose yoke bar (Iviii. 6, 9) of his shoulder, reading ntDiD for nt2D.
as in the day of Midian. i.e. as on the occasion of Midian's over
throw by Gideon (cf x. 26, Ps. Ixxxiii. 11 and see Jud. vii.). The
Midianites were nomads who roamed the deserts S. and E. of Palestine
(Ex. iu. 1, 1 Kgs. xi. 18, Jud. vi. 33).
5. For all the armour, etc. Better, For every boot of him that
tramps noisily (cf Jer. xlvii. 3). The original term for hoot is probably
an Assyrian loan-word. (See Burney, JTS., Ap. 1910.)
the garments, etc. Better, the cloak, worn by soldiers, and after
battle usually stained with blood. Some critics instead of rolled would
read defiled (J^)m for n^^iJl?).
The articles here mentioned represent the accoutrements of the
Assyrian troops, which, after their wearers have perished, will be
coUected and burnt : cf Ezek. xxxix. 9, 10, Verg. A, vm. 562,
scutorum incendi victor acervos,
6. is horn. The tense is a prophetic perfect, the birth being still
in the future. The child is not the destined agent of the Assyrian
overthrow — that is supposed to be achieved by the Lord — but is to be
the nation's safeguard against the renewal of aU danger in the future :
cf Mic. V. 5, and see p. 49.
his shoulder. On the shoulder the insignia of authority were
carried (xxii. 22). Cf Pliny, Paneg. 10 (quoted by Gesenius),
expertus Pater quam bene humeris tuis sederet imperium.
his name. The expressions that follow are separate titles descriptive
of the characteristics of his rule (see on i. 26). Symmetry requires that
they should be arranged as four (not five), each consisting of two
words. Wonderful, Counsellor. Better (as in the mg.), Wonderful counsellor
w. I. 5

66 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [1X.7
Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his govemment
and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with
judgement and with righteousness from henceforth even for
ever. The zea.^ of the Lord of hosts shaU perform this.
(literally, a wonder of a counsellor, cf Gen. xvi. 12, a wild ass of a
man), i.e. endowed with extraordinary understanding and prudence.
Cf. Theod. ^au/iao-rdSs /iovkevwv.
Mighty God. Better, Divine Warrior, (Heb. El Gibbor, literally,
a God of a warrior). The term El was not exclusively used of beings
believed to be really divine (x. 21), but was employed also of men
in whom, as invested with godlike power or authority, God seemed
to be present, see Ezek. xxxi. 11, xxxii. 21 ; perhaps cf also the use of
the synonym Elohim in Ex. xxi. 6, xxii. 8, vii. 1, Ps. xiv. 6 (mg.).
The expression Divine Warrior describes the child as endued with
superhuman prowess.
Everlasting Father. Literally, Father of (i.e. in) perpetuity (cf
xlvii. 7), i.e. one who will be perpetually the father of his country (cf
xxu. 21, Gen. xiv. 8, Job xxix. 16, 1 Mace ii. 65, Hom. Od. n. 234, ola-iv
dvao-a-t Trarr^p (3s ^irios rjev). The term rendered perpetuity or eternity
(see mg.), though used of 'God's existence (Ivii. 15), is also employed
to describe long, but not endless, duration (see Ps. xxi. 4, 6, Prov.
xxix. 14). A word of identical form means spoil (xxxiii. 23, Gen.
xlix. 27, Zeph. iii. 8), and hence some render Father of spoil, i.e. taker
or possessor of booty ; but this would seem to require '>V^ instead of '5??.
Prince of Peace, i.e. ensuring for his subjects, by his successful
rule, the blessings of prosperity : cf Mic. v. 5.
7. Of the increase, etc. The Heb. text is irregularly written, and
suggests that the word rendered increase is a corruption (through
dittography) of an adjective, which is preserved in the LXX. ; and the
true reading probably is Great will he his dominion, and of peace there
will he no end.
upon the throne, etc. It is a reasonable inference from these words
that the child is regarded as sprung from the family of David
(cf xi. 1).
judgement .. .righteousness. Cf xvi. 5, Ps. xiv. 4, 7, Ixxii. 1 — 4.
The qualities of the Messiah's rule (cf xxxii. 1) recall those of David
(2 Sam. viii. 15) and Solomon (1 Kgs. x. 9).
for ever. This does not refer to the duration of the king's Ufe, but
to the permanence of his kingdom or dynasty (Ezek. xxxvii. 25). The
expression implies long continuance, not eternity (see on v. 6).

IX. 8,9] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 67
IX. 8—21.
This section is a separate prophecy (ix. 8 being obviously the beginning of
an oracle) which is concerned exclusively with the kingdom of Israel (Ephraim)
— see ix. 9, 21. As it appears here, it is imperfect, the concluding portion
haring been transferred to c. v. Its division into strophes, marked by the re
currence of a refrain*, is very perceptible. The present passage, ix. 8 — 21,
contains three (1) ix. 8—12, (2) ix. 13—17, (3) ix. 18—21 : a fragment of a
fourth is found in v. 25 ; and a fifth and final strophe occurs in v. 26 — 30.
Many critics consider that another strophe, anterior to the last, exists in
X. 1 — i, which ends with the same refrain ; but see note.
The character and date of the section are difficult to determine with con
fldence, not only from the obscurity of the allusions, but also from the uncertainty
whether the past tenses in it relate to the actual past, or are prophetic perfects
describing the future. The refrain, however, is most naturally understood of
punitive blows that have already fallen ; and on the whole the simplest
\iew is that the three strophes contained in this c. (vv, 8^21) constitute
a reriew of past chastisements, that the fragment of the fourth strophe in
V. 25 is Ukewise retrospective, and that v. 26 — 30 (concluding the oracle) is
alone a prediction of an impending flnal chastisement. Inasmuch as Syria
appears only as the enemy of Ephraim, whereas in 734 it was its ally, the date
is probably prior to that year, and the prophecy may have been written about
735, when Pekah had recently succeeded to the throne of Israel (Jotham being
then king of Judah, 2 Kgs. xv. 32), and when the northern kingdom had begun
to recover from the humiUation suffered under Menahem (2 Kgs. xv. 19, 20),
and the alUance with Syria had not yet been contracted. The conclusion that
the oracle is earlier than 734, the year of the Assyrian invasion of GUead and
Naphtali, is confirmed by the description of the Assyrians in v. 26 — 30, which
impUes that they were an unfamiliar foe.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon
Israel. 9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the
8 — 12. The first strophe. Ephraim, for its self-confidence, has
been punished by attacks from its neighbours on either side.
8. a word. i.e. the prediction in v. 26 — 30 (see p. 36).
Jacob,,, Israel. Here synonymous with Ephraim, the northern
kingdom. hath lighted. Better, shall light, i.e. take efi'ect (cf Zech. ix. 1).
The word, which is the expression of the Lord's will, is hypostatized
(as it were) into a distinct entity, and despatched to work out its own
fulfilment (seelv. 11, cf xxxi. 2, Ps. cvii. 20, cxlvii. 15, Ecclus. xiii. 15).
Similarly the divinely inspired utterances of Isaac and Balaam are
represented as irreversible when once made (Gen. xxvii. 33, Num.
xxii. 6).
9. shall know. i.e. shall discover by bitter experience (cf Hos. ix.
' For similar refrains cf. ii. 6—22, Am. iv. 6—11, Ps. xiii. 5, 11, xliii. 5,
xlvi. 7—11, xlix. 12, 20, Irii. 5, 11.
5—2

68 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ix.io,ii
inhabitant of Samaria, that say in pride and in stoutness of
heart, 10 The bricks are fallen, but we wiU build with hewn
stone : the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them
into cedars. 11 Therefore the Lord ^ shall set up on high
against him the adversaries of Rezin, and ^ shall ^stir up his
^ Or, hath set ^ Or, hath stirred •* Or, join together Or, arm
7, Job xxi. 19, Ezek. xxv. 14) what the Lord has purposed concerning
them. that say. In the original the sentence is imperfect, and should per
haps run (as suggested by Bickell), that boasted in pride and in stoutness
of heart, saying, etc. The occasion alluded to was a time when the
kingdom of Ephraim had undergone a recent decline ; but instead of
repenting of the sins which the decline was designed to chastise, it was
full of confidence that it would not only regain, but surpass, its former
prosperity (cf Hos. v. 5, vii. 10, Am. vi. 13). The decline to which
reference is made is perhaps that which the nation had experienced
during the reigns of Zechariah, Shallum and Menahem, after the pros
perity enjoyed under Jeroboam II. (see 2 Kgs. xiv. 23 — ^xv. 22, and cf
Hos. vii. 1, viii. 8). The northern kingdom, besides being a land of much
natural fertility, was placed on one of the main trade routes between
the Euphrates and the Nile ; and under favourable conditions its
wealth doubtless accumulated rapidly.
10. The bricks, etc The hoped-for retrieval of their recent mis
fortunes is described in terms borrowed from the reconstruction of a
fallen edifice. Bricks formed the ordinary, hewn stone superior, building
materials, cf Am. v. 11, 1 Kgs. v. 17. Sycomore (not the tree known
by that name in this country, but a species of fig, fictis sycomorus)
furnished a wood that was common and cheap (1 Kgs. x. 27) ; whereas
cedars (described by Jerome as enodes et imputrihiles) afforded the
choicest timber (2 Sam. v. 11, 1 Kgs. vi. 9 f ).
11. shall set up, etc. Better (as in the mg.), hath set up,,, hath
stirred up.
the adversaries of Eezin. If the text is sound, the expression must
denote the Assyrians, to whom Rezin was tributary in 738, and who
threatened the kingdom of Ephraim in the reign of Menahem (see
2 Kgs. XV. 19), but were bought off by that king. But the second half
of the v. seems to identify the people meant with the Syrians; and
hence it appears necessary to emend the phrase V"^"} 'DV- Among the
emendations proposed are (1) the princes of Eezin (I*V"! 'DV') — which
finds support in several Heb. MSS. ; (2) his (Israel's) adversaries
(1'nV),_omitting Eezin as a gloss ; (3) his (Israel's) adversary Eezin
(t'VI m^), this being favoured by the LXX. (which seems to have mis
read it as fi'V in ny)i.

1 Whitehouse adopts the LXX. reading as the true text, and, taking the verb as
a future, explains it to mean that the Syrians and Phihetiues, who were the enemies
of Judah in 734, are to become the foes of Ephraim their former ally. He dates
the oracle about 726 in the reign of Hoshea.

IX. 12-15] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 69
enemies ; 12 the Syrians ^before, and the Philistines ^behind ;
and they 'shaU devour Israel with open mouth. For all this
his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out
still. 13 Yet the people hath not turned unto him that smote
them, neither have they sought the Lokd of hosts. 14 Therefore
the Lord *will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch
and rush, in one day. 15 The ^ancient and the honourable
man, he is the head ; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is
' Or, on the east ^ Or, on the west * Or, have devoured
* Or, hath cut ^ Ot, elder
his enemies, i.e. Israel's enemies.
12. the Syrians. If the c describes the past, it must be assumed
that Syria, which had been conquered by Jeroboam II. (2 Kgs. xiv. 28)^
recovered its independence under his successors in a war of which no
record is preserved, but which ended with an alliance, the two foes
uniting against Judah (vii. 1).
the Philistines. These, though they are not mentioned as having
made war on Pekah, may be credited with having taken advantage of
Israel's misfortunes whenever they could.
before,,, behind, i.e. on the E. and W. respectively (cf Job xxiii. 8,
Heb.). The Hebrews, when designating the points of the compass,
faced the sunrise (cf Joel ii. 20, Zech. xiv. 4 (Heb.), Ezek. xvi. 46).
shall devour. Better, devoured. The expression (for which cf
Jer. X. 25, xxx. 16) obviously does not imply complete destruction (see
vv. 13 f).
13 — 17. The second strophe. Impenitence has been avenged by a
sudden disaster embracing all classes.
13. hath not turned, etc Better, did not turn (cf Am. iv. 6, 8, 9,
10, 11).,, neither did they seek (i.e. consult, cf xxxi. 1) the Lord of hosts,
14. will cut off. Better, cut off, by a hostile overthrow, civil
commotions (cf v, 20), or perhaps a pestilence.
palm-branch, etc. Figures (like head and tail) for the highest and
lowest orders in the state (cf xix. 15) : the destruction will be compre
hensive. in one day, i.e. within a brief period : cf x. 17.
15. The ancient. Better, The elder. This v., which explains the
words head and tail to mean political and religious leaders respectively,
seems to be a mistaken gloss, though its omission leaves the strophe
defective. that teacheth lies. i.e. communicates pretended revelations (Jer.
xiv. 14).

The text of Kings in this passage ia doubtful, see Burney ad loc.

70 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ix. 16-20
the taU. 16 For they that lead this people cause them to err ;
and they that are led of them are ^ destroyed. 17 Therefore
the Lord shall not rejoice over their young men, neither shall
he have compassion on their fatherless and widows : for every
one is profane and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh
folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burneth as the fire ; it devoureth the
briers and thorns : yea, it kindleth in the thickets of the forest,
and they roU upward in thick clouds of smoke. 19 Through the
wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land ^ burnt up : the people
also are as the fuel of fire ; no man spareth his brother. 20 And
one shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry ; and he shall
> Heb. swallowed up. " Or, darkened
16. For they that lead, etc. Better, And the leaders of this people
became misleaders, and they that were led were misguided (or confused,
cf in. 12, xxviu. 7, xix. 3, Ps. cvii. 27). By Duhm and Cheyne this v.,
as well as the preceding, is rejected as an editorial addition.
17. shall not rejoice, etc. Better, does not rejoice over (a litotes for
withdraws His favour from) their young men (i.e. their warriors, cf
xxxi. 8) neither has he compassion on their fatherless and widows (who
are ordinarily the objects of His special care, cf Ps. Ixviii. 5, x. 14).
Instead of does not rejoice over_ Duhm reads does not spare (literaUy,
does not pass over), changing no'^^ to np?* ; cf xxxi. 5, Ex. xii. 13.
profane, i.e. irreligious (x. 6, xxxii. 6, xxxiii. 14), placing their
confidence, not in the Lord, but in worldly policy.
speaketh folly, i.e. gives expression to sceptical utterances (like
those in v. 19, xxviii. 15) : cf xxxii. 6.
18 — 21. The third strophe. A description of Israel's distracted
condition. 18. For wickedness, etc. The lack of religious principle among
the people, like a fire kindled in a forest, results in their destruction.
For the comparison cf i. 31, xxxiii. 12, Job xxxi. 12.
19. burnt up. i.e. by the flames of war (Num. xxi. 28, Ps.
Ixxviii. 63). The verb (which is ungrammatical) only occurs here,
and the translation follows the LXX. (n, B) o-vyxeKavrai. The Vulg. has
conturbata est terra (perhaps reading nw for QWJ.) ; but the paraUel
clause favours burnt up.
are as the fuel of fire. To make this clause correspond more
nearly to the next, Duhm proposes the people became as man eaters
(£»»« ^^?"K iD? for m n^38»l) ; but see next note.
no mam spareth, etc. This clause should probably be transposed to
the end of v. 20, to the final clause of which it forms a paraUel.
20. And one shall snatch, etc. Better, And one cut off (a, portion)

IX. 2i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 71
eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied : they shall
eat every man the flesh of his own arm : 21 Manasseh, Ephraim ;
and Ephraim, Manasseh : and they together shall be against
Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand
is stretched out still.
...and was hungry... ate,,, th&y were not satisfied. Internal feuds were
a conspicuous feature in the history of the northern kingdom (1 Kgs.
XV. 27—29, xvi. 9—12, 16—18, 2 Kgs. ix.), and of the four kings
that immediately preceded Pekah three perished by violence (2 Kgs.
15). they shall eat... arm. Better, they eat, etc The expression the flesh
of his own arm describes figuratively the suicidal character of such
intestine strife. But the text should probably be corrected (with
some supp9rt fi-om _ LXX. A) to they eat every man the flesh cf his
neighbour (iVT! for IVI?) ; cf Jer. xix 9.
21. Manasseh, Ephraim, etc. The rivalry between these two
tribes was of long standing (see Jud. viii. 1, xu. 1, etc.). Possibly
Pekah, who gained the throne by the assassination of Pekahiah, belonged
to Manasseh, since his feUow-conspirators were Gileadites (2 Kgs.
XV. 25).
shall he against, etc. Better, are against. In Pekah's reign the
hostiUty which so often marked the relations between the northern
and southern kingdoms issued in the coalition against the latter of
Ephraim and Syria.
For the conclusion of the poem see v. 25 — 30.

Chapter X. 1 — 4.
This section is probably misplaced. The refrain in v. 4 appears to connect
it with the prophecy contained in ix. 8 — 21 and v. 25 — 30, of which it has been
deemed by many critics to be one of the middle strophes (see p. 67). But
against this connection are the facts (1) that the erils denounced are not the
pride and factious spirit of a whole nation, but the unjust decisions of a
particular class, (2) that the reference to the desolation which shall come from,
far (v. 3), which naturally means an Assyrian invasion, must, if this section is
prefixed to v. 25 — 30, impair the impressiveness of the description of the
Assyrians in v. 26 f (where they seem to be aUuded to for the flrst time). On
the other hand, the denunciation of the ruUng class, and the opening exclama
tion 'PFoe, associate the passage with the prophecy v. 8 — 24 (which is directed
against Judah, not Israel), and it is with the last-named section that it has
been plausibly connected by Giesebrecht ^ Accordingly the refrain in 4*,
which is really inappropriate after a prediction of the future (vv. 3 — 4='), must
be regarded as a mistaken addition.
1 See his Beitrdge zur lesaiakritik (1890), pp. I — 24.

72 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [x. 1-4
X. 1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and
to the writers that write perverseness : 2 to turn aside the needy
from judgement, and to take away the right of the poor of my
people, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make
the fatherless their prey ! 3 And what wUl ye do in the day of
visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far ? to
whom wiU ye flee for help? and where wiU ye leave your glory?
4 ^They shall only bow down under the prisoners, and shall fall
under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but
his hand is stretched out still.
^ Or, Without me they shall bow down t^c.
X. 1—4. The iniquity of the judges of Judah calls for vengeance,
from which there vrill be no escape.
1. that decree, etc. The prophet's denunciation is directed against
those responsible for inequitable judicial decisions. Such decisions,
after being recorded, would constitute a body of case-made law, guiding
subsequent judgments, so that injustice would be perpetuated.
that write perverseness. Better, that register oppression, i.e. op
pressive sentences.
3. of visitation, i.e. of punishment (cf. Hos. ix. 7, Mic. vii. 4,
Jer. X. 15).
the desolation. Perhaps better, the storm (the allusion being pre
sumably to an Assyrian invasion). The direct question is obviously
only appropriate if addressed to the people (Judah) amongst whom
Isaiah was resident.
to whom. Idols (ii. 20), or the powers of the under-world (viii. 19,
xxviii. 15), were impotent to aid, and the Lord was estranged.
your glory. Better, your wealth (of Ixi. 6, Gen. xxxi. 1, mg.).
4. They shall only, etc. Perhaps better, Except they bow down
, , ,prisoners, they shall, etc. : their only resource is captivity or death
(cf. Jer. vi. 15, Ezek. xxxii. 20). But the original is obscure and perhaps
corrupt. An ingenious emendation (by Lagarde) is Beltis boweth
down, Osiris is broken, and under the slain shall they fall (nn nynb 'ripa
I'PS for TBN nnn vy^ 'I???). Osiris was an Egyptian deity, and Beltis,
as the equivalent of Baalah or Baalath, "lady," might be appUed as
a title to the goddess Isis. The emendation (which is modeUed on
xlvi. I, cf also Jer. 1. 2) pre-supposes that as early as Ahaz's reign (see
p. 51) Egyptian deities had been introduced into Judah, but affirms
that they wiU be found powerless to defend those who have trusted
them and that their prostrate and shattered images vrill be buried
beneath heaps of carnage. The concluding refrain should be omitted.

x.5,6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 73

X. 5—34.
This oracle (distinguished from the preceding context by both contents
and spirit) was addressed to Judah on the occasion of an invasion by Assyria,
and designed to encourage the people by the assurance that the chastisement
of which the Assyrians were the instruments (cf rii. 18 — 20, viii. 6 — 8) would
be regulated by the Divine purposes and not by the invader's ambition, and
would not end in the total destruction of the Lord's people (cf viii. 9, 10).
The date must be at least later that 717, for mention is made in v. 9 of the
capture of Carchemish, taken by the Assyrians in that year. By Cheyne
w, 5 — 9, 13, 14 are assigned to the reign of Sargon who, about 713 — 711,
assailed Ashdod (see c. xx.) and in a contemporary inscription (if it is correctly
interpreted) claims to have subdued Judah i. But on that occasion Isaiah
anticipated that the Assyrian arms would be carried into Egypt and Ethiopia
(xx. 4), whereas in the present oracle, composed apparently before the march
of the invaders had actually reached as far south as Judah (vv. 28 — 32), the
prophet regards their destruction as imminent. Hence the prophecy (so
far as it is Isaiah's) is more plausibly attributed to the reign of Sennacherib
and the year 701 (cf the reflexions of the Assyrian king in vv. 8 — 11, 13, 14
with the language of Sennacherib in xxxvi. 18 — 20, xxxrii. 11 — 13). It thus
approximately synchronizes with xxriii. 7 — 29 and cc. xxix. — xxxi., but is
somewhat later than these ; for whereas in the cc. just cited Isaiah aims at
discouraging the false hopes of his countrymen, he here seeks to prevent a
recoil from exaggerated self-confldence to exaggerated despondency. Certain
superficial objections to the date (701) here assigned are considered in the
notes on vv, 27, 28 — 34.
The authenticity of large portions of this section has been questioned ; and
those passages which are suspected with most reason are indicated as they
occur. 5 ^Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the stafl^ in whose
hand is mine indignation ! 6 I will send him against a profane
^ Or, Woe to Asshur
5 — 15. The Assyrian proposes and the Lord disposes.
5. the rod, etc. The figures are confused, for Assyria cannot
vrith consistency be regarded at the same time as being the instrument
of God's wrath, and as wielding it (see v, 24). Probably the text
should be corrected (with Duhm) to the rod of mine anger, the staff of
my indignation ('PI?I nisoi^ omitting I^^J? x-in as an ill-considered
gloss, based on v. 24) ; for the metaphor cf Jer. li. 20.
6. I will send. Perhaps better, / sew(^. The conception of foreign
nations as agents for the accomplishment of the Divine purposes recurs
in V. 26, xxxvii. 26.
a profane nation, i.e. a people false to their religious obligations :
cf ix. 17. 1 Schrader, COT., i. p. 178.

74 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [x.7-11
nation, and against the people of my wrath wiU I give him a
charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and Ho tread
them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Howbeit he meaneth
not so, neither doth his heart think so ; but it is in his heart to
destroy, and to cut off nations not a few. 8 For he saith, Are
not my princes all of them kings ? 9 Is not Calno as Carchemish ?
is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus ? 10 As
my hand hath ^ found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven
images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria ; 11 shaU I
1 Heb. to make them a treading down. '¦' Ot, reached
the people of my wrath, i.e. the people against whom my anger is
directed (cf Jer. vu. 29, the generation of his wrath).
7. he meaneth not so. i.e. he does not deem himself merely
empowered by God to inflict a limited chastisement upon offenders but
free to pursue his own unrestricted schemes of spoUation and destruction
(cf xlvii. 6, Zech. i. 15).
8. For he saith. The subject of the verb is the Assyrian king, as
impersonating the spirit and policy of his country.
Are not my princes, etc. His reasons for counting upon a triumph
over Jerusalem are the rank and power of his officers (who are vassal
kings) and his previous successes over other cities.
9. Cahw. LXX. XaXawi?', usually identified with Kullani, a
country near Arpad and subdued by Tiglath-pileser in 738 : cf
Am. vi. 2.
Carchemish. Identical with the Greek Europos and the mod.
Jerdbis, on the right bank of the upper Euphrates ; it was an important
Hittite city and was taken by Sargon in 717.
Hamath. The Greek Epiphaneia (now caUed Hamah), on the
Orontes, conquered by Tiglath-pileser in 738, and reconquered hy
Sargon in 720.
Arpad. The mod. Tell Erpdd, not far from Aleppo ; taken by
Tiglath-pUeser in 740 and again by Sargon in 720.
Samaria. Subjugated by Sargon in 722.
Damascus. Taken by Tiglath-pileser in 732.
10. my hand. The Assyrian speaks in a representative character,
since the cities named in v. 9 were not all subdued by the same king.
found. Better (as in the mg.), reached or sdzed (and so in v. 14) ;
cf Ps. xxi. 8.
the idols. Better, the non-entities (cf on ii. 8), i.e. gods who by the
arbitrament of events were proved to be impotent beside those of
Assyria (cf xxxvi. 18, 19, xxxvii. 12). But some (guided by the
LXX.) would replace the kingdoms of the idols by these kingdoms (ni^pipo?
nVxn for !?'^.Kn nb^ps!?).
of Jerusalem and of Samaria. The two cities are here coupled
together as though they were both still uncaptured, whereas Samaria

x. 12-14] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 75
not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jeru
salem and her idols ?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath
performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem,
I wiU ^punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria,
and the glory of his high looks. 13 For he hath said, By the
strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom ; for I
am prudent : and I have removed the bounds of the peoples,
and have robbed their treasures, and I have brought down as a
vaUant man ^them that sit on thrones : 14 and my hand hath found
as a nest the riches of the peoples ; and as one gathereth eggs
that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth : and there was
none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.
' Heb. visit upon. ^ Or, the inhabitants
had been aheady taken (w. 9, 11) ; and the inconsistency has led to the
V. being regarded as an insertion. It is certainly superfluous, «. 11
connecting naturally with ¦;;. 9. By Cheyne both v. 10 and u 11 (as
weU as V. 12) are considered to be interpolations on the ground that
the term idols is inappropriate in the mouth of an Assyrian.
12. Wherefore, etc. This v. (including Fm- he hath said in v. 13)
is in prose, and as it interrupts the Assyrian's soliloquy, may be an
insertion. his whole work. i.e. the correction of His people (xxviii. 21, cf.
V. 12, 19).
I will punish. Better ('with the LXK.), he will punish.
the fruit of the stout heart, i.e. the outcome (the vaunting) of his
self-confidence (ix. 9).
13. By the strength, etc. Sennacherib and other Assyrian kings
in their inscriptions do not, as here represented, arrogate to themselves
aU their successes, but ascribe them to the favour of the national God
Asshur \
the bounds of the peoples. The Assjn-ian policy of obliterating
national boundaries by the deportation of subjugated populations
(2 Kgs. xvi. 9, xvii. 6, 24) offended Hebrew religious sentiment, for the
bounds of nations were thought to have been fixed by the Lord
Himself (Deut. xxxii. 8).
as a valiant man. Perhaps better, as a Mighty One (i.e. a god,
cf i. 24). But the LXX. seems to have had Q'lJJ for "i'3»<3 and the text,
which seems defective, may be corrected (with Mitchell) to 1 have
brought down cities to the earth (Duhm, into the dust), and I have made
their inhabitants to perish (reading \\}W'' "i'?'"! °'"^V H?^ "•'"''^^O-
1 Sohrader, COT., i. pp. 240, 284.

76 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [x. 15-18
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him thatheweth therewith ?
shaU the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it ? as if a
rod should shake them that lift it up, or as if a staffs should lift
up him that is not wood.
16 Therefore shaU the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among
his fat ones leanness ; and ^ under his glory there shall be
kindled a burning like the burning of fire. 17 And the light of
Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame : and it
shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And he shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his
fruitful field, both soul and body : and it shall be ^as when a
^ Or, instead of ' Or, as when a sick man pineth away
15. Shall the axe, etc. The Assyrian's speech ends_ at v. 14, and
this V. is a comment upon it. His independence is imaginary, and his
self-assertion is as ridiculous as would be that of a tool or a staff
(cf V. 5) seeking to invert relations with a human being who used it ;
cf the similar rebuke in xxix. 16, xiv. 9. Cheyne rejects the v. as "an
ironical insertion like xxix. 16."
16 — 19. An announcement that the Assyrian's vaunted power
will be reduced to impotence.
The predicted disappearance of the martial strength that had
fostered the Assyrian's pride is represented under two incongruous
figures which are strangely entangled with one another — viz. the
wasting of a human body through disease, and the destruction of a
forest by fire. The mixture of metaphors has led Cheyne, Duhm, and
Marti to regard the section as non-Isaianic and late : cf Zech. xii. 6.
16. his fat ones, i.e. (possibly) his stalwart warriors (cf Ps.
Ixxviii. 31). But better (in this connection, see v. 18 mg.) his fat limbs
(cf Ps. x. 10, his strong ones, i.e. his strong limbs or claws), a figure for
his prosperous condition : cf xvii. 4.
leanness, A figure for adversity ; cf xxiv. 10 mg.
his glory, i.e. his nobles (cf v. 13 mg.), or preferably, his military
power and resources (cf viii. 7, xvii. 4), which wiU be annihilated : cf
xxxi. 8, xxxiii. 12.
17. the light of Israel, A title of the Lord, usuaUy expressive of
His power to illuminate and cheer (cf ii. 5, Ps. xxvii. I, xxxvi. 9), but
(since a source of light is ordinarily a source of heat) suggestive also
of His capacity to consume and annihilate (cf xxx. 27, Deut. ix. 3).
his thorns.,, briers. Brushwood burns easily, and the Assyrian
power will consume with equal rapidity : cf ix. 18, xxxiii. 12, Ps.
Ixxxiii. 14.
in one day. Not to be understood literally, but equivalent to
^'speedily" : cf ix. 14.
18. his fruitful field. Better, his plantation (or orchard). The

X.I9-"] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 'j'j
standardbearer fainteth. 19 And the remnant of the trees of
his forest shaU be few, that a child may write them.
20 And it shaU come to pass in that day, that the remnant
of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall
no more again stay upon him that smote them ; but shall stay
upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 ^A remnant
shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though ^hy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only
a remnant *of them shall return : a consumption is determined,
' Heb. shear jashub. See oh. vii. 3.
' Or, thy people, 0 Israel ' Heb. in it.
metaphor of the briers and thorns is here replaced by kindred ones :
cf the similar figures in xxxii. 19, Jer. xxi. 14, xlvi. 23.
soul and body. A phrase expressive of the completeness of the
disaster destined to overtake them. There is an abrupt change to the
figure of V. 16* : cf the combination of metaphors in xxviii. 18.
when a standardbearer, etc. Better (in harmony with the figure
of V. 16*), when a sick man wastes away (cf mg.).
19. And the remnant, etc. The writer returns to the metaphor
of the forest fire (vv. 16'' — 18*). So extensive wiU be the destruction
wrought that the trees left standing (i.e. the surviving Assyrian forces)
vriU be few enough for even a child to count.
20 — 23. The conversion, to the Lord, of the survivors in Judah.
This passage interrupts the connection between vv, 1% and 24, for
the therefore of v. 24, which introduces an exhortation to Israel to lay
aside its fears is the natural sequence of the encouraging prediction of
Assyria's discomfiture in w. 16 — 19 and not of a reminder that Judah
is to be aU but completely exterminated (vv. 22, 23). It is, moreover,
not fi-ee from intemal difficulty (see on v. 20). In view of these facts
many critics with some justice regard it as a late interpolation,
though reproducing Isaianic expressions (cf v. 20 with iv. 2, u 21 with
vu. 3, Heb., V, 23 with xxviii. 22).
20. him that smote them, i.e. Assyria. Judah relied for support
upon Assjrria in the reign of Ahaz (2 Kgs. xvi. 7), not in the reign of
Hezekiah (when the foreign power from which help was sought was
Egypt, xxx. 2, xxxi. 1).
in truth, i.e. sincerely and steadfastly ; cf xiii. 3.
21. shall return, i.e. shaU reverse the present distrustful attitude
ofthe nation : cf i. 26, 27, xxx. 15, ix. 13, xxxi. 6.
the mighty God, Or, the Divine Warrior : cf Jer. xxxii. 18,
Deut. X. 17.
22. For though... he, etc. Better (as in the mg.). For though thy
people, 0 Israel, he, etc. (Cf Gen. xxii. 17, xxxii. 12.)
a consumption, etc Better, destruction is decided upon, i.e. the
extermination of the sinful majority in Israel is irrevocably fixed :
cf Dan. ix. 27.

78 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [x. 23-26
overflowing with righteousness. 23 For a consummation, and
that determined, shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, make in the
midst of all the ^ earth.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, 0 my
people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of Hhe Assyrian :
though he smite thee with the rod, and Uft up his staff against
thee, after the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while,
and the indignation shall be accomplished, and ^mine anger, in
their destruction. 26 And the Lord of hosts shall stir up
against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock
of Oreb : and *his rod shall be over the sea, and he shaU lift it
' Or, land ' Heb. Asshur. ' Or, mine anger shall be to their <&c.
* Or, as his rod was over the sea, so shall he (&c.
overflowing with righteousness. The process of destruction, which
is hkened to a flood (cf viu. 8, xxviu. 15, 18), wUl be an execution of
justice (cf i. 27, v. 16).
The V. is used by St Paul in Rom. ix. 27, 28 of the exclusion of the
majority of the Jews from the privileges of Christianity.
23. For a consummation, etc. Better, For an end, and that a
decisive one, shall, etc The words are a citation, slightly modified, of
part of xxviii. 22 (which has also influenced Dan. ix. 27).
24 — 27. An exhortation to the inhabitants of Zion to patience and
hope. 24. Therefore, etc. This is the sequel oiv. 15 or 19.
after the manner, etc. i.e. as the Egyptian task-masters were wont
to do (Ex. u. 11, V. 14).
25. the indignation. Perhaps better (by a sUght addition), my
indignation (against Judah) : cf v. 5 and xxvi. 20.
and mine anger, etc. Better, and mine anger shaU turn to ihmr
(the Assyrians') destruction (reading 1?? (with two MSS.) for 'T).
26. stir up. Better, lift up or wield (2 Sam. xxiii. 18). For the
imagery cf xxx. 30 — 32.
as in the slaughter of. Better, like the smiting of. See Jud. vii.
25 ; cf ix. 4 (sup.) and Ps. Ixxxiii. 9 — 11. The rock of Oreb may have
meant originally "the Raven's rock'".
and his rod, etc. The mention of the sea is inappropriate in con
nection with the impending overthrow of Assjrria, and if the text is
retained the rendering must be and his rod (which was once stretched)
over the sea (Ex. xiv. 26, 27) he shall lift up, etc (cf mg.). But this is
awkward ; and the text should perhaps be corrected, with Winckler (ap.
Mitchell), to and his rod over them (the Assyrians) he shall lift up
(reading Kf'! ^^M for iNK'fl Qjn-^y).
1 Cf. En-hakkore, "the Partridge's spring" (Jud. xv. 19).

X27,28] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 79
up after the manner of Egypt. 27 And it shall come to pass in
that day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and
his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed
^because of ^the anointing.
28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron ; at
1 Or, by reason of fatness 2 Heb. oil.
after the manner, etc. i.e. as He Ufted it over the Egyptians (cf
Am. iv. 10).
27. his hwden. Although Hezekiah had thrown off the yoke of
Assyria before 701, the invasion of that year virtuaUy reimposed it.
because of the anointing, i.e. because of the consecrated character
of the Judsean people (cf Ps. cv. 15) ; but this is too obscurely ex
pressed to be the true sense. The mg. by reason of fatness impUes
that Judah, like an ox, wUl wax so lusty and vigorous (cf Deut. xxxii.
15) as to break its yoke by its restiveness ; but the tenor of the whole
passage is that deliverance wUl come to the nation not through its own
strength but through tbe intervention of the Lord. Hence Duhm
connects shall he destroyed with the previous clause, and emends the
remaining words to He is ascended from Pene Eimmon, transferring
them to the foUowing v. (reading jisi '.^?P nSr tSan^ for Vj? h^m
iPB^'.^f P)^. PcTie Eimmon (for this form of name cf Peniel, Gen.
xxxii. 30) is a hjrpothetical locality; but a rock of Eimmon' is
mentioned in Jud. xx. 45, 47, and a place 3^ m. E. of Bethel stiU
bears the name Eammon.
28 — 34. A description of the Assyrian advance towards Jerusalem,
and of its sudden fi-ustration.
The places named are, so far as they can be identified, aU N. of
Jerusalem ; so that the Assyrians must be supposed to be advancing
fi-om the direction of Samaria. When Sennacherib's army approached
Jerusalem in 701 it came from PhUistia in the S.W. (see xxxvi. 2), but
prophetic descriptions of the future were not so uniformly accurate
that the discrepancy necessitates the assignment of this section to
another date than 701 (e.g. 722, Cheyne). In the original, assonances
occur in connection with some of the place-names (cf Mic. i.).
28. He is come. The perfect tenses are prophetic perfects.
Aiath. i.e. Ai or Ayyah (1 Ch. vu. 28 mg.), 9 m. N.N.E. from
Jerusalem and rebuUt since Joshua's time (Josh. viii. 28), the mod.
Tell el Chajar-.
Migron. The mod. Makrun, north of Michmash; the Migron of
1 Sam. xiv. 2 was south of the latter place.
' W. R. Smith proposed (and the yoke from off thy neck) shall cease. A destroyer
hath ascended from thenorth (reading T1E5' ]Q^12 n?r '. ^''10'.) which has tbe advantage
of giring a nominative to the verba that follow in v. 28, but departs from the
received text further than Duhm's emendation. Duhm in ed. 2 accepts /'jn'..
^ Bimmon (RammS.n) was a Syrian god (2 Egs. v. 18).

80 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [x.29-

¦32

Michmash he layeth up his baggage : 29 they are gone over the
pass ; Hhey have taken up their lodging at Geba : Ramah
trembleth ; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 30 Cry aloud with thy
voice, 0 daughter of GalUm ! hearken, 0 Laishah ! ^O thou
poor Anathoth ! 31 Madmenah is a fugitive ; the inhabitants
of Gebun ^gather themselves to flee. 32 This very day shaU
he halt at Nob : he shaketh his hand at the mount of the
^daughter of Zion, the hiU of Jerusalem.
' Or, Geba is our lodging, they cry
^ Or, as otherwise read, answer her, 0 Anathoth!
¦^ Ot, make their households /cc * Another reading is, house.
Michmash. This, named in 1 Sam. xiu. 2, xiv. 31, etc., is the mod.
Muchmas, 7 m. from Jerusalem.
layeth up, etc. i.e. to facilitate the ascent of the southern slope of
the pass (v. 29).
29. the pass. i.e. the W^dy Suweinit, a defile separating
Michmash on the N. fi:om Geba on the S. (cf 1 Sam. xiu. 23,
xiv. 4, 5).
they home taken, etc. Better (with the Vulg.), Geba is our bivouac
(they cry): cf mg. The place (identified with the mod. Jeba) was
in Benjamin. Eamah. A tovm near the frontier ofthe Judaean territory (1 Kgs. xv.
17), the mod. Er-Edm, S.W. of Geba.
trembleth. The description (from here to the end oi v. 31) depicts
the alarm of the Judaean towns lying near the route foUowed by the
Assyrians. Gibeah of Saul. Saul's home (I Sam. x. 26) : probably the mod.
Tell-el-FUl, a little more than 4 m. from the capital.
30. Gallim... Laishah, These (the first is aUuded to in 1 Sam. xxv.
44) have not been identified with certainty.
0 thou poor Anathoth. The context is in favour of a verb rather
than an adjective, and the Syriac supports a different pointing (cf mg.)
0 Anathoth, answer her (<?''?i! for ^l^S) ; but the clause is paraUel to the
following (not the preceding), and MitcheU suggests Anathoth cowereth
(njp?l?). Anathoth (the birthplace of Jeremiah) is the mod. Andta,
3 m. N.E. of Jerusalem.
31. Madmenah. Thought to be the mod. Shafat.
Gebim. The site is unknown.
gather themselves, etc Perhaps better, make (their cattle) to flee
into safety (cf Ex. ix. 19).
32. Nob, A city where, in David's time, a community of priests
lived (I Sam. xxii. 11). The situation is not precisely known, but it
is conjectured to have been on Mount Scopus, where preparations would
be made for the assault upon Jerusalem.
shaketh, etc. A gesture of menace: cf xix. 16, xi. 15.
daughter. So the Heb. mg., LXX. and Vulg. : the Heb. text has home.

x.33,34] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 81
33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the boughs
with terror : and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down,
and the lofty shaU be brought low. 34 And he shall cut down
the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a
mighty one.
33. Behold, etc. The moment the enemy gets within sight of bis
goal, his career is arrested (cf xiv. 25, xvii. 14, xviii. 5, xxix. 7, xxxi.
5, xxxvii. 35 f).
the boughs. The figure of the forest (v. 18) is resumed, but it is here
represented as destroyed not by burning but by felling.
with terror. Better, with a shock (or crash), for which Duhm would
substitute with an axe (reading ^VKPI' for .nV"3KP3) : cf unth iron (v, 34).
34. and Lebanon. Better, and the Lebanon, a metaphor, like the
thickets of the forest, for the Assyrian host.
by a mighty one. i.e. the Lord. Some substitute a tool, to suit
the paralleUsm, but possibly the text should be emended (after the LXX.
avv TOts ii/nyXois, Vulg. cum excelsis) to with its mighty ones (i.e. its cedars)
— V-inKii for TIS?: cf Zech. xi. 2, Heb.

Chapter XL
This c. consists of two distinct sections (1) vv. 1 — 9, (2) vv, 11 — 16, together
with an intervening e. ( 10) designed to unite them. The flrst section foretells the
advent, and describes the equitable and pacific reign, of a gifted king of the
family of Darid ; whilst the second predicts a retum of Hebrew exiles from
various coimtries, and their future supremacy over neighbouring lands. The
two parts are of different origin and date.
XL 1—9.
This section forms an appropriate sequel to the preceding (x. 5 — 34), tc
which it affords an eflfective contrast, setting over against the arrested riolence
and arrogance of the Assyrian king the just and tranquil rule of a native prince,
and completing the description of Israel's tribulation and rescue with a picture
of its final felicity (cf the relation of xxxii. 1 — 8 to c. xxxi.). But though the
section, in relation to the prerious c, is artistically in place, it is probably
separate in date, and may be assigned to a time when the Assyrians had
completely withdrawn from Judah.
The correspondence in attributes and functions between the child whose
birth is predicted in ix. 6, 7 and the ruler here described (vv, 1 — 5) is exceed
ingly close. As the first is to be entitled Wonderful Counsellor and Divine
Warrior, is to sit on the throne of Darid, to rule vrith righteousness, and to
establish a reign of peace, so the second is to be endued with the spirit of
counsel and might, to spring from the same stock as David, to judge with
equity, and to diffuse a peace embracing even the animal creation. The
resemblance makes it clear that the writer on both occasions had before him
w. I. 6

82 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xi.1,2
the same ideal figure, though the description in the present passage is the more
elevated and spiritual There is no suflBcient reason to doubt that both passages
were composed by Isaiah, and several objections advanced against both in
common have already been considered (see p. 62). In addition, it has been
urged against the authenticity of the present section that (a) it presupposes the
fall of the Daridic dynasty (v, 1) and so could only have been vmtten after the
destruction of Jewish independence ; (6) that the hope of a universal peace, ex
tending even to the animal creation, is only paralleled in post-Isaianic composi
tions (lxv. 25, Hab. iL 14). But (a) v, 1 does not necessitate the conclusions drawn
from it (see note) ; and (6) the hope of a retum to the conditions of the Golden
Age of the past (Gen. ii. especially vv, 19, 20) cannot be deemed more improbable
in the eighth than in subsequent centuries.
XI. 1 And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock
of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit : 2 and the
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
XI. 1. a shoot... a branch. For the appUcation of the terms to the
offshoot of a family see xiv. 19, Dan. xi. 7 : cf Ipvos and ot.o<; in Greek
(Hom. //. II. 540, "&\i<j>rivmp o^o's 'Aprjo's). See also Jer. xxiu. 5, xxxiii.
15, Zech. iii. 8 (though a different word is used).
It is apparently this prophecy which in St Matthew's Gospel (ii. 23)
is regarded as fulfilled by our Lord's residence at Nazareth (the name
of which the writer associates with the Heb. for branch, 1??.).
the stock of Jesse. It is implied that the coming Ruler is to be of
the royal Judsean house (cf ix. 7), which has suffered severely (in
common with the nation, x. 12, 24), but has not been removed firom its
native soil: contrast Ezek. xvii. 4, 22, 23. The expression stock of
Jesse is used, instead of the more natural stock of David (cf Rev. v. 5,
xxii. 16), the better to suggest that the future Prince is himself to be a
second David (cf Mic. v. 2).
shall bear fruit. The renderings of the LXX., Syr. and Vulg. have
suggested the emendation shall bud (IT!!?', for '^'^P'!).
2. and the spirit, etc. The spirit of the Lord was deemed the
source of all personal endowments or conditions beyond tbe ordinary
(see Jud. iii. 10, vi. 34, xi. 29, xiii. 25, xiv. 6, 19, Ex. xxxi. 3,
Num. xi. 25, 1 Sam. x. 6, xi. 6, xvi. 13, Is. xxviii. 6, xxxii. 15, Joel u.
28). Here it confers upon the Messiah the highest exceUences of mind
and character, as estimated by the needs of the times (for the duty of
a Hebrew king was to deal justice to his subjects, and to lead them in
battle against their foes (see I Sam. viu. 5, 20, 1 Kgs. iii. 9 : cf 2 Sam.
XV. 2, 4, 2 Kgs. XV. 5, Jer. xxi. 12, Ps. kxii. 3, 4)). Hence of the three
pairs of attributes with which he is to be invested the first are
the intellectual faculties of the judge (cf Deut. i. 13, 1 Kgs. iii. 9, 12),
the second the practical qualities of the administrator and warrior
(cf xxxvi. 5), and the third the fundamental principles of all moral
life (Prov. ix. 10, Ps. cxi. 10).

XI. 3-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 83
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 and ^his ^deUght
shall be in the fear of the Lokd : and he shall not judge after
the sight of his eyes, neither * reprove after the hearing of his
ears : 4 but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and
reprove with equity for the meek of the *earth : and he shaU
smite the * earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath
of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall
be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shaU
1 Or, he shall be of quick understanding ^ Heb. scent.
= Or, decide * Or, land
3. his delight, etc. LiteraUy, his smelling (cf Gen. viii. 21, 1 Sam.
xxvi. 19, Am. v. 21). If the clause is genuine, it describes tbe king's
satisfaction in the piety of his subjects. But it is metrically redundant
and is probably a corrupt repetition of the last clause oi v. 2.
he shall not judge, etc. In the dispensing of justice (a function of
the Messiah in Jer. xxiu. 5, xxxiii. 15) he will not be misled by appear
ances or misrepresentations, but wiU be empowered to discern the truth
vrith unfaUing certainty; cf xxviii. 6, 2 Sam. xiv. 20.
reprove. Better (as in the mg.), decide or arbitrate (and so in v. 4).
4. the meek of the earth. Better (by a slight emendation of one
word), the needy of the land ("^l? for '')iV, cf Sym. tov^ tttwxov's rrj^ yv^),
since a word denoting not a disposition but a condition is required, and
since the sphere of the Messiah's authority is Judah (v, 9*), not the
whole world : cf. the paraUelism in x. 2, xxvi. 6.
smite the earth, i.e. the impious inhabitants of the earth (or land) :
cf xiii. 1 1. But in view of the paraUelism, better (by a slight correction)
smite the terrible (or the tyrant), reading yil^ for H? (cf xxix. 20).
the rod of his mouth, etc. His sentences upon offenders wiU be
executed with immediateness and inerrancy, like those of the Lord
Himself (cf Hos. vi. 5, and see 2 Kgs. v. 27 ; cf 2 Th. ii. 8, Acts v.
1 — 10). The breath of his lips is a synon3rm for "his word" (as in Ps.
xxxiii. 6). The rule of the Messiah will prevent the recurrence of the
wrongs that have previously excited tbe Divine anger (i. 15, 23, iii. 15,
V. 7, X. 2).
5. righteousness,,. faithfulness. The qualities named will be his
equipment for the discharge of his duties, a girdle (to loop up the
flowing Eastern dress) being regularly worn by men engaged in active
exertion (see v. 27). For the metaphor cf. the parallel figures in bci. 3,
10, 1 Sam. ii. 4, Job xxix. 14, Ps. cix. 18, 19 : also Eph. vi. 14.
the girdle of his reins. Better (after the Vulg., which renders girdle
in the two clauses by different words), the cinctwre of his reins (ll^n for
li'??). 6. And the wolf, etc. The abolition of blood-thirstiness amongst
beasts of prey enters into the prophet's description of the conditions
prevailing under the Messiah's rule, partly because conceptions of the
6—2

84 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xi.7-9
lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together ; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the
cow and the bear shaU feed ; their young ones shall lie down
together : and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned
child shall put his hand on the ^basiUsk's den. 9 They shaU
not hurt nor destroy in aU my holy mountain : for the earth
shall be fuU of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover
the sea. 1 Or, adder's
Golden Age of the future naturally reproduced those of the past
(and myths doubtless survived amongst the Hebrews, as amongst some
other nations, of a time when animals were harmless and friendly to man,
cf Gen. ii. 19), and partly because the mischief wrought by savage
animals in Palestine (where wolves, bears, leopards and lions were
common) was so serious that the removal of it was likely to figure in
any picture of a happy era to come (cf Hos. ii. 18).
and the fatling. The symmetry of the clause is improved by
Duhm's emendation shall be fattened ('^''13- for '<'1'?''), which suppUes a
verb. Other critics would substitute shall graze (D'yi for Knp-lj;
LXX. PotTKrjOrjiTOVTai.
7. shall feed. Better, shall graze. The LXX. adds together (cf
lxv. 25) ; but possibly the verb should be emended to shall be friends
(n^'irjrin (cf Prov. xxu. 24) for r\y'Xm).
eat straw. This probably reproduces a feature in the legends of the
Creation, though of the Biblical records it is only Gen. i. 29, 30 (P)
that represents herbs as having once been the meat of aU living
things. 8. the asp. The asp is the m^era aspw ; but some have thought that
the snake meant is the Egs^ptian cobra (Naja haje), cf. Ps. Iviii. 4, 5.
the basilisk. The serpent to which the name is applied by
naturalists is a native of Africa, and does not occur in Palestine,
and the creature here mentioned has been thought to be the yellow
viper (Dahoia xanthirm), but see on lix. 5.
den. Or lair. This rendering implies an emendation ifV^ for
rcilKp ; cf LXX. KOM-17, Vulg. caverna) : the received text perhaps
means glistening eyeball, by which the child must be supposed to be
attracted as by a flashing gem.
9. They. The pronoun refers comprehensively to both mankind and
the animal world : men, as weU as beasts, wiU be divested of their evil
qualities; cf iv. 3, Ix. 21.
all my holy mountain, i.e. the hill country of Judaea (cf Ivii. 13,
Ex. XV. 17, Josh. xi. 21). The phrase (in which the possessive adjective
my refers to the Lord) is isolated in Isaiah.
the earth. Better (in view of the parallel clause), the land.
The authenticity of this v. has been suspected, for the first half
occurs in lxv. 25 and the second half, slightly varied, in Hab. ii. 14 ;

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 85
and it has been thought that these are the original sources, lxv. 25,
however, comprises not only v. 9* but also fi-agments of vv. 6, 7, and
consequently appears to be dependent upon the present passage, which
is brought to an appropriate conclusion by this v., and would end
abruptly without it. Additional Note on m. 1 — 9.
The resemblance to this prophecy displayed by Vergil's Fourth Eclogue (see
especially vv. 13, 14, 21, 22, 24, 25)' has led some to the conclusion that the Roman
writer was acquainted directly or indirectly with Isaiah's prediction or with ideas
borrowed from it (see Merivale, Hist, of the Romans under the Empire, in.
p. 247, ed. 1875). To explain the supposed connection, it has been suggested
that Vergil in this poem was indebted to some oracle, passing as Sibylline
(cf V. 4), which came from the East, and incorporated Hebrew beliefs and
expectations (see J. B. Mayor, Vergil's Messianic Eclogue, p. 104 f )'. But the
points of likeness between the Eclogue and Isaiah are not really so remarkable
as to require to be thus accounted for. It is more probable that Vergil, influ
enced by the hopes raised by the peace of Brundisium (b.c 40), merely elaborated,
and transferred to the future, the description of the Golden Age of the past
which was given flrst by Hesiod (Op. 109 — 119 (120)), and which he has made
use of in Georg. i. 125—135 (cf Grid, M. i. 89—112). The abolition of human
wickedness and a change in the instincts of savage beasts and deadly serpents
are suflSciently natural features in any ideal picture of earthly peace and felicity
to have occurred independently to more than one writer'; nor is it surprising
that both a Hebrew prophet and a Roman poet should have associated the
dawn of a new era for their respective countries with the advent of a scion of
the ruling house.
^ Te duce, si qua manent sceleris vestigia nostri,
Irrita perpetua solvent formidine terras.

Ipsae lacte domum referent distenta capellae
Ubera, nee magnos metuent armenta leones.
Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni
Occidet.
' Gesenius quotes from Oracula Sibyllina, rir. 478 f. (a section supposed to have
been written in the second century by an Alexandrian Jew) verses which have
obriously been influenced by Is. xi. 6 — 8.
iy Se \iK0i re Kal dpves iv oSpeaiv afipis (Sovrai
Xbprov, vapddXih t ipiipois dp.a ^oaKTiffovTOi,
&PKTOL uifv ixbax^^^ v6p.a54s t adXtaO'^ffovrai,
aapxbpopbs re 'Kiwv axvpov (pdyerai. irapb, (j>a,Tvj)i,
ojs ^oOs* Kal iraides p.d\a v^irioc kv be(yp.o7{Ti.v
t^ovaiv ¦ irrfpos yap iid x^'"'l ^vpa TTT'^fei,
ffiiv ^pitjtefflv re SpdKovres afi affTrifn Koip.'/iffovrai
Koix aSLKi](Tov(nv ^eip ykp Btov latrer iir airois.
s Cf. Hor. Epodes xvi. 51, 52 (of the isles of the Blest)
Nee vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovile,
Neque intumescit alta viperis humus.
Cf. also Theoo. Id. xxiv. 86, 87.

86 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xi. la
XL 10—16.
This section predicts a gathering of the heathen to seek instruction ft'om the
Messiah, a restoration of Hebrew exiles, and an extension of Hebrew rule over
neighbouring peoples. The passage is linked to the foregoing vv. I — 9 by the
reference, in v. 10, to the root of Jesse ; but the general tenor alike of this v.
(which is detached in some measure from the following) and of vv. 11 — 16 is
against their being Isaianic in origin. Both (a) the contents and (V) the
phraseology render it probable that the whole section (ve. 10 — 16) proceeds
from a later age than Isaiah's, (a) The retum of exiles predicted in ». 11
implies a dispersion of a far more extensive character than is likely to have
taken place in the eighth century. In Isaiah's time the country where most
Hebrew captives were to be found was Assyria, whither numbers had been de
ported from both Israel (2 Kgs. xv. 29, xrii. 6) and Judah (see on xxxri. 1); but
here the places whence exiles are represented as about to retum include coun
tries as far remote as Elam ^ in the B., Ethiopia in the 8., and the Mediterranean
coasts in the W. (though see note): So wide-spread a dispersion seems to suit
best an exilic or post-exilic date, when, after the destmction of Jerusalem by
Babylon, the Jews were naturally distributed over many regions. And it is to
the latter period that a prediction like that in v. 10 can most plausibly be
assigned; for the marvel of the Retum in 537 was the event which created the
anticipation that tho heathen would be attracted to Israel and would seek
to know Israel's God (cf xiv. 22 — 25). (6) The vocabulary, whilst including
several expressions which occur in authentic prophecies of Isaiah, comprises
many that do not. Even of the Isaianic words employed (ensign, seek unto,
remnant, depart, shake his hand, etc.) two are used in an exceptional way (see
notes on Z7». 10, 11); whilst ofthe words and expressions that do not occur else
where in Isaiah (e.g. isles (or coastlands) ofthe sea, outcasts of Israel, corners
(or wings) of the earth), some are found only in exilic or post-exilic writings
(see notes). In riew of these facts, the passage can scarcely be earUer than the
age of the Exile, and is probably post-exilic.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of
Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him
shaU the nations seek ; and his resting place shaU be ^glorious.
1 Heb. glory.
XI. 10. This «. possibly proceeds from an editor, who inserted it
to unite vv. 11 — 16 with vv. 1 — 9.
the root of Jesse. The term here does not bear the sense it has in
V. 1, but is equivalent to the branch or shoot (Uii. 2^ destined to spring
frona the root, viz. the Messianic King himself The passage is the
original of the figure in Rev. v. 5, xxii. 16.
an ensign. The word here does not denote a signal to convey an
announcement (as in y. 26, xviii. 3, xlix. 22), but a standard indicating
a raUying point, and is applied figuratively to the Messiah.
1 This might possibly be regarded as under Assyrian rule.

XI. ii,ii] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 87
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord
^shaU set his hand again the second time to ^recover the
remnant of his people, which shall remain, from Assyria, and
from Egypt, and from Pathros, and fi-om Gush, and fi-om Elam,
and fi-om Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the ^islands of
the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and
' Or, shall again the second time recover with his hand
^ Or, purchase See Ex. xv. 16. ' Or, coastlands
unto him, etc. To the Jewish Messiah the nations of the earth will
have recourse, as to an oracle (viii. 19, xix. 3). Jerusalem is here re
garded as the centre of Divine revelations for all nations (as in ii. 2 — 4)
and the Messiah of vv. 1 — 9 as the mouthpiece of them. The v. (in
the LXX.) is appUed by St Paul in Rom. xv. 12 to the conversion of
the Gentiles to Christ.
his resting place. Or his abode (xxxii. 18, Mic. ii. 10, Gen. xlix. 15,
Num. X. 33, Ps. cxxxii. 8, 14), i.e. Zion. The promise resembles
k. 5.
11. shall set, etc. The Heb. has no verb, and the text should
perhaps be corrected after the LXX. (which has rrpoadrja-a tov Sci^ai tV
Xo-pa, K.T.X.) to shall lift up his hand (with the omission of the second
time), reading with Marti ^W for n^JB' : of xlix. 22.
again. The previous occasion thought of is either the Exodus (cf
V. 16), or if the section is post-exilic, the first return of exiles from
Babylon in 537.
to recover. LiteraUy, to purchase, a word used in connection with
the deliverance of the Exodus (Ex. xv. 16, cf. Ps. Ixxiv. 2).
the remnant. In vii. 3 mg., x. 20, 21, xxviii. 5 this is used of those
who survive a national disaster in their own country, but here is applied
to exiles in a foreign land.
A ssyria. This may denote Persia, which, through its overthrow of
Babylon, the successor of Assyria, had come into possession of the
Ass3Tian dominions : cf Ezra vi. 22.
Pathros. i.e. Upper Egypt, in the valley of the Nile, S. of
Memphis (Jer. xliv. 1, 15), as distinguished from Mizraim, or Lower
Egypt, in the Delta.
Cush. i.e. Ethiopia (the mod. Nuhia), lying S. of Syene (Assouan)
(Ezek. xxix. 10 mg.).
Elam. The country on the N.E. of the Persian Gulf of which Susa
was the capital.
Shinar. i.e. Babylonia. For Hamath see on x. 9.
the islands of the sea. i.e. the Mediterranean coasts. The word
rendered islands (better, as in the mg., coastlands) is very frequent
in the exilic and post-exilic cc. xl. — Ixvi. (see p. xlix, Ixvii), but the
combination islands of the sea only recurs again in xxiv. 15 (non-
Isaianic) and Esth. x. 1. The words are omitted by the LXa.
12. an ensign. The word here has its ordinary sense of a signal

88 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xi. 13-15
shaU assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah fi-om the four corners of the earth. 13 The
envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex ^Judah
ahall be cut off : Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shaU
not vex Ephraim. 14 And they shall fly down upon the shoulder
of the Philistines on the west ; together shall they spoil the
children of the east : they shall put forth their hand upon
Edom and Moab ; and the children of Ammon shaU obey them.
15 And the Lokd shall ^utterly destroy the tongue of the
Egyptian sea ; and with his ^scorching wind shaU he shake his
^ Or, in Judah ^ Heb. devote. According to some ancient versions, dry up.
' According to some ancient versions, mighty.
(v. 26, xviii. 3), designed to direct the heathen to restore the Hebrews
whom they hold captive (see xiv. 2, xlix. 22, Ix. 4, Ixii. 10, Ixvi. 20).
the outcasts of Israel, etc. Literally, the outcast men of Israel, , ,
the dispersed women of Judah (the variety of gender being used to
render the expression more comprehensive).
13. The envy, etc. i.e. the envy (felt by Judah) for Ephraim,
corresponding to they that (in Ephraim) vex Judah (LXX. 01 ex^pol
'louSa). The re-union of the two branches of the family of Jacob,
sundered after the death of Solomon and frequently at war with one
another whilst they existed as states (1 Kgs. xii. 19, xiv. 30, xv. 16,
2 Kgs. xiv. 11 — 12, xvi. 5), was a subject of hope (Hos. i. 11, iii. 15).
14. And they shall fly, etc. i.e. like a bird of prey (cf Hab. i. 8
of the Chaldeans). The schemes of territorial conquest here outlined
contrast strikingly with the purely ethical conception of the ideal
King in vv. 1 — 9.
the shoulder, etc. The phrase refers to the situation of the PhiUstine
territory on the slopes of the Shephelah ; cf the use of the term in
Num. xxxiv. II, Josh. xv. 8, 11, xviii. 12, and the parallel expression
employed in Gen. xlviii. 22 (mg.).
the children of the east. The wandering Arabs of the Syrian desert
(see Jud. vi. 3). The Philistines, the Edomites, the Moabites, and the
Ammonites had all been subdued by David (2 Sam. viii. 1, 2, 14,
xii. 26 — 31), and the re-united branches of the Hebrew people are to
subjugate their lands : cf Am. ix. 12, Ob. iw. 18, 19, Zeph. ii. 4 — 9.
15. utterly destroy. The verb, which means literaUy deiwte or
place under a han, and is properly applicable only to the extermination
of a people (see on xxxiv. 2), is here inappropriate, and is best corrected
{after the LXX.) to dry up (^'inni. for l^^iprii. ; the converse emendation
is required in xxxvii. 18). All physical obstacles to the return of the
dispersed Israelites will be removed.
the tongue, etc. Perhaps the Gulf of Suez ; for tongue in the
sense of hay or gulf cf Josh. xv. 2, 5, xviii. 19.
with his scorching wind. Literally, with the heat of his wind, but

XI..6-XII.1] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 89
hand over the River, and shaU smite it into seven streams, and
cause men to march over dryshod. 16 And there shall be an
high way for the remnant of his people, which shall remain, from
Assyria ; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up
out of the land of Egypt.
as the word rendered hmt does not occur elsewhere, it should perhaps
be corrected (after the Vulg. infortitudine spiritus sui, confirmed by the
LXX.) to with the strength of his wind (DW'S'? for D^p) : cf mg. The
expression is probably misplaced, and should be attached to the
preceding clause dry up, etc. (cf Ex. xiv. 21, ofthe Red Sea).
the Eiver. i.e. the Euphrates (vii. 20, viii. 7, 1 Kgs. iv. 24, etc.).
This is to be parted into a number of smaU water-courses, shallow enough
for traveUers to ford without removing their sandals ^
16. an high way, etc. i.e. a raised causeway (see ou xxxv. 8)
constructed across the desert separating Assyria (i.e. Babylonia (cf
Zech. X. 10) or Persia) firom Palestine.

Chapter XII.
This c, which forms the conclusion of the collection cc. i. — xii., is a thanks
giring. That Isaiah is not its author is probable from the facts (a) that it
contains several words and thoughts which are strange to his writings but are
common in the Psalms (see notes) ; (6) that it seems to have been composed
>rith the post-Isaianic section xi. 10 — 16 in view, and if so, cannot be earUer
than the latter. It may therefore with some reason be considered to be of
post-exihc origin (see p. 86).
The thanksgiring consists in reaUty not of one song, but of two songs,
(1) vv. I* — 2; (2) vv. 4''— 6; which are introduced by short prefaces vv. l" and
3 — 4* distinguished respectively by the use of the 2nd sing, and the 2nd plur.
XII. 1 And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks
unto thee, 0 Lord ; for though thou wast angry with me, ^thine
' Or, let thine anger turn away, and comfort thou me
XII. 1 — 2. The first song. An expression of gratitude to the
Lord for a recent mercy, and of confidence in Him for the future.
1. in that day. i.e. the day when the exiles are restored and
re-united : cf xxv. 9, xxvi. 1, xxvii. 2.
thou. i.e. the coUective people, who have been rescued.
thau wast angry. The original recurs in Ps. ii. 12, Ix. 1, Ixxix. 5,
Ixxxv. 5, etc, but is not found elsewhere in this book.
1 Cyrus (Hdt. i. 189) is related to have divided the Euphrates (in which one of
his sacred white horses had been drowned) into 360 channels, so that women could
ford it without wetting their knees.

90 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xii..-6
anger is tumed away, and thou comfortest me. 2 Behold, God
is my salvation ; I will trust, and will not be afraid : for Hhe
Lord jehovah is my strength and song ; and he is become my
salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the
wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say. Give thanks
unto the Lord, ^call upon his name, declare his doings among
the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto
the Lord ; for he hath done ^excellent things : *let this be known
in all the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout, thou ^inhabitant of
Zion : for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
^ Heb. Jah Jehovah. " Or, proclaim his name ' Or, gloriously
* Or, this is made known ^ Heb. inhabitress.
is turned away. The rendering implies a slight correction of the
Heb. The expression comfortest recalls Deutero-Isaiah (xl. I, xlix. 13):
cf Zech. i. 17.
2. the Lord Jehovah. Literally, Jah Jehovah ; but one of
the names should probably be omitted (with the LXX. and Vulg.).
The clause is borrowed from Ex. xv. 2 : cf also Ps. cxviu. 14.
3—6. The second song. An exhortation to declare throughout
the world the Lord's great acts.
3. shall ye draw. The several units of the community are here
addressed, instead of the personified aggregate (as in v. 1).
out of the wells of salvation, i.e. from the source of deUverance,
viz. the Lord (cf Jer. ii. 13, xvii. 13, Ps. Ixxxvii. 7, Joh. iv. 14).
4. Give thanks, etc. For the general tenor of the v. cf Ps. cv.
1—2. call upon his name. Better (as in the mg.), proclaim his name,
i.e. celebrate (among the heathen) His character and attributes (cf Ex.
xxxiii. 19, xxxiv. 5).
his doings. The original is used of Divine actions elsewhere only in
Ps. ix. II (cv. I, 1 Ch. xvi. 8), Ixxvii. 12, Ixxviu. 11, cui. 7.
5. hath done excellent things. Better, hath wrought majestically.
6. inhabitant of Zion. Literally, inhabitress of Zion (cf Jer. h.
35, and the similar expressions in Jer. xlvi. 19, Mic. i. 11), the coUec
tive citizens being personified as a woman.

SECOND COLLECTION OF ISAIAH'S PROPHECIES.
CHAPTERS XIIL— XXVIL
In this series, forming the second division of Proto-Isaiah, the prophecies
comprised in cc. xiu. — xxiii. are, with a few exceptions, described as burdens
or oracles. This general characteristic suggests that these cc. may have once
composed an independent coUection, a conclusion conflrmed by the opening title,
in which the addition to Isaiah's name of that of his father (as though the

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 91
prophet's writings were introduced to the reader for the first time) seems to
imply that the coUection was not always preceded by cc. ii. — xu., where Isaiah's
name and parentage also occur (ii. 1). The four passages in these cc. lacking
titles were perhaps incorporated subsequently. The bulk of the prophecies
relate to foreign nations. Their origin is varied, for whilst some (including all
those without superscriptions) undoubtedly proceed from Isaiah, others bear
manifest traces of another age and origin.
The last four cc, xxiv. — xxvii., constitute a single prophecy of late, though
imcertain, date. By some critics this group of cc. is included vrithin the third
division of Proto-Isaiah: but there appear to be preponderant reasons for
attaching them to the second (see p. iv).

Chapter XIIL 1— XIV. 23.
This section constitutes an oracle relating to Babylon. It consists of two
parts, each with a supplement : (i) a prediction in poetic form of the overthrow
of Babylon (xiii. 1 — 22), to which is attached a passage in prose (xiv. 1 — 4'),
foreteUing the release of the IsraeUte people held captive there, and introduc
ing the second part ; (ii) an ode or triumph-song by Israel over the descent of
the king of Babylon into the Under-world (xiv. 4'' — 21), to which is appended
an additional prediction respecting the complete destruction of Babylon itself
(xiv. 22—23).
This section in the editorial superscription is attributed to Isaiah, who in
xxxix. 6 is represented as predicting for Judah a period of captivity in
Babylon. A comparison, however, of the historical situation implied in the
prophecy and of the pecuharities of its vocabulary with the poUtical conditions
of Isaiah's time and the characteristic phraseology of his vpritings affords good
grounds for regarding the statement as an error. (1) The prophecy assumes
(a) that Babylon is a sovereign power that has long enjoyed supremacy over
other peoples (xiii. 11, xiv. 5, 6, 16, 17); (6) that its overthrow is imminent
(xiii. 3, 4, 22) and that the agents destined to accomplish its destruction are
the Medes (xiii 17) ; (c) that Israel is actuaUy in exUe in Babylon and about to
be deUvered from it (xiv. I, 2, cf xiv. 17). But in Isaiah's age a very difi'erent
state of things existed, and to his contemporaries the foregoing aUusions would
have been uninteUigible. (a) It was Assyria, not Babylon, that was then the
dominant power in Westem Asia, and it was not until 607 that the former was
supplanted by the latter ; but of the overthrow of Assyria by Babylon there is
no prediction here, aa there is in Nahum and Zephaniah. (h) If Isaiah was
acquainted with the name of the Medes (as is no doubt possible, cf 2 Kgs.
xvii. 6, xviii II), he must have known of them as a subject people of the
Assyrian empire, whose sympathies were Ukely to be on the side of Babylon
and not against her, and who in 607 united with the Babylonians to destroy
Nineveh, the Assyrian capital (p. Iii). It was not untU the middle of the
sixth century, when Cyrus became mler of Media, that the Medes menaced
Babylon itself with destmction. (c) Though Isaiah predicted captirity for
many of his countrymen (v. 13, 14, cf xxu. 1—14), it was the Assyrians whom
he expected to be the agents of their chastisement (viii 8, x. 5, 6), and if he

92 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiii. i
thought of Babylonia as the scene of their exile (xxxix. 6, 7), it could only be
because it was often a subject prorince of Assyria (cf 2 Kgs. xrii. 24). The
situation presented in these cc. thus does not correspond with any that Isaiah
is Ukely to have foreseen, but with conditions that existed at a much later
period ; and a prophecy of the termination of a captirity, the beginning of
which is not also predicted, is only intelUgible on the hypothesis that the
prophet was contemporaiy with that captirity. In agreement with the con
clusion that the writer lived in the time of the Babylonian exUe are the
rindictive satisfaction manifested over Babylon's downfaU, which is natural
only in one who had actually witnessed her oppression of his countrymen,
and the character of some of the ideas and beliefs that here find expression,
which include Babylonian conceptions with which a Hebrew would scarcely
become acquainted before the exile (see on xiv. 12, 13). (2) The style and
vocabulary of the prophecy are to some extent divergent from Isaiah's.
Though a certain number of expressions occur which have parallels in Isaiah's
writings, there are various words and tums of speech which are foreign to
them, and found chiefly in late compositions. The descriptions are more
elaborated than is usually the case with Isaiah's; and the writer's qualities are
poetical rather than rhetorical.
If for these reasons the origin of the section is rightly assigned to the Exile
(587 — 537)', the period within which it must have been vmtten can with some
plausibiUty be stiU further narrowed, for not only must it have been composed
before the capture of Babylon by Cyrus in 538, inasmuch as the fate of both
Babylon and its king diflfered from the anticipations here expressed, but even
before 549, since there is no mention of Cyrus, who became king of the Medes
{here represented as the agents of Babylon's overthrow) in that year. Hence
the date of the prophecy may be flxed at some time between 587 and 549, and
probably shortly before the latter year. Whether the two poems of which it
consists, and which are both written in the same metre as the elegies in
i 21 — 26 and cc. xv. and xlvii, were the work of one writer or not there is
nothing to determine. The two prose passages, that respectively unite the
first poem to the second and conclude the latter, are presumably the composi
tion of the editor. The section manifests a certain likeness in spirit and in
tone to Jer. 1., li, which were probably written shortly before the faU of
Babylon (Driver, LOT. pp. 266—268).
Chapter XIIL
XIII. 1 The ^burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of
Amoz did see.
1 Or, oracle conceming
XIII. 1. The burden of Better (as in the ing.), Oracle concerning
(and so in (xiv. 28), xv. 1, xvii. 1, xix. I, xxi. 1, 11, 13, xxiii. 1). The
word, which seems to mean literally a lifting up of the voice, is especiaUy
1 The parallels between these co. and co. xl. — ^Iv. (Exilic) are numerous :
cf. xiii. 5 with xlvi. 11, xiv. 2 with xlix. 22, xiv. 1 with Iv. 5, xiv. 7 (break forth into
Mnging) with xliv. 23, xlix. 13, liv. I, Iv. 12.

xm.a-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 93
2 Set ye up an ensign upon the bare mountain, Uft up the
voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates
of the nobles. 3 I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea,
I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even ^my proudly
exulting ones. 4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains,
like as of a great people ! the noise of a tumult of the kingdoms
of the nations gathered together ! the Lord of hosts mustereth
the host for the battle. 5 They come from a far country, from
' Or, them that exult in my majesty
used of the utterances ascribed to the Lord (Jer. xxiii. 33, Ezek. xii.
10, 2 Kgs. ix. 25, though see Prov. xxx. 1, xxxi. 1).
2 — 22. An announcement of the Lord's purpose to destroy Babylon
through the agency of the Medes.
2. Set ye up. The command (spoken by the Lord, v. 3) is addressed
to all capable of executing it (cf xl. 1).
the bare mountain. Better, a bare mountain, where it would be
most conspicuous.
wave the hand. i.e. beckon (contrast Isaiah's use of the phrase in
X. 32). they. i.e. Babylon's distant foes, the Medes (see v. 17).
the gates of the nobles, i.e. the gates of the city whose inhabitants
are the haughty tyrants of the world (xiv. 5, cf Job xxi. 28).
3. my consecrated ones. The expression ("for which cf Mic. iii. 5,
Jer. xxii. 7, li. 27, 28) reflects the reUgious character which attached
in ancient times to soldiers on active service. When the army of a
people went on an expedition, its god was thought to accompany it,
Nergal (for example) being represented as going before Shalmaneser,
whilst the Ark of the Lord accompanied the marches and expeditions
ofthe IsraeUtes (Num. x. 35, 36, cf 1 Sam. iv. 3, 2 Sam. xi. II), whose
wars were the "wars of the Lord" (Num. xxi. 14, cf Ex. xvii. 16).
Hence precautions had to be taken against provoking the Divine
anger by any defilement in the camp or on the march (Deut. xxiii. 9,
1 Sam. xxi. 5), sacrifices were offered before the force started (1 Sam.
vii. 9, xiii. 9, cf Hom. P. n. 400), and probably the soldiers' weapons
were hallowed (1 Sam. xxi. 5, where vessels = arms). Similar ideas
probably lie behind the Eoman lustration of arms (W. W. Fowler, The
Eoman Festivals, p. 58), and perhaps the Homeric phrase Upo<s oTparos.
for mine anger, i.e. as agents to execute it; LXX. TrXrjpiSo-ai rov
Ov/jLov /xov. The expression should be transferred to the first clause.
4. The noise of a multitude, etc. Better, Hark ! (xl. 3, hi. 8)
a tumult in the mountains, etc. The mountains are the chain of
Mt Zagrus beyond the Tigris where the Medes were mustering.
the noise of a tumult, etc. Better, hark! the uproar of kingdoms, of
nations gathered together (pointing rii3?PP). With the Medes were
united the Elamites (xxi. 2).
5. from a far- country. The same phrase is used in connection

94 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xni.6-io
the uttermost part of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons
of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. 6 Howl ye ; for
the day of the Lord is at hand; as destruction from ^the
Almighty shall it come. 7 Therefore shall all hands be feeble,
and every heart of man shall melt : 8 and they shall be
dismayed ; ^pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them ; they
shall be in pain as a woman in travail : they shall be amazed
one at another ; their faces shall he faces of flame. 9 Behold,
the day of the Lord cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger;
to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof
out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations
1 Heb. Shaddai. See Gen. xvii. 1.
2 Or, they shall take hold of pangs and sorrows
with (]lyTus (xlvi. 11) ; the unfamiliarity of the invaders increases the
dread of them.
the whole land. Perhaps better, the whole earth (and so in v. 9,
cf v. 11 ; LXX. Trjv oiKovp-ivriv 6kr)v), The chastisement of a world-
power like Babylon is described as a universal judgment: cf xiv. 26.
6. Howl ye. Perhaps addressed by the prophet to the Babylonians.
the day of the Lord, The phrase here designates the day of
Divine retribution upon Israel's oppressors (cf Zeph. i. 14 and contrast
Is. u. 12).
destruction from the Almighty. Better, destruction (~>^)from the
Destroyer QliP), there being an alliteration in the Heb. (cf. Joel i. 15).
But though it is possible that the name Shaddai (Gren. xvii. 1, Ex. vi. 3),
here applied to the Almighty, is etymologically connected with "^^
and the verb I""** to lay waste (xv. 1, xxiii. 1) and describes the
activity of (xod as displayed in destruction or affliction (cf . Ps.
Ixviii. 14, Ruth i. 20, 21), it is perhaps more hkely akin to ^IB' "to
pour out," tempest and hail being especially regarded as manifestations
of the Lord's anger (see Josh. x. II, Ezek. xxxviii. 22, Ps. xi. 6).
Others associate it with "^W (Deut. xxxii. 17, Ps. cvi. 37) signifying
demon, but perhaps originally meaning protecting spirit. Another
conjecture identifies it with an Assyrian word shadv, meaning mountain
and appUed to the Assyrian gods Bel and Asshur; cf the application
of the title rock to Jehovah (xvii. 10, xxx. 29).
7. melt. An expression for a condition of terror and consternation
(cf xix. 1, Nah. ii. 10, Ps. xxu. 14, Josh. vii. 5).
8. faces of flame. Alarm usually produces paUor or lividness, and
not a high colour (Joel ii. 6, Nah. ii. 10) ; but possibly it is meant that
their colour comes and goes : cf LXX. to irpocrunrov avToiv ws <^X.o^
litTa^aX-ovciv. 10. the stars, etc. The horror of the catastrophe is intensified by
darkness — a feature which occurs in other descriptions of calamity and

XIII. ii-is] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 95
thereof shaU not give their light : the sun shall be darkened in
his going forth, and the moon shaU not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for
their iniquity ; and I wUl cause the arrogancy of the proud to
cease, and wiU lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I
will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the
pure gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I wiU make the heavens to
tremble, and the earth shaU be shaken out of her place, in the
wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall come to pass, that as the chased ^roe, and as
sheep that no man gathereth, they shaU turn every man to his
own people, and shall flee every man to his own land. 15 Every
^ Or, gazelle
tribulation (v. 30, viu. 22, Mic. ui. 6, Am. v. 18, 20, vui. 9, Zeph. i. 15,
Joel u. 10, 31, Ezek. xxxii. 7, 8, Mk. xiii. 24, Matt. xxiv. 29\ etc).
and the constellations th&reof Lit., and the Orions thereof, i.e. con-
steUations comparable with Orion. But the LXX. has merely and
Orion. The identification of the Heb. term (which means literally
fool) with Orion is made by the LXX. here and in Job xxxviu. 31, and
by the Vulg. in Job ix. 9, Am. v. 8 : the name is supposed to be a
survival of some mjrth which represented the constellation in question
as a foolhardy giant bound in the sky (cf Job xxxviii. 31).
11. the arrogancy. The pride of Babylon is reflected in the
language of her king in xiv. 13, 14 ; cf also xlvii. 7, 8.
12. Ophir. This locality, which was either the source of or a
mart for, gold, gems, and sandal wood (1 Kgs. ix. 28, x. 11), has been
variously placed in N.W. India (cf Jos. Ant. vin. vi. 4), the E. coast
of Afi-ica (perhaps Sofala, cf LXX. 2ou<^£ip), and the S.E. of Arabia.
A situation in Arabia is suggested by the occurrence of Ophir with
Sheba in Gen. x. 28, 29.
13. Therefore I.,, tremble. Better (with the LXX.), Therefore
the heavens shall tremble (¦'1TI7- for ''•?>*<). The Lord's speech is con
fined to vv. 11, 12, and the therefore (cf v. 7) introduces the consequences
which are anticipated from the Lord's purpose declared in vv. 11, 12.
the earth shall, etc. An earthquake wiU accompany the manifesta
tion of the Lord's wrath (as in xxiv. 19, Jer. x. 10, Joel iii. 16).
14. the chased roe. The roe or gazelle was noted for its fleetness
(cf 2 Sam. ii. 19 mg., 1 Ch. xu. 8). With the utmost haste the hetero
geneous population that gathered at Babylon from aU parts for trade
(Ezek. xvii. 4) or other purposes will disperse at the approach of the
¦' : cf Jer. 1. 16, U. 6, 9.

^ The two N.T. passages have probably been influenced by the present passage.

96 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiiL ifr-si
one that is found shall be thrust through ; and every one that
is ^ taken shaU fall by the sword. 16 Their infants also shaU be
dashed in pieces before their eyes ; their houses shaU be spoiled,
and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes
against them, which shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they
shall not delight in it. 18 And their bows shaU dash the young
men in pieces ; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the
womb ; their eye shaU not spare children. 19 And Babylon,
the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, shaU
be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It shall
never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation
to generation : neither shaU the Arabian pitch tent there ;
neither shaU shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shaU Ue there ; and their
' Or, joined thereunto
15. found. . . taken. Such wiU be the fate of the native Babylonians,
who wUl have no place of refuge.
17. the Medes. The disclosure of the name of the people who are
to execute the Divine vengeance (cf xxi. 2, Jer. li. 11, 28) is artistically
reserved till late. Media lay S.W. of the Caspian Sea : its capital was
Ecbatana (the Achmetha of Ezra vi. 2). For the events preceding the
attack of the Medes on Babylon see p. Ivii.
shall not regard, etc i.e. Babylon's ferocious assailants (Jer. 1. 42)
caimot be bought off. Cf Xen. Cyr. v. i. 20 (Cyrus to his troops) ov
yprip.6.TWv Sco/icvoi o-iiv Jftot ef»;A.^€T£.
18. their bows, etc. The phrase, understood UteraUy, makes
nonsense, nor is it much more inteUigible if bows be taken as equivalent
to bowmen (cf xxii. 3) : the text must be corrupt, and some suggest
They lay hold on bows amd spears, they are cruel; they shatter the young
men, and the maidens are dashed in pieces (cf Jer. 1. 42, li. 22).
19. the glory of kingdoms, i.e. the most glorious of kingdoms,
cf Ezek. XX. 6, 15 (of Israel).
the Chaldeans' pride. The Chaldeans were a people of S.E. Baby
lonia from whom Came Merodach-baladan, who made several attempts
to become master of Babylon (p. 245), and Nabopolassar, who estabUshed
a dynasty there in 625 B.C.
as when... Gomorrah. The comparison is meant to iUusteate the
completeness of Babylon's overthrow : cf Jer. 1. 39, 40, Zeph. n. 9 (of
Moab and Ammon).
20. the Arabian. Better, the steppe-dweller. Even the wandering
shepherds of the desert (Jer. ui. 2) wiU avoid the site of Babylon for
fear of the uncanny creatures that wUl haunt it.
21. wild beasts of the desert. A related Arabic term is said to
mean wild cats.

XIII. ..-XIV. i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 97
houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; and ostriches shall
dweU there, and ^satyrs shall dance there. 22 And ''wolves
shaU ^cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces :
and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be pro
longed. XIV. 1 For the Lord wUl have compassion on Jacob,
and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land : and
the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave
^ Or, he-goats ' Heb. howling creatures. ' Or, answer
doleful creatures. Better, howling creatures, such as jackals.
satyrs, i.e. demons (LXX. 8ai/*oi/ta) in the shape of he-goats, or
(Uke the classical Pan and Faunus) of human shape, vrith the horns
and tail and feet of goats : cf xxxiv. 14. Desert places were regarded
as the special haunts of demons (cf Bar. iv. 35, Rev. xviii. 2, Lev. xvi.
10, Matt. xii. 43 (= Luke xi. 24)) ; and to the satyrs here mentioned
sacrifices (presumably of aversion) were sometimes offered, 2 Ch. xi. 15,
cf Lev. xvii. 7. For dance cf. Verg. E. v. 73, saltantes satyri.
22. wolves. , .jackals. Perhaps better reversed, jackals, , ,wolves,
cry. LiteraUy, answer, i.e. howl to one another. But the LXX.
has /caToiKi^crovo'tv.
castles. A necessary correction of the Heb., which by a scribal
error has widows.
her time. . .her days. i.e. the hour of her destined punishment shaU
not be deferred : cf Jer. 1. 27, 31.
Babylon neither experienced the horrors of a sack nor underwent
complete destruction when taken in 538 by Cyrus, who obtained
possession of it by peaceful surrender (cf p. Iviii). After tbe sup
pression of its rebeUion in 514 part of its waUs was demolished by
Darius Hystaspis (cf Hdt. in. 159), but it was not untU the third
century, in the time of the Seleucidse that it sank into decay, Seleucus
Nicanor having built near it the tovm of Seleucia, which drained it of
the bulk of its population. In the time of Strabo (xii. i. § 5) and
Diodorus Siculus (n. 10) the greater part of it lay waste. Its present
desolate site is the mod. Hillah, on the E. bank of the Euphrates,
S. of Bagdad.
xrv. 1 — 4^ A prediction of Israel's restoration to its own
land, and of its lordship over its tyrants.
These vv., which are in prose, contain a brief summary of expecta
tions that likewise find expression in cc. xl.— Ixvi., and are probably
post-exilic in origin.
1. For. The destruction of Babylon is a necessary consequence
of the Lord's renewal of His love for Israel, whom Babylon has kept in
servitude. will yet choose. Better, will again choose (after His previous rejec
tion of them, Jer. vii. 29), cf Zech. i. 17, ii. 12, iu. 2.
the stranger, etc Strictly, the settler (Gen. xv. 13, Josh. xx. 9).
Heathens, attracted to the Hebrew faith by the evidence of the Divine
w. I. 7

98 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiv. 2-6
to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples shall take them, and
bring them to their place : and the house of Israel shall possess
them in the land of the Lord for servants and for handmaids :
and they shall take them captive, whose captives they were ;
and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shaU
give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from
the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, 4 that thou
shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say,
How hath the oppressor ceased ! the ^golden city ceased !
5 The Lord hath broken the stafl" of the wicked, the sceptre of
the rulers ; 6 ^that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual
stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that
' Or, exactress ^ Or, he that smote.,, is persecuted, and rwne hindereth
favour towards Israel which its deUverance afforded (cf Ps. cxxvi. 2),
vrill attach themselves to it, as proselytes : cf xliv. 5, Iv. 5, Ivi. 3, 6, 7,
Zech. ii. 11, viu. 23.
2. And the peoples, etc. The same thoughts appear in xlix. 22,
Ix. 10, 12, 14, ki. 5, Zech. u. 9.
3. hard service. The term used recaUs the experience of the
bondage in Egypt and the deliverance of the Exodus (Ex. i. 14,
vi. 9 (P). Allusion to the rigour of the Babylonian captivity occurs
in xlvii. 6, li. 14, Zech. i. 15.
4. parable. Better, taunt-song. The original term (mdshdl),
which seems primarily to denote likeness or correspondence (cf the
parallelism exhibited in Prov. xxv. 1 f ), is used indiscriminately of
many varieties of composition, including proverbs or proverbial sayings
(1 Sam. X. 12, Ezek. xviii. 2, Prov. x. 1 f ), similitudes (Ezek. xvii. 2,
XX. 49), satiric songs (Num. xxi. 27, Hab. ii. 6), didactic poems
(Ps. xlix. 4, Prov. i. 1), and prophetic utterances (Num. xxiii. 7).
The present poem (like c xiii.) is written in the Heb. elegiac metre,
but it is strikingly ironical in spirit and relates to an event stiU
in the future (cf c xlvii.). It is divided into five strophes, which
begin respectively with vv. 4'', 9, 12, 16 and 20 ; the last seems to be
defective. 4'' — 21. A contrast between the proud estate of the king of
Babylon in life and his ignominious condition in death.
4. the golden city. The rendering assumes a connection between
the word here used and the Aramaic term for " gold " ; but better (by
a slight emendation), insolence or the insolent one (<^^iSip for i^^ni?) :
cf the name Eahah in xxx. 7, and the corresponding verb in iii. 5.
The LXX. has €irio-irov8ao-T?;s (exactor).
5. the staff, i.e. the instrument of oppression, as in x. 24, ix. 4.
the wicked,,, the rulers. For the parallelism cf Uii. 9, Job xxi. 28.
6. ruled,, -with a persecution. Symmetry seems to require the
correction, ruled,,, with a rule (fTilP-niT for ^"^¦JP-'Tih).

XIV. 7-n] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 99
none restrained. 7 The whole earth is at rest, a/nd is quiet :
they break forth into singing. 8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at
thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid
dovsm, no feller is come up against us. 9 ^Hell from beneath is
moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming : it stirreth up ^the
dead for thee, even aU the *chief ones of the earth ; it hath
raised up from their thrones aU the kings of the nations. 10 AU
they shaU answer and say unto thee. Art thou also become weak
as we ? art thou become Uke unto us ? 11 Thy pomp is brought
down to ^heU, and the noise of thy viols : the worm is spread
' Heb. Sheol. ' Or, the shades Heb. Rephaim. ' Heb. he-goats.
8. flr trees. Or cypresses. Even nature sufi'ered from the domi
nation of the Babylonians, who, like the Assyrians (xxxvii. 24), feUed
quantities of timber, in the forests of Lebanon and elsewhere, for the
construction of warUke engines, ships, or edifices (cf Hab. ii. 17).
9. Hell. Heb. Sheol, the abode of the spirits of the dead. The
locaUty is here personified, Uke the earth in «. 7. As the world of the
Uving begins to enjoy repose by the departure of the Babylonian king,
so the world of the dead is disturbed by his arrival.
the dead. Heb. Eephaim (xxvi. 14, Ps. Lxxxviu. 10, Prov. u. 18,
ix. 18). The word has been taken to mean primarily the weak (from a
verb meaning "to droop," or "be relaxed") ; cf v. 10, and the Homeric
dfiarrivd, Koprjva. But as it also designated the pre-historic inhabi
tants of Canaan (Gen. xiv. 5, Deut. u. 10, 11) who were believed to be
giants (the LXX. here has ol yiyavni), it may have been applied to the
dead as a compUmentary epithet from motives of fear (cf the Latin
manes, from mdnus "kindly").
chief ones. LiteraUy, he-goats, a figure for those who lead the
peoples, as the he-goats or beU- wethers do the flocks : cf Ezek.
xxxiv. 17, Jer. 1. 8, Zech. x. 3, Ex. xv. 15 mg. and the paraUel metaphor
in Ps. kviii. 30.
from their thrones. It is impUed that in Sheol the distinctions of
rank which prevail on earth stiU persist. Similarly soldiers in Sheol
retain their weapons (Ezek. xxxii. 27). So too in Homer the phantoms
of Orion and Heracles in Hades appear equipped with the anns,
and engaged in the occupations, which characterised them in life
(Od XI. 572—5, 601—608).
10. Art thou, etc. The pronoun is emphatic : of the downfaU of
one so great there was no expectation. It is pre-supposed that the
spirits of the dead preserve consciousness and memory.
11. Thy pomp, etc. The speech of the dead kings is hmited to
V. 10, and this v. proceeds from the poet.
the worm, etc. Better, the wormlet,,, and the worm, etc. The state
of the Babylonian king's corpse (left to corruption (cf v. 19) instead of
7—2

100 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiv. 12-1+
under thee, and worms cover thee. 12 How art thou faUen from
heaven, 0 day star, son of the morning ! how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst lay low the nations ! 13 And thou
saidst in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God ; and I will sit upon the mount of
congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north : 14 I wiU
being embalmed or otherwise cared for) is thought to afi'ect the con
dition of his spirit in the under- world.
12. day star: Literally, shining (or radiant) one, i.e. (as the
following words imply) the planet Venus. Stars were believed to be
celestial powers (cf. Job xxxviii. 7), exercising great influence over
human fortunes (xxiv. 21), and the metaphor alludes not only to the
briUiant estate and dazzUng career of the Babylonian king (cf Num.
xxiv. 17, Rev. xxii. 16, Cic. ad Att. 11. 21 (of Pompey) quia deciderat
ex astris, lapsus potius quam progressus videhatur) but to his aspirations
to equal or surpass these heavenly potentates (v. 13). The evil
associations of Babylon (cf Zech. v. 5 — 11) and the resemblance between
this description of the fall of its king and our Lord's words respecting
Satan (Luke x. 18) occasioned the use of the name Lucifer (by which
the Vulg. translates day star, ci. LXX. iwa-^opos) as an appellation of
the devil (cf Rev. ix. I).
which... nations. Better (with the LXX.), which didst lay low (or
prostrate) all the nations (reading "'3 for ^V) : ci. Jer. 1. 23. But some
critics would substitute prostrated (Job xiv. 10) upon corpses (reading
ni'll for I3;i5).
13. / loill ascend, etc. It was the Babylonian king's ambition to
become superior to the sidereal powers, and equal to Him who is
supreme over them : cf Ezek. xxviii. 2, 6, 9 (of the prince of Tyre).
The overweening pride of Babylon itself finds somewhat similar
expression in xlvii. 8.
the mount of congregation. This appears to aUude to a Babylonian
belief that there existed a mountain (caUed Aralu) where the gods
dwelt together^ ; see Ezek. xxviii. 14 — 16, and cf the association ofthe
Greek gods with Olympus and of Jehovah with Horeb (Ex. iu. I,
1 Kgs. xk. 8). That the Babylonians placed their sacred mountain
in the north (as this passage implies) was probably due to the fact that
it was in that quarter that the chief mountains they knew were situated;
and Ezekiel's representation of the Lord as approaching from the north
(i. 4) is perhaps due to Babylonian infiuence (since that prophet was
one ofthe Jewish captives (i. 1))'.

» See Schrader, GOT, ii. pp. 79, 80.
^ Burney thinks that the conception was derived from the North Pole of the
sky, which, aa the highest point, was regarded aa the abode of deity (cf. JTS. Ap.
1910, p. 446). The Etruscans also considered the dwelling of the gods to be in the
northem part of the sky W. W. Fowler in Companion to Latin Studies, p. 167).

XIV. 15-19] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 101
ascend above the heights of the clouds ; I will be like the Most
High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to %ell, to the
uttermost parts of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly
look upon thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man
that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms ;
17 that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the
cities thereof ; that let not loose his prisoners to their home ?
18 All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, every
one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast forth away from thy
1 Heb. Sheol.
14. the Most High. Heb. Elyon, a Divine title used not only by
the Hebrews (Gen. xiv. 18, Num. xxiv. 16, Deut. xxxii. 8), but also by
the Phoenicians, for Eusebius (Prep. Ev. i. 10, 11) quotes Philo of
Byblus to the effect that included in the Phoenician theogony was
'EXtoBv Ka\oVfl.€VO<i 'Ylj/UTTOS,
15. the pit. The word, which sometimes means the grave (Ps.
xxviii. I, xxx. 3), here denotes the depth of Sheol (Ezek. xxvi. 20,
xxxi. 14, 16). The contrast between the king's ambition and his real
fate is intensified if the entrance to Sheol is here thought to be, as the
Babylonians imagined it, under the mount of congregation.
Verses 13 — -15 seem to have been in the mind of our Lord when
He apostrophised Capernaum (Matt. xi. 23, Luke x. 15).
16. They that see thee, etc. The speakers in this v. are not the
spirits of the dead in Sheol (as in v. 10), but men upon earth, who look
upon the Babylonian king's unburied corpse.
17 — 18. that let not loose, etc. Cf Jer. 1. 33. The pleonasm in
V. 18, all the kings... all of them is avoided by the emendation that
opened not to his prisoners the prison house ? 18 The kings of the nations,
oXlofthem, etc (reading : N^sn n>3...V7pt?^ for -Sa: nri;3...in;pf?).
18. in his own house, i.e. in the tombs they constructed for
themselves in their lifetime ; cf xxii. 16, 1 Sam. xxv. 1, 1 Kgs. ii. 34,
xiu. 30, Matt, xxviii. 60.
19. But thau art cast, etc. The general sense of this v. is that
the king was left on the field of battle, covered with the slain, and did
not receive the burial due to his rank ; but the text has undergone
some corruption. The loss of burial in early ages was accounted a
grievous calamity (Jer. xxv. 33, 2 Kgs. ix. 10), perhaps originally
because it deprived the dead of the sacrifices ordinarily offered to
them, and it is probably here regarded as producing for the king of
Babylon humiUation in Sheol. Hence though Divine justice did
not punish great offenders after death directly, it might do so in
directly, the dishonour with which their dead bodies were often
treated on earth affecting for iU the state of their spirits in the nether
world.

102 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiv. 20-21
sepulchre Uke an abominable branch, ^clothed with the slain,
that are thrust through with the sword, that go down to the
stones of the pit ; as a carcase trodden under foot. 20 Thou
shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast
destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people ; the seed of
evil-doers shall not be named for ever. 21 Prepare ye ^slaughter
for his children for the iniquity of their fathers ; that they rise
not up, and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with
' Or, as the raiment of those that are slain ^ Or, a place of slaughter
like... branch, i.e. as an unworthy scion of the family. But Sym.
has <os ?KT|o<i)/xa, i.e. like am abominable abortion ('??. for 1^3).
that go... pit. This seems to describe those who are honourably
buried in sepulchres of stone ; and as the sense is inappropriate here,
Kittel transfers the words to the beginning of v. 20 (see note). But
pit in «. 15 means Sheol, not the grave, and should here have the same
signification; and Gunkel is perhaps right in retaining the words in
their position and correcting them to that go down to the bases of the
pit (reading *.?1S for ''.P?^), i.e. are consigned to the lowest parts of
Sheol (cf V. 15) because their bodies have not received proper burial
(cf Ezek. xxxii. 18). Sym. has tk Oe/xiXia Xax/cov, the Vulg. ad
fundamenta lad.
20. with them. A substantive (or some equivalent), to which the
pronoun refers, seems to be lost. With Kittel's emendation of v, 19,
this V, will begin. As for those that go down to the stones of the pit
(i.e. distinguished princes who are buried in state), thou shalt not be
joined with them, etc. Duhm conjectures the loss, from tbe beginning
of the v., of the words, As for thy fathers.
thy land... thy people, i.e. the Babylonian king had sacrificed his
people's lives and wealth to his own ambition. But the LXX. has rijv
yijv fjLov.,,Tbv Aaov /xov.
the seed of evil-doers. Better (by a slight correction), the seed of
an evil-doer ; see v. 21 (init.).
shall not be named, i.e. shall cease to exist.
21. Prepare, etc. Probably addressed to those to whom the
direction in xiii. 2 is given.
slaughter. Better, a slaughtering-place (Cheyne, shambles).
of their fathers. The context requires (with LXX. B) of their
father. with cities, i.e. (if the text is correct) fortresses, to control subject
populations. But better (by a sUght emendation), with ruins (D".l' for
D^l»): civ. 17.
22 — 23. A renewed declaration of the Lord's purpose to destiny
Babylon. These two vv. are a later appendix to the preceding ode, from
which they differ both in form and in subject-matter, and relate, like

XIV. 22-25] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 103
cities. 22 And I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of
hosts, and cut ofi' from Babylon name and remnant, and son and
son's son, saith the Lord. 23 I will also make it a possession
for the porcupine, and pools of water : and I will sweep it with
the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.
c xiii., to Babylon itself and not to its king. They were probably
added in post-exiUc times as a further prediction of a destruction
which had not been realized in 538 on the scale expected.
22. against them. i.e. the Babylonians in general, and not merely
the king's offspring (v, 21).
son and son's son. There is an aUiteration in the original, similar
to chick and child.
23. porcupine. Or hedgehog. Others render bittern, since the
creature meant is here associated with water and in Zeph. ii. 14 with
the pelican, a water bird ; but the etymology (the cognate verb means
to roll up, see xxxviii. 12) and the versions (LXX. i)fivo?, Vulg.
ericius) favour the translation of the text.
pools of water. Babylon is represented by Diodorus Siculus (n. 7)
as surrounded by marshes ; and the countey was often inundated by
floods, the violence of which was in some measure reduced by a system
of canals and ditches (Strabo, xvr. i. § 9). The neglect of these works,
after the destruction of the city, would naturaUy turn the vicinity into
a swamp. the besom, etc. A figure for a clearance that would leave nothing
behind (cf 1 Kgs. xiv. 10, and the paraUel figure in 2 Kgs. xxi. 13).

XIV. 24—27.
This short section is an announcement of the Lord's design to shatter the
might of Assyria. The oracle doubtless proceeds from Isaiah, whose diction it
exhibits ; and is probably the complement of some earlier prophecy, since it
appears to re-affirm a purpose preriously expressed. The most plausible date
is Sennacherib's invasion in 701, so that the section will belong to the same
period as x. 6f. ; but whether it ever followed upon x. 14 or 15 (as Cheyne
thinks) is more doubtful ; for v. 25'', which favours such a connection, may be
suspected of being an interpolation (see note). The subject-matter has parallels
in xvii. 12—14, x. 33, 34, xxx. 27—33, xxxi. 8, 9.
24 The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying. Surely as I have
thought, so shall it come to pass ; and as I have purposed, so
shaU it stand : 25 that I wiU break the Assyrian in my land, and
24. as I have thought. The Lord's thoughts, which are certain
of reaUzation, contrast with those of the Assyrian king described
in X. 7.

104 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiv. 26, 27
upon my mountains tread him under foot : then shall his yoke
depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their
shoulder. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the
whole earth : and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all
the nations. 27 For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who
shall disannul it ? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall
tum it back ?
25. my mountains. The overthrow of the Assyrians in the Lord's
land would reveal to the world who was the author of it (cf xviii.
4, 7, xxix. 7, 8). The actual phrase here used only recurs in exilic
and post-exilic writings (xlix. 11, kv. 9, Ezek. xxxviii. 21, Zech. xiv. 5);
but this is insufficient to neutralize the impression of Isaianic author
ship produced by other features of the passage.
from off them. The pronoun must relate to the people of Judah.
But the abruptness of the reference supports the suggestion that the
last half of this v. is a marginal insertion, reproducing x. 27 (cf k. 4).
Apart from it, the section consists of two symmetrical divisions or
stanzas. 26. the whole earth. The Assyrian empire must have absorbed by
701 the greater part of the world as knovra to the Hebrews of Isaiah's
time (comprising as it did little more than the countries between the
Euphrates and the Nile) ; cf x. 13, 14, xvii. 12, xxk. 7, xxx. 28.
27. is stretched out. i.e. to smite ; cf v. 25, ix. 12, 17, 21.

XIV. 28—32.
This prophecy must have been addressed to the Philistines at a time when
the removal or crippling of an oppressor had inspired them with hopes, and
had led them to approach Judah with a riew to concerted action for their
common interests. The writer declares that the hopes of PhiUstia will be
disappointed, but that Judah has in Zion, the Lord's city, an assured defence.
There is no adequate reason for doubting that the section in the main
proceeds from Isaiah, or for assigning it (with Duhm and Marti) to the fourth
century. Its precise date, however, is difficult to determine with confidence.
The superscription assigns it to the year when Ahaz died (which cannot be
ascertained with certainty, see p. xl f.), and the writer of it probably identified
the rod and the serpents root alluded to in v. 29 with that king, and the 'basilisk
and fiery flying serpent with Hezekiah (cf. 2 Kgs. xviii. 8). But there is no
eridence that Ahaz was formidable to PhiUstia (see, on the contrary, 2 Ch.
xxviii. 18); and the fact that the people of Judah are represented in the
prophecy (v. 32) as themselves needing a refuge makes it impossible that any
Judsean king can be meant. On the other hand, the supposition that the rod
represents an Assyrian king finds support in the parallels furnished by x. 5, 24,
ix. 4. Of Assyrian kings three died during Isaiah's Ufetime, Tiglath-pileser III.
in 727, Shalmaneser IV. in 722, and Sargon in 705 ; and there is evidence that
on the occasions of the deaths of the two last-mentioned rulers the Philistines

XIV.28-JI] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 105
sought to throw oflf the Assyrian yoke. In 720, shortly after Sargon had
succeeded Shalmaneser, Hanun (Hanno) of Gaza revolted; and some 15 or 18
years later, when Sennacherib had succeeded Sargon, the people of Ekron
rebelled, and dethroned the king whom Assyria had imposed upon them
(p. xxri). On the last occasion, which occurred between 705 and 701, the
Ekronites must have entered into negotiations with Hezekiah, king of Judah,
before their revolt, since they placed in his hands their dethroned king.
Consequently this seems the most likely time when the present oracle was
deUvered, inasmuch as it implies the presence at Jerusalem of PhiUstine
envoys, who had come with overtures for a coalition against Assyria, and is
designed to discourage the Jewish statesmen from acceding to their proposals.
Cheyne decides for the earUer date 720.
28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this ^burden.
29 Rejoice not, O PhiUstia, all of thee, because the rod that
smote thee is broken : for out of the serpent's root shall come
forth a ^basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
30 And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall
Ue down in safety : and I will kill thy root with famine, and thy
remnant shall be slain. 31 Howl, 0 gate ; cry, O city ; thou art
1 Or, oracle * Or, adder
28. In the year, etc. The heading probably proceeds from an
editor : cf xx. 1.
29. all of thee. i.e. aU the five cities (Josh. xiii. 3, Jud. iii. 3) of
which the Philistine confederation consisted.
the serpent's root. The figure is a blend of the metaphors that
precede and foUow. The two symbols of the rod (cf x. 5, 15, 24) and
the serpent's root both represent Sargon.
a basilisk,., serpent. These two symbols likevrise represent a single
king, viz. Sargon's successor Sennacherib. For basilisk see on xi. 8.
The idea of a flying serpent is perhaps based on accounts of an arboreal
Uzard (such as is found in the East Indies), having the_ lower ribs
extended and connected by folds of skin which look like wings (cf on
xxx. 6). Fiery probably means venomous (cf Num. xxi. 6).
30. the firstborn of the poor. i.e. the poorest (cf Job xvui. 13,
the firstborn of death, i.e. the deadUest disease). Some critics sub
stitute in my meadows or on my mountains ('1?? or nn? for ''T'3?) and
connect them vrith the poor shall feed : otherwise /ee^ must be quaUfied
by in safety (from the following clause).
The terms poor and needy mu.st denote the Jewish people, im
poverished by a foreign oppressor ; but the terms are more natural in
exiUc or post-exiUc times, after the loss of national independence
(cf xxv. 4, xU. 17, Ps. Ixxiv. 21), and in consequence the Isaianic
origin oif the section has been denied. But the y. interrupts the
sequence between w. 29 and 31, and may be a later insertion.
thy root. Better (with the LXX.), thy seed.

106 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xiv. 3,
melted away, 0 PhiUstia, all of thee ; for there cometh a smoke
out of the north, and ^none standeth aloof at his appointed
times. 32 What then shall one answer the messengers of the
nation ? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and in her shall the
afflicted of his people take refuge.
' Or, there is no straggler in his ranks
31. art melted away. Better, as an imperative, melt away, i.e.
coUapse through fear (Ex. xv. 15, Josh. ii. 9, Jer. xlix. 23).
a smoke, i.e. a cloud of dust raised by the advancing host (cf Verg.
A. XI. 908, fumantes pulmere campos), or perhaps a figure, like our
"war-cloud." none standeth aloof, etc. Better (as in the mg.), there is no straggler
in his ranks (or at his musters).
32. What then shall one, etc. Perhaps better (with Duhm), What
shall my people answer (inserting 'l?!').
That the Lord... Zion. Isaiah believed that, though Judah would
be devastated, its capital would survive any assault made upon it by
the Assyrians : see xxix. 7, xxxi. 5, xxxiii. 20.
the afflicted of his people. The genitive is appositional — the afflicted,
who are His people.
Isaiah in 705 was unsuccessful in his efforts to keep Judah fi:om
entanglements with the Philistine cities, for Hezekiah undertook to
keep under arrest the philo-Assyrian king of Ekron whom his subjects
dethroned; and the prophet's predictions of evil for PhiUstia were
verified by Sennacherib's capture of both Ekron and Ashkelon.
Hezekiah's policy brought upon Judah also the horrors of an invasion
(see xxxvi. 1), but Jerusalem itself escaped capture, as Isaiah had
foretold.
Chapters XV— XVI.
These two cc. contain (1) an elegy over a hostile invasion of Moab in the
past (xv. 1 — 9% xri. 7 — 11) ; (2) a prophecy, embedded in the elegy, predicting
another similar calamity for Moab in the future, from which it wiU vainly seek
protection from Judah (xv. g* — x<n. 6, xvi. 12) ; (3) an epilogue re-afflrming the
prophecy and declaring that the predicted disaster wiU befaU Moab in the near
future (xyi. 13, 14).
(1) The elegiac part is characterised by a sympathetic feeling for Moab
(xv. S, xvi. 9, 11), and is not likely to be the production of Isaiah, from
whom its vmter differs greatly in manner, diction, and local knowledge.
(a) His style is plaintive and monotonous, and is remarkable for the regularity
with which successive sentences are introduced by the same or similar con
necting particles (for, ther^ore (or wher^ore)) ; whereas Isaiah's writings are
distinguished by unusual rigour and variety. (6) His vocabulary is unlike
Isaiah's, and contains a number of peculiar forms, (c) He shews great
famiUarity with the land B. of the Dead Sea, a district which never belonged

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 107
to Isaiah's native country Judah, but was alternately in possession of the
Ephraimite kingdom and of Moab. This acquaintance with the trans-Jordanic
region suggests that the author was a native of it and a subject of the northem
kingdom. Hitzig, who treated the whole section xv. 1— xri. 12 as relating
to the fature, inferred from the fact that the Moabites are represented as
fleeing southward (xv. 7) that their foe came from the north, and conjectured
that the prophecy was the work of Jonah, the son of Amittai, from Gath
Hepher on the borders of Zebulun, in which he predicted the success of
Jeroboam II. of Israel (dre. 781—740), who recovered the territory lost by his
predecessors, and extended his conquests to the Dead Sea (2 Kgs. xiv. 25).
The contemporary king of Judah was Uzziah (or Azariah, 2 Kgs. xv. 1), who
asserted his authority over Edom (2 Kgs. xiv. 22), and who, on this riew, is the
sovereign to whom the Moabites appealed (x\i. 1). But it is scarcely Ukely that ,
a prophet of Northern Israel would sympathize with Moab when invaded by his
own countrymen ; and the poem (in xv. 1 — 9% xyi. 7 — II) seems to relate to a
disaster that has already occurred, not to one stiU to come. Moreover, the
attack here described cannot come from the north, since the southem towns of
Ar and Kfr are assaulted before the more northerly places like Nebo, Medeba,
and Heshbon, whereas the latter would have been the first to suffer from an
IsraeUte invasion. The inroad seems really to have come from the east, and
the assailants to have been Ai-ab tribes (cf Jud. vi. 3 f, Ezek. xxv. 8 — 11).
(2) The prophecy in xv. Q* — xri. 6, 12, which breaks up the elegy into two
parts, seems to be by a different writer, who has used an earlier poem as a
frame for his own composition. Though it reproduces some Isaianic expres
sions (cf x'n. I with i. 8, x. 32, xvi. 2 with x. 14), it does not resemble Isaiah's
work; and Uke (1), it may proceed from an Ephraimite prophet. The answer
represented as retumed by Judah to the Moabites' appeal seems to betray an
animus against Moab ; and the riew of Hitzig described above may be the
true account of the origin of this part of the composite oracle.
(3) The epilogue (xy\. 13, 14), for a passage of such small compass, contains
a large proportion of Isaianic words. It is scarcely probable, however, that a
prophet of such power and originaUty as Isaiah would himself append an
epilogue to the composition of an earUer writer or writers (if xv. 1 — xri. 12 is
correctly regarded as such). Possibly v. 14 is an Isaianic fragment (predicting
an overthrow for Moab, perhaps from Sargon, see p. 108) which has been
attached to the foregoing section by an editor : for a plausible date see note
on xri. 13.
A large portion of these two cc. occm-s also in Jer. xlriii., though the
succession ofthe vv. (which are much modified) is different (Is. xv. 2 — 7= Jer.
xlvui 37, 38, 34, 35, 34, 5, 34, 36, Is. xxi. 6— 11= Jer. xlriu. 29—33, 36).
The Moabites, who by race were akin to Israel (Gen. xix. 30 f ), occupied at
an early period the country E. of the Dead Sea by the expulsion of the Bmim
(Deut. iL 9 — 11); but were themselves afterwards driven out of the district
N. of the Arnon by the Amorites (Num. xxi. 26). This region was taken from
the Amorites by the Israelites (Num. xxi. 24) ; but in the time of Ehud was
regained by the Moabites, who even crossed the Jordan and for a time occupied
Jericho (Jud. iii. 12, 13). Saul fought successfully against them (1 Sam. xiv. 47),
and David made them tributary (2 Sam. viiL 2). After the Disruption they

108 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xv.1,2
presumably passed under the suzerainty of Ephraim, but seem to have revolted.
They were reconquered by Omri (see Mesha's inscription), but shook off the
Israelite yoke in the time of Ahab and Joram (2 Kgs. L 1, in. 5); and the
attempt of Joram to re-assert his authority ended in failure (2 Kgs. iu. 27).
By Jeroboam II., however (as has been said), they must have been re-subdued ;
though they recovered their independence under his feeble successors. Like
the other Palestinian states they suffered from Assyrian aggression. In 711
they were among those who are described by Sargon as "plotting treason"
against their Assyrian suzerain; but on the occasion of the wide-spread
Palestinian revolt in 701 their submission is expressly recorded by Sennacherib
{see p. xxri).

Chapter XV.
XV. 1 The ^burden of Moab.
For ^in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to
nought ; for ^in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, amd brought
to nought. 2 ^He is gone up to *Bayith, and to Dibon, to the
Mgh places, to weep : Moab howleth ^over Nebo, and ^over
1 Or, oracle concerning ^ Or, in the night
' Or, Bayith and Dibon are gone up to the high places
* Or, tfie temple ^ Or, upon
XV. 1 — 9. A description of the consternation and distress in
Moab when its chief cities were suddenly stormed by an enemy. _
1. For. This particle (which occurs in xv. 5, 6, 8, 9, xvi. 8, 9)
is perhaps elliptical : Alas ! for (or that). But it may possibly mean
surely (cf vii. 9).
Ar...Kir. Both places were Moabite strongholds lying S. of the
Arnon, Ar being on the left bank of the river, and Kir (probably
identical with Kir-hareseth (xvi. 7) and the mod. Kerak) being
17 m. further south.
2. He is gone up. Better (if the text is retained), Bayith and Dibon
(i.e. their inhabitants) are gone up. But Bayith ("house") as the
name of a place without any qualifying genitive (such as appears in
Beth-ddhlathaim or Beth-baalrmeon, cf Jer. xlviii. 22, 23) is strange;
and it has been proposed to read. The daughter of Dibon (cf on i. 8)
has gone up (p'"^, n? nn^r for t^ni n^SO n^i?) ; cf Jer. xlriii. 18.
Dibon (mod. Dhibdn) was 6 m. N. of the Arnon, not far from Ar.
the high places. These were sites of religious worship, generally on
the summits of hills (1 Sam. ix. 12, 13, 1 Kgs. xi. 7), furnished with
.altars for sacrifice (I Kgs. iii. 4, 2 Kgs. xxiii. 15) and sometimes with
buildings (I Kgs. xii. 31, xiu. 32, 2 Kgs. xvu. 29). Examples of
Canaanite high places have recently been found at Gezer, and elsewhere;
.and an Edomite high place is situated on the hills above Petra (see
Driver, Mod. Eesearch as Illustrating the Bible, pp. 60 f ). Mesha, the
king of Moab, records in his inscription the erection of a high place to

XV. 3-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 10&
Medeba : on all their heads is baldness, every beard is cut off.
3 In their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth : on their
housetops, and in their broad places, every one howleth, weeping
abundantly. 4 And Heshbon crieth out, and Elealeh ; their
voice is heard even unto Jahaz : therefore the armed men of
Moab cry aloud ; his soul trembleth within him. 5 My heart
crieth out for Moab ; her ^nobles flee unto Zoar, ^to Eglath-
shelishiyah : for by the ascent of Luhith with weeping they go
' Or, as otherwise read, fugitives ^ Or, as an heifer of three years old
the national god Chemosh : cf Jer. xlviii. 35. On Mount Hermon, near
the highest summit, are the remains of more than one temple; and
sacrifices are said to be still offered on Mount Sinai and Mount Serbal
(Curtiss, Primitive Semitic Eeligion To-day, p. 142).
ovm- Nebo, and over Medeba. Better, upon Nebo and Medeba, which
are the mod. Jebel Nebu and Mddd>d respectively, the former being
near the northern end of the Dead Sea, and the latter some 12 m. to
the S.E.
3. on thdr housetops, etc. Better (supplying a word (^BPl?) vrith the
LXX.), on thdr hcmsetops there is lamentation, and in thdr broad places
emery one howleth, weeping abundantly : ci. Jer. xlviii. 38. The house
tops, which were flat, served as places of concourse and converse (cf.
xxii. 1, Jud. xvi. 27, 1 Sam. ix. 25, Neh. viu. 16, Acts x. 9), and
the broad places of the cities were simUarly centres of meeting
(Zech. viii. 4, Heb., Am. v. 16, 2 Ch. xxix. 4, xxxu. 6).
4. Heshbon... Elealeh. The mod. Hesbdn s.nd Khirbet el Al, tovms
lying close together N. or N.E. of Medeba, some 16 m. E. of the Jordan.
Jahaz. The site of this place (mentioned in Num. xxi. 23 and
described by Eusebius as between Dibon and Medeba) has not been
identified. ther^ore the armed men. Gi. Jer. xlviii. 41. But better (after the
LXX.), for the sake of the paraUeUsm, therefore the loins of Moab cry
mt, reading 'S^O for '>?^0. The particle of inference connects the
thought vrith V, 1, and so probably in v. 7, xvi. 7, 9, 11. Its re
currence is regular enough to suggest that it marks the division of the
poem into strophes.
5. My heart. Cf xvi. 9, 11. But perhaps better. His (Moab s)
hmrt (13^ for '?!>) : LXX. i? KapUa. t^s M<oa;8tTt8os.
her nobles. Literally, her bars, i.e. her chief defenders (cf Hos.
xi. 6). The word, differently pointed, means her fugitives (nn'l? for
con?), but the true reading is probably his fugitives (nnna, a coUective
singular). Zoar. Perhaps Khirhet es Sdfia, near the south-eastern corner
ofthe Dead Sea (see DB. iv. p. 985).
Eglath-ahelishiyak. Probably the name of another locality— the

110 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xv.6-9
up ; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruc
tion. 6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be ^ desolate : for the
grass is withered away, the tender grass faileth, there is no green
thing. 7 Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that
which they have laid up, shall they carry away ^to the brook of
the willows. 8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of
Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling
thereof unto Beer-elim. 9 For the waters of Dimon are faU of
1 Heb. desolations. ^ Or, over
'third Eglath " (cf the dual Eglaim in v. 8), though nothing is known
of it. The LXX. and Vulg. render a heifer three years old (cf mg.):
if the translation be adopted, the words are best applied to Moab
(cf Jer. xxxi. 18, Hos. x. II) which is so described because it was now
brought under the yoke (kine being broken in when three years old,
PUny, Hist. Nat. vm. 70 (45)).
Luhith. Described by Eusebius as being between Zoar (see on v. 5)
and Rabbath Moab S. of the Arnon and caUed in his time Loudtha
(see Driver, Exp. Times, Aug. 1910).
Horonaim. Since in Jer. xlviii. 5 mention is made of the gdng
down of Horonaim, the place may have been at the foot of the slope on
which Luhith stood.
a cry of destruction, i.e. a lament for the destruction caused by the
invaders. 6. Nimrim. Perhaps Wddy Numdre, at the S.E. corner of the
Dead Sea.
shall be desolate. Better,' become desolate. The desolation described
is due to the invaders, whose practice it was to stop the springs, fell
the trees, and deface the fields by casting stones upon them (see
2 Kgs. iu. 19, 25).
7. the abundance, etc. i.e. their possessions and savings.
shall they carry. Better, they carry.
brook of the unllows. Or torrent of the poplars (see on xliv. 4).
It is generaUy thought to be the same as the brook of the_ Arabah
(Am. vi. 14), and has been identified with the mod. Wddy el Ahsa,
which flows into the southem end of the Dead Sea, and was probably
the boundary between Moab and Edom.
8. Eglaim, Identified with a locality of the same name mentioned
by Eusebius as situated 8 m. S. of Rabbath Moab.
Beer-elim, Perhaps the Beer of Num. xxi. 16. This and the pre
ceding place may have been situated near the southern and northern
borders of Moab respectively.
9. Dimon, Perhaps an intentional substitute for Dibon (which
the Vulg. reads) to produce an assonance with the following word
blood (^T), Its waters are represented as coloured by the blood of
Moab's slaughtered people (cf 2 Kgs. iii. 22).

XVI. I, a] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 111
blood : for I will bring yet more upon Dimon, a lion upon him
that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.
/ will hring. The speaker must be the Lord. The passage here
passes from lament to menace, predicting for Moab the occurrence of
another calamity in addition to the one already sustained. The
clause is probably the beginning of an insertion conveying a prophecy
and extending to xvi. 6.
a lion. Probably a figure for a desolating conqueror (cf v. 29,
Jer. iv. 7).

Chapter XVI.
XVI. 1 ^Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land from
^Sela ^which is toward the wilderness, unto the mount of the
daughter of Zion. 2 For it shall be that, as wandering birds,
' See 2 Kings iii. 4. 2 Or, Petra 3 Qr, to
XVI. 1 — 6. An appeal from the Moabites to the people of
Judah for protection, and a disheartening response.
The occasion is not the past overthrow described in xv. 1 — 9*, but
the coming overthrow predicted in xv. 9*. The scene is apparently
placed in Edom, into which country it is assumed that the Moabites
wiU have been driven (as had been the case previously, xv. 7), and
whence they wiU petition Judah to give them succour.
1. This V. and the next should be transposed (see v. 2, note).
Send ye. If the text is sound, the imperative must be regarded as
a direction firom the Edomites to the Moabites, or from the Moabite
leaders to their foUowers, to despatch to the ruler of Zion a present to
reinforce their appeal for succour ; but the connection is much improved
by the emendation And they shall send (^^^\ for ¦inpB').
the lambs. Moab was a pastoral country, and sheep constituted
the tribute which was paid when Moab was subject to the kingdom of
Ephraim (2 Kgs. iii. 4). In place of lambs Gratz suggests a gift (or
tribute) C??'?? for 15). The ruler ofthe land (i.e. of Judah), if the date
suggested for the prophecy (p. 107) be correct, must be Uzziah.
from Sela which, etc. Better, from Sela toward the wilderness,
describing the starting-point and the direction of the proposed mission
to the Jewish capital. Sela is mentioned as a city of Edom in 2 Kgs.
xiv. 7, and is usuaUy identified with Petra (see mg.) ; but Petra seems
too far S., and the word is possibly employed in the sense of the rock,
and intended to describe the rocky region of Edom in general (cf xiii.
11, Ob. V. 3 = Jer. xlix. 16). The wilderness is the barren district in
the south of Judah, across which the envoys, with their present, would
have to travel (Josh. xv. 61).
2. For it shall be, etc Better, And it shall be. This v. is a
prediction like xv. 9'', and describes the defenceless condition in which

112 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvi. 3-5
as a scattered nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be at the
fords of Arnon. 3 Give counsel, execute judgement ; make thy
shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday : hide the
outcasts ; bewray not the wanderer. 4 ^Let mine outcasts
dwell with thee ; as for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the
face of the spoiler : for ^the extortioner is brought to nought,
spoiling ceaseth, ^the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
5 And a throne shall be established in mercy, and one shall sit
' According to many ancient versions. Let the outcasts of Moab dweU with thee;
be thou dc. ^ Or, extortion ' Heb. the treaders down.
the Moabites wiU find themselves when the invasion there announced
occurs. The verse in its present position interrupts the connection
between vv. 1 and 3, and would be more appropriately placed before
V. 1, and attached to c xv. The view that the occasion to which
XV. 9*— xvi. 6 refers is distinct from that which is the subject of xv.
1 — 9* is confirmed by the fact that the Moabite fugitives are here
represented as gathered at the Arnon, whereas in xv. 7 the flight
described has reached a stream much further south (see note there).
nest. i.e. nestlings : cf Deut. xxxii. 11, Verg. A. xn. 475, nidi
loquaces. the daughters of Moab. i.e. the Moabite communities (cf Ps.
xlviii. 11).
3. Give counsel, etc. The speakers are the Moabite envoys
addressing Zion.
execute judgement. Better, deliver (as mediator) a judgment between
the pursuer and the pursued.
thy shadow... noonday. Figures for relief or shelter in oppressive
circumstances : cf iv. 6, xxx. 2, xxxii. 2, Livy, vm. 30, umbra vestri
auxilii, Eomani, tegi possumus.
4. Let mine outcasts, etc. If the text is retained, the rendering
must be. Let mine outcasts, even Moab's, dwell with thee. But better,
after the LXX. and Syr. (see mg.). Let the outcasts of Moab dwell unth
thee (''<T\^ for *n'3^). For he thou there is employed an unusual form of
the verb, occurring in both early and late writings (Gen. xxvii. 29,
Neh. yi. 6, Eccles. ii. 22, xi. 3), which here may be a dialectic
(Ephraimite) peculiarity.
for the extortioner. Probably a word ("^V) is lost, and the rendering
should be until the extortioner is brought to nought, etc* (the perfects
being equivalent to future perfects, as in 2 Kgs. vii. 3). Marti emends
spoiling to the spoiler i^W for IK').
5. And a throne, etc. Better, Then a throne, etc. The words
explain the advantages which will accrue to the Judsean king, if he will
interpose to protect the fugitives : the authority of himself and his
dynasty (instead of Ephraim's) wiU be established over Moab (which
was once subject to David, 2 Sam. viii. 2) by ties of gratitude for
mercy and justice.

XVI. 6-8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 113
thereon in truth, in the tent of David ; judging, and seeking
judgement, and swift to do righteousness.
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very
proud ; even of his arrogancy, and his pride, and his wrath ; his
boastings are nought. 7 Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab,
every one shall howl : for the ^raisin-cakes of Kir-hareseth shall
ye mourn, utterly stricken. 8 For the fields of Heshbon
languish, and the vine of Sibmah ; ^the lords of the nations
have broken down the choice plants thereof ; they reached even
unto Jazer, they wandered into the wilderness ; her branches
' Or, foundations ^ Or, her choice plants did break down the lords of nations
in truth. Equivalent to permanently (cf. xxxix. 8, Jer. xiv. 13).
in the tent of David. Implying the continuance of the Davidic
dynasty. The phrase (Uke Am. ix. Il) is a survival from the nomadic
life of early Israel : cf 2 Sam. xx. 1, 1 Kgs. xii. 16.
6. We have heard, etc. These words are Judah's answer to
Moab's plea.
the pride of Moab, Reference to this feature in the Moabite
character occurs in xxv. 11, Zeph. ii. 10, Jer. xlviii. 26, 42.
his boastings are nought. Or, (we have heard) of the insincerity of
his boastings (i.e. his professions, v, 5).
7 — 11. A wail over the desolation of the Moabite vineyards.
7. shall Moab.,, for Moab, Perhaps better, Moab howls to Moab,
In the present connection the lament appears to be renewed in con
sequence of the repulse received from Judah ; but probably originally
the passage was a continuation of xv. 1 — 9*.
the raidn-cakes. These were not only favourite dainties (Cant. ii. 5),
but were also presented as offerings to the national god (Chemosh).
They are mentioned in connection with the feasts of false gods in
Hos. iu. 1, and with a feast of the Lord in 2 Sam. vi. 19.
Kir-hareseth, See on xv. 1. Vineyards are said still to abound
near Kerak.
shall ye mourn. The context requires they mourn (-l^n fi)r l^riCi).
8. the fields. Used here of vineyards, as in Deut. xxxii. 32.
languish, i.e. wither from want of irrigation (see xv. 6).
Sibmah. The mod. Sumia (near Heshbon, Nebo and Elealeh,
Num. xxxii. 37, 38), where there are ruined vineyard towers.
the lords of the nations. These words should be taken as the object,
not the subject, of the verb : hence better, her choice plants (or clusters)
did break down (i.e. intoxicate, cf xxviii. 1) the lords of nations (the
wine of Sibmah being exported abroad).
they reached, etc. i.e. the cultivation of the Sibmah vine extended
northward, eastward, and westward to the places named.
Jazer, Perhaps the mod. Khirhet Sar, 10 m. N. of Heshbon.
the wilderness, i.e. the Syrian desert.

w. I.

8

114 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvi. 9-12
were spread abroad, they passed over the sea. 9 Therefore I
will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah : I
will water thee with my tears, 0 Heshbon, and Elealeh : for
upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest the battle shout
is fallen. 10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the
fruitful field ; and in the vineyards there shaU be no singing,
neither joyful noise : no treader shall tread out wine in the
presses; I have made the vintage shout to cease. 11 Where
fore my bowels sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward
parts for Kir-heres. 12 And it shall come to pass, when Moab
presenteth himself, when he wearieth himself upon the high
place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shaU not
prevail. passed over the sea. Better, passed to the sea (i.e. the Dead Sea).
For the construction cf Am. v. 5, vi. 2.
9. I will weep. Better, I weep (cf v, 11).
itpon thy summer fruits, i.e. the sudden calamity of which xv. 1
speaks took place in the summer, when the vintage was ripe.
thy harvest, i.e. thy grape harvest, the word harvest (I'Vi?) being
substituted in place of the proper term vintage C'VI) for the sake of
the assonance with the neighbouring word summer fruits (f'.^i). But
I'VI occurs in the LXX. and the parallel passage Jer. xlviii. 32.
the battle shout. Literally, the shout, the same term being used for
the fierce war-cry of an invader (see Jer. li. 14) and for the cheerful
shouting of vintagers (v. 10, Jer. xxv. 30) : the former wUl now replace
the latter (cf Jer. xlviii. 33).
10. in the presses. Better, into the vats (LXX. ra viroX-qvia) ; see
on V. 2.
I have made,,, to cease. The pronoun must refer to the Lord (as in
XV. 9), but better (with the LXX.), the vintage shout has been made to
cease (nsf n for *Fi3^n).
11. my bowels, etc. i.e. my emotions are touched and find ex
pression. Among the Hebrews the bowels were regarded as the seat of
tender feeUng (see Ixui. 15, 1 Kgs. ui. 26, Jer. iv. 19, xxxi. 20, Cant.
V. 4 mg.): cf the Greek a-n-Xdyxva. (Col. iii. 12, Phil. i. 8, ii. 1).
Kir-heres, Probably an accidental error for Kir-hareseth (v. 7).
12. And it shall come, etc. This v. is a prediction, and like xv. 9'' —
xvi. 6 is part of an insertion in the original elegy.
presenteth himself, etc. i.e. resorts to the sanctuaries (i. 12) for
purposes of intercession (cf xv. 2).
when he wearieth himself. Cf. 1 Kgs. xviii. 26. But the clause is
out of place before the mention of the act of prayer, and is probably to
be omitted as an accidental duplicate of the preceding word (which it
closely resembles).

XVI. 13,14] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 115
13 This is the word that the Lord spake concerning Moab
in time past. 14 But now the Lord hath spoken, saying. Within
three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab
shaU be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude ;
and the remnant shall be very small and of no account.
13 — 14. A prediction that a calamity of a crushing character will
befall Moab within a very brief interval.
Tbe oracle in v. 14 may possibly be Isaianic (Driver suggesting as
its date some year shortly before 711 when Moab was intriguing
against Assyria, cf on c xx.). If it is really Isaiah's, the editor (fi-om
whom V. 13 proceeds) has used it to afiirm that the prediction of
renewed woe for Moab, contained in xv. g^^xvi. 6, 12, will be fulfilled
very shortly through an Assyrian invasion. But the close resemblance
between this and the similar epilogue (xxi. 16, 17) attached to xxi.
13 — 15 throws some doubt upon the Isaianic origin of both.
14. as the years of an hireling, i.e. the period named is not likely
to be exceeded (a hireling only working for the stipulated time) :
cf xxi. 16.
the glory. Probably (in view of the parallel clause) a collective
expression for the honourable men ; ci, v. 13, Heb.

Chapter XVH. 1—11.
This section, described as the burden of (better, oracle conceming)
Damascus, predicts not only the utter destruction of that city, but also an
overwhelming disaster for Ephraim, which only a smaU remnant will surrive.
It appears to assume the existence of the confederacy between Rezin and
Pekah (riL 1, cf vv. 3, 10), and hence may be dated about 735, being probably
later than ix. 8 — 21 and v. 25 — 30 and earUer than the prophecies in cc. rii., riiL
Damascus, whose people were immigrants from Kir (Am. ix. 7), was
conquered by Darid (2 Sam. rin. 3 — 6), but revolted under Solomon (1 Kgs.
xL 23, 24), and after the secession of the northem tribes from Judah was
engaged in a series of wars with the Ephraimite kingdom, in which it met with
varying fortune (1 Kgs. xv. 20, xx., xxu. 1 f., 2 Kgs. \i. 8— riL 20, riiL 28,
29, X. 32, xiu. 3). By Jeroboam II. it seems to have been subjugated (2 Kgs.
xiv. 28), but under his successors it regained its independence. In the time
of Pekah, it formed with Ephraim the alUance alluded to, in order to oppose
Assyria ; but the resistance offered proved futile, and Damascus was taken in
732, and its people deported and replaced by Assyrian colonists (Jos. Ant, ix.
xu. 3). It was an important place in Babylonian, Persian, and Greek times,
and is stiU the chief city of Syria, with a population of 160,000.
8—2

116 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvn. i-+
XVH. 1 The ^burden of Damascus.
Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it
shall be a ruinous heap. 2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken :
they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shaU
make them afraid. 3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim,
and the kingdom ^from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria ;
they shall be as the glory of the chUdren of Israel, saith the
Lord of hosts.
4 And it shaU come to pass in that day, that the glory of
Jacob shaU be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shaU wax
^ Or, oracle conceming
' Or, from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria shall d:c,
XVII. 1 — 3. A prediction of the extinction of Damascus.
1. Damascus. The city is situated E. of Hermon, in a fertile
vale watered by the two rivers Abana (mod. Bar add) and Pharpar
(mod. Awaj), which flow into some neighbouring swamps, now called
the Meadow Lakes.
a ruinous heap. Better (omitting a word vrith the LXX.), a ruin.
2. The cities of Aroer. Of the three Aroers named in the O.T.
one was in Judah (1 Sam. xxx. 28) and the others in Reuben and Gad
respectively (Josh. xiii. 16, 25). If the text is retained the last must
be alluded to, and taken to represent Gilead, which was ravaged by
Tiglath-pileser in 734 (2 Kgs. xv. 29). But the prediction in w. 1 — 3
seems to relate to Damascus alone, not to the kingdom of Ephraim ;
and since the LXX. has A% rov alSiva (^l? ^lio for "lUil? '•')'0) the true
reading is probably Her (Damascus') cities for ever are forsaken.
they. , .for flocks, i.e. their sites shall be unoccupied and turned into
pasture grounds (cf v. 17, xxvii. 10, xxxii. 14).
3. The fortress. Probably not Samaria, or the Ephraimite fortresses
collectively, but Damascus, which appeared to be a bulwark to Ephraim
against the Assyrians.
and the kingdom, etc. Better (with the LXX. n, A), and the
kingdom (i.e. its independence) shall cease /row Damascus, amd the
remnant of Syria shall perish (inserting "'?'<*). The same fate is here
predicted for the nation as in vii. 16, viii. 4.
as the ghry, etc. The phrase is meant ironically : the people of
Damascus shall resemble the pitiful remnant to which the once glorious
kingdom of Israel is destined to be reduced. The clause anticipates
awkwardly the foUowing v., and is perhaps an insertion based on it.
4 — 11. A prediction of loss and humiliation for Israel, and an
explanation of the cause of its calamities.
4. the glory of Jacob, i.e. the population and wealth of the
kingdom of Ephraim, the diminution of which is likened to the ravages
of illness (cf x. 16).

xviLs-^] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 117
lean. 5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the
standing corn, and his arm reapeth the ears ; yea, it shall be as
when one gleaneth ears in the valley of Rephaim. 6 Yet there
shall be left therein gleanings, as the ^shaking of an olive tree,
two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or
five in the outmost branches of a fruitful tree, saith the Lord,
the God of IsraeL 7 In that day shall a man look unto his
Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of
Israel. 8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his
hands, neither shall he have respect to that which his fingers
have made, either the ^Asherim, or the sun-images. 9 In that
' Heb. beating, " See Ex. xxxiv. 13.
5 — 6. The figure of bodily decay is here replaced by others.
Israel is to be denuded of its people and possessions as completely as
a com field or olive yard is stripped by the reapers or gatherers, who
leave Uttle behind.
5. the harvestman. The rendering involves a slight emendation
of the original (ip for I'Vi?), which is required by the words his arm.
Amongst the Hebrews corn was cut close to the ears, the straw being
regarded as of smaU value.
the valley of Eephaim. A vale or perhaps a series of vales, S.W. of
Jerusalem (josh. xv. 8), and hence a familiar locality to the prophet
and bis countrymen. Josephus (Ant. vii. xii. 4) describes it as
extending to Bethlehem : cf 2 Sam. xxiii. 13, 14.
6. Yet there shall he left, etc. Better, And there shall be left therein
(i.e. in Jacob, v. 4) only gleanings, etc.
shaking. Better (as in the mg.), heating. Olive trees were regularly
beaten to dislodge the fruit -. cf xxiv. 13, Deut. xxiv. 20.
a fruitful tree. In the Heb. there is a play upon the name
Ephraim which is connected in Gen. xli. 52 with the verb pdrah "to
be fruitful" (cf Gen. xlix. 22, Hos. xin. 15).
7 — 8. These two vv. which predict Ephraim's conversion, have
been suspected to be a late insertion (of consolatory purport) because
the context on both sides is exclusively concerned with the desolation
of Ephraim. The passage resembles xxx. 22, cf also xxvii. 9.
7. shall a man look unto, etc. i.e. the survivors shaU repose
confidence in the Lord (cf xxxi. 1, xxii. II).
his Maker. The expression is not found elsewhere in Isaiah, but
occurs in Deutero-Isaiah (li. 13, liv. 5).
8. the altars, i.e. such as had been constructed for idolatrous
rites (cf Hos. viii. II, x. 1, xii. 11). But since the foUowing phrase
the work of his hands usuaUy means idols (ii. 8, 20, xxxvii. 19) not
altars, some critics reject tbe word here as a mistaken gloss.
Asherim. These were wooden poles (Ex. xxxiv. 13, Jud. vi. 26),
designed to symboUze the presence of a divinity or to mark the

118 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvn. lo
day shall his strong cities be as the forsaken places Mn the
wood and on the mountain top, which were forsaken from before
the children of Israel : and it shall be a desolation. 10 For
thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been
1 The Sept. reads, of the Amorites and the Hivites.
precincts of a sanctuary (a Phoenician inscription speaking of "the
Ashtoreth in the asherah, tbe god of Hammdn," Cooke, NSI. p. 50).
They were probably originally emblems of a goddess of fertiUty caUed
Asherah, who is mentioned together with Baal in Jud. iu. 7, who had
prophets (1 Kgs. xviii. 19), graven images, and sacred vessels (2 Kgs.
xxi. 7, xxiii. 4), and whose worship seems attested by the personal
name Abd-Ashratum (" Servant of Asherah," cf Obadiah, "Servant of
Jehovah ") in the Tell-el-Amarna tablets. Subsequently, however, such
poles appear to have been used for religious purposes in connection
with other gods (Jud. vi. 25), and were even sometimes erected near
the altar of the Lord (2 Kgs. xxiu. 6, cf the prohibition in Deut.
xvi. 21).
sum-images. Heb. hammdnim (xxvii. 9, Lev. xxvi. 30, Ezek. vi.
4, 6). These were probably obelisks representing a Phoenician deity,
Baal Hamman, "the glowing Baal," who was perhaps associated with
the sun. Such a deity is mentioned in inscriptions found at Carthage,
Malta, and elsewhere ; and a trace of his worship in Palestine occurs
in the name of the locality Hammon in Asher (Josh. xix. 28). Both
of the words Asherim and sun-images have been suspected to be
glosses, as they injure the correspondence between w. 7 and 8.
9. In that day. i.e. in the day of vengeance (v. 4).
his strong cities, etc. i.e. the fortresses of Ephraim wiU become as
depopulated through foreign invasion as were the woods and hiUs of
Canaan through the Israelite conquests under Joshua. But woods and
hills are not naturaUy populous places, and the text has been plausibly
corrected (in the main after the LXX.) to thy cities shall he forsaken
like the deserted places of the Hivite and the Amorite which they forsook
before the children of Israel, and there shall be desolation (reading
nDKn\ *-inn nia-np •!\'<-w for Tpsni fpn na-nra i-two »tv). The con
cluding words which they forsook, etc, are redundant and rejected by
Chejme as a gloss. The name Amorite is sometimes employed to
designate the pre-Israelite population of Canaan generally (Gen. xv. 16,
xlviu. 22, Am. ii. 9, 10) ; but is also used, in distinction from other
local Canaanite names, to denote the inhabitants of the hiU-country as
contrasted with those of the coast or the Jordan valley (see Num.
xiu. 29). The Himtes seem to have dwelt in central Palestine, being
particularly associated with Shechem and Gibeon (Gen. xxxiv. 2,
Josh. ix. 7, etc.).
10. For thou hast forgotten, etc. The reliance upon foreign aid
(v. 3) had been accompanied by the adoption of heathen religious rites
(cf the conduct of Ahaz, 2 Kgs. xvi. 10 f).

xvii.li] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 119
mindful of the rock of thy ^strength ; therefore thou plantest
^pleasant plants, and settest it with ^strange sUps : 11 in the
day of thy planting thou hedgest it in, and in the morning thou
' Oi, stronghold ^ Ot, plantings of Adonis
^ Or, vine slips of a strange god
the rock. A common appellation of the Lord (xxx. 29, xliv. 8,
Deut. xxxii. 4, Hab. i. 12, Ps. xix. 14, xxxi. 2, xcii. 15), as aff'ording
protection and security like a mountain fastness (cf the parallelism in
xxx. 29, Ps. xviii. 2, Ixxi. 3). It is also applied to heathen gods in
Deut. xxxii. 4, and "great rock" is said to be a common title of
Asshur and Bel in Assyrian.
pleasant plants. Better, plants of Naaman. Though there is
no actual evidence, there is a certain presumption that Naaman
("darling") was a title of a heathen (presumably Syrian) deity.
Kindred forms of the word occur in proper names like Abinoam,
Ahinoam, which are analogous to theophoric appellations such aa Ahijah,
Ahijah ; and Naaman itself is a proper name (Gen. xlvi. 21,2 Kgs. v. I).
The god or demi-god most likely to be so designated is Tammuz,
of whose worship among the Hebrews in the sixth century Ezek.
viii. 14 affords evidence. Tammuz was the Babylonian Dumuzi, beloved
by the goddess Ishtar : he was a god of vegetation and especiaUy com ;
and spent half the year in the upper world, and half in the lower. His
worship no doubt extended to Syria, and in the time of Isaiah the
relations between N. Israel and Syria would conduce to the intro
duction into the former of the rites of a Syrian deity. Through the
common Semitic title Adonai, " my lord," Tammuz came to be known
to the Greeks as Adonis; and to the "gardens of Adonis" (kijitol
ASujvtSos) the plants of Naaman were probably parallel in character
and significance. The ktjttoi ASwviSos (Plato, Phaedr. 276) were shaUow
pots of earth in which plants were set that grew and faded with equal
rapidity. They s3Tnbolized the Ufe and death of Adonis, with whose
image they were carried out and flung into the sea or some spring.
The rite was perhaps originally a piece of sjonpathetic magic, the rapid
cultivation of the plants in the shallow earth being designed to promote
the growth of the corn. The name Naaman occurs in the Arabic
title (Nahr Na'aman) of the Syrian river Belus\ and is probably
preserved in that of the flower Anemone (though a popular etjrmology
of the latter connected it with avefw;, see Ovid, Met. x. 735).
settest it. The pronoun refers to " the garden " which is impUed in
the previous clause.
stramge slips. Better (cf the mg.), slips of (i.e. dedicated to)
a strange god (Deut. xxxu. 16, Jer. u. 25, ui. 13, v. 19).
11. thou hedgest it in. Perhaps better, thou makest it grow.

1 This is also a dirine name, derived from Baal ("Lord").

120 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvn. 12
makest thy seed to blossom : but the harvest ^fleeth away in
the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
1 Or, shall be a heap
the harvest fleeth, etc. The prophet takes the quickly-fading Adonis-
gardens as emblematic of the hopes which the Ephraimites, in the time
of Pekah, based on the alliance with Damascus and the adoption of
Syrian rites, and which would never come to anything. The word
rendered ^ee^A away may be a noun (Ex. xv. 8, Josh. iii. 13) and the
passage translated : hut the harvest heap shall be in a day, etc.

XVIL 12—14.
This short section foreteUs the sudden discomfiture by the Almighty of a
combination of hostile peoples, and must be quite distinct from the preced
ing, with which its tone is in marked contrast. Though the passage contains
no names, there can be little doubt that the threatening hosts are those of the
Assyrians, and that the people against whom they are gathered is Judah (note
us in V, 14). The occasion when the prophecy was composed is more uncertain ;
but the most plausible date for it is 701, when Sennacherib threatened
Jerusalem. The consternation that then prevailed in the Jewish capital is
attested by x. 24, and the historical account in cc. xxxri., xxxriL; and the
suddenness of the catastrophe here predicted can be iUustrated by xxxrii. 36.
The present oracle is probably a little later than x. 5 — 34, and written when
the Assyrians were actually in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
Another view (advanced by Cheyne) is that the section was added by Isaiah
as a supplement to the preceding xviL 1 — 11 in 723, during the time when
Sargon was besieging Samaria, aud when the people of Judah might dread an
Assyrian inroad into their own territoiy ; but there are no internal links
between the sections, and too little is known about the relations of Assyria to
Judah in 723 — 2 to render this riew as likely as the preceding. Some critics
have thought that the passage forms a unity with c. xriii. ; but c. 14 here is as
clearly the end of one oracle as xviii. 1 is the beginning of another.
12 Ah, the ^uproar of many peoples, which roar like the
roaring of the seas ; and the rushing of nations, that rush like
^ Or, multitude
12. many peoples, i.e. the various subject nations that con
stituted part of the Assyrian forces (see xxii. 6, cf xxix. 7, viii. 9).
For the comparison of the noise of armed men to the roar of the sea
cf Jer. vi. 23.
rushing. Better, crashing or thundering. The epithet mighty
should be transferred (vrith the LXX.) to nations.

XVII. .3, I*] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 121
the rushing of mighty waters ! 13 The nations shall rush like
the rushing of many waters : but he shall rebuke ^them, and
^they shall flee far ofl", and shall be chased as the chafl" of the
mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before
the storm. 14 At eventide behold terror ; and before the
morning ^they are not. This is the portion of them that spoil
us, and the lot of them that rob us.
' Heb. him. '^ Heb. he. ' Heb. he is.
13. The nations... waters. The opening words of this v. are an
accidental repetition of the last clause of v. 12, and are omitted by
some Heb. MSS. and by the Syriac.
hut he shall rebuke. Better, hut he (the Lord) checks them (cf. Ps.
ix. 5, xviii. 15, Ixviii. 30, Job xxvi. 11).
as the chaff of the mountains. The comparison recurs in xxix. 5,
xli. 15. Threshing-floors were generally placed on elevated positions
exposed to the wind (see 2 Ch. iii. I). But the LXX. has the chaff of
winnowers (D'"!' for D'""!!?).
14. At eventide.,, before the morning. The words are not to be taken
literaUy, and are only intended to suggest the swiftness with which
reUef wiU come to the panic-stricken city (cf xxix. 5, Ps. xxx. 5).

Chapter XVIII.
This c. consists of a message addressed by Isaiah to certain envoys from
Cush, or Ethiopia, predicting the overthrow of an unnamed power by the Lord,
independently of any human agency. The situation implies that Judah is
confronted by an invading force, to oppose which the Ethiopians have oflFered
assistance. The oracle probably relates to the Assyrians ; and the conriction
which is here expressed that the enemy's projects will meet with a check when
it is least expected so closely resembles xriL 12 — 14 as to make it likely that
the date is approximately the same. Negotiations between Judah and Egypt
where Shabaka, who belonged to an Ethiopian dynasty, was the reigning
Pharaoh, were set on foot in the course of the years 705—702 (see xxx. 12,
xxxi. 1), with a riew to united action against Assyria ; and it is probably to these
negotiations that the oracle refers. An alternative date (favoured by Marti) is
728, if the So, who about that time encouraged Hoshea of Israel to revolt from
Assyria (2 Kgs. xrii. 4), is reaUy identical with Shabaka; but the identification
is questioned. Duhm thinks that the section is connected with xrii. 12—14; but see
p. 120. The substance of the oracle is contained in vv. 4—6, the opening vv, 1—3
being an impressive introduction to it, whUe v. 7 is an epilogue.

122 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvm. i, 2
XVIII. 1 Ah, the land ^of the rustUng of wings, which is
beyond the rivers of ^Ethiopia : 2 that sendeth ambassadors by
the sea, ^even in vessels of papyrus upon the waters, saying, Go,
ye swift messengers, to a nation *tall and smooth, to a people
' Or, shadowing with wings ^ Heb. Cush.
^ Or, and * Or, dragged away and peeled
XVIII. 1 — 3. A direction to the envoys of Ethiopia to retum to
their countrymen and bid them and others watch for an impending
event. The speech was probably not actually delivered by Isaiah in person
to the Ethiopian ambassadors, but was designed to influence Hezekiah's
response to their overtures. The difference in tone between the
prophet's courteous language here respecting the power which the
envoys represented and the contemptuous description of Egypt in
xxx. 5 — 7 (cf also c xx.) is best accounted for by the fact that in the
present case he is in the situation of one addressing the ambassadors
of a friendly nation, whereas in the other he is speaking his mind to his
own countrymen.
1. Ah, the land,.. wings. Or, Ho, land of the buzzing of wings.
This rendering, which is supported by Sym. (who has ovax yri% o ^^os
rrrcpajTo's) and virtuaUy by the Vulg., describes Ethiopia (or Egypt)
as abounding in swarms of flies and other insects. Of the other
renderings given by the versions the most interesting is that of Aq., who
has ovai yrj^ a-Kid (r/cia Trrepijywv, reading ?•? ?<? for 'V?V, and probably
taking the Heb. to mean Ah! land of shadow on both wings (or sides), i.e.
a country within the tropics, where the shadows fall alternately N. and S.
at different seasons.
the rivers, etc. As a Jewish writer is not likely to have known of
the Blue and White Niles or the Atbara the plural is probably "ampU-
ficative." The clause which... Ethiopia (cf. Zeph. iii. 10) is regarded by
Cheyne as a prosaic geographical gloss.
2. the sea. i.e. the NUe (xix. 5, Nah. in. 8, Job xU. 31).
vessels of papyrus. Cf Pliny, Hist. Nat. xm. 22, Ex ipso quidem
papyro navigia texunt, et e libra vela; Lucan, Phars. iv. 136, Censentur
bibula Memphitis cymba papyro.
saying. This should be omitted. - Its insertion assumes that the
direction that follows is given to the messengers by Ethiopia, on de
spatching them to the Jews ; but v. 7 shews that the people to whom
they are sent can only be the Ethiopians, so that the direction Go, etc.
must be given by the prophet, who dismisses the messengers on their
retum joumey. (The mg. in v. 2 assumes that nation means the Jews.)
tall. Cf xiv. 14. Herodotus describes Ethiopia as producing avhpa%
/xeyuTTOvs naX (caWio-rovs (ill. 114).
smooth. Herodotus speaks of the Egyptians as shaving off the hair
which other nations allow to grow (ii. 36) ; but the epithet here may
allude to the shining skins characteristic of the Nubians.

XVIII. 3-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 123
terrible from their beginning onward; a nation Hhat meteth
out and treadeth down, whose land the rivers Mivide ! 3 All
ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dweUers on the earth, when
an ensign is Ufted up on the mountains, see ye ; and when the
trumpet is blown, hear ye. 4 For thus hath the Lord said unto
me, I will be still, and I wiU behold in my dweUing place ; *Uke
clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
5 For afore the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower
becometh a ripening grape, he shaU cut off the sprigs with
' Or, meted out and trodden down Heb. of line, line, and of treading down,
^ Or, have spoiled 3 Or, wtien there is
from,,, onward, i.e. throughout its whole extent. But some take
it to mean, throughout its whole history.
that meteth out, etc. The text, as ordinarUy read, means literaUy
(as in the mg.) a nation of line, line, and of treading down, and if
correct describes the Eg)rptians or Ethiopians as a nation that subjugates
other peoples and apportions by line their territories. But the terms
used are then in an unnatural order, and probably the words rendered
line, line should be combined into one, and the passage translated a
nation of might and of treading down, i.e. a strong and conquering
nation. whose,.. divide. This is an indirect aUusion to Ethiopia's fertiUty
and wealth, the prophet's own land of Judah being comparatively
waterless and unproductive.
3. All ye inhabitants, etc. These words begin the message (ex
tending to V. 6) which Isaiah gives to the Ethiopian envoys to convey
home. The attention of aU the world is called to the overthrow
impending over Assjrria.
when an ensign, etc The ensign and trumpet are the Lord's signals,
which wUl inform the nations when the time for His decisive intervention
has arrived.
4 — 6. An oracle from the Lord, declaring that He will await
patiently the ripening of the Assyrians' plans and then frustrate
them just as they mature.
The oracle is meant to inform the Egyptians that no political com
pact such as they propose is required to meet a danger which the Lord
wiU deal with at the right moment.
4. in my dwelling place. Possibly Zion (cf LXX. iv r% ip.-g
iroKii), but more probably heaven.
like clear heat, etc. The Lord's attitude vrill seem for a while as
favourable to Assyria's plans as the sunshine and dewy mists of summer
are to the vintage, harvest here meaning the season of the ingathering
of the grapes (see v, 5 and cf xvi. 9).
in the heat of ha/rvest. The LXX. and Vulg. have in the day of
harvest, reading Di*? for Dn?.
5. the flower. Better, the berry.

124 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xvm. 6, 7
pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches shall he take away
amd cut down. 6 They shall be left together unto the ravenous
birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth : and the
ravenous birds shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of
the earth shall winter upon them. 7 In that time shall a present
be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people ^taU and smooth,
and from a people terrible from their beginning onward; a
nation that meteth out and treadeth down, whose land the rivers
divide, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount
.Zion. 1 See ver. 2.
6. They shall be left. The figurative description of the termination
of Assjnna's enterprise is replaced by a matter-of-fact announcement of
the fate of its numerous soldiers (cf. Jer. vii. 33, Rev. xix. 17, 18).
7. A prediction of homage rendered by the Ethiopians to the Lord
at Zion. This V. is probably a later (post-exilic) addition. The prediction is
of a tenor that is isolated in the genuine writings of Isaiah, but resembles
xiv. 14, Ix. 6, 7 ; the repetition of the terms applied to the Ethiopians
in V. 2 is not what might be expected of that prophet ; and the expres
sion the place of the name of the Lord seems to be post-Deuteronomic.
a present... of a people. Better (after the LXX. and Vulg.), a
present... from a people (reading ^VQ for ^V).
the place ofthe name of the Lord. i.e. the place ofthe Lord's self-
revelation, viz. the Temple; cf Jer. iii. 17 and see Deut. xii. 5, 1 Kgs.
viu. 16.

Chapter XIX.
This oracle concerning Egypt falls naturally into two halves. The first
(vv, 1 — 15), which presents indications of a poetical structure, is apredictionof
calamities destined to be brought by the Lord upon Egypt— calamities which
include intemal anarchy, cruel oppression, and severe drought. The second
(vv, 16—25), which is written in prose, is characterised in the main by a tone of
sympathy with Egypt, predicts its conversion to the Lord, its use of the
Jewish tongue, and its imion with "Assyria" and Israel in the worship of the
Lord. Between the age of Moses and the age of Isaiah Egypt figures Uttle in
Hebrew history, though Solomon is stated to have married an Egyptian prin
cess (1 Kgs. in. 1), and Judah was invaded in the reign of Rehoboam by
Shishak (1 Kgs. xiv. 25) and possibly again in the reign of Asa by Zerah
(perhaps Osorkon I.) (2 Ch. xiv. 9—15). But in the eighth century the
activity of Assyria alarmed Egypt, and she encouraged both Hoshea of Israel
and Hezekiah of Judah to rebel against their Assyrian suzerain. In the

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 126
seventh century Egypt was invaded by the Assyi-ian kings Esar-haddon (about
670) and Asshurbanipal (662) ; but when towards the close of the century the
Assyrian empire came to an end, the Egyptian king Necho advanced into Asia,
slew Josiah at Megiddo, and made Judah tributary (see p. Uii). Necho,
however, was defeated by the Babylonians at Carchemish (605), and in 667 the
Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar penetrated into Egypt. In 525 it was con
quered by the Persian Cambyses, and its subjugation was completed by Darius
Hystaspis. Other Persian kings who made expeditions into it to suppress re
volts were Xerxes, Artaxerxes Longimanus, Artaxerxes Mnemon, and Artaxerxes
Ochus. After the fall of Persia and the death of its conqueror Alexander,
Egypt passed in 322 to Ptolemy Soter and the dynasty which he founded.
This c. is of uncertain date and seems to be of composite origin. Viewed
as a whole it exhibits many features unfavourable to Isaiah's authorship.
(a) In Isaiah's risions of Judah's future there is nothing suggestive of any
occasion calculated to lead to the establishment in Egypt of Jewish communi
ties from which the Egyptians could learn the Jevrish language : such settlements
on any scale presumably first originated after the overthrow of the Judsean
kingdom by the Babylonians (Jer. xiii. 14, xliv. 1). (6) The circumstantial
aUusion to a particular Egyptian city (v. 18, see note) is unlikely in an Isaianic
prophecy, (c) The style is dissimilar to Isaiah's, being prolix, and marked by
the reiteration of particular words (Egypt (Heb. Mizraim), for instance,
occurring five times in the first two verses and twenty-five times in the course of
the c). And although there are a certain number of Isaianic phrases, many ex
pressions are alien to Isaiah's vocabulary, and the forms of one or two are
late (see w. 6, 17).
The objections to an Isaianic origin are strongest in the case of the second
half of the c. ; but some of those noticed occur in the first half also. Some
critics, who agree that the two halves proceed from different authors, think that
the first part (where the resemblances to Isaiah's diction are most numerous)
proceeds from that prophet and refers to a prospective invasion of Egypt by
Sargon in 720 or 711, or by Sennacherib in 701. But on the whole the earUest
date that has much Ukelihood is the first half of the sixth century, when
Pharaoh Necho invaded Judah (p. Uii) and evoked Jewish hate. Several
critics, however, place the oracle later than this, in the Persian age, Cheyne
deciding for the period between 528 (Cambyses) and 485 (Xerxes), and Duhm
for the middle of the fourth century (Artaxerxes Mnemon and Artaxerxes
Ochus). The knowledge displayed in it of Egyptian conditions (vv, 2, 6, 7)
suggests that the writer had some acquaintance with the country.
The latter half of the c. contains a series of separate oracles, some of which
seem certainly to belong to the Greek period (i.e. after 323), since m v, 18 there
appears to be an allusion to the Greek name of the city of On (Heliopohs), and
probably aU are to be assigned to this date. Assyria (mentioned in vv, 23, 24)
had, it is true, come to an end long before this ; but the name (which is used of
Persia in Ezra vi. 22) was appUed about this time to Syria (which is caUed
Asharu in hieroglyphic inscriptions, see Cheyne, Int, p. 107). This part of the
c, which is of the nature of an epilogue to the earlier portion, seems most
likely to have been composed at the end of the fourth or beginning of the third
century — perhaps in Egypt.

126 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xix. 1-4
XIX. 1 The ^burden of Egypt.
Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto
Egypt : and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence,
and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. 2 And I
will ^stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians : and they
shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against
his neighbour ; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall be made void in the midst of it ;
and I will ^destroy the counsel thereof: and they shaU seek
unto the idols, and to the * charmers, and to them that have
familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 4 And I will ^give over
^ Or, oracle conceming ^ Or, join together Or, arm ' Heb. swallow up,
* Or, whisperers ^ Or, shut up
XIX. 1 — 4. An announcement of a judgment to be brought
upon Eg5rpt by the Lord through intestine strife and foreign tyranny.
1. the Lord rideth, etc. The Lord is similarly represented as
riding on a cloud in Ps. xviii. 10, civ. 3, cf also Nah. i. 3. The
place whence He is supposed to come may be either Zion (cf v. 17) or
heaven (cf xxvi. 21, Mic i. 3), though the expression is perhaps a
mere imitation of passages like Deut. xxxiii. 1, Jud. v. 4, implying that
the Lord journeyed from a distant earthly sanctuary, such as Horeb.
the idols. Literally, nonentities (as in ii. 8). The false gods, as
well as the inhabitants, of Egypt will quake before the Lord ; cf
Ex. xii. 12, Num. xxxiii. 4, Jer. xlvi. 25. The passage is quoted in
Pseudo-Matt, xxiii., which relates that, when our Lord was taken by
Joseph into Egypt, and was carried by Mary into a temple, aU the
idols there prostrated themselves before Him. Cf also the Arabic
Gospel of the Infancy, x.
2. / will stir up, etc. Cf ix. II. The Lord Himself is the
speaker. His speech extending to v. 4.
kingdom, etc. In the seventh century Egypt was governed by 12 local
kings under Assyrian suzerainty, of whom one, Psammetichus (663 —
610), made himself master of the whole country (Hdt. ii. 147, 151); but
the partition of the country among several rulers was probably not
confined to this period. The passage has perhaps suggested Mk. xui. 8
(= Matt, xxiii. 7, Luke xxi. 10).
3. the spirit of Egypt, i.e. its intelligence and resourcefulness.
shall be made void. Cf Jer. xix. 7. The LXX. has shall be con
founded (npnj for r\\y^X) : cf Esth. ui. 15 Heb.
destroy. Better, distract ; cf iii. 12, ix. 16.
charmers. Literally, whisperers, who supported their pretensions by
ventriloquism (see viii. 19).
to them that,,, wizards. Better, to the ghosts and the knowing
people (i.e. the spirits of the dead) ; see on viii. 19.

XIX. 5-9] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 127
the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord ; and a fierce king
shaU rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts. 5 And
the waters shaU fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted
and become dry. 6 And the rivers shall stink ; the ^streams of
^Egypt shall be minished and dried up : the reeds and flags
shall wither away. 7 The meadows by the Mle, by the brink of
the Mle, and all that is sown by the Mle, shall become dry, be
driven away, and be no more. 8 The fishers also shaU lament,
and all they that cast angle into the Mle shall mourn, and they
that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. 9 Moreover
they that work in combed flax, and they that weave * white
' Or, canals 2 Heb. Mazor. ^ Or, cotton
4. a cruel lord. A foreign oppressor, not a native ruler (like
Psammetichus), must be meant. The prophecy may be regarded as
having been fulfiUed by some one of the invasions mentioned on p. 125.
The LXX. takes the sing, as a collective and has Kupioi a-KkqpoX,, ,pa(nkii^
a-K'Krjpol : cf. the plural oppressors in v. 20.
5 — 10. Egypt's calamities will be augmented by the drying up of
the Nile, and the consequent decay of the industries that depend upon it.
These vv., describing a physical disaster, are considered by some
critics to be an insertion, interrupting the account of the political ruin
of Egypt, which occupies vv. 1 — 4 and 11^15. In them another word
is used for Egypt — Mazor (v. 6), which occurs elsewhere only in xxxvii.
25 (= 2 Kgs. xix. 24) and Mic. vii. 12.
5. the sea. i.e. the Nile (cf xviii. 2, Nah. iii. 8: cf Pliny, jfiTwi.iVa^.
35, II, Nili aqua mari dmilis est). Similarly Herodotus states that
when the Nile inundates the land " the cities alone appear above the
surface, just like the islands in the Aegean, for the rest of Egypt be
comes a sea" (n. 97), and Diodorus (i. 96) asserts that the name
Ocean was popularly appUed to the Nile by the Egyptians. A similar
prediction is found in Ezek. xxx. 12.
6. the streams. Better, the Nile arms, i.e. the channels which
border and intersect the Delta.
7. The meadows hy the Nile, etc. The text, if retained, must mean
Bare places are hy the Nile, by the brink of the Nile ; but it is better
emended (partly after the LXX.) t/a Allthe reed-grass (Gen. xli. 2, 18)
by the brink (Ps. cxxxni. 2 Heb.) of the Nile shall pass away (reading
•in8<-'?3 -Q.v\ for ^iN*"'?l? n'-iu).
all that is sown. i.e. (in view of the verb driven away) sown seed
rather than sown ground.
8. The fishers. Diodorus (i. 36) describes the Nile as abounding
with an incredible quantity of fish of aU kinds, and Herodotus (ii. 92)
states that some of the Egyptians live entirely on fish.
9. they that work, eto. The Vulg. impUes the reading. Ashamed

128 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xix. 10-.3
cloth, shaU be ashamed, 10 And her ^pillars shall be broken
in pieces, all they ^that work for hire shall be grieved in soul.
11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish ; the counsel of the
wisest counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish : how say ye
unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient
kings? 12 Where then are thy wise men? and let them tell
thee now ; and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath
purposed concerning Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan are become
fools, the princes of ^Noph are deceived ; they have caused
Egypt to go astray, that are the corner stone of her tribes.
* Or, foundations ^ Or, that make dams
3 Or, Memphis
shall he they that work in flax, and the women that ca/rd, and they that
weoAie white stuff (^.e. cotton), reading niplb' for nipn?'.
10. her pillars, i.e. the principal men of the state; cf v. 13 and
the similar metaphors in Zech. x. 4, Gal. ii. 9. But the paraUeUsm
requires a word designating a class of craftsmen, and favours the
reading of certain cursive MSS. of the LXX. oX Sta^o/ievoi aura, the
weavers of it (•?'r)^ ior ^''r)h&).
broken in pieces. Better, crushed (in spirit).
11 — 15. In the presence of the predicted disasters the wisest
statesmen of Egypt will be helpless.
A return is here made to the political troubles described in vv. 1 — 4.
11. Zoan. LXX. Tanis (ci. Hdt. n. 166), the mod. San, an
ancient city (Num. xiii. 22) situated in the N.E. of the Delta, on one
of the Nile channels, to which it gave its name.
the counsel of the, etc Better, the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh are
a stupid council, the abstract nsu being used in a concrete sense.
how say ye, i.e. with what right, in view of your helplessness, can
ye, Pharaoh's counseUors, lay claim to inherited statecraft? For
Egypt's reputation for wisdom cf 1 Kgs. iv. 30, Acts vii. 22, Hdt. n.
160, Toiis cro<^o)TaTOi;s avOpiamov AtyuTrrious.
12. where then are thy wise men, etc. The question is addressed
to Pharaoh, who has with him no one capable of explaining the origin
or the issue of the national troubles. The chaUenge resembles that in
xlvii. 12, 13.
let them know. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.), let them make
known (W^l"!'! for Wl.'.l).
13. Noph. i.e. Memphis, situated at the S. angle of the Delta,
10 m. S. of the mod. Cairo. The name appears in Hos. ix. 6 as Moph :
the ancient Egyptian is said to be Mennufer.
the corner stone. Better, the pinnacles, a metaphor for the upper
classes (cf Jud. xx. 2, 1 Sam. xiv. 38, Zech. x. 4).
her tribes, i.e. the local divisions or petty kingdoms (v. 2).

XIX.I4-I8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 129
14 The Lord hath mingled a spirit of perverseness in the midst
of her : and they have caused Egypt to go astray in every work
thereof, as a drunken man ^staggereth in his vomit. 15 Neither
shaU there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-
branch or rush, may do.
16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women : and it shall
tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord
of hosts, which he shaketh over it. 17 And the land of Judah
shaU become a terror unto Egypt, ^ every one to whom mention
is made thereof shall be afraid, because of the purpose of the
Lord of hosts, which he purposeth against it.
18 In that day there shaU be five cities in the land of Egypt
' Or, goeth astray
2 Or, every one that maketh mention thereof, to him shall they turn in fear
14. The Lord hath, etc. Though the rulers of the nation are the
immediate cause of the country's ruin (v, 13), the Lord is its ultimate
Author (cf xxix. 10, 1 Kgs. xxii. 22, 1 Sam. xvi. 14).
in the midst of her. The LXX. seems to have had in the midst of
them, which suits best the foUowing plural, they have caused, etc.
to go astray. Better (to correspond to the next clause), to stagger.
15. which head or tail, etc. Better, which head and tail, palm-
branch and rush (ix. 14) may do, i.e. no united action on the part of
the discordant ranks in the state wiU be possible.
16 — 25. The terror inspired in Egypt by the Lord will bring about
its conversion and eventual participation in the reUgious privileges of
Israel. This section, which probably originated with a later writer, seems
to have been composed as an appendix to the preceding, v. 17
expanding the thought of v. 12, and v. 20 (oppressors) alluding to v. 4.
16. the shaking, etc. i.e. the Lord's infliction of chastisement,,
cf X. 32, xi. 15, Zech. u. 9.
17. shall become a terror, i.e. because it is the abode of the Lord,
the Author of Egypt's calamities. The word terror is Aramaic in
form, and suggests a late date for the passage.
18. there shall be fiwe cities, etc. The conversion of Egypt will
begin with the adoption of the Hebrew faith and language by a few
cities (five being a conventional figure for a small number, cf xvii. 6,
xxx. 17, 1 Sam. xvii. 40, xxi. 3, Lev. xxvi. 8). Por the diff'usion of the
Hebrew religion in Egypt means existed (probably as early as the end of
the seventh century) in the Jewish colonies there. In 609 Pharaoh Necho
must have carried some Jewish captives to Egypt with king Jehoahaz
(2 Kgs. xxiii. 34) ; and after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 many of its
citizens took refuge in that country (Jer. xiii. 14), three towns, Migdol
(near Pelusium), Tahpanhes (Daphnae) and Noph (Memphis) being
named as localities where they settled (cf Jer. xliv. 1, xlvi. 14). In
w. I. 9

130 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xix. 19
that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of
hosts ; one shall be called The city of ^destruction.
19 In that day shaU there be an altar to the Lord in the
1 Or, Heres Or, according to another reading, the sun
the sixth century (as recently discovered papyri' shew) Jewish colonies
also existed at Syene (Assouan) and Yeb (Elephantine). At a stUl later
date Ptolemy Soter (322—285) further increased the Jewish population
in Egypt by forcibly transporting many Jews thither, whilst others
settled there voluntarily (Jos. Ant. xn. i.).
one shall he called, etc. i.e. one of the cities will receive a new
name, descriptive of a change of character (see on i. 26). The new
name, city of destruction, though naturally meaning " a city that is, or
is to he, destroyed" (cf xxiv. 10, city ofwasteness, i.e. city destined to
be wasted, Zech. xi. 4, Ps. xUv. 22, Heb. flock of slaughter), here
signifies a city wherein idolatrous symbols are to be demolished (in
consequence of its conversion to the true God). The city designated
is probably On or HeUopolis, the Heb. for city of destruction (D'JDO T?)
being a play upon the Heb. equivalent for HeliopoUs (DpO^] "''!'). On
(a Uttle S. of the apex of the Delta, about 6 m. from Cairo) was
famous for its temple of the Sun (" Cleopatra's needle " was one of a
number of obelisks that once stood in front of it) ; and it is perhaps
the destruction of this temple that the passage especiaUy contemplates
(cf Jer. xliu. 13). In place of D^.gn yv^ some Heb. MSS., Sym., and
the Vulg. have D^nn T'l?^ the Heb. equivalent of HeUopolis ; but with
this reading the words one shall he called The city of the sun must mean
one named The city of the sun shall be included, which is against usage.
The LXX. A. B, have the dty of righteousness (P"J-Vn fV) and LXX. K has
the city of gradousness CPDi? I'V), readings which look like altera
tions to avoid the ill-omened meaning which might be attached to the
name dty of destruction.
19. shall there be an altar, etc. The altar meant is obviously an
altar for sacrifice (v, 21), and its erection would constitute a breach of
the command in Deuteronomy limiting sacrifice to the central sanctuary
at Jerusalem (Deut. xvi. 5, 6, 15). The fact that the writer thus con
templates the construction of an altar or altars to the Lord elsewhere
than in Jerusalem has been urged in favour of the Isaianic or at least
ofthe pre-Deuteronomic origin of this section. But some post-Deutero
nomic prophets seem, in their anticipations respecting the extension of
the religion of the Lord among foreign peoples, to ignore the restriction
which the letter of the legal codes imposed under different circum
stances (see Mal. i. II); and the papyri recently found at Assouan
(see on v, 18) shew that the Jewish community at Yeb actually had a
temple of Jehovah (Yahu) built previous to 528, in which was an

' See Sachau, Drei Aram. Papyrusurkunden aus Elephantine (Berlin 1907).
A translation by Driver appeared in the Guardian for Nov. 6, 1907.

XIX. 20-22] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 131
midst of the land of Egypt, and a pUlar at the border thereof
to the Lord. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness
unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt : for they shall cry
unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them
a saviour, and ^a defender, and he shall deliver them. 21 And
the Lord shall ^be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall
know the Lord in that day ; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice
and oblation, and shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and shaU per
form it 22 And the Lord shaU smite Egypt, smiting and
' Or, a mighty one ^ Or, make himself known
altar whereon sacrifices were offered as late as 411. It was to this
V, that Onias IV., who took refuge in Egypt about 170 B.C. appealed
when applying to Ptolemy Philometor (181 — 146) for leave to build a
temple to the Lord at LeontopoUs (Jos. Ant, xn. ix. 7, xni. iii. 1,
Wars, vn. x. 2, 3).
a pillar, A pillar that had religious significance (and such must
be meant here) was usually an unhewn stone, which was probably in
primitive times considered to be the abode of a divinity, offerings
being placed or poured upon it in order to be conveyed to the in
dweUing spirit (see Gen. xxviii. 17, 18), but which eventually became
a mere symbol and was set up beside an altar (cf. Ex. xxiii. 24, Deut.
vii. 5). Rows of such monoUths have been found in Palestine at Gezer
and Taanach, in some of which holes are eut, either at the top or at the
sides, presumably as receptacles for libations. That pillars were once
associated with the worship of the Lord appears from Ex. xxiv. 4,
Josh. xxiv. 26, 27, 1 Sam. vii. 12, as weU as Gen. I.e. ; but the use of
them was rendered iUegitimate by the Deuteronomic legislation (Deut.
xvi. 22), which here seems to be disregarded.
20. for they shall ery, etc. Better, for when they shall cry... he
will send, etc
the oppressors. Probably the Persians, especially Artaxerxes Ochus.
a saviour. Better, a deliverer (such as had been sent to the Jews
themselves in the past, Jud. iii. 9, 15). The name Soter became the
appeUation of Ptolemy Lagi (322—285) who seized Egypt after the
death of Alexander.
21. shall he known. Better (as in the mg.), shall make himself
known. Egypt's conversion to the Lord, initiated in a few places
(v. 18), wiU be promoted by experience of His power both to chasten
and to befriend.
oblation. Better, meal offering (see on i. 13).
a vow. i.e. such as were made in time of need or distress (Gen.
xxviu. 20, 21, Num. xxi. 2, Jud. xi. 30, Ps. lxv. 1), to secure
Divine aid.
22. shall smite, i.e. to correct faults committed after its con
version to the true religion.
9—2

132 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xix. 23-25
healing ; and they shall return unto the Lord, and he shall be
intreated of them, and shall heal them.
23 In that day shaU there be a high way out of Egypt to
Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the
Egyptian into Assyria ; and the Egyptians shall worship with
the Assyrians.
24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with
Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth : 25 for that the
Lord of hosts hath blessed them, saying. Blessed be Egypt my
people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine
inheritanca and they, etc Better, when they,, -the Lord, he shall, etc. : their
sufferings will be mitigated as soon as the reformation they are designed
to secure is effected (cf Jer. xlvi. 26, Zeph. iii. 8, 9).
23. Assyria. If the author of the section is not Isaiah, the name
Assyria must represent one of the powers that succeeded to Ass3rria's
empire, e.g. Babylon, Persia (cf Ezra vi. 22), or Syria. The last is the
most probable (the name Syria being derived from Assyria, cf Verg.
G. n. 465, Assyrium venenum, i.e. Phoenician purple), and the term
probably has this significance in Zech. x. 10. The writer anticipates
that in consequence of the conversion of Egypt the knowledge and
worship of the Lord will extend to Syria, which Ptolemy Lagi had
partly subdued (Jos. Ant. xn. vu.).
The highway is designed to protect traveUers between Egypt and
Palestine from the dangers of the desert separating the two countries
(xxx. 6) ; cf xxxv. 9.
worship. Literally, serve (i.e. the Lord), cf Job xxxvi. II.
24. the third, Israel wiU no longer be unique in respect of its
spiritual privileges (Ex. xix. 5), for these will henceforth be shared by
the two other nations named. Cf Ps. Ixxxvii.
a blessing, i.e. an embodiment of blessedness, so that happiness
comparable to Israel's will be the utmost that men can invoke upon
themselves or others (cf Gen. xii. 2, Ps. xxi. 6 (mg.), Zech. viii. 13).
25. for that... blessed them. Better (after the LXX. and Vulg.),
(in the midst of the earth) which the Lord hath blessed, reading i^?!!? for
i3!!3. The blessing conferred on the earth is illustrated by the blessing
bestowed on so many of its peoples.
my people... the work of my hands. Titles hitherto belonging ex
clusively to Israel (x. 24, Ix. 21 (xxix. 23), lxiv. 8) are henceforth to
be applicable to others.
mine inheritance. Israel is so designated in xlvii. 6, Ixiii. 17, Deut.
xxxii. 9, 1 Kgs. viii. 53, Ps. cvi. 5.

XX. 1, 2] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 133
Chapter XX.
The occasion of the prophecy comprised in this c. (which looks Uke an
extract from a biography of Isaiah) is explained in the opening vv, ; and the
date is determined by an inscription of Sargon's, which alludes to the siege
therein mentioned. Ashdod was besieged and taken by Sargon in 711, in con
sequence of a revolt. The Assyrian king had dethroned Azuri, the king
of Ashdod, on account of his anti-Assyrian sympathies, and had substituted
his brother Ahimit ; but the latter was deposed by the citizens, and a certain
Yaman or Yatnan was raised to the throne. Sargon sent his commander-in-
chief to put down the insurrection ; and Ashdod, Gath, and a place called
Ashdudimmu (Ashdod-on-Sea) were captured, and their inhabitants deported.
Yaman fled to Meluhhi (supposed to be a country in N. Arabia), whose king,
however, was forced to surrender him to avoid invasion (see Schrader, COT.
n. p. 91).
The interest which the fortunes of Ashdod had for Isaiah arose from the
incUnation shewn by Judah (a vassal, like Ashdod, of Assyria, see 2 Kgs. xvL
7, 8) to pursue the same policy as the PhUistines. Sargon expressly names
Judah, together with the people of PhiUstia, Edom and Moab, as engaged in
hostile designs against their Assyrian over-lord, and as appealing for assistance
to Piru, Mng of Muzri, This last expression has generally been thought
equivalent to " Pharaoh, king of Egypt." But several scholars entertain the
riew that Muzri was in N. Arabia (see on v. 3) ; and it is possible (as Winckler,
Cheyne, and some others think) that the name has here been confused with
Mizraim, the Heb. term for Egypt, and that the same confusion has oc
curred in other passages in the O.T. where Egypt, or Egyptian, appears in the
Heb. text (see Encyc. Bib. s. Mizraim). However this may be, the disaffected
Philistines on this occasion relied for aid upon some extemal power, Egyptian
or Arabian ; and Isaiah, knowing that his countrymen were disposed to make
common cause with them, sought by this prophecy to disabuse them of their
hopes of obtaining from the power in question any effective support.
XX. 1 In the year that ^Tartan came unto Ashdod, when
Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against
Ashdod and took it ; 2 at that time the Lord spake by Isaiah
' The title of the Assyrian commander in chief.
XX. 1. In the year; etc i.e. 711 B.C.
Tartan. Better, the Tartan, since the word is a title (not a
proper name) designating the officer who ranked next to the king.
Ashdod. The later Azotus (I Mac. viu. 18, Acts vui. 40), and the
mod. Esdud, one of the five confederate Philistine cities, situated 3 m.
from the Mediterranean coast.
2. at that time. The words are used loosely (v. 2 being a paren
thetical statement, needed to explain v. 3, which, in the Heb., is the
natural sequel of v. 1) : the prophet's symbolic action, presaging the fate
of Ashdod, would naturally take place about the time of the revolt there
(v. 3).

134 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xx.3,4
the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and loose the sackcloth from ofl^
thy loins, and put thy shoe from ofl" thy foot. And he did so,
walking naked and barefoot. 3 And the Lord said. Like as my
servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot ^ three years for
a sign and a wonder upon Egypt and upon ^Ethiopia ; 4 so shall
the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the
exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and
1 Or, to be for three years a sign (6c. ^ Heb. Gush.
spake by Isaiah. Literally, spake by the hand of Isaiah. The Heb.
phrase, which is specially common in the post-exilic Priestly code and
the books of Chron., is here used inappropriately for spake to Isaiah.
Go, and loose, i.e. assume the garb of a deported captive (see v. 4,
and cf 2 Ch. xxviii. 15). The sackcloth was possibly the hairy mantle
which prophets were accustomed to wear (Zech. xiii. 4, 2 Kgs. i. 8 mg. :
cf Mk. i. 6)^
naked. Better, umclad, the prophet retaining an under-garment
only (cf 2 Sam. vi. 20 and 14).
3. three years. It is not necessary to suppose that Isaiah acted as
described for three years uninterruptedly : he may have done so at
intervals. The period is probably the space included between the first
symptoms of revolt (perhaps in 713^) and the capture of Ashdod in 711.
wonder. Better, premonition. For similar S3rmbolic acts on the
part of Hebrew prophets see Jer. xxvii. 2 f , Ezek. xii. 1 — 7, xxiv. 15 —
24, Zech. iii. 4 — 8, and the conduct recorded of Samuel and Ahijah
(I Sam. XV. 27, 28, 1 Kgs. xi. 30 f ) : cf also Acts xxi. 10, 11.
upon. Better, concerning.
Egypt. Heb. Mizraim. In favour of regarding the Heb. word as
here representing an Arabian Muzri is the fact that Sargon associates
Pirii king of Muzri, Samse queen of Aribi (N. Arabia), and Itamara of
Sabsea together as paying tribute to him (Schrader, COT. n. p. 88).
Ethiopia. Heb. Cush. Those scholars who here identify Mizraim
with a district in Arabia hold that there was likewise an Arabian Cush,
whence came the Cushites who are represented as neighbours of the
Arabians in 2 Ch. xxi. 16 : cf also Cushan in Hab. iii. 7.
4. lead away.,, Ethiopia, If Mizraim and Cush reaUy represent
Egypt and Ethiopia, the prophecy was not literaUy fulfiUed by Sargon,
who, though he took Ashdod, did not invade Egypt; but the fact that
Ashdod was not saved from capture vindicated Isaiah's estimate of the
power in which the Philistines and their Judsean sympathizers placed
such confidence.
' The apparition of Samuel, raised by the witch of Endor, was recognized by the
robe worn (1 Sam. xxviii. 14) ; and the casting of Elijah's mantle upon Elisha was
equivalent to a summons to the latter to become a prophet (I Kgs. xix. 19,
cf. 2 Kgs. ii. 13).
2 In one of the Assyrian inscriptions relating to the overthrow of Ashdod, the
date is given as the ninth year of Sargon (i.e. 713 B.C.).

XX. 5, 6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 135
with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 And they
shall be dismayed and ashamed, because of Ethiopia their
expectation, and of Egypt their glory. 6 And the inhabitant
of this coastland shall say in that day. Behold, such is our
expectation, whither we fled for help to be deUvered from
the king of Assyria : and we, how shall we escape ?
to the shame, etc. Better, the nakedness of Egypt, probably a gloss on
the preceding words.
5. ashamed, i.e. disappointed (i. 29, xix. 22, Jer. vui. 9, xvii. 18).
6. the inhabitant, etc. i.e. the people of the smaller Palestinian
states, including Judah, PhiUstia, Moab and Edom.
how shall we escaped There is no evidence that in 711 Judah
suffered invasion, so that it is probable that Hezekiah did not become
seriously involved in the revolt of Ashdod, or else escaped by sub
mission.
Chapter XXL 1—10.
This section is a prediction of a successful assault upon Babylon; but the
data for determining which of the city's many sieges is meant are conflicting.
Babylon entered into diplomatic relations with Judah in the reign of Hezekiah
(see c. xxxix.), when the king's welcome of the Babylonian envoys met with the
disapproval of Isaiah. This occasion would both furnish a motive for the de-
Uveiy of the prophecy (Isaiah seeking to discourage Judah from entering into
an alUance with Babylon by predicting the capture of the latter, which occurred
in 710 and again in 704 — 703) and would account in some degree for the
feeling of distress manifested in the passage (for though Isaiah was opposed to
foreign alUances, Babylon was a friendly power). But this view is confronted
by some serious difficulties, (a) No mention is made of Assyria ; (6) among the
assailants of Babylon is Elam, whose king in Isaiah's time was in aUiance with
Merodach-baladan, the king of Babylon ', though part of Elam had been con
quered by Assyiia (cf. xxiL 6); (c) Judah is represented as crushed (o. 10),
which is not an appropriate description of its state in 710 or 704; (d) the
phraseology, though reproducing certain Isaianic expressions (vv. 2, 6, 10), is in
several respects unUke Isaiah's. In view of these facts it is more probable that
the prophecy is exilic in origin, written between 549 and 538, and that the
siege of Babylon described in it is the successful attack of Cyrus in the last-
mentioned year (cf xiii. 1 — xiv. 23). In Cyrus' expedition Elamites and
Medes, who are named together here, were united (for Cyrus was prince of
Anshan, a part of Elam, and became king of Media in 549); and at the time
Babylon was the oppressor of W. Asia, and held a large body of Jews in
captivity (cf. xiv. 4—6). The motive of the writer is thus the desire to comfort
his countrymen in Babylon with the hope of release through the overthrow of
their captor (see v. 10). The principal objection to this conclusion is the
feeUng of painful emotion excited in the prophet by the vision of the city's
HBA. n. p. 153.

136 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxi. i, .
downfall, in place of the satisfaction which might be expected of a Jewish
v?riter Uring about the middle of the sixth century (see xiU. 15 — 19, c. xlviL,
Jer. 1., IL, Ps. cxxxvU. 8, 9). To account for this, it must be assumed that the
author was a man of acute sensibility, in whom the thought of the horrors in
separable from the storm and sack of a great city containing a number of his
own countrymen overpowered for a time the joy which the prospect of his
nation's deliverance would otherwise have inspired (similar emotions over the
fate of a foreign nation are displayed by the writer of xv. I — 9*, xri. 7 — 11). If
this riew of the origin of the section is correct, its date is probably rather later
than that of xiu. 1— xiv. 23.
The prophecy is marked by an abruptness of style verging on obscurity, and
presents rapid changes of situation. The prophet in rision first sees and hears
the assault delivered by the foes outside the walls (vv. 1 — 4) ; next, he is trans
ported to the interior of the city, where the inhabitants are taken by siu^rise
(v. 5) ; then he watches for, and finally observes, a body of the enemy's troops
on their homeward march, and recognizes that Babylon has faUen (w. 6 — 10).
XXI. 1 The ^ burden of the wilderness of the sea.
As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it cometh from
the wilderness, from a terrible land. 2 A ^grievous vision is
1 Or, oracle concerning '^ Or, hard
XXI. 1. the wilderness of the sea. The title of the c seems to
be based upon an expression in the contents, viz. the wilderness men
tioned in V. V" (cf vv. 11, 13, xxii. 1, xxx. 6, 2 Sam. i. 18). This
naturally refers to the direction whence the vision comes, and so
probably denotes the desert separating Palestine from Babylonia (see
below), though the meaning of the phrase (wilderness) of the sea is
obscure. Perhaps the sea is an allusion to the Euphrates (as in Jer. li.
36), whose waters frequently inundated the neighbouring country
(Hdt. I. 184) ; others, who consider the wilderness to be the desert
between Babylonia and Elam, think the Persian Gulf to be meant.
Some critics would substitute deserts (Q*1310 for Dp31.p), for the LXX.
has only to opapia Trj% ipyjpLov. Possibly, however, the phrase should
be emended to the wilderness of the south (reading Wl for DJ, cf the
mistake in Ps. cvii. 3), or the wilderness of mountains (reading ^''l'?,
cf Ps. Ixxv. 6, mg.).
the South. Heb. the Negeb, the appellation given to the parched
region south of Judah, between Hebron and Kadesh, cf xxx. 6, Gen.
xu. 9, XX. I, xxiv. 62, Josh. xv. 21. The comparison to the whirlwinds
prevalent in this district (cf Zech. ix. 14, Jer. xiii. 24) seems intended
to express the suddenness of the catastrophe announced, and the choice
of such a comparison points to the writer being a resident in Palestine.
it cometh, i.e. the disclosure conveyed in the vision described in
«. 2. a terrible land. The desert was viewed by the Hebrews with much
horror (see xxx. 6, Deut. i. 19, viii. 15, Jer. ii. 6).

XXI. 3-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 137
declared unto me ; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously,
and the spoUer spoUeth. Go up, 0 Elam ; besiege, 0 Media ;
aU the sighing thereof ^have I made to cease. 3 Therefore
are my loins filled with anguish ; pangs have taken hold upon
me, as the pangs of a woman in travail : I am ^ pained so that
I cannot hear ; I am dismayed so that I cannot see. 4 My
heart *panteth, horror hath afirighted me : the twilight that
I desired hath been turned into trembling unto me. 5 They
prepare the table, they * set the watch, they eat, they drink :
^ Or, will I make ' Heb. bent,
s Heb. wandereth. * Or, spread the carpets
2. grievous, i.e. because of the distressing sights and sounds
involved in the vision of Babylon's overthrow.
the treacherous dealer. Better (in this context), the barbarous dealer
dealeth barbarously. The terms (which recur in xxiv. 1 6, xxxiii. 1) must
be understood of the butchery which the prophet's imagination conjures
up in connection with the storming of Babylon by Cyrus. In point of
fact, Cyrus' entry into Babylon appears to have been peaceful (see p. Iviii).
Go up. The term is appropriate to attacks on fortresses generally
(1 Kgs. xxii. 6, 2 Kgs. vi. 24), though Babylon lay in a plain. The
speaker (to the end of v. 2) is the Lord, Who is thought of as bidding
Babylon's enemies advance against it. There is an assonance in the
Heb. between this word and Elam.
Elam. Situated on the east of the lower Tigris. The name here
represents Anshan (the country of Cjrrus) which was part of Elam. On
¦Media see xiii. 17, and p. Ui.
all the sighing thereof, i.e. the groaning of all the peoples
oppressed by Babylon. But the expression is unnatural, and perhaps
corrupt. 3. my hins. The loins were regarded as the seat of painful
emotions (cf Jer. xxx. 6, Ezek. xxi. 6, Nah. u. 10). The prophet's dis
tress at the vision is suggestive of the fearfijl character of Babylon's
impending overthrow.
4. My heart panteth. Better, My senses reel,
5. They prepare, etc. The scene shifts to the heart of the
luxurious city (cf xiv. 11), where the principal inhabitants are at a
feast which is interrupted by a sudden call to arms (cf Jer. li. 39).
The storming of Babylon whilst the king and his nobles were banqueting,
which appears here in a vision of the future, is represented as an historic
fact in Dan. v., Hdt. i. 191, Xen. Cyr. vn. 5 ; but this is not
supported by the evidence of contemporary inscriptions.
set the watch. Better (in view of the preceding and following ex
pressions), spread the coverlets, i.e. of the lounges upon which the
feasters reclined. For the practice of recUnin^ at meals (cf Lat.
accumbere, accubitio) see Am. iii. 12, vi. 4, Joh. xiii. 23.

138 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxi. 6-9
rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield. 6 For thus hath the
Lord said unto me. Go, set a watchman ; let him declare what
he seeth : 7 ^ and when he seeth ^ a troop, ^ horsemen in pairs,
2 a troop of asses, ^a troop of camels, he shaU hearken dUigently
with much heed. 8 And he cried as a lion : 0 Lord, I stand
continually upon the watchtower in the day-time, and am set
in my ward * whole nights : 9 and, behold, here ^ cometh a
troop of men, * horsemen in pairs. And he answered and
said, Babylon is fallen, is faUen ; and all the graven images
^ Or, and he saw.,, and he hearkened ^ Or, a chariot Or, chariots
2 Or, a pair of horsemen * Or, every night ' Or, covie chariots of men
rise up. This is the cry of the sentinels on discovering that the
city is surprised.
anoint the shield, i.e. either for the purpose of polishing the sur
face that blows might glance off it (cf 2 Sam. i. 21, Verg. A. vn. 626
Uves clipeos,,, ter gent arvina pingui) or (more probably) as a religious
rite. Some critics substitute draw forth (from its cover), reading '3f9
for •in^'P ; cf xxii. 6.
6. For. The causal particle introduces the grounds for the
prediction implied in v. 2.
set a watchman. It is scarcely likely (as has been suggested) that
the act of setting the watchman is meant to represent the prophet's
entry into the clairvoyant state, in which he could discern events
passing at a distance (cf Ezek. viii. 3) ; for if this were intended, it
should have been described earlier (the sounds and sights of vv. 2 and
5 being part of the vision). Probably the reference to the watchman is
merely a literary artifice, modelled on descriptions like 2 Sam. xviii. 24,
2 Kgs. ix. 1 7, and designed to render the prophet's final announcement
the more impressive.
7. a troop, etc. Better, a mounted troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop
mounted on asses, a troop mounted on camels. The Persians, who were
skilful horsemen (Hdt. l 136), employed camels and asses chiefly for
carrying baggage (Hdt. i. 80, vn. 83), but Cyrus mounted some of his
troops on camels in a battle against the Lydians (Hdt. i. 80).
8. he cried as a lion. If the text is sound, cf Rev. x. 3 ; but it is
better corrected to the seer cried (reading nsin for n.^N), or he cried,
See(^m). 0 Lord. Perhaps better, 0 my lord (pointing 'Jl^;), the watchman
addressing the prophet as his master.
whole nights. Better (as in the mg.), every night.
9. a troop of men. Better, mounted men. The expected cavalcade
appears, and the watchman recognizes that what he sees is the victorious
Persian army returning from the overthrow of Babylon.
Babylon is fallen. The words are quoted in Rev. xiv. 8, xviii. 2,
and applied to imperial Rome.

XXI.10] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 139
of her gods are broken unto the ground. 10 0 thou my
threshing, and the ^corn of my floor: that which I have
heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I
declared unto you.
' Heb. son.
all the graven images, etc. The overthrow of Babylon was thought
to involve the overthrow of its deities (ci xlvi. 1, 2, Jer. 1. 2, U. 47, 52);
but Cyrus, in his inscription relating his success, attributes it to the
favour of Bel Merodach, the chief Babylonian divinity (see Sayce,
HCM.^. 504 f). y K y .
10. 0 thou my threshing. An address to the writer's countrymen.
The epithets are appropriate to the humiUation undergone by the Jewish
people in 587 at the hands of Babylon. Some kinds of corn were
threshed by being trodden underfoot by oxen (Deut. xxv. 4, cf Hom.
M. XX. 496, <i>s 8 ore Tts f€v^jj/3das...Tpi;8c/x.£i'ai Kpi kevKov) or pressed be
neath cart wheels (xxviii. 28) ; and the figure is employed for the harsh
treatment of a vanquished enemy, not only by Heb. writers (cf xU. 15,
Jer. U. 33, Ana. i. 3, Hab. ui. 12, Mic. iv. 13, 2 Kgs. xiu. 7), but also
by the Assyrian Tiglath-pileser III., who, in one of his inscriptions,
speaks of "treading down" a hostile country "as in threshing" (see
Schrader, COT. i. p. 225).
the corn of my floor. Literally (as in the mg.), the son of my floor.
So arrows are called sons of the how and sons of the quiver (Job xli. 28,
Lam. in. 13).

XXL 11, 12.
This brief section consists of a question which reaches the prophet from
Seir or Edom, and of the answer which he returns. Like the preceding oracle,
it was probably written in Palestine, with the south-east of which Edom
marches ; but it is so short that its date is difficult to determine. In Isaiah's
time Edom chafed under the yoke of Assyria; and such may be the situation
which the oracle reflects. But the presence in the passage of some words which
are found chiefly in later writings is against its haring originated with Isaiah ;
and the oppression from which reUef is longed for is probably the Babylonian.
Cheyne assigns the section to 593, prior to the fall of Jerusalem, when the king
of Edom, together with the kings of Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Zidon, concerted
with Zedekiah, king of Judah, an uprising against Nebuchadrezzar (Jer. xxriL
3); and certainly the absence of bitterness in the prophet's tone is rather
against a date subsequent to 587 (when the exultation of the Edomites over the
faU of Jerusalem excited in the Jews the intensest resentment (see Ps. cxxxvu.
7)). This, however, may be due to the writer's tempeiument ; and Duhm and
Marti assign it to the same exUic date (549 — 538) and origin as xxL 1 — 10, on
the ground that it is marked by similar conciseness and obscurity. In any case,
the vmter of this, Uke the writer of the preceding oracle (see on xxi. 1), must
have resided in the south of Palestine.

140 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxi.it,i.
11 The ^burden of Dumah.
One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, ^ what of the
night? Watchman, ^what of the night? 12 The watchman
said, The morning ^ cometh, and also the night : if ye wiU
inquire, inquire ye : * turn ye, come.
^ Or, oracle concerning ^ Or, what hour ^ Or, is come * Or, come ye again
11. Dumah. Of the Dumahs mentioned in the O.T. one is the
name of an Arab tribe (Gen. xxv. 14), the other of a place in
Judah (Josh. xv. 52), and neither is associated with Edom. Gesenius
thinks that the locality meant is "Dumah of the rock," between Arabia
and the Syrian desert, but this also seems too remote from Edom.
Probably the name is either a textual corruption of Edom (read by the
LXX.) or (since the word means "silence") an intentional modification
of it, suggestive of the stillness of death (cf Ps. xciv. 17, cxv. 17),
which Jewish animosity (after 587) desired for that country'.
One calleth. The consultation of a Jewish prophet by a foreign
people is paralleled by the deputation sent to Elisha by the king of
Damascus (2 Kgs. viii. 7f).
Seir. i.e. Edom (see Gen. xxxu. 3, xxxvi. 8, Ezek. xxxv. 15).
Watchman. LiteraUy, Guardian (Ps. cxxx. 6, cxxvii. 1).
what of the night? i.e. what portion of the night is past ? By the
Hebrews tbe interval between sunset and sunrise was divided into
three watches (see Lam. ii. 19, Jud. vii. 19, Ex. xiv. 24), and the
question may have been one commonly addressed to city watchmen
(Cant. iii. 3). But here the night is only emblematic of a period of
depression or distress (Job xxxv. 10, xxxvi. 20).
12. The morning, etc i.e. relief is approaching, but it wiU not be
permanent. turn ye, come. Better (as in the mg.), come ye again. The answer
implies that the prophet, at the time, had no clear revelation respecting
the future, but hoped to receive one.
XXL 13—17.
This section consists of two parts. The fii-st (vv. 13 — 15) is an oracle
addressed to the Dedanites, a tribe of Arabian caravan traders, and announcing
that they wiU be driven to flight through the pressure of war. The writer
shews some sympathy with the needs of the fugitives. In Isaiah's lifetime N.
Arabia, within which Dedan was included, felt the weight of Assyrian oppres
sion (the Arabian queens Zabibiye and Samse being made tributary) ; but the
phraseology is unfavourable to Isaiah's authorship of the section, and the oracle
is probably contemporaneous with the preceding. Cheyne places it in the time
of Nebuchadrezzar circ. 590 (when Jeremiah predicted eril for Dedan, Jer. xxv.
23, cf xUx. 8), whilst Duhm and Marti assign it to an exilic date, suggesting
' The heading presumably proceeds from a post-exilic editor.

XXI. I3-I6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 141
that the Dedanites, who were perhaps among those that traded with Babylon
(xiu. 14), were in danger from the Persians, the assailants of Babylon. The
second part (vv. 16, 17) is a fragment appended to the original oracle, and pre
dicting a disaster, not to Dedan, but to Kedar. It lacks the sympathetic tone
of the preceding, and its phraseology resembles that of xri. 13, 14, and recalls
that of Isaiah. If it really proceeds from him, it must be a fragment (referring
to the conquest of Kedar by an Assyrian king) which has been attached by an
editor to a later passage ; but see on xvi. 13, 14.
13 The ^ burden upon Arabia.
In the ^forest ^in Arabia shall ye lodge, 0 ye travelling
companies of Dedanites. 14 Unto him that * was thirsty they
brought water ; ^ the inhabitants of the land of Tema did
meet the fugitives with their bread. 15 For they fled away
from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow,
and from the grievousness of war. 16 For thus hath the Lord
' Or, oracle '¦' Or, thickets
' Or, according to the ancient versions, at evening * Or, is thirsty bring ye
° Or, as otherwise read, ye inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet
13. The burden upon Arabia. Better, The oracle. In Arabia.
The title, like that of xxi. 1 — 10, is obviously taken from a word
in the oracle itself which may, however, have been misunderstood
(see below). Arabia (^1^) in the O.T. means the N. part of the modern
Arabian peninsula (2 Ch. ix. 14, Ezek. xxvii. 21).
the forest. Better (as in the mg.), the thickets (or the bush). In this
inhospitable region the Dedanites, leaving the regular caravan route,
with its oases and wells, which the pursuit of their enemies rendered
unsafe (v. 15), wUl have to seek shelter.
in Arabia, Better, in the steppe (3T!i?). The LXX., Syr. and Vulg.
(pointing differently) have in the evening (^1V), influenced perhaps by
the verb lodge (literaUy, pass the night ; ci. Ps. xxx. 5).
Dedanites. These were Arab traders (Ezek. xxvu. 15, 20) whose
country lay S.E. of Edom (Jer. xlix. 8, Ezek. xxv. 13).
14. Unto him that was, etc. Better (after the LXX. and Vulg.,
pointing -lOlf? for ^1^'^P), Unto him that is thirsty hring water; 0 in
habitants of the land of Tema, meet the fugitives (who in their place of
refuge wiU be in great straits).
Tema. A country S. of Dedan and E. of the Aelanitic Gulf (Gulf
of Akaba). their bread, i.e. the bread needed by the refugees.
15. the drawn sword. Literally, a sword let go, for which some
critics substitute the whetted sword (r\mvh for ntj'ltsj), after Ps. vu. 12.
16. For. The conjunction impUes that, by the editor who united
this prophecy to the preceding, Dedan was reckoned a part of the region
denoted by Kedar, upon which the disaster previously predicted was
shortly expected to faU : cf Jer. xlix. 28, 29.

142 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxLi?
said unto me. Within a year, according to the years of an hireling,
and aU the glory of Kedar shall faU : 17 and the residue of the
number of the archers, the mighty men of the chUdren of Kedar,
shaU be few : for the Lord, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.
Within a year. In view of the foUowing comparison (years), Duhm
conjectures that some numeral has been lost (the Heb. rendered year
being used with numerals above 10); cf 1 Sam. xiii. 1.
the glory, i.e. the wealth and resources (viu. 7, x. 16, xvii. 3).
Kedar. A pastoral district of Arabia, whose inhabitants were rich
in flocks (be. 7, Ezek. xxvii. 21, Jer. xlix. 28, 29).
17. the residue. . .Kedar. Literally, the residue of the number of the
bow (xxii. 3) of the mighty men, etc. Cheyne and others (after the
Vulg.) would transpose and read the residue of the number of Kedar' s
mighty men of the bow. In Gen. xxv. 13 Kedar is accounted a son of
Ishmael, who is represented as an archer (Gen. xxi. 20).

Chapter XXIL 1—14.
This section, of which the Isaianic origin is beyond doubt, consists of a de
nunciation of the irreligious spirit in which the inhabitants of Jerasalem faced
a situation fraught with peril The reference to an impending siege of the city
(vv. 5 — 7) suggests that the oracle was delivered shortly before or during the
invasion of Sennacherib in 701 ; and the self-confidence of the population is
similar to that described in xxviii. 15 (which belongs to that period) ; but the
precise circumstances which it has in riew have been variously understood.
Many critics connect it with some incident after the invasion had begun.
W. R. Smith (Prophets, p. 346) suggests the time when the Assyrian forces
first approached the capital, and when some of the defenders fled (vv. 2, 3),
whilst others took refuge from despair in debauchery (vv. 12, 13) ; and Cheyne
thinks of the occasion when the Assyrians withdrew from the city after
Hezekiah's submission (as related in 2 Kgs. xviii. 14), and when the people
abandoned themselves to joy on the enemy's retirement. But the defensive
preparations described mvv.8 — 11 (or 8, 9*) seem most appropriate to the very
beginning of the war ; so that the occasion which appeare to explain best the
language of the passage is the moment when Hezekiah first asserted his inde
pendence of Assyria, and when the citizens of Jerusalem went wild with
excitement at the outbreak of hostilities which they confronted with a con
fidence and light-heartedness which Isaiah knew to be iU-justified. The
prophet's tone in this section differs from that which marks most of the other
prophecies which were delivered in connection with the invasion of 701 (e.g.
X. 5 1), and which are probably later : his menaces are here unquaUfied by any
promise, and for the citizens of the capital nothing but destruction is
predicted. The whole of the section seems to proceed from the same date (rv. 12, 13
obviously referring to the same situation as ve. 1, 2), though the transitions of
thought are abrupt.

XXII. 1-4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 143
XXII. 1 The ^ burden of the valley of vision.
What aileth thee now, that thou art whoUy gone up to the
housetops ? 2 0 thou that art fuU of shoutings, a tumultuous
city, a joyous town ; thy slain are not slain with the sword,
neither are they dead iu battle. 3 All thy rulers fled away
together, they were bound ^ by the archers : all that were
found of thee were bound together, ^they fled afar ofiT.
4 Therefore said I, Look away from me, I will weep bitterly ;
* labour not to comfort me, for the spoiling of the daughter
' Or, oracle concerning ^ Or, without the bow
* Or, which had fled from far * Or, hasten
XXII. 1. The burden of the valley of vision. The title of the
oracle is taken (as in other cases, xxi. 1, 13) from a phrase occurring in
it (see V. 5). The expression presumably refers to one of the vaUeys
surrounding Jerusalem (see v. 7), and as the word C*'?.) is not the one
used to designate the ravine of the Kidron, but the valley of Hinnom
(which is sometimes called without any qualification the valley, see 2 Ch.
xxvi. 9, Neh. ii. 13), this is probably the locality meant. It is generally
identified with the mod. Wddy er Eabdbi, on the W. and S. of the city.
The designation of it as the valley of vision perhaps comes from the
traditional association of a site in it with a vision of God: cf the
local name Jehovah-jireh or Jehovah jeraeh (Gen. xxii. 14 and mg.) and
2 Ch. iii. 1 (mount Moriah where the Lord appeared unto David).
What aileth thee. Better, What meanest thou (cf iii. 15). The
prophet's question was prompted by the crowds that on the flat house
tops (see XV. 3) watched the preparations for the city's defence and
discussed the prospects of success.
2. thy slain. The past tenses, here and in v. 3, probably have in
view, not something that has already occurred, but something that will
occur. The prophet projects himself into the future and sees mentally
a very different scene from the one actually before him ; those that have
died have perished miserably by famine or pestilence (not honourably in
battle, cf Lam. iv. 9), and those that have fled (the leaders) have been
overtaken and are prisoners.
3. by the a/rchers. Literally, by the how, cf xxi. 17. But better
(as in the mg.), without the bow, i.e. unresisting. The text, however,
seems in some disorder, and is pos.sibly corrupt. Duhm (partly after the
LXX.) corrects the v. to All thy rulers have fled, that grasp the bow ;
all thy strong ones have been bound, that fled far off (reading ng'P ?''tpN
for HK'BP in; and '^?V'SK for IISVP?, and omitting ^^l >nm).
4. Therefore said I, Better, Therefore say I. The prophet, deeply
moved by his vision of the country's doom (cf Mic. i. 8, 9, Jer. xiii. 19),
attracts, by his distress amid the general cheerfulness, the notice of
the bystanders ; but he refuses to be comforted.
the daughter of my people. A personification of Israel, cf Jer. iv. II,
viu. 19, xiv. 17, Am. v. 2.

144 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxilj^
of my people. 5 For it is a day of discomfiture, and of
treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, the Lord
of hosts, in the valley of vision ; a breaking down of the
walls, and a crying to the ^mountains. 6 And Elam bare
the quiver, with ^ chariots of men and horsemen ; and Kir
uncovered the shield. 7 And it came to pass, that thy choicest
valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves
in array at the gate. 8 And he took away the covering of
Judah ; and thou didst look in that day to the armour in the
house of the forest. 9 And ye saw the breaches of the city
' Or, mountain " Or, troops
5. For it is a day, etc. Better, For a day of discomfiture, and of
treading down, and of confusion hath the Lord, etc. (cf. ii. 12). Isaiah's
sadness is due to his foreknowledge of an impending disaster in the
approaching war, whereby the Lord wiU execute judgment upon the
self-confident city.
a breaking down, etc. The prophet mentaUy sees the breaching of
the walls by the foe, and hears the cries of their wounded or dying
defenders. 6. And Elam, etc. The v. describes propbeticaUy the advance
of two of the contingents of the Assyrian army. The king of Elam was
hostile to Sennacherib (see on c. xxi.), but part of the country had been
conquered by Sargon, and some of its people (who were famed for
archery, Jer. xlix. 35) may have served with their conquerors, as a body
of Philistines served with David (2 Sam. xv. 18).
with chariots of men, etc. Better, with chariots and horsemen
(omitting (of) men as a gloss on D'?'ll, which means both horses and
horsemen). Winckler has proposed cmd Aram (i.e. Syria) rode on
horses (reading DT-JB-br D-JS 3?-)1^).
Kir. The original bome of the Syrians of Damascus (Am. ix. 7),
and the place to which they were deported in 732 (2 Kgs. xvi. 9) : its
situation is unknown, but it has been conjecturaUy identified by some
vrith Cyrrhestica near Mt. Amanus.
uncovered the shield. For the protection of shields when not in use,
cf Caesar, B.G. n. 21, ad scutis tegimenta detrahenda tempus.
8. And he took, etc. The vision of the future ends with the
previous v., and the prophet here reverts to the recent past, when the
defects in Judah's defence became apparent. The subject of the verb
is the Lord, Who was the cause of the country's critical position (v. 11).
thou didst look. The 2nd sing, should probably be replaced by the
2nd plur. (as in the following vv.).
the house of the forest, i.e. the armoury, which was constructed
with columns of cedar brought from Lebanon. It stood S. of the
Temple and palace, and was the largest of Solomon's buildings (1 Kgs.
vu. 2, X. 17).

xxii.io-,i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 145
of David, that they were many : and ye gathered together
the waters of the lower pool 10 And ye numbered the
houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify
the wall. 11 Ye made also a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool : but ye looked not unto ^ him
that had done this, neither had ye respect unto him that
fashioned it long ago. 12 And in that day did the Lord, the
' Or, the maker thereof
9. And ye saw, etc. i.e. a survey of the walls was made, with a
view to their repair (cf. 2 Ch. xxxii. 5).
the city of David, i.e. the citadel (2 Sam. v. 7) on the eastern of
the two hills upon which modern Jerusalem stands.
gathered, i.e. stopped. The passage beginning here (v. 9*) and ex
tending to V. 11* is considered by Duhm and Chejme to be a prosaic
insertion, introducing unnecessary details between vv. 9* and ll"", which
should be closely connected ; but some mention of the measures taken
to repair the breaohes of the waU (v. 9*) seems to be required.
the lower pool. Probably the mod. Birket el Hamrd, which was
the first receptacle for the waters of Gihon (see on vii. 3). The
waters were now diverted to a new reservoir (v. 11).
10. ye numbered, etc. The houses were examined, and those
that could be dispensed with were demolished, either to leave space for
additional fortifications, or to furnish materials for them (Jer. xxxiii. 4) :
cf 2 Ch. xxxii. 5.
11. a reservoir, etc. This was probably the pool of Siloam (the
mod. Birket Silwdn), constructed to receive the waters which had
hitherto flowed into the old pool, which is presumably identical with
the lower pool oiv. 9. The water of the Gihon spring was conveyed to
the pool of Siloam by a subterranean tunnel (2 Kgs. xx. 20, 2 Ch.
xxxii. 2 — 4, Ecclus. xlviii. 17), on the waUs of which there was dis
covered in 1880 an inscription, probably cut by some of the workmen,
giving an account of the meeting of the two parties who had begun the
excavation from opposite ends (see Driver, Notes on the Heb. Text of
the Books of Samuel, pp. xv. — xvii.).
the two walls. Of these (which are mentioned in Jer. xxxix. 4,
Ui. 7) one probably ran up the Tjnropceon valley at the edge of the
westem hill (constructed when that was fortified independently of the
eastern hill), whilst the other ran across the entrance of the vaUey
between the two hills. Traces of waUs in these positions have been
discovered by Dr BUss (see G. A. Smith, Jerusalem, i. pp. 220, 222,
225). ye looked not... done this. i.e. no account was taken of the Lord,
Who was really the dominant factor in the situation (see v. 8).
12. in that day. i.e. when the judgment for their offences
(cf xxix. 2, xxx. 20), of which Assyria was the destined agent, was
imminent (see v. 5).
w. I. 10

146 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxii.13,14
Lord of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness,
and to girding with sackcloth: 13 and behold, joy and gladness,
slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine :
let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shaU die. 14 And the
Lord of hosts revealed himself in mine ears, Surely this iniquity
shall not be ^ purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord, the
Lord of hosts. ' Or, expiated by
to baldness... sackcloth. Cf xxxii. II, and see on iii. 24.
13. let us eat, etc. The words (perhaps overheard by the prophet)
were presumably uttered in mockery of his predictions of iU : they are
here the language not of despair (as they are in St Paul's appUcation,
1 Cor. XV. 32) but of irreligion.
14. revealed.. .ears. i.e. through the spiritual perceptions (cf v. 9).
Surely this iniquity, etc. Such contempt for the Lord's warnings
would have to be expiated by the violent death which they fancied
they had little reason to fear.
XXIL 15—25.
This section is a denunciation of a minister named Shebna, and a prediction
of his downfaU and replacement by a more deserving successor called EUakim.
Shebna's name, here and in cc. xxxri., xxxriL, is Aramaic in form ; and from
this it may be inferred that he was a Syrian — a conclusion confirmed by the
question addressed to him in v. 16 and by the absence of any mention of his
father in xxxri. 3, 22. He may possibly have accompanied Ahaz on his retum
from the visit to Damascus related in 2 Kgs. xvi. 10. The hostiUty which
Isaiah felt for him on account of his ambitious character was perhaps increased
by political antagonism ; for it is a reasonable conjecture that he was a
supporter of the policy of resisting Assyi-ia in reUance upon the help of Egypt,
a poUcy to which the prophet was vehemently opposed (xxx. I f , xxxi. 1 f , cf.
also xxriiL 14 f.). If so, the section, or at least the main portion of it, dates
from about the same time as the preceding (circ. 703 — 701), when the phUo-
Bgyptian party in Judah had succeeded in inducing Hezekiah to renounce his
vassalage to Assyria. The oracle perhaps contributed to Shebna's deposition
from the offlce which he is here described as holding and from which he was
dismissed before the Assyrians' demand for the surrender of Jerusalem (see
xxxvi. 3).
The genuineness of the two concluding m. is open to grave suspicion in
consequence of the unlikelihood that Isaiah, after predicting Eliakim's pro
motion, eulogizing his character, and promising him a permanent tenure of
office (vv. 20—23), would go on to assert that he would be eventually degraded,
vrith calamitous consequences to his relations who had profited by his
advancement (vv, 24, 25). Hence it is probable that these w. are a later
addition. The Isaianic origin of vv. 19 — 23 has also been suspected, but on
less adequate grounds (see note).

XXII. 15-18] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 147
15 Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts. Go, get thee
unto this Hreasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house,
and say, 16 What doest thou here? and whom hast thou here,
that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre ? hewing him out
a sepulchre on high, graving an habitation for himself in the
rock ! 17 Behold, the Lord wiU hurl thee away violently ^as
a strong man ; yea, he will * wrap thee up closely. 18 He will
surely * turn and toss thee like a baU into a large country ; there
1 Or, steward ^ Or, 0 thou strong man » Or, lay fast hold on thee
¦* Or, toind thee round and round like a ball and toss thee
15 — 23. An announcement to Shebna of his impending deposition
from of&ce, and of his expulsion from the country ; and a declaration
that his place vrill be fiUed by EUakim.
15. this treasurer. Perhaps better, this (viii. 11) administrator.
The word which seems to mean literaUy servitor does not designate a
particular official, for the corresponding fem. is used of Abishag (the
nurse of David in his old age) in 1 Kgs. i. 2, 4 ; and in a Cyprian
uiscription (Cooke, NSI, p. 52) the masc is employed of the governor
of a city. The title of Shebna's actual ofiice follows.
Shebna. The Vulg. has Sobna, cf LXX. So'/xva. The words unto
Shebna,,. house, by their position, look Uke an explanatory gloss.
over the house, i.e. steward of the royal household (1 Kgs. iv. 6).
This position, like that of the Mayor of the Palace under the Prankish
kings, was a high one, and sometimes filled by relatives of the sovereign
(see 2 Kgs. xv. 5, 2 Ch. xxvi. 21).
16. What doest thou, etc Or, What meanest thou (cf v. 1). It
may be assumed that Isaiah had encountered Shebna on that part of
mount Zion where only distinguished persons of Jewish race were wont
to be buried (see 1 Kgs. xi. 43, xiv. 31, xv. 24, and cf Ezek. xliii. 7),
and where Shebna, as a foreigner, had none of his kin interred, to
justify his construction of a burial place for himself (cf Matt, xxvii. 60)
in such a spot.
hewing him out, etc. This clause, marked by the 3rd pers., should
perhaps be transposed to the end of v. 15. If it is kept here, the
3rd pers. should be changed, vrith the LXX. and Vulg., to the 2nd pers.
an habitation. For the use of this expression to describe a grave,
see Ps. xUx. 11 (LXX.), and cf xiv. 18 (supra), Eccles. xii. 5.
17. as a strong man. Better (as in the mg.), 0 thou, strong man
(reading "i3|n 7CpD for ^3| rhu^'Q)^ the expression being designedly
ironical. will wrap thee up. i.e. (if the rendering is correct) will roll thee up
in thy garments conveniently for throwing away. But the verb in this
sense is elsewhere intransitive or reflexive, and some render will grasp
theefordhly (cf mg.).
18. surely twrn and toss thee. Better (cf mg.), swrely wind thee
round and round like a ball.
10—2

148 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxii. 19-22
shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, thou
shame of thy lord's house. 19 And I will thrust thee from
thine office, and from thy station shall he pull thee down.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will caU my
servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 and I will clothe him
with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I wUl
commit thy government into his hand : and he shall be a father
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of JudaL
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his
shoulder ; and he shall open, and none shall shut ; and he shaU
into a large country. The words are perhaps to be connected with
hurl thee away in v. 17*, the intervening clauses being parenthetic.
Shebna's fate is to be banishment to a distance.
the chariots of thy glory. The possession of these is another
indication of Shebna's pride, chariots, in time of peace, being a mark
of dignity and luxury (see 2 Sam. xv. 1, 1 Kgs. i. 5, Jer. xvii. 25, cf
also Gen. xli. 43).
19. I will thrust thee. The Lord is the speaker : for the change of
person cf iii. 4, xxxiv. 16. Shebna's degradation from office, impUed
in the prediction of his banishment, is re-stated in connection with
Eliakim's advancement, and it is not necessary to suppose that
w. 19 — 23 are a later supplement, added to qualify the previous
prediction because Shebna was only reduced in rank and not exUed
(see xxxvi. 2, 22, xxxvii. 2).
shall he pull, etc Better (with the Vulg. and Syr.), will I pull thee
down. 20. my servant. The term (for which of xx. 3) suggests that
Eliakim, like Isaiah, advocated a policy of dependence upon the Lord
instead of upon political alliances.
21. thy robe. Probably court officials had a distinctive dress :
cf 1 Kgs. X. 5.
thy girdle. Perhaps better, thy sash, the original not being the
usual term for girdle : cf Ex. xxviii. 4 (of the high priest).
a father. His govemment will be marked by paternal care for
those whom he rules (see on ix. 5).
22. the key. This at first may have designated the official in
question as responsible for the safety of the palace or the city ; but
afterwards it became merely a symbol of authority in general : cf
Rev. iii. 7, i. 18, Matt. xvi. 19.
upon his shoulder. Cheyne (Pol. Bible, p. 160) gives a picture of
a Cairene merchant carrying on his shoulder keys 12 or 14 inches long.
he shall open, eto. i.e. his office will be the highest in the state
and his acts will not be liable to be reversed by a superior minister
(cf. LXX. ap^u Kttt ovK ea-rai o avTiXeytnv). Eliakim's promotion to
Shebna's position is attested by xxxvi. 3, xxxvii. 2.

XXII. 23-^5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 149
shut, and none shaU open. 23 And I will fasten him as a naU
in a sure place ; and he shaU be for a throne of glory to his
fiither's house. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory
of his fether's house, the offspring and the issue, every small
vessel, from the vessels of cups even to aU the vessels of flagons.
25 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shaU the naU that was
fastened in a sure place give way ; and it shall be hewn down,
and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for
the Lord hath spoken it.
23. / will fasten,^ etc. The permanence of Eliakim's authority
and the distinction which he will confer upon his kindred are symbolized
by two figures — a nail or peg (cf Zech. x. 4, Ezra ix. 8) fastened
securely enough to sustain whatever is suspended upon it, and a seat
of honour which dignifies everyone who rests upon it.
24 — 25. It is unnatural to regard (with Kirkpatrick, Doctrine of
the Prophets, p. 147) these w. as a warning to Eliakim against allowing
his promotion to be abused for the benefit of his relatives, and to
render Should they hang... in that day shall, etc. They are obviously
a prediction that advantage will be taken of his position by his kindred
to further their own interests, and that eventual disgrace wiU befaU
both him and them. The w. seem to be a supplement by a later
vmter who knew of Eliakim's failure to justify the prophecy contained
in w. 15 — 23, and accordingly qualified Isaiah's oracle.
24. they shall hang, etc. The words suggest that Eliakim will be
guilty, if not of nepotism, at least of culpable weakness in connection
vrith the advancement of his kinsfolk (who are designated by figurative
terms). all the ghry. Perhaps better, all the weight.
vessels of cups. i.e. basin-shaped vessels (cf Ex. xxiv. 6, Heb.).
vessels of flagons, i.e. jar-shaped vessels (cf xxx. 14, Heb.). Both
expressions are probably meant to be contemptuous.
25. the nail. i.e. EUakim (v. 23).

Chapter XXIII.
This c. consists of two parts, (a) vv. 1 — 14, (h) vv. 15—18, which are
probably of distinct origin. The first, though primarily a prediction of the
overthrow of Tyre (vv. 5, 8), also anticipates calamity for Zidon and the
Phoenician seaboard generally (vv, 2, 4). The second part is an appendix
foreteUing an eventual rerival for Tyre, to which alone the passage aUudes.
Tyre and Zidon in the course of their history sustained numerous invasions
and sieges, one or other of which must be the event which the first part of the
c. has in riew. In the eighth century, within the life-time of Isaiah, Tyre was
attacked by the Assyrian Shalmaneser IV. (Jos. Ant. ix. xiv. 2) and Zidon by

150 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
Sennacherib (see p. xxvi)*, and in the next century Tyre was again invaded
by Esar-haddon and Asshurbanipal ; and though it more than once escaped
actual capture by assault, it was repeatedly forced to submit to Assyrian
supremacy. When after the fall of Nineveh the Babylonians became the
dominant power in Asia, Tyre and Zidon concerted against them an alliance
which included Judah, and the former city again underwent a siege. Under
the Persians, the Phoenician cities enjoyed a long period of tranquiUity ; but in
350 Zidon revolted and was in consequence reduced to ashes by Artaxerxes
Ochus. When the Persian empire was assailed by Alexander, Tyre experi
enced its most signal overthrow, for after Alexander's rictory over Darius at
Issus the city refused to admit the conqueror, and was thereupon besieged
and captured, most of the surviring inhabitants being sold into slavery.
If the prophecy can be plausibly ascribed to Isaiah, the attack delivered
by Shalmaneser or by Sennacherib affords an adequate occasion for it. There
are, however, reasons for doubting Isaiah's authorship, (a) There is no
eridence that the Phoenician cities were sufficiently closely involved in the
politics of Judah in the time of Isaiah to make their fate a matter of interest
to the prophet (Uke that of Damascus and Ashdod). (6) The vocabulary,
though in part haring parallels in Isaiah's writings, presents certain features
that are unfavourable to an Isaianic origin (see on m, 3, 8, 11). Some critics,
while agreeing that the oracle is not by Isaiah, stiU take the subject of it to be
an overthrow of the Phoenician cities by the Assyrians, riz. in the time of
Esar-haddon 2 and his successor Asshurbanipal (672 — 668). But the contents
seem best explained by the coalition of Tyre and Zidon with Judah, Edom,
Moab, and Ammon against Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon in the reign of
the Judaean king Zedekiah (597 — 587). This riew accounts for (a) the interest
shewn by a Hebrew prophet in an invasion of Phoenicia, (6) the combined
allusions to both Tyre and Zidon. The overthrow of the nations that leagued
themselves against Nebuchadrezzar is predicted by Jeremiah (xxrii. 1 — 6);
and the impending destruction of Tyre is the subject of a prophecy by Ezekiel
(cc. xxvi. — xxriii.). The last-named city was besieged by the Babylonians in
586 — 5, and the siege (which lasted 13 years, see Jos. Ant, x. xL 1, c. Ap. l 21),
was probably not crowned with complete success (see Ezek. xxix. 18) ; but this is
not a serious objection to the explanation, for Hebrew prophecies were seldom
verified to the letter. Duhm and Marti think that the oracle has in riew the
almost total destruction of Zidon by the Persian Artaxerxes Ochus in 346, and
get rid of the references to Tyre in vv, 5 and 8 by treating ». 5 as a gloss and
emending v. 8.
The epilogue (w, 15 — 18), which is in prose, is difficult to date with exactness.
But the announcement that Tyre's gains, after its restoration, are to be brought
to Jerusalem resembles the predictions of exilic and post-exUic writers respecting
the enrichment of the latter vrith the wealth of the nations (xiv. 14, Ix. 6, 11,
1 Since Menander, who Ib Josephus' authority, styles the king of Tyre EIuUeus,
a name apparently identical with that of the king of Zidon expelled by Sennacherib,
many critics suspect conf UBion, and think that the invasion attributed to Shalmaneser
was reaUy conducted by Sennacherib, see McCurdy, HPM. ii. p. 282, Eogers,
HBA. 11. p. 146.
a Eogers, HBA. ii. pp. 223—227.

XXIII. 1-3] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 151
Ixi. 6, Hag. ii. 7) ; and the condition of the Jews is represented as one of
poverty, as was the case in early post-exiUc times (Hag. i. 9—11, Zech. viii. 10).
Hence it seems probable that its origin should be placed after the siege of
Tyre by Nebuchadrezzar, and within the Persian period.
XXIII. 1 TheiburdenofTyre.
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish ; for it is laid waste, so that there
is no house, no entering in : from the land of Kittim it is revealed
to them. 2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the ^isle ; thou whom the
merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
3 And on great waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the
^ Or, oracle conceming " Or, coastland
XXIII. 1 — 14. An announcement to the Phoenician traders of
the destined overthrow of Zidon and Tyre, and of the dispersal of
their inhabitants to their colonies, where calamity vrill again dog them.
1. Howl, etc The imperative is equivalent to a prediction, fore
telling the grief in store for the Phoenician seamen.
ships of Tarshish. The expression is here used of vessels actually
voyaging to Tartessus (contrast ii. 16).
it is laid waste. The resemblance between this clause and v. li
has suggested that it is a refrain (at the beginning and end of the
oracle, cf Ps. viii. 1, 9) and that it should be emended to your strong
hold is laid waste (by the substitution of 15WP for n;30)._
no entering in. Duhm connects this with the foUowing clause, and
renders. At the entering in (i.e. on the homeward -voyage) from the land
of Kittim (i.e. Cyprus (named in Hebrew from its chief town Kmov)
where they have touched on the way from Tarshish) it is revealed to
them (perhaps by the smoke of the burning town).
2. Be still, etc. i.e. Be stupefied with alarm and grief (cf Ex.
XV. 16, Lam. u. 10), in consequence of the faU of Tyre (cf. Ezek.
xxvi. 18). Others render. Wail (which suits better the paraUel in v. 1).
thou whom, etc. The Heb.. is not quite grammatical, and Duhm
and Cheyne (who assume that the prophecy relates to the destruction
of Zidon exclusively) connect with this v. the opening words of v. 3,
and emend the whole passage to Perished are the inhabitants of the isle
(or coastland), the merchants of Zidon, that passed over the sea, whme
messengers were on great (or mamy) waters (reading -lOIJ (or -IS"!;) for
^isi and : 0*31 D'O? 13K^D for D'?"! d:05-1 : '^^'^^Q).
3. the seed of Shihor. Duhm (guided by some omissions in the
LXX.) corrects to whose harvest was the seed of Shihor, whose revenue
was the traffic (or merchandise, v. 18) ofthe nations (reading nnx-n^ ¦¦IT'VR
for "I'Vi? and nnxun, and omitting ^i^l as a gloss on Shihor and *n)pi as
perhaps a dittograph of the last part of the preceding word). Shihor
(which occurs elsewhere only in post-Isaianic writings) here stands tor
the Nile, as in Jer. u. 18, though strictly it is said to designate the eastern
most (Pelusiac) channel, and in Josh. xiu. 3, 1 Ch. xni. 5 seems to mean

152 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxm. 4-8
Nile, was her revenue ; and she was the mart of nations. 4 Be
thou ashamed, 0 Zidon : for the sea hath spoken, the strong
hold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, nor brought forth,
neither have I nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
5 ^ When the report cometh to Egypt, they shaU be sorely pained
at the report of Tyre. 6 Pass ye over to Tarshish ; howl, ye
inhabitants of the ^isle. 1 Is this your joyous city, whose
antiquity is ^of ancient days, whose feet carried her afar off to
sojourn ? 8 Who hath purposed this against Tyre, *the crowning
^ Or, As at fhe report concerning Egypt, so dbc. " Or, coastland
* Or, of ancient days 1 her own feet shall carry <kc. * Or, that giveth crowns
the Wddy el Arish. The Phoenicians, cut off from the interior of Syria
by the range of Lebanon, were forced to become a mercantile people,
depending for their corn-supplies upon Egypt (one of the chief granaries
of the ancient world, cf Gen. xii. 10, xli. 54), and drawing their revenue
from their carrying trade.
4. Be thou ashamed, i.e. be confounded (the imperative being again
equivalent to a future, cf v. 1). Zidon has reason for alarm, because the
sea (represented as the mother of a maritime, as the soil is of an
agricultural, people, liv. I) mourns over the overthrow and depopula
tion oi Tyre, whereby it has become as childless as if it had never bome
offspring. The words the stronghold of the sea are probably a gloss,
changing the subject from the sea to Tyre itself (cf Ezek. xxvii. 4).
5. When the report, etc. Or (by a slight correction). When it is
heard in Egypt (VOB". for VW, LXX. orav aKovo-rov yivr/rai). Probably
Egypt had encouraged Phoenicia (as it had encouraged Judah, Jer.
xxxvii. 5) against Nebuchadrezzar, and so would see in the disaster to
Tyre a presage of its own overthrow. Duhm and Marti, who consider
that the prophecy relates to Zidon alone, reject the v. as alien to the
context, and supplied by a reader.
6. Pass ye over, etc The Phoenicians, on the destruction of
their principal city, will have to take refuge in their own colonies.
7. Is this, etc. The ruined condition of Tyre, as the prophet fore
sees it, is contrasted with the prosperity for which it was famed.
whose antiquity, etc. i.e. whose origin, etc Strabo (xvi. 2)
describes Tyre as fieyia-rr] t&v ^oivLkihv koX apxaLOTarrj Tro'Xts, and
Herodotus, when at Tyre, was informed that it had been buUt 2300 years
previously, i.e. circ. 2750 (Hdt. n. 44). Zidon claimed a stiU greater
antiquity (cf Gen. x. 15), and styled itself the mother city of Tyre, and
is the only one of the two mentioned in Homer (Od. xv. 425).
whose feet earned, her, etc. i.e. in pursuit of her commercial and
colonizing enterprises. Phoenician colonies and trading stations were
planted aU over the coasts of the Mediterranean (including Greece,
.Sicily, Corsica, Spain, and Africa).
S, Tyre, Duhm here emends the text to Zidon (PV for ii^).

XXIII, 9-12] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 153
city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the
honourable of the earth ? 9 The Lord of hosts hath purposed
it, to ^stain the pride of aU glory, to bring into contempt aU
the honourable of the earth. 10 ^Pass through thy land as the
NUe, O daughter of Tarshish ; there is no girdle ahovt thee any
more. 11 He hath stretched out his hand over the sea, he hath
shaken the kingdoms : the Lord hath given commandment
concerning ^Canaan, to destroy the strong holds thereof 12 And
1 Heb. profane. * Or, Overflow » Or, the merchant people
the crowning city. i.e. the bestower of crowns, the expression
aUuding to tbe kingdoms into which some of the Phoenician colonies
developed (e.g. Tartessus (Hdt. i. 163) and Carthage (under Dido)).
Cheyne emends to the crowned city (iTJ^iftpn for nn>Q.^»n)j cf Vulg.
coronatam. traffickers. The word, which in form is identical with Canaanite,
occurs in this sense in Job xU. 6, Prov. xxxi. 24, Zech. xiv. 21. The
close of this description of Tyre is applied in Rev. xviii. 23 to Babylon
(symbolizing Home).
9. to stain. Duhm by transposition obtains to profane pride, to
bring into contempt all ghry, even all the honourable of the earth. The
pride of Tyre, like that of Israel (ii. 12), is an offence to the Lord.
10. Pass through, etc. If the text is retained, the comparison to
the unrestricted flow of the inundated Nile implies that Tarshish, freed
from the control of the mother city (such control being likened to a
oonfining girdle) wiU enjoy greater independence than before'. But in
Heb. a girdle is usuaUy represented as the support of the wearer's
strength (cf Job xii. 21), not a restraint upon his movements; and
the passage is probably corrupt. In place of ^""^J^'TQ. iN^g 'nVIt? '13^'
TiV ntlp pN, the LXX. has Cultivate thy land, for ships from Tarshish
come no more (perhaps reading liJ? njp r« ^'tf^- ^'^P'^. ;? "^^^ 'I?!'),
the exhortation being directed to Tyre, whose surviving inhabitants are
bidden to have recourse to agriculture instead of commerce, since it is
to perish as a trading centre. Kittel (partly after the LXX. and
partly after Duhm) proposes Cultivate thy land, daughter of Tarshish,
there is no haven' any more (reading ^iV »np 1»X 65'*K'-?P) na ^T^^ '"!??).
11. He hath stretched, etc. The subject is the Lord; for the
phrase cf v. 25, ix. 12.
Canaan. The name, as a designation of Phoenicia (cf Matt. xv. 22),
occurs on a coin (bearing the inscription of Laodiceia, a mother-city
in Canaan) ; hut it has this sense nowhere else in the O.T.
' That Tyre was sometimes the oppressor of her colonies is suggested by the
rebellion of the Kitteans mentioned in Jos. Ant. ix. xiv. 2.
2 It is, however, doubtful whether thp (which occurs only in Ps. ovii. 30) has
this meaning : the Oxford Lexicon gives city.

154 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxm. 13, 14
he said. Thou shalt no more rejoice, 0 thou oppressed virgin
daughter of Zidon : arise, pass over to Kittim ; even there shalt
thou have no rest. 13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans ; this
people ^is no more ; the Assyrian ^hath appointed it for ^the
beasts of the wilderness: they set up * their towers, they
* overthrew the palaces thereof; he made it a ruin. 14 Howl,
1 Or, was not ^ Or, fownded
' Or, them that dwell in the wilderness
* Or, the towers thereof ^ Or, raised up
12. pass over to Kittim, etc. i.e. the inhabitants of Zidon, when
it is assaulted by the invaders, may seek to escape to Cyprus, but even
there misfortune will pursue them.
13. the land of the Chaldeans, etc On the assumption that the c
is Isaianic, this v. has been understood by some scholars to allude to
the Assyrian subjugation of Babylonia by Sargon in 710 or Sennacherib
in 703 (see p. 135), which is adduced as an illustration of the fate in
store for Phoenicia ; but the name Chaldeans is not likely to have
designated the Babylonians until the time of Nabopolassar (625— 605)^
By others who consider that the oracle dates from the time of
Shahnaneser's siege of Tyre in 727 — 723 the reading Chaldeans (^'''^^?)
has been emended to Canaanites (C?!!!?). But if (as is probable) the
prophecy is non-Isaianic and relates to the Babylonian attack upon
Phoenicia under Nebuchadrezzar in the sixth century, the v. is best
regarded as a late interpolation, designed to caU attention to the
subsequent destruction of Babylonia, Phoenicia's conqueror, by the
Perdans, who are here indicated under the name Assyrians (as in Ezra
vi. 22). (For <^\'J ^? with the meaning is no more, ci. xv. 6, Job
iii. 16.) Cheyne renders. Behold the land of the Chaldeans (this is the
people, it was not the Assyrians): they appmnted it (Phoenicia) /or, etc.,
and, holding that the poem is Isaianic but has been extensively retouched
by a post-exilic editor, considers the v. to proceed from the latter, who
has in mind the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadrezzar. The words in the
parenthesis he deems a gloss. Duhm reduces the whole v. to Behold the
land ofthe Kitteans (reading D"!??, see v. 12) ; he (the Lord) hath made
it a ruin'.
their towers, i.e. their siege towers, enabling besiegers of a city to
reach the top of its walls.
1 At least by a Heb. writer of the eighth century the Babylonians would scarcely
be styled Chaldeans, even though Merodach-baladan is called by Sargon "king of
the land Kaldu " (Schrader, GOT. n. p. 24).
" The intervening words are regarded by Duhm as a gloss on Kitteans and
translated : This is the people, is it not that which is a settlement (1t5'K S-in N?
mp'. for i'l'lpl IWN njn K?) of sailors, they set up their watch-towers, their cities
(y-^ for -ITlij;), and their palaces (1irii3»-lN1 for i^^ri^jpiS).

XXIII. is-18] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 155
ye ships of Tarshish : for your strong hold is laid waste. 15 And
it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shaU be forgotten
seventy years, according to the days of one king : after the end
of seventy years Ht shall be unto Tyre as in the song of the
harlot. 16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that
hast been forgotten ; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that
thou mayest be remembered. 17 And it shall come to pass after
the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she
shall return to her hire, and shall play the harlot with all the
kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. 18 And her
merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord : it shall
not be treasured nor laid up ; for her merchandise shall be for
them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for
^durable clothing. 1 Or, shall Tyre sing as an harlot
''¦ Or, stately
15 — 18. A supplementary prediction relating exclusively to Tyre
and foreteUing the ultimate renewal of its earlier commerce, and the
application of its gains to the maintenance of the Jews.
15. seventy years. This is the limit assigned to the subjugation of
Judah, together with the nations round about, by Babylon in Jer. xxv.
II, xxix. 10 ; cf. xxvii. 6, 7^
according , . . one king. i.e. Tyre's subj ection during the time indicated
is to be continuous and uninterrupted.
the song of the harht. Better, the song about the harht. The v. that
foUows is probably a fragment of some popular lay. The comparison of
Tjnre to a prostitute is based on her commerce : usually it is not trade
but idolatry that is likened to fornication (cf Nah. iii. 4 of Nineveh,
and see Ex. xxxiv. 15, Ezek. vi. 9, etc.).
16. Take an harp. Gesenius quotes Donatus, Fididnam esse
meretricum est.
17. idll visit, i.e. reUeve (cf xxix. 6, Jer. xv. 5, xxvii. 22,
xxix. 10). Similar predictions of mercy towards foreign nations occur
in Jer. xii. 14 — 17, xlviii. 47, xlix. 6, 39, Ezek. xxix. 13.
shall play... world. The passage is imitated in Rev. xvii. 2,
xvin. 3, 9.
18. for them that dwell, etc. i.e. for the Jews, who are thought of
as constituting the priestly nation of the world (see Ixi. 6, Ixii. 12,
Ex. xix. 6), and to whose support Tyre (whose conversion to the Lord is
assumed, cf Ps. Ixxxvii. 4) will, with other nations (Ix. II), contribute
lavishly. The passage involves a verbal infraction of Deut. xxiii. 18.
durable chthing. Better, choice attire.
' The number 70 is a conventional figure, cf. Zech. i. 12, vii. 6, Dan. ix. 2.

156 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

Chapters XXIV.— XXVIL
This prophecy predicts an impending judgment upon the world at large,
which is to be followed by the reign of the Lord in Zion, by the abolition of
sorrow and death, and by a retum of Jewish exiles from the lands of their
dispersion. The predictive portion of the prophecy is interrupted by a number
of lyric passages (xxv. 1 — 5, xxv. 9 — 12, xxvL 1 — 19, xxvii. 2 — 5), which consist
partly of rejoicings over triumphs which the Lord has either already achieved,
or is about to achieve, for His people, and partly of complaints over the
disappointing conditions of the actual present.
The section is singular for both the matter and the manner of its contents.
Though Assyria and Egypt are named as lands where Jews are in exile (xxriL
13) and though there is an allusion to Moab, expressive of animosity towards it
(xxv. 10, 11), the scope of the prophecy as a whole is vast but vague, and the
references to contemporary circumstances are elusive ; and this characteristic
assimilates it to the class oi Apocalyptic compositions, a distinguishing mark of
which is the comprehensive and indefinite range of their predictions. Remark
able features in the prophecy are the destined extinction of death (xxv. 8), the
belief in a hostile celestial host (xxiv. 21), and the representation of certain for
midable powers (either elemental or human) under the symbolism of great
monsters (xxriL 1). Nor is the style less pecuUar than the subject matter.
Whilst it does not lack impressiveness, it is redundant and laboured. It is
marked by a straining after emphasis (the same thought being often reiterated
in identical or synonymous terms, generally grouped in threes), by a fondness
for alliteration and assonance (the latter being sometimes secured at the ex
pense of some modification of the ordinary form of a word), and by a rather
strange vocabulary. The imagery is not unfrequently curious, and the meaning
intended is more than usually obscure.
That these cc. cannot be by Isaiah is apparent from the differences which
they present to his writings in respect alike of the situation implied, the scale
of the catastrophe foretold, certain of the ideas expressed, and the styUstic
pecuUarities. (a) Although Assyria is mentioned by name (xxrii. 13), what is
here predicted for Judah in regard to the nation thereby denoted is dissinular
to Isaiah's prophecies in respect of historic Assyria; for whereas the deUver
ance that Isaiah declared to be in store for his country was the preservation of
its capital from Assyria's attack (x. 24 — 27, xiv. 25), the deUverance here antici
pated is the restoration of dispersed Jews from exile in a land caUed by that
name, and whilst Isaiah predicted the overthrow of the Assyrian army (x. 16 —
19, 33, 34, xvui. 6, xxix. 7, 8), the present writer speaks of the downfaU of an
oppressing city. (V) Though Isaiah describes the defeat of Assyria as involring
that of other nations (xiv. 26, xriL 12), his representation does not con-espond to
the vastness of the catastrophe here depicted, which is a convulsion of the whole
earth (as in Hag. iL 6, 7, 21, 22, Joel iu. 16). (c) Of the ideas that are contained
in these cc. the expectation of the abolition of death and the beUef in supra
mundane beings alUed with heathen kings have no parallel in Isaiah's writings
or those of his contemporaries, (d) Both the style and the vocabulary are un
Uke Isaiah's. The occurrence in these cc. of numerous songs is in itself a
singular feature ; whilst there is present little of the oratorical manner of

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 157
pubUc addresses (though see xxvi. 20, 21, xxrii. 7 f ). The frequent repetition,
and the laboured effort after assonance are in conspicuous contrast to the
rigour and spontaneity of Isaiah's utterances (even though the latter are by no
means devoid of paronomasias) ; and whilst the cc. contain a certain number of
Isaianic words and phrases, they are distinguished by many expressions which
are altogether unique or rare, or used with an exceptional meaning.
Of the songs one, at least, riz. xxv. 1 — 5, seems to be independent of the
original scheme of the prophecy, for it begins abruptly and severs the con
nection between xxiv. 23 and xxv. 6 ; and as it appears to pre-suppose that the
predicted catastrophe has in part occurred, it may be rather later than the rest
of the composition. But in general it is impossible to discriminate between
the various parts of the prophecy (which exhibit much uniformity of style, e.g.
the frequent repetition of a word, see xxiv. 4, 8, 16, xxv. 4, 5, 9, xxvi. 5, 15, xxvu.
5) in respect of origin and date. The section as a whole appears to have been
vmtten at Jerusalem (xxv. 6, 7, 10), but not before the Exile, since the expiation
due for national offences has already been exacted (xxrii. 7, 8) and some measure
of reUef has been experienced, though it has come short of the nation's hopes
(xxvL 14, 17, 18). The population of the city is represented as scanty and
depressed, and a large number of Jews are dispersed in exile all over the world.
An unnamed oppressing power is on the brink of, if it has not already sus
tained, a disaster (xxiv. 10, xxv. 2) ; but redress for the Jews is still in the
fature (xxvi. 20). These circumstances point to post-exiUc times ; and this
date is corroborated by the ideas contained in the prophecy (so far as they can
be plausibly regarded as the products of a particular age). The same conclu
sion is favoured by the resemblances shewn to Apocalyptic writings, a class of
compositions which, beginning with Ezekiel, became numerous in the post-
exilic period. The prediction that death will be whoUy annihilated goes
beyond the promise of patriarchal length of days in lxv. 20, and looks like a
later conception ; and the alliance between celestial and terrestrial powers (xxiv.
21) resembles the idea of the angelic princes of the nations in Dan. x. 13, 20.
FinaUy, the vmter seems to be acquainted with the Priestly narrative of the
Hexateuch, which was completed probably about 440 (see xxiv. 5, 18). These
facts are perhaps most consonant with a date late in the Persian period, during
the reign of Darius Codomannus (338 — 331). It seems not improbable that (as
Cheyne thinks) the author, writing after the Jews had suffered cmeUy imder
Ai-taxerxes Ochus (359—338) (who deported many of them to Hyrcania and
Babylonia, Bus. Chron. ii. 112), had in riew the overthrow of the Persian
empire by Alexander in 334—331; and the prophecy may be conjecturaUy
assigned to the decade 340—330. That the Jews regarded the Persians as
oppressors is suggested by Zech. i. 15 (date 520) and attested by Josephus
(c. Ap. I. 22) ; so that if the hostile city whose overthrow is alluded to is the
Persian capital, the feelings with which its faU is contemplated are suflSciently
accounted for. Prudential reasons may have led the writer to leave it
nameless. Of other riews, the only one which need be mentioned here is that of
DUlmann (favoured by Driver, LOT. p. 221), who attributes the prophecy to
the early Persian period and the reign of Darius Hystaspis C621— 486). At the
beginning of his reign revolts broke out in many places (including Babylon

158 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxiv. 1-5
which, though taken by Cyrus, had not been destroyed); and such vride-spread
commotions would account for the language of xxiv. I i. (cf. Hag. ii. 6, 21, 22).
Some of the contents of these cc. have parallels in the prophecies of Zechariah
(cf. xxvi. 11 with Zech. L 14, and viii. 2; xxvu. 12, 13 with Zech. riu. 7; xxv. 6
with Zech. viiL 20 — 23). But the city which is here represented as being
overthrown is clearly a dominant power, which Babylon under the Persians
was not.

Chapter XXIV.
This c. describes a universal catastrophe which is destined to usher in the
reign of the Lord in Zion.
The tenses in the original vai-y, but the passage seems throughout to be a
prediction of the future depicted in colours derived from certain conditions
already prevailing in the present.
XXIV. 1 Behold, the Lord maketh the ^earth empty, and
maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth
abroad the inhabitants thereofi 2 And it shall be, as with the
people, so with the priest ; as with the servant, so with his master ;
as with the maid, so with her mistress ; as with the buyer, so
with the seller ; as with the lender, so with the borrower ;
as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
3 The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled ; for
the Lord hath spoken this word. 4 The earth moumeth
and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away,
^the lofty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth
' Or, land and bo in w. 3, 4, &o. => Or, the high ones of the people
XXIV. 1 — 15, The approaching desolation of the earth, involving
the destruction of a great city, which is greeted with joy by the
Jews dispersed over the world.
1. the earth. That this is the right rendering (and not the land of
the mg.) appears from w. 13, 21 ; cf also xxv. 8, xxvi. 9, 21. The
phraseology recalls Nah. ii. 10.
2. the priest. The fact that, among the classes of persons enume
rated, ecclesiastical authorities are mentioned where civil officials might
be expected to be named confirms the suggested post-exilic date, for
at that period the priesthood was the most influential body in the
community (see Ezra x. 5).
4. the lofty people, etc. Better, the highest (Uterally, the height) of
the people of the earth, i.e. the classes of pre-eminent rank. Cheyne
and Marti adopt the correction the hdght (i.e. heaven) with the earth
(DV D'np for ^V Diip) : cf vv. 11, 21.

xxiv.e-ii] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 159
also is poUuted under the inhabitants thereof; because they
have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the
everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the
earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty : therefore
the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
7 The new wine moumeth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-
hearted do sigh. 8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of
them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 9 They
shaU not drink wine with a song ; strong drink shall be bitter
to them that drink it. 10 The city of ^confusion is broken
down : every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine ; all joy
is darkened, the mirth of the land is ^gone. 12 In the city is
1 Or, wasteness See Gen. i. 2. ^ Heb. gone into captivity.
5. polluted, i.e. by homicide (cf xxvi. 21, and see Num. xxxv. 33,
Ps. cvi. 38).
the laws. The plural of this word is not used by Isaiah.
changed. Better, overstepped.
the everlasting covenant. The allusion is to the covenant made
with Noah (see Gen. ix. 5 — 17, P).
6. the curse, etc. The malediction incurred by human kind,
through their offences, affects for ill the earth on which they dwell
(cf Gen. in. 17, iv. II, 12).
are burned. Literally, are parched up (Job xxx. 30), by fever or
pestUence, perhaps the resultants of war. Some, guided by the LXX.,
read languish (•'i?1 for -nO).
7. The new wine mourneth. i.e. the vintage fails : cf Joel i. 10, 12.
9. shall be bitter. Not only wiU the means for revelry be absent,
but likewise aU reUsh for it.
10. The dty of confudon. Better, either The dty of wasteness
(Gen. i. 2, Jer. iv. 23), or The city of unreality (xU. 29, xliv. 9) ;
i.e. either, the city that is (or is to be) wasted, or, the city that
worships vain gods. If an individual city is meant, it is most Ukely
Shushan (Susa), the Persian capital. DiUmann identifies it with
Babylon : but the LXX., which has rjprjimOri iraa-a ttoAis, takes the
¦expression in a collective sense ; and this, in view of the fact that the
whole world is represented as devastated (v. 13), is perhaps correct.
shut up. i.e. barricaded, through fear, by the surviving inmates
i(cf xxvi. 20).
11. the streets. Or the fields (or open country) ; cf Job v. 10, Prov.
vni. 26, Ps. cxUv. 13.
because of the wine. i.e. on account of the desolation of the
vineyards (v. 7) ; cf xxxii. 12, xvi. 9, Joel i. 5.
is darkened, i.e. clouded and ended. Many critics, in view of the

160 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxiv. 13-16
left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. 13 For
thus shaU it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as
the ^shaking of an olive tree, as the grape gleanings when the
vintage is done. 14 These shall lift up their voice, they shall
shout ; for the majesty of the Lord they cry aloud ft-om the sea.
15 Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the ^east, even the name of
the Lord, the God of Israel, in the ^isles of the sea.
16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard
songs, glory to the righteous. But I said, *I pine away, I pine
^ Heb. beating. ^ Or, lights Ot, fires
^ Or, coastlands * Heb. Leanness to me.
paraUel clause, substitute (after the LXX. ireVatirai) is passed away
(nn?r for na-w).
is gone. More literally, is banished (or exiled) : ci. Hos. x. 5 (Heb.)
13. For thus, etc. The figure, illustrating the paucity of sur
vivors, seems to be imitated from xvii. 6.
14. These shall lift, etc. Better, Those yonder lift, i.e. the dispersed
Jews, to whose redemption the judgment is preliminary.
the majesty of the LoBD. i.e. the display of His destructive power
(cf ii. 10, 19, Ex. XV. 1, Heb.) in some recent events.
from the sea. i.e. from the west (cf Hos. xi. 10, Heb.), viz. the
sea-board of the .ffigean and Mediterranean.
15. Wherefore, etc. The v. (which should be placed vrithin in
verted commas) iUustrates the jubilant exhortations which the Jewish
exiles address to one another.
in the east. LiteraUy, in the lights, which, if the text is sound, is
equivalent to "in the regions of light," i.e. the countries of the east.
But the use of the plural is unique; and various emendations have
been suggested, of which the best is in the isles (p'"^'^ for D*"li?$?),
since it produces in the concluding clause the "ascending rhythm"
which is common in the prophecy (see xxv. 6, xxvi. 5).
the name ofthe LoBD. i.e. the revelation of Himself in the events
of history; cf xxv. 1, xxvi. 8, xxix. 23.
the isles ofthe sea. i.e. the west : see on xi. 11.
16 — 20. Such rejoicings are premature, for further tribulation is
stiU to come.
16. have we heard, etc. The words pre-suppose that some event
favourable to the Jews had occurred (e.g. a defeat of the Persians),
which had filled the exiles in remote lands with high hopes to which
they gave expression.
the righteous, i.e. the Jews (cf xxvi. 2, 7, Hab. i. 4, 13, ii. 4),
whose uprightness the judgment that was overtaking their oppressors
appeared to vindicate.
But I said, I pine, etc. Literally, But I said. Leanness to me, etc.,
the expression leanness being a figure for distress (x. 16). The prophet

XXIV.I7-.I] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 161
away, woe is me ! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacher
ously ; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, 0 inhabitant
of the earth. 18 And it shaU come to pass, that he who fleeth
from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit ; and he that
cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the
snare : for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations
of the earth do shake. 19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth
is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The
earth shall stagger Uke a drunken man, and shall be moved to
and fro like a hut ; and the transgression thereof shaU be heavy
upon it, and it shaU faU, and not rise again.
21 And it shaU come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall
^punish the host of the ^high ones on high, and the kings of the
1 Heb. visit upon. '¦' Heb. height.
regards his countrymen's rejoicing as premature, since many horrors,
which he caimot but contemplate vrith pain (cf xxi. 3, 4), must pre
cede the final redemption of the Jews.
the treacherous dealers, etc Better, the barbarous dealers (the
assaUants of the Persians) deal barbarously (cf xxi. 2).
17. Fear, and the pit, etc. The tribulations in store are varied
enough to prevent any from escaping (cf Jer. xlviii. 43, 44, Lam. iii. 47).
18. from the noise of the fear. The fugitives are perhaps thought
of as hunted animals fleeing before the shouts of the beaters. But the
LXX. has only from the fear.
the windows on high. The conception (borrowed from Gen.
vii. 11, P) is that of openings in a solid firmament (like the Homeric
XixXkcos ovpavos) above which are the reservoirs of the ra,in.
19. is clean dissolved, etc. Better, is utterly split... tottereth ex-

20. a hut. The kind of structure meant is the hdge of i. 8
which would easily sway vrith the vrind.
it shall fall. The reference is to the approaching overthrow of the
dominant heathen powers : cf xxvi. 14.
21 — 23. The punishment of hostile heavenly powers, and the
inauguration of the reign of the Lord in Jerusalem.
21. the host ofthe high ones. i.e. supramundane powers^ (perhaps
regarded as tenanting or animating the stars, cf hvvd.p.w rmv oipav^v
in Matt. xxiv. 29), which were leagued with, and befriended, foreign
tyrants (cf Jer. xlvi. 25). In Deut. xxxu. 8 (LXX.) angeUc beings
are represented as allotted to the heathen nations, presumably as their
protectors, whilst the Lord takes Israel for Himself (cf Ecclus, xvu. 17) ;
and in Dan. x. 13, 20, 21 the angeUc princes of Persia and Greece are
withstood by the angel Michael as prince on behalf of the Jews:
11

w. I.

162 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxiv. ^2, ^s-xxv. i
earth upon the earth. 22 And they shall be gathered together,
as prisoners are gathered in the ^pit, and shall be shut up in
the prison, and after many days shall they be ^visited. 23 Then
the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed ; for the
Lord of hosts shaU reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and
^before his ''ancients gloriously.
' Or, dungeon ^ Or, punished
* Or, before his ancients shaU be glory " Or, elders
ci. also Jude v. 1. Akin to the conception here aUuded to is
St Paul's belief in the malign influence of the prince of the power of
the air (Eph. ii. 2) and in angels and principalities as spiritual
antagonists (Rom. viii. 38, 39).
22. they shall he gathered. The same idea of an incarceration of
the offending host of heaven occurs in Enoch x. 12, 13, xviu. 13 — 16;
cf also 2 Pet. ii. 4, Jude v. 6, Rev. xx. 2, 3.
the pit. i.e. a dungeon (Ex. xii. 29, Jer. xxxviii. 6, Zech. ix. 11).
vidted. i.e. relieved (see on xxiii. 17). But better (vrith the mg.)
punished (the verb having the same sense as in v. 21, cf x. 12, xxvi. 14,
Jer. ix. 25). The imprisonment previously mentioned is of the nature
of a detention against the time of the final act of judgment (cf Jude
V. 6). 23. ITien the moon, etc. The light of the two chief luminaries
will be dimmed and rendered superfluous by the radiance of the Lord's
own presence: cf Ix. 19, Rev. xxi. 23.
and brfore, etc. Better, and before his elders there shall be ghry
(cf mg.). The representation is probably based on the description of
the ascent of Moses and the seventy elders to the top of Sinai where
they beheld God (Ex. xxiv. 9 — II). Cf also iv. 5.
Chapter XXV.
This c. consists of three separate dirisions : (1) a song of praise to the Lord
for the overthrow of a tyrant power (vv. I — 5) ; (2) a prediction (continuing the
prophecy in c. xxiv.) of future feUcity in Zion for aU peoples (w. 6 — 8) ; (3) a
second song of praise in which the humUiation of Moab is anticipated (w. 9 —
12). The first of the two lyric passages seems to be a detached poem, for it
lacks an introduction (such as is prefixed to those beginning at xxv. 9, xxri. 1),
and interrupts the sequence of the predictive sections xxiv. 1 — 23 and xxv.
6—8. XXV. 1 0 Lord, thou art my God ; I will exalt thee, I
will praise thy name ; for thou hast done wonderful things, even
XXV. 1—5. A thanksgiving for the faU of a hostile city, and
for the protection extended to the Jews.
The thanksgiving (the time for which must be assumed to have
come at last, contrast xxiv. 16) may have been evoked by some decisive

XXV..-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 163
counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth. 2 For thou hast
made of a city an heap ; of a defenced city a ruin : a palace of
strangers to be no city ; it shall never be built. 3 Therefore
shaU the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible
nations shall fear thee. 4 For thou hast been a strong hold to
the poor, a strong hold to the needy in his distress, a refuge
from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the
terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5 As the heat in a
dry place shalt thou bring down the noise of strangers ; as the
success obtained by Alexander over Persia. The opening words
resemble Ps. Ixiii. I, cxi v. I.
1. even counsels of old. Better, counsels of old have proved to he
truth and verity, i.e. purposes formed and predicted long ago have been
executed with perfect faithfulness.
2. a city. The identity of the city (if the sing, is correct) can
only be conjectured. It is most natural to take it to be the Persian
capital, representing the empire, which could be regarded as overthrown
by Alexander's victory at Issus. The LXX., here as in xxiv. 10, 12,
has cities.
a palace. Better, a castk ot fortress, Prov. xviii. 19, 1 Kgs. xvi. 18,
2 Kgs. XV. 25.
strangers, i.e. foreign enemies (cf i. 7, xxix. 5). The LXX. has
ao-ejSoIv (possibly reading D'H for Q'lJ).
3. the strong people. The expression probably designates the
heathen peoples generally, who, from the favourable consequences
which (it is assumed) will result to the Jews from the success of Greece
over Persia, wiU ascribe that success to the agency of the Lord
(cf xiv. 14, 24, xviii. 7).
the city of the terrible nations. The sing, dty is here almost
certainly coUective (note nations), and is perhaps used to contrast with
the dty oiv. 2; but as the verb, in the original, is plur., it should possibly
be omitted, and the text corrected to the terrible nations shall fear- thee.
4. For. The v. supplies a reason for the praise expressed in v. I.
the poor. ..the needy, i.e. the Jews (cf xxvi. 6, xiv. 30, xli. 17).
a refuge... heat. For the figures here used to represent protection
and relief in distressful conditions cf xxxii. 2, iv. 6, xvi. 3.
when the blast, etc Better, /or the blast ofthe terrible ones (i.e. the
rage of the Jews' oppressors) is as a storm against a wall (or by an
easy emendation (lp for T'l?) a winter storm). The clause is probably
a gloss to explain the storm from which the Lord is a refuge.
5. As the heat.,, plaice. Perhaps a scribal error for the words
as the heat , , ,cloud, which seem a gloss on a shadow ,, ,heat in v. 4.
shalt thou hring, etc. Better, thou dost bring down.
the noise of strangers, i.e. the vaunts of the Jews' foreign masters
(the Persians). Duhm substitutes the arrogancy of the proud (D'lt f>^\
for ont \\nf) . cf xiu. 11. 11—2

164 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxv. 6-s
heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones
shall be brought low. 6 And in this mountain shall the Lord
of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of
wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the
lees well refined. 7 And he will ^destroy in this mountain the
face of the covering that is cast over all peoples, and the veil
that is spread over all nations. 8 He hath swaUowed up death
for ever ; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from oflf aU
faces ; and the reproach of his people shall he take away from
off" all the earth : for the Lord hath spoken it.
' Heb. swallow up.
the song... shall he brought low. Better, the song.,, he brings low.
The clause is probably a gloss (note the change of person) on thou
dost bring down fhe noise of strangers.
6 — 8. The Lord in Zion will create happiness for all, and do
away with everything that can interrupt or mar it.
6. And in this mountain. This v. continues the prophecy from
xxiv. 23. The beginning of the Lord's reign in Zion wiU be accompanied
by a coronation feast (cf 1 Sam. xi. 14, 15, 1 Kgs. i. 9, 25) which wiU
not be confined to the Jewish community, but extended to aU sur
viving peoples who have been brought by the judgment to recognize
the Lord's supremacy : cf Zech. xiv. 16 — 19, and the paraUel of the
marriage feast in Matt. xxii. 2, Rev. xix. 9 ; see also Luke xiv. 15.
fat things, i.e. the richest dainties, the expression being meant
figuratively: cf Iv. 2, Job xxxvi. 16, Ps. xxiii. 5, xxxvi. 8, Ixiii. 5,
Jer. xxxi. 14.
wines on the lees. i.e. old wines, in which the sediment has been
allowed to remain long, before being strained, in order to impart
additional strength and flavour.
7. the face of the covering, i.e. the surface of the covering
(ci. Job xU. 13 mg.), a figure for sorrow, especiaUy sorrow for the dead
(v. 8), mourners being accustomed to veU their heads (2 Sam. xv. 30,
xix. 4) : cf also Jer. xiv. 3, 4.
the veil, etc. More literally, the web that is woven over.
8. He hath swallowed up. i.e. annihilated (for the metaphor
cf V. 7 (mg.), 2 Sam. xx. 19, 20, Job viii. 18, Heb., Lam. ii. 2, 5).
The passage seems to mean the cessation of all death (not merely
death by violence, as in xi. 9) ; and the thought reappears in Rev. xxi. 4.
The writer of lxv. 20 looks forward only to an extension of life, not
immortaUty. Th. has Death has been swallowed up in victory, pointing
the verb as a passive (Vja) and giving to the Heb. nsj the sense which
it bears in Aramaic; and the same rendering appears in St Paul's
citation in 1 Cor. xv. 54.
will unpe away tears, etc. The passage is cited in Rev. vii. 17, xxi. 4.
the reproach, etc. i.e. the Jews wiU be raised from their depressed

xxv.g-.i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 165
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we
have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; we
have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and
Moab shall be trodden down in his place, even as straw is
trodden down ^in the water of the dunghiU. 11 And he shall
spread forth his hands in the midst ^thereof, as he that swimmeth
spreadeth forth his hands to swim : ^and he shall lay low *his
pride ^together with the craft of *his hands. 12 And the
1 Another reading is, in the dunghill. '' Or, of them
2 Or, but '' Or, their » Or, for all the craft
condition, which had brought shame on both themselves and their
religion (cf Zeph. u. 8, iii. 18, Ps. xliv. 14, kxix. 10, Joel u. 17).
9 — 12. A second song, foretelling an ignominious overthrow for
Moab. This poem is Unked to the previous prophecy by the reference
to this mountain (v. 10, cf v. 6), but betrays an unexpected animus
against Moab (cf xvi. 6).
9. Lo, this is our God, etc. Better, Behold our God for whrnn we
have waited that he might save us (cf xxxiii. 2, Jer. xiv. 22). The
clause is a retrospect. The repetition in the next clause is probably
a variant and due to accidental error : it is omitted in the LXX.
10. the hand, etc. i.e. the Lord's enabUng power (cf Ezra vii.
6, 28, viu. 18, Neh. u. 8) wiU permanently abide with Zion. But the
LXX has the Lord shall give rest (reading D'':!? for niJn).
and Moab, etc. The resentment here expressed was perbajjs
occasioned by the memory of Moab's offences at the time of Jerusalem's
faU, when Moabites took part in the devastation of Judah in conjunction
vrith the armies of Nebuchadrezzar (2 Kgs. xxiv. 2) : cf Zeph. ii. 8 — 10,
Ezek. xxv. 8—11. Cheyne takes Moab to be a type of Israel's enemies
in general. in his place, i.e. in his own land (2 Sam. vu. 10, Am. ii. 13).
dunghill. Better, dung-pit. The comparison resembles Ps. Ixxxm.
10, cf also 2 Kgs. ix. 37, Jer. vin. 2, ix. 22. The Heb. (Madmenah)
seems to involve a play upon the name of the Moabite town Madmen
(Jer. xlviii. 2). , ^ i ,
11. And he shall, etc. Better, And if he shall spread forth... he
(the Lord) shall lay low, etc, i.e. if Moab (thought of as a drowning
man) attempts to save himself from sinking, the Lord wiU baffle his
efforts. together with, etc This rendering involves a zeugma : and hence
better (cf mg.), in spite o/(Neh. v. 18, Heb.) the dedces of his hands.
12. the fortress, etc. i.e. thy fortified towering walls. Ihe
expression probably refers to the Moabite fortresses in g^eral, ot
which Kir Moab (see on xv. I) was one of the strongest. The v. is
regarded by Cheyne and Duhm as aUen to the context here, and as
probably a variant of xxvi. 5.

166 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxvLi-5
fortress of the high fort of thy walls ^hath he brought down,
laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.
' Or, shall he bring down, lay low, and bring <&c.
hath he brought, etc. The tense must be a prophetic perfect (and
so in xxvi. 5) : cf mg.

Chapter XXVI.
This c. consists of two separate parts. The first (vv. 1 — 19) is a poem, in
which the writer at first projects himself into the future, and, anticipating the
overthrow of a hated city, expresses his confidence in the Lord; but afterwards
returns to the present and laments that the earUer national hopes have fallen
short of complete realization. The second part (m. 20, 21) picks up the main
strand of the prophecy, and, is an exhortation of the Lord to His people to
exercise patience.
XXVI. 1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land
of Judah : We have a strong city ; salvation will he appoint for
walls and bulwarks. 2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous
nation which keepeth truth may enter in. 3 ^Thou wilt keep
him, *in perfect peace, whose ^mind is stayed on thee : because
he trusteth in thee. 4 Tmst ye in the Lord for ever : for in
*the Lord jehovah is ^an everlasting rock. 5 For he hath
^ Or, A stedfast mind thou keepest in perfect peaxe, because it die.
2 Heb. peace, peace. 3 Or, imagination
* Heb. Jah Jehovah. See oh. xii. 2. ^ Or, a rock of ages
XXVI. 1 — 10. An expression of thankfulness for a dehverance
achieved. 1. that day. i.e. the day of the Lord's final vindication of His
people. salvation, etc. Supematural protection, and not material ramparts,
is Jerusalem's real defence (though it possesses waUs and gates, v. 2) :
cf xxxiu. 6, 20, k. 18, Zech. ix. 8. The pronoun he refers to the
Lord. 2. Open, etc The Jews already resident in Jerusalem are bidden
to receive their countrymen of the Dispersion (see xxiv. 16, xxvii. 13).
keepeth truth. Better, maintaineth faithfulness (to the Lord).
3. Thou wilt keep, etc. Better (as in the mg.), A steadfast
(Ps. cxu. 7) mind (or purpose) thou keepest in perfect peace (or prosperity)
because it trusteth in thee. For perfect peace (Uterally, peace, peace) see
Ivii. 19: by the LXX. and Syr. the second peace is omitted.
4. Trust ye, etc. The words are an exhortation addressed by the
returning exiles to one another.
for in the LoBD, etc. Better, for the Lobd Jebovah is an
everlasting rock; cf xxx. 29. The passage is the original of the phrase

XXVI. 6-,o] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 167
brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city: he layeth
it low, he layeth it low even to the ground ; he bringeth it even
to the dust. 6 The foot shall tread it down ; even the feet of
the poor, and the steps of the needy. 7 The way of the just is
^uprightness : thou that art upright dost ^direct the path of the
just. 8 Yea, in the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we
waited for thee ; to thy name and to thy memorial is the desire
of our soul. 9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night ;
yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee ^early: for when
thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world
learn righteousness. 10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked,
yet wUl he not learn righteousness ; in the land of uprightness
* Or, a right way ; the path of the just thon directest aright
" Or, level ^ Or, diligently
"Rock of Ages." The Heb. has Jas Jebovah, and one of the names
should perhaps be omitted as a dittograph : cf xii. 2.
5. them that dwell on high. i.e. those who were in fancied security.
the lofty city. The phraseology of the second half of the v. so
closely resembles that of xxv. 12 that the reference in both passages
must be to the same city. If xxv. 12 is in place, a fortress of Moab is
aUuded to both there and here; and to such (as near Judah) v. 6 is
more appropriate than to a distant city like Susa, which else is denoted
here. Cheyne thinks that Tyre, taken by Alexander in 332, is meant.
6. the poor... the needy, i.e. the Jews (as in xxv. 4).
7. The way. . .is uprightness. Better, The way (i.e. the outward lot)
of the just is even, i.e. free from the obstacles that bring about the
downfaU of the wicked : cf Jer. xxxi. 9, Prov. iii. 6 mg., xi. 5.
thou that art upright, etc. Better, thou makest level (or smooth,
ci. Prov. V. 21) the path of the just (omitting, with the LXX., thou that
art upright as an accidental repetition of the last word of the previous
clause). 8. in the way of, etc. i.e. we have waited for Thy self-manifestation
in the execution of Thy judgments upon our oppressors.
to thy name, etc. i.e. for a revelation of the Lord's power and
goodness {v. 15) such as had been recorded in the past. Name and
memorial are virtually synonymous (as in Ex. iii. 15, Ps. cxxxv. 13).
9. have I dedred. The writer speaks in the name of his coUective
countrymen. vnthin me. Some critics would substitute in the moming ("ii^.33 for
'3"?P?), as correlative to in the night.
for when, etc. The nation's desire proceeds from the belief that
nothing but chastisement wiU effect the conversion of the heathen.
10. in the land of uprightness, i.e. in the Holy Land, where the
piety of the Jews does not produce in the heathen who witness it the
reformation it should do.

168 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxvi.ii-is
will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of the
Lord.
11 Lord, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but
they shall see ^thy zeal for the people, and be ashamed; yea,
^fire shall devour thine adversaries. 12 Lord, thou wilt ordain
peace for us : for thou hast also wrought all our works for us.
13 0 Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion
over us ; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14 ^They are dead, they shall not live; they are ^deceased, they
shaU not rise : therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them,
and made all their memory to perish. 15 Thou hast increased
' Or, and be ashamed, in their envy at the people
^ Or, the fire of thine adversaries shall devour them
^ Or, The dead live not, the deceased rise not * Or, shades Heb. Rephaim.
11 — 15. An expression of confidence that the past oppression will not
recur, and that a great expansion awaits the nation in the near future.
11. thy hand, etc i.e. the chastisement of the heathen has begun
and is already in progress, but they have not yet realized its true
significance. for the peoph. i.e. the Lord's own people the Jews : Cheyne reads
for thy peoph (cf thine adversaries in the paraUel clause).
fire. Probably a figure for war.
12. ordain peace, i.e. establish prosperity for us (cf v. 3).
all our works, i.e. all the national achievements and experiences
of the past.
13. other lords. In the course of Israel's history various heathen
powers, such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, had successively
exercised dominion over them, instead of the Lord.
hut by thee only, etc. i.e. only through Thy aid are we enabled to
celebrate Thy name. But this is clumsy, and DiUmann renders, only
of thee, even thy name, will we make mention : probably ^^""'SP should
be emended to IIS?. Duhm regards the sentence as defective, and
suggests the loss of ¦13ni?-1B')j) — in thee only is our salvation, and we unll
make mention, etc. (cf Jer. iii. 23).
14. They are dead, etc. Better, The dead shall not live again, nor
shall the shades (xiv. 9) rise. The declaration relates to the other lords
oi V. 13: the tyrannous nationalities thereby designated had perished
and were destined never to revive : cf Jer. li. 39 (of the Babylonians).
therefore. The clause thus introduced as an inference merely
develops the thought of the preceding clause : cf Job xxxiv. 25.
visited, i.e. punished (cf xxiv. 22 note, Jer. vi. 15, xlix. 8).
15. Thou hast increased, etc. The tenses here must be prophetic
perfects : the LXX. renders the first verb as an imperative. The
prophet looks forward into the future, and sees Israel, when its last
oppressor is overthrown, augmented in population and territory.

XXVI. 16-19] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 169
the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation; thou art
glorified: Hhou hast enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, in trouble have they ^visited thee, they poured out
a Sprayer when thy chastening was upon them. 17 Like as a
woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is
in pain and crieth out in her pangs ; so have we been *before
thee, O Lord. 18 We have been with child, we have been in
pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not
wrought any deliverance in the earth; ^neither have the
inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Thy dead shaU live; my
dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the
^ Or, thmb hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth
2 Or, looked for ^ Heb. whisper. * Or, at thy presence
" Or, neither have inhabitants of the world been born
thau art ghrifled. i.e. by the manifestation of Thy power on
behalf of Thy people (Ex. xiv. 4).
16 — 19. A reflection upon the paucity of the nation's numbers in
the actual present and the assertion of a belief that its missing
members wiU be re-united to it.
16. have they vidted. Better (by a slight correction), ha/ve we
vidted (y^^l\>^ for l-lli?? ), i.e. sought Thee for the purpose of intercession.
they poured out a prayer, etc. The LXX. has ev OXaf/ei. /juKpd
(probably an error for mKpa) r} iraiSla a-ov v/uiv, which has suggested
the emendation (Cheyne) we cried out because of affliction, when thy
chastening was upon us (reading -13? VR'^'O '3 J'n>i» IJprv for E'D^ ^IpS
iD^ 'lip-ID).
18. brought forth wind. A figure for fruitless effort : cf Hos. xii. 1,
Eccles. i. 14. This clause is rejected by Duhm as a gloss on the next.
neither ,, ,falhn. i.e. the heathen oppressors have not been over
thrown as completely as was hoped. But it is more in keeping with
the metaphor of the first part of the v. to render (as in the mg.), neither
hoAie inhabitants of the world been horn : for fall in the sense of be born,
cf ?S3, an untimely birth, Statins, Theb. i. 60, si me de matre cadentem
Fovisti gremio, and the Homeric -TrurTctv /.lerd Troo-o-t ywaiKo's (II. xix. 110).
The want of population, which is the subject of complaint, was a
feature of the post-exilic period (Neh. iv. 19, vii. 4).
19. Thy dead. i.e. the exiled members of the Lord's people.
my dead bodies. If the text is sound, the prophet speaks for the
collective nation. But the Syriac has their dead bodies. The import
of the passage is that those Jews, who, cut off by exile from the life of
the community, are figuratively dead and buried in foreign lands
(cf Ezek. xxxvii., Hos. vi. 2, xiu. 1, 14), wiU be restored to national
existence (see Additional Note).
Awake and sing. Better (reading the fut. with the LXX.), They that
dwell in the dust shall awake and sing.

170 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxvi. 20,11
dust : for thy dew is as the dew of ^herbs, and the earth shaU
cast forth ^the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut
thy doors about thee : hide thyself for a little moment, until the
indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the Lord cometh
forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for
their iniquity : the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall
no more cover her slain.
' Or, light ^ Or, the shades Heb. Rephaim.
thy dew, etc. A Divine influence, comparable to the dew that
freshens and invigorates vegetation, will bring about their revival to
national life : cf Hos. xiv. 5.
cast forth. Better, hring forth or bear- (the verb being the causative
of that used in the sense of be bom in v. 18).
the dead. Better, the shades (as in v. 14).
20 — 21. A reiteration of the prediction of the speedy punishment
coming on the earth for its iniquity.
This section probably forms part of the main prophecy (as distinct
from the preceding lyric passage) : cf xxiv. 1 — 20.
20. enter thou into thy chambers. The judgment is regarded as
executed through a destructive agency which slays aU who are not
sheltered from it: cf the conception of the destroyer in Ex. xii. 23,
and of the destroying angel in 1 Ch. xxi. 15, 30.
21. out of his place, i.e. from heaven, see Mic. i. 3.
dischse her bhod. The blood of a murdered man, if exposed to
God's sight, constituted a mute appeal to Him for vengeance upon the
murderer: see Gen. iv. II, Ezek. xxiv. 7, 8, Job xvi. 18. The writer
here probably has the slaughter of his own countr3Tnen exclusively in
mind. Additional Note on v. 19.
This V. is usuaUy regarded as an expression of faith in the Uteral resurrec
tion of dead Jews. It is supposed that the Jewish community, despondent on
account of its feebleness and insignificance, and impatient of the tardiness of
its expansion by natural increase, declares its belief that its numbers wUl be
multiplied by the physical resurrection of those of its countiymen who Ue in
the grave (cf ye that dwell in the dust with Dan. xii. 2, tliem that sleep in the
dust). The word niliNj rendered in the text by herbs (cf. 2 Kgs. iv. 39.), is
taken (with the Vulg.) to be an exceptional form of the plural of iix or i^'t^^,
light (ordinarily D^IIK) and the clause is translated, thy dew is a dew of light
(cf mg.), and as the term light is sometimes associated vrith life (cf Ps. xxxri. 9,
Iri. 13, Job iii. 20) the expression a dew of light is explained to mean a dew
which faUs from the regions of heavenly light wherein the Lord dwells
(Ps. civ. 2), and which imparts to the dead renewed physical life. The
objections to this view are fourfold. (1) In v. 14, which denies that those who

XXVII. i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 171
had preriously held sway over Israel shaU Uve again, the word live clearly
refers to national rerival, and affords a presumption that the same word
conveys a Uke sense here. (2) The language of the text does not seem to
go beyond that of Hosea and Ezekiel in the passages cited (p. 169) where
these prophets admittedly speak allegorically, and by death and burial mean
exUe, and by resurrection from the grave mean revival to national life. The
use of the term shades in the present v. cannot be decisive for a different
interpretation ; for if exiled Jews may be described as slain and as dry bones,
they can equaUy well be termed departed spirits. Moreover, the dew oi
Jehovah here corresponds in function to the vrind in Ezek. xxxvii. 9, and to
the rain in Hos. vi. 3 (cf also Hos. xiv. 5), and should consequently be regarded
as producing the Uke result. (3) The preceding w. 16 — 18 afford no sufficient
motive for the affirmation of a belief in the resurrection of the actually dead.
If the cause of the people's unhappiness was the paucity of their numbers (as
these vv. suggest), a remedy for it would naturaUy be first looked for in a
retum to Palestine of those of their countrymen who were stiU in exUe (as in
xxrii. 12, 13), not a retum to life of those who were in the grave. An ex
pression of faith in the restoration to renewed life of such as were reaUy dead
would more fittingly be based on distinctively ethical grounds (cf. Dan. xii. 3).
(4) If in V. 19 a Uteral resurrection were in the writer's thoughts, v. 21 might
be expected to predict unambiguously the rising again of slaughtered Jews,
whereas it seems only to express figuratively the appeal which their blood wUl
make for vengeance.

Chapter XXVIL
This c. consists of a number of detached sections. (1) v. I constitutes part
of the description of the universal judgment, linking on to xxvi. 20, 21 ;
(2) vv, 2—6 contain another lyric poem; (3) vv. 7 — II, which appear to be
fragmentary, are an expostulation in reply to Jewish complaints; (4) vv. 12, 13
revert to the main prophecy, and probably connect with v. 1, the prediction of
the judgment ending with an announcement of the return of Jewish exiles.
XXVII. 1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great
and strong sword shall punish leviathan the ^ swift serpent, and
leviathan the ^crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon
that is in the sea.
1 Or, gliding Ot, fleeing * Or, winding
XXVII. 1. A prediction of the overthrow, by the Lord, of a
hostile power or powers, s3miboUzed by reptile forms.
hmathan. . .sea. The three reptiles are probably survivals of a
mythic stage of beUef, when the watery chaos, which existed before the
Creation, was thought of under the figure of a great monster. This^in
Babylonian mythology was caUed Tidmat (cf the Heb. Tehom,
Gen. i. 2), and represented as a dragon or serpent slain by the god
Marduk (Merodach). SimUarly in the present passage the dragon that

172 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxvu. 2, 3
2 In that day: ^A vineyard of wine, sing ye ^unto it. 3 I
the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any
' Or, according to some ancient authorities, A pleasant vineyard ^ Or, of
is in the sea symbolizes the Deep (cf Am. k. 3); and a Hebrew
parallel to the Babylonian legend respecting the slaughter of TiSmat
seems hinted at in li. 9 (ct Job xxvi. 12), where the dragon is
represented as having been wounded by the Lord, but not slain, its
final destruction being predicted here. The two leviathans are perhaps
emblems of the two largest rivers known to the Hebrews, the Tigris
and Euphrates, which are regarded as akin to the sea, and, like it, are
symbolized by monsters and destined to be destroyed by the Lord
(cf xliv. 27, xi. 15). By leviathan the swift (or fleeing) serpent is
meant the Tigris, which, according to Strabo (xi. 14. § 8), got its
name from its swiftness (Tigris being the Median for arrow); whilst
leviathan the crooked serpent stands for the Euphrates which the same
vnriter describes as flowing o-koXuS rZ peldpta. The punishment of these
monster representatives of elemental forces seems to be regarded as a
necessary preliminary to the renovation of the world and the establish
ment of the Divine kingdom (xxiv. 23).
By Burney the three reptiles are identified with the astronomical
constellations Serpens, Draco and Hydra, the sea being " the heavenly
ocean," the part of the sky south of the ecliptic (cf Job xxxvi. 13 and
see JTS. Ap. 1910, p. 443 f.) ; but the constellations named are com
paratively inconspicuous'. Other scholars, whilst aUowing the reptiles
to be of mythic origin, nevertheless take them to symbolize national
world-powers (cf. xiv. 29, and the imagery in Dan. vii., Rev. xii. 3).
The dragon is generally explained to mean Egypt (the sea being the
NUe, cf xix. 5, Ezek. xxix. 3, xxxii. 2) ; whilst the two leviathans
are supposed to designate Assyria and Babylonia, or Babylonia and
Persia. 2 — 6. A song expressing the Lord's care for Israel, and His desire
to defend it (vv. 3^5), followed by a prediction of Israel's expansion
in the future.
The section pre-supposes the cessation of the Lord's wrath against
Israel (xxvi. 20), the nation's redemption (to which the judgment upon
the earth has been instrumental), and its restoration to the Divine
favour. 2. In that day. Some word or words are lacking, and Duhm
supplies one shall say (~'^?1) : cf xxv. 9, xxvi. I.
A vineyard of wine. The expression is pleonastic (though cf Jud.
XV. 5, Heb.), and the LXX. has tbe preferable reading A vineyard of
delight (^»^ for ipO) ; cf xxxu. 12, Am. v. 11, Jer. iii. 19. The figure
recalls vv. 1 — 7.
sing ye unto it. Better, sing ye of it (v. 1, Heb., Ps. iii. 2).
' If only one leviathan were mentioned (as in Job xxxvi. 13), it might represent
the Bupra-terrestrial waters (of. Gen. i. 7) as the dragon represents the sub-terrestrial
waters ; but the fact that there are two is in the way of this explanation.

XXVII. 4-8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 173
hurt it, I will keep it night and day. 4 Fury is not in me:
would that the briers and thorns were against me in battle ! I
would march upon them, I would burn them together. 5 Or
else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace
with me; yea, let him make peace with me. 6 ^In days to
come shall Jacob take root ; Israel shall blossom and bud : and
they shaU fiU the fcice of the world with fruit.
7 Hath he smitten him as he smote those that smote him?
or is he slain according to the slaughter ^of them that were
slain by him? 8 ^In measure, *when thou sendest her away,
^ Or, Tn the generations that come '' Or, of their slain
2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. ^ Or, by sending her away
3. lest any hurt it. There is no subject to the verb in the Heb. ;
and Duhm, by very slight alterations, emends the text to hst its leafage
be misdng ("^'^ ^i?.S! for O'b np?'.) ; cf Jer. xvii. 8.
4. Fury is not in me. The Lord's anger against the vineyard,
once occasioned by its failure to bear fruit (v. 2 — 6, cf Ezek. xvii. 9),
is no longer retained. The clause should be attached to v. 3.
would that, etc. The wish is equivalent to a condition : if briers
and thorns (figures for human foes, as in x. 17, 2 Sam. xxiii. 6, 7) were
against me.
in battle. This (despite the Heb. accents) goes best with the
foUowing clause : in battle (or war) I would march upon them. The
metaphor of the briers and thorns is dropped, and replaced by
expressions appropriate to actual human enemies (cf. xviii. 5, 6,
xxviii. 18).
5. Or else, etc. Israel's foes can escape annihilation only by
submission to, and by reconciUation with, Israel's God.
my strength. Better, my stronghold (xvii. 10, Ps. hi. 7).
6. This V. is not part of the song, but a declaration by the
prophet. shall fill... imth fruit, i.e. occupy the earth vrith their increasing
numbers (contrast xxvi. 18 mg.).
7 — 11. A suggestion of hope for Israel based on the moderation
with which it has been punished, a statement of the condition of its
pardon, and a description of the desolation of the tyrant city.
This section begins abruptly and continues the thought of xxvi.
20 — xxvii. 1, rather than of xxvii. 2 — 6, though the connection is
somewhat broken.
7. or is he slain, etc. Better (after the LXX. and Syr.), or is_ he
(Israel) slain as his slayers (the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian
tyrants) have been slain (reading 1T^ for ''''^^0). The chastisement
inflicted on Israel was only designed for its correction, that sustained
by its enemies amounted to annihilation (cf. xxvi. 14).
8. In measure. The original is taken by Aq. and Sym. to be a

174 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxvii.9-11
thou dost contend with her ; he hath removed her with his rough
blast in the day of the east wind. 9 Therefore by this shall the
iniquity of Jacob be ^purged, and this is all the fruit ^of taking
away his sin ; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as
chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, so that the ^Asherim and
the sun-images shall rise no more. 10 For the defenced city is
solitary, an habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness :
there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and con
sume the branches thereof. 11 When the boughs thereof are
withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and
' Or, expiated " Or, fo take away ' See oh. xvii. 8.
dupUcation of the word seah, a measure of capacity containing
2|^ gaUons, and to be a metaphor for "in just proportion," "without
any excess" (cf Jer. xxx. 11, xlvi. 28). But the expression in this
context is strange, and many commentators regard the word as an
infinitive, by driving (or scaring) her away.
when thou sendest her away. Better (after the LXX.), by sending
her away (i.e. into exile) he contendeth unth her. As there is no noun
in the preceding v. to which the fem. pronoun can relate, Duhm
regards the present v. as a displaced marginal citation, relating to
V. 10, the pronoun referring to the dty (assumed to be Jerusalem).
the east wind. i.e. the violent sirocco, which is often represented
as destructive to vegetation and property (Gen. xli. 6, Ezek. xvii. 10,
Ps. xlviii. 7), and is here a figure (cf Jer. li. I, Job xxvii. 21) for the
invasion which carried the Jews into captivity; cf. Hos. xiu. 15,
Jer. xviii. 17.
9. Therefore, i.e. as a consequence of the Lord's lenient disposi
tion towards Israel.
by this. i.e. on this condition (Gen. xxxiv. 15, Heb.), viz. the
cessation of idolatry.
all the fruit, i.e. all the desired result (iii. 10, Hos. x. 13).
his dn. i.e. the penalty of his sin.
maketh... chalkstones. i.e. breaks into fragments the altars and
symbols associated with idolatry. That pagan rites were practised
during post-exilic times appears from Ivii. 3^13, Lxv. 1 — 12, Ixvi. 1 — 4.
On the Asherim see xvii. 8.
10. For the defenced city, etc. The reference seems to be to the
chastisement of the tyrant Persia (cf xxiv. 10, 12), which vriU be a
proof of the Lord's reconciUation to Israel (v. 9). Cheyne thinks that
the condition of Jerusalem after its ruthless punishment by Arta
xerxes Ochus is described ; but this produces a contradiction between
V. Il* and the tenor oivv. 7, 8.
there shall the calf, eto,. i.e. the site of it is to be a pasture ground
(cf V. 17, vii. 25, xxxii. 14).
the branches thereof, i.e. the sprigs of brushwood covering the spot.

XXVIL 11-13] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 175
set them on fire : for it is a people of no understanding ; there
fore he that made them will not have compassion upon them,
and he that formed them will shew them no favour.
12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shaU
^beat off his fruit, from the flood of the River unto the brook
of Egypt, and ye shall be ^gathered ^one by one, 0 ye chUdren
of Israel. 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great trumpet
^ Or, beat out his corn ^ Or, gleaned ' Or, one to another
11. set them on fire. i.e. use them as faggots.
for it is a people. If the dty oi v. 10 stands for Persia, or the
Persian capital, the people here designated must be its population.
The Persians, though not idolaters in the strict sense, had no knowledge
of the Lord, the Creator of them as of all other men (xiv. 12, 18,
Ps. Ixxxvi. 9), and consequently had no claim to His compassion. But
the critics who identify the city with Jerusalem naturaUy take the
peoph to be the Jews whose past calamities had been occasioned by
their lack of spiritual discernment (cf i. 3, xiii. 25).
12 — 13. A prediction of an in-gathering of the Lord's people from
the countiies of their dispersion to Mount Zion.
The aUusion to the holy mountain at Jerusalem associates this
section with xxiv. 23, xxv. 6, 7, which belong to the original prophecy
(or apocalj^se), and makes it probable that it connects directly with
V. 1, the return of the dispersed Jews (v. 13) being the sequel of the
destruction of aU powers hostile to the Lord and His people.
12. heat off, etc. The word rendered ^ooc^ means likewise ears (pi
com) : hence better heat out from the corn ears of the Eiver (i.e. the
Euphrates) unto those of the brook of Egypt (the Wddy el Arish,
separating Canaan and Egypt, Num. xxxiv. 5). The term rendered
beat out is commonly employed of beating olive berries from the trees
(Deut. xxiv. 20), but is here used of threshing corn with a rod or flail
(cf xxviii. 27, Jud. vi. 11, Ruth ii. 17). The scene of the threshing
is the country between the Euphrates on the N.E. to the Wddy el
Arish on the S.W., which once constituted (at least ideally) the borders
of Israel's territory (see 1 Kgs. iv. 24, viu. 65, Gen. xv. 18); and the
purpose of it is to separate the Jews (the grain) from the rest of the
population (the chafi") within the region named.
gathered. Strictly, gleaned (xvii. 5, Ruth u. 3, 7, 17), suggesting
the care vrith which the Lord vrill collect His people.
13. And it shall come, etc. In addition to the separation of the
Jews from the heathen within the land which once belonged to the
former, there is to be a recaU of Jewish exiles from the distant parts
of the heathen world.
a great trumpet. Strictly, a great (ram's) horn, ci. Josh. vi. 5.
The same kind of signal figures in the description of the Last Day
(Matt. xxiv. 31, 1 Cor. xv. 52, 1 Th. iv. 16).

176 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
shall be blown; and they shall come which were ^ready to
perish in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the
land of Egypt; and they shall worship the Lord in the holy
mountain at Jerusalem. 1 Or, lost
ready to perish. The expression refers to exUe in a foreign land
(cf Deut. xxvi. 5 mg.).
Assyria. The name here probably represents the Persian empire,
which included the former dominions of both Assyria and Babylon (see
Ezra vi. 22 and cf on xi. II, xxiii. 13).
Egypt. Jews took refuge in Egypt after the capture of Jerusalem
in 587 ; and their numbers eventuaUy increased so greatly that a
translation of the Heb. scriptures (the LXX.) was required to meet
their needs, and was begun in the reign of Ptolemy PhUadelphus
(285—246). A restoration of exiles from the east and from the west was a
frequent subject of hope and prophecy in post-exilic times : see Zech.
viii. 7, 8, Is. Ix. 4, Ixii. 10.
shall worship, etc. i.e. not, by making pilgrimages to Jerusalem
from a distance, but by being permanently re-estabUshed there :
cf xxiv. 23, Zech. viii. 8.

THIRD COLLECTION OF ISAIAH'S PROPHECIES.
CHAPTERS XXVIIL— XXXV.
These cc. form the third dirision into which Proto-Isaiah naturaUy falls.
The flrst 6 cc. constitute a distinct group, since they all (with one exception)
begin with the interjection Woe! (better Ho!). These are, in the main,
authentic Isaianic oracles relating to Judah, though the genuineness of
portions of them may be open to suspicion. Though they have no common
heading, most of them pertain to approximately one period in Isaiah's
ministry, riz. the years (circ. 705 — 701) when the poUticians of Judah were
desirous of obtaining the aid of Egypt with a riew to revolting against
Sennacherib, and when the prophet sought to deter his countrymen from
such a project ; and they may once have composed an independent coUection
of the prophet's oracles. One smaU oracle (xxviii. 1 — 4) belongs in origin to a
date some 20 years previous to 701 ; a second oracle (xxxii. 1 — 8) may be later
than 701; and a third (xxxii. 9 — 20) may perhaps date from the reign of Ahaz.
The remaining cc. xxxiv., xxxv. are non-Isaianic, and belong to a much
later age. They seem to bear the same relation to the foregoing cc. xxriii. —
xxxiii. as cc. xxiv. — xxrii. do to cc. xiii. — xxiii., and cc. xi. 10 — xu. to cc. i. —
xi. 9 (see p. iv).

XXVIIL 1,.] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 177
Chapter XXVIII.
This c. falls into three parts : (1) a prophecy of doom for Samaria (ve. I — 4 (6)) ;
(2) a denunciation of the reUgious and poUtical leaders of Jerasalem (ot. 7 —
22) ; (3) a parable iUustrative of the Lord's methods of deaUng with His people
(vv. 23 — 29). Of these the central portion must have been written when the
people of Judah were facing the imminence of invasion with iU-grounded
confidence; and the presumptuous spirit here represented as pervading the
nation is so Uke that which prevailed shortly before 701 (cf. xxii. 1 — 14,
cc. XXX., xxxi.), that it is most reasonably assigned to that date (circ. 703).
The last, if Isaianic (see note), is appropriate to the same period. But the
first must have been composed before the faU of Samaria in 722 (perhaps
in the reign of Hoshea, circ. 730 — 722), and seems to have been prefixed to
prophecies written more than 20 years later in order to recaU the doom of
Samaria to the minds of the Judseans, whose ofiences resembled those of the
iU-fated sister kingdom.
XXVIII. 1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards
of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are ^over
come with wine ! 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong
one ; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of
mighty waters overflowing, shall he cast down to the earth ^with
^ Heb. smitten down. ^ Or, with violence
XXVIII. 1 — 4. A prophecy of woe for the dissolute people of
Samaria. The overthrow of the kingdom of Ephraim was predicted by Isaiah
as early as the reign of Ahaz (vii. 16, viii. 4), but the absence here of
any reference to Damascus makes it probable that the present prophecy
was deUvered after the overthrow of that city in 732 and shortly before
Ephraim came to an end in 722.
1. Woe to the crown, etc. More strictly. Hoi the crown, etc.
(and so in xxx. 1, xxxi. 1, xxxiii. 1). Samaria, as being the pride
of its inhabitants, but destined to perish in consequence of their vices,
is likened to the garlands of quickly fading flowers wherewith dissolute
reveUers wreathed their heads (Lam. v. 16, Wisd. ii. 8).
of the fat vaUey. The Heb. being irregular in construction, these
words are better omitted (with Kittel) as an interpolation from v. 4.
overcome with wine. Literally, broken (or smitten) down with wine
(cf xvi. 8, Prov. xxiii. 35, TibuUus i. ii. 3 multo percussus tempora
Baccho, Mart. iv. Ixvi. 12, saueia vena mero, and the Greek oivottAi;'^).
For intemperance in Ephraim see Am. iv. 1, vi. 6, Hos. vii. 5.
2. a mighty and strong one. i.e. the Assyrian, the Lord's agent
for the chastisement of His people (cf x. 5).
as a tempest, etc. For the comparison of an invasion to a storm and
flood cf viii. 7, 8, xvii. 12.
w. I. 12

178 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxviii. 3-7
the hand. 3 The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim
shall be trodden under foot: 4 and the fading flower of his
glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be
as the firstripe fig before the summer; which when he that
looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory,
and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people:
6 and for a spirit of judgement to him that sitteth in judgement,
and for strength to them that turn back the battle ^at the gate.
7 But these also ^have erred through wine, and through strong
' Or, to 2 Or, reel
with the hand. Better (as in the mg.), with viohnce (LXX. ySia).
3. shall be trodden, etc. The verb is plur., and both the construc
tion and sense are improved by a slight transposition proposed by
Duhm : Then shall be trodden under foot the crown of pride of the
drunkards of Ephraim, 4. and the fading flower .. .valley ; and it
(i.e. Samaria) shall be, etc
4. on the head of the fat valley. The hiU of Samaria, (1 Kgs.
xvi. 24, Am. iv. 1, vi. I), rising from a fertile plain and crowned by
the city, is itself here compared to a garlanded head.
before the summer. Better, before the fruit-harvest (which occurred
in August). Such figs as ripened before this were esteemed a deUcacy
(Jer. xxiv. 2, Hos. ix. 10, Mic. vii. I), and the eagerness with which
they were plucked and eaten by epicures is used to iUustrate the speed
with which the Assyrians are expected to gain possession of Samaria.
Isaiah, however, under-estimated the city's powers of resistance, for it
stood a siege of more than two years (2 Kgs. xviii. 10).
5 — 6. These two vv., which qualify the previous doom of annihila
tion by predicting the survival of a remnant, injure the moral which
the fate of Samaria had for Jerusalem : both Cheyne and Duhm (who
consider the residue to be Judah, which Isaiah expected to owe its
rescue to the Lord's intervention alone, see xxix. 1 — 8, xxxi. 8, 9)
reject them as a late supplement (like xvii. 7, 8).
5. In that day. In the Messianic age the Lord, and not the
stately fortress, wiU be His surviving people's pride and confidence.
the residue of his peoph. The expression recurs only in xi. II, 16.
6. for a spirit of judgement, etc. i.e. wiU inspire in them both civic
and martial virtue (cf Ps. cxliv. 1 and the description of the Messianic
king in xi. 2, xxxii. 1).
at the gate. Better (as in the mg.), to the gate, through which the
enemy have penetrated and to which they are forced back.
7—22. A rebuke of the leaders of Judah for their drunken excesses
and irreligious self-confidence, and an exposure of the hoUowness of
their fancied security.
That this prophecy is directed against Judah appears from v. 14.

XXVIII. 8-io] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 179
drink ^are gone astray; the priest and the prophet ^have erred
through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are
gone astray through strong drink; they ^err in vision, they
stumble in judgement. 8 For all tables are full of vomit arid
filthiness, so that there is no place dean. 9 ^Whom will he
teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the
^message ? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from
the breasts ? 10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon
precept ; ^line upon Une, line upon line ; here a little, there a
' Or, stagger ^ Or, reel
' Or, 'Whom shall he teach. ..and whom shall he make... breasts. For <&c.
* Or, report ^ Or, rule
7. these also. i.e. the people and rulers of Jerusalem, as weU as
those of Samaria.
erred... gone astray. Better (as in the mg.), reel,,, stagger (cf
xix. 14, Prov. XX. 1, mg.). Habits of drunkenness in Judah are
referred to in v. 11, 22, Mic ii. II.
the priest,.. the prophet. These, by their authoritative decisions
(judgement) and professed revelations (vision), had doubtless supported
the policy to which Isaiah was opposed, but were rendered by intemper
ance unworthy of confidence.
swallowed up of wine. Better, distraught through wine : cf. the use
of the verb in iii. 12, ix. 16.
9. Whom unll he, etc. The speakers in w. 9, 10 are the priests
and prophets, resenting Isaiah's reflections upon the value of their
counsel : they imply that they are not children, requiring to be schooled
in their functions.
knowledge. An aUusion to the qualifications expected of the priests
(Mal. U. 7).
the message. Better, a message (and so in v. 19), i.e. a communica
tion from the Lord, such as the prophets claimed to receive (cf Jer.
xUx. 14, Obad. v. 1).
10. precept... line. Heb. 1i5-1V. If the first is rightly rendered ^ecep#,
the second must be equivalent to regulation. But better (if the expres
sions in the original are real words), rule... line (both being understood
in the sense of tools, such as are used by builders or carpenters ;
for the second see v. 17, xxxiv. 11, 17, xliv. 13). By the Vulg.,
which has manda, remanda, expecta, reexpecta, they are connected
vrith the verbs command (Heb. HIV) and wait for (Heb. 'iji?)- But
if the expressions were intended to have a meaning, they might be
expected to be mocking reproductions of some favourite phrases of
Isaiah's ; whereas words identical with, or similar to, them are not very
common in the prophet's addresses. Hence the Hebrew terms (which
are rhyming monosyllables) are probably not words at all, but imitations
of the jingling nonsense which a nurse might use to a child.
here a litth, etc. These are actual words (not, Uke the preceding,
12—2

180 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxviii. n-i 5
Uttle. 11 ^Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another
tongue wiU he speak to this people : 12 to whom he said, This is
the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the
refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 Therefore shall the
word of the Lord be unto them precept upon precept, precept
upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ; here a Uttle, there
a little ; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken,
and snared, and taken.
14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men,
that rule this people which is in Jerusalem: 15 Because ye
have said. We have made a covenant with death, and with ^heU
1 Or, For with stammering lips ^ Heb. Sheol.
unmeaning sounds), and should perhaps be rendered, here a litth whih,
amd there a little while (cf Job xxxvi. 2). They seem to be a sneer at
Isaiah's rapid transitions from one subject of censure to another (as in
V. 8—23). 11. Nay, but, etc. Better, Yea (xxxii. 13), with jabherings of lips,
and with an alien (Deut. xxviii. 32, xxix. 28) tongue, etc. This is
Isaiah's response to their mockery : the speech of the nursery, to which
they compare his language, will shortly be replaced by the stiU stranger
tongue (xxxiii. 19) of a foreign conqueror. The v. (in a form based on
Aq.'s translation) is quoted in 1 Cor. xiv. 21, with reference to the gift
of tongues as a sign to the unbelieving.
12. This is the rest. i.e. this (the line of policy advocated by the
prophet, viz. faith in the Lord, abandonment of a warlike attitude, and
detachment from aU foreign aUiances, cf xxx. 15) is what wUl most
conduce to national security and tranquillity.
him that is weary, i.e. the poorer classes upon whom the burdens
of war (military service, money contributions, the interruption of
agriculture, and the like) fall heaviest.
the refreshing. Better, the repose, i.e. the means of recovery.
13. Therefore shall, etc. i.e. the Lord will henceforward speak to
them through the unintelligible but irresistible Assyrians.
that they... taken. In place of the security which might have been
theirs, they will be trapped and captured like hunted animals.
15. a covenant tmth death, i.e. a compact (eSected by magic rites)
with the spirits of the dead in Sheol, which was expected to ensure
safety in the hour of danger (see viii. 19 and cf I Sam. xxviii. 7 f ).
But some scholars consider that a covenant with death and an agree
ment with hell (Sheol) figuratively describe the supreme confidence
entertained by the speakers that destruction by Assyria would not
befaU them (cf. Job v. 23, Hos. ii. 18 and Lucan, Phars. ix. 898 (of a
people immune from serpents' poison). Pax illis cum morte data est),
their security having been ensured by a political compact vrith Egypt
(xxx. I, xxxi. 1).

XXVIII. i6, 17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 181
are we at agreement ; when the overflowing scourge shaU pass
through, it shaU not come unto us ; for we have made lies our
refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves : 16 therefore
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I ^lay in Zion for a foundation
a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stowe of sure founda
tion: he that beUeveth shall not make haste. 17 And I wUl
make judgement the Une, and righteousness the plummet : and
1 Or, have laid
are we at agreement. Lit. have we had a vision, and so in v. 18
(perhaps meaning that an apparition from the dead had conveyed an
assurance of safety). But the LXX. has a-uvOrjKas and the Vulg.
pactum. the overflowing scourge. The metaphor (designating the hostUe in
cursion) is a confused one, and, though parallel confusions occur in v. 24,
X. 18, xiv. 29 S should perhaps be corrected, here and in v. 18, to
the overflowing overflow, reading 1??K' ^^^ (after LXX. KaTat-yls (fnpopiivri,
Theod. KaraKkva-pibs <f>ep6iievos) : ci. V. 17, viii. 7, 8, X. 22.
lies... falsehood. The words probably express Isaiah's own estimate
of the unreaUty of the protection (supematural or political) to which
they have committed themselves. But some critics think they aUude
to the breach of fealty in respect of Assyria, which the policy of Isaiah's
opponents involved (cf Ezek. xvii. 15, 16).
16. Behold, I lay, etc. The protection provided by the Lord
(through His relation with Israel) for those who trust Him in the
impending crisis is represented under the figure of a sheltering
buUding, of well-tested and costly materials. The metaphor, which
was probably suggested by the Temple fabric, is appUed in 1 Pet. ii. 6
to our Lord, who is described as the chief comer-stone of the spiritual
Temple, the Church : cf also Eph. ii. 20.
in Zion. Jerusalem was the seat both of the Lord's worship
(xxxi. 9) and of the Davidic monarchy, to which permanence had been
promised (cf xxxvii. 35, 2 Sam. vii. 13 — 16, xxiii. 5): cf xiv. 32.
he that believeth, etc. i.e. enjoyment of the Divine protection is not
absolute but conditional : it only avails for those who place their con
fidence in a God who is spiritual in nature and holy in character, instead
of in the arts of sorcery or the resources of military power : cf. vii. 9.
The LXX. has he that believeth thereon, i.e. on the tried stone, and
St Paul in Rom. ix. 33, x. 11, foUowing the LXX., refers the pronoun
(eir" avrS) to Christ, the Messiah (cf 1 Pet. ii. 6).
shall not make haste, i.e. shall not have to flee. But better (after
the LXX), shall not be put to shams (B'n.l for E'TIJ). Cheyne conjectures
shall not give way (^''^X) • ci. xxii. 25, liv. 10 (Heb.).
17. make judgement the line. i.e. the faith, upon which the Lord's
1 Combinations of incongruous expressions occur in the poetry of all languages :
e.g. Soph. O.T. 186 iraiw Xd/UTrei, Eur. Med, 107 y4(pos olpiorY^s„,ii'd^ei,.

182 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxviii. 18-21
the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall
overflow the hiding place. 18 And your covenant with death
shall be disannulled, and your agreement with ^hell shall not
stand; when the overflowing scourge shaU pass through, then
ye shall be trodden down by it. 19 As often as it passeth
through, it shall take you ; for morning by morning shall it pass
through, by day and by night : and it shall be nought but terror
to understand the ^message. 20 For the bed is shorter than
that a man can stretch himself on it ; and the covering narrower
than that he can wrap himself in it. 21 For the Lord shaU rise
up as in ^mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the vaUey of
Gibeon ; that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring
1 Heb. Sheol. ' Or, report ^ See 1 Chr. xiv. 11, &o.
protection is conditional, must be accompanied by a moral reformation :
the national conduct must square with the Divine standards of social
justice and uprightness, and failure to conform to them will involve
destruction (cf i. 27, v. 16, x. 22). The similar figure of a plumb-Une
occurs in Am. vii. 7 — 9.
the hail. ..the waters. Figures for a Divine judgment (xxx. 30), here
executed through the agency of an Assyrian invasion, which wiU
demonstrate the instability of the refuge to which the rulers of
Jerusalem have resorted (v. 15). Cf. Matt. vii. 26, 27.
18. disannulled. Literally, covered or perhaps obliterated (the
covenant being regarded as a document that is canceUed or blackened
out, cf the verb in Gen. vi. 14). But as the Heb. term is generaUy
used of tbe cancelling of off'ences (vi. 7, xxii. 14, xxvii. 9), not compacts,
many critics would substitute here brought to nought (15^1 for "li?!) : cf
viii. 10, Jer. xxxiii. 21.
trodden down. The previous figure is here exchanged for another
(occurring in x. 6, Mic. vii. 10, Dan. viii. 13) which is more appropriate
to oppression by actual invaders.
19. nought but terror, etc. i.e. the true import of the Divine
revelations (v. 9), now wantonly ignored, will, when forced by events
upon them, leave room for nothing but terror.
20. For the hed, etc. i.e. the fancied security (v. 15) wiU be found
insufficient. 21. For the Lobd shall rise, etc. i.e. the Lord vrill again intervene
decisively in human history as He did in the time of David (see 2 Sam.
V. 17 — 25, 1 Ch. xiv. 8 — 16), but not, as then, on the side of Israel,
but against it.
mount Perazim... Gibeon. In 2 Sam. v. 20, 25 Baal Perazim and
Geba, his strange work. Better, strange is his work,., fordgn is his act.
i.e. the execution of vengeance (v. 19, x. 12) upon His ovm people,
instead of upon their enemies, is alien to His normal attitude.

XXVIII. .2-^5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 183
to pass his act, his strange act. 22 Now therefore be ye not
scorners, lest your bands be made strong : for a consummation,
and that determined, have I heard from the Lord, the Lord of
hosts, upon the whole ^ earth.
23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my
speech. 24 Doth the plowman plow continually to sow? doth
he continually open and break the clods of his ground?
25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not
cast abroad the ^fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in
the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place and
' Or, land
^ Or, black cummin (Nigella sativa)
22. hst your hands, etc. i.e. lest the retribution (through Assyria),
already merited, be enhanced by further persistence in mockery. The
bands are those linking sin to punishment, which they had fastened
upon themselves (cf v. 18).
a consummation, etc. Better, an end and that a decisive one. . .upon
all the land.
23 — 29. A parable drawn from husbandry, designed to iUustrate
the Lord's judiciousness in His deaUngs with His people.
The Isaianic origin of this section has been questioned partly on the
ground that its tenor is inconsistent with the foregoing sentence
of doom, and partly because it contains a word common only in
"Wisdom" Uterature (v. 29). But it is probably addressed to the
prophet's disciples (v. 23 seems to be the opening of a fresh speech, cf.
Ps. xlix. I, Ixxviii. 1), and the purport of it corresponds to Isaiah's
conception of the Lord's scheme of action, which was not to exterminate
but to purify Israel (i. 24—28, x. 20, iv. 3, 4).
24. Doth the plowman, etc. It is implied that, as the process of
ploughing eventually gives place to sowing, so Israel's chastisement
wiU by and by be succeeded by difi'erent treatment.
25. made plain. Better, hvelled.
fitches. Better, vetches or black cummin (Nigella sativa), the seeds
of which were used to flavour bread.
cummin, i.e. cwminum cyminum, an umbelliferous plant used as a
condiment : its seeds in appearance and flavour are said to be like
caraway. in rows. This word, omitted by the L^X. and Syr., is rejected by
some as a dittograph, but it occurs as the name of a kind of grain in
an inscription (Cooke, NSI, p. 176).
in the appmnted place. The meaning is doubtful, and the LXX.
omits the word ; but the following words in (better as) the border thereof
favour its retention, since the pronoun rendered thereof cannot gram
matically apply to wheat or harhy. It may denote some cereal ; the
Vulg. names, after wheat, three other plants (and not two only).

184 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxviu. 26-29
the spelt in the border thereof? 26 ^For his God doth instruct
him aright, and doth teach him. 27 For the fitches are not
threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, neither is a cart
wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are
beaten out with a staff", and the cummin with a rod. 28 ^ Bread
corn is ground; for he will not ever be threshing it: and
though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he doth
not grind it. 29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts,
which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in ^wisdom.
^ Or, And he traineth each of them aright; his God doth teach him
^ Or, Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it, and driving
his cart wheels and his horses over it ; he doth not crush it
* Or, effectual working
26. For his God, etc. As the husbandman's prudence in the treat
ment of the soil is due to the instruction of God (cf Ecclus. vii. 15,
Lucr. V. 14, Verg. G. i. 147), the latter may be trusted to know how
best to deal vrith humanity.
27. For the fitches, etc The varied methods of threshing employed
with difi'erent kinds of grain illustrate how the Lord may be expected
to proportion His disciplinary measures to the circumstances of IsraeL
a sharp threshing instrument, i.e. a sledge (like the Latin tribulum),
studded on the underside with spikes or sharp stones, which was
dragged by oxen across the corn on the threshing-floor.
a cart wheel. The implement thus designated consisted of a series
of rollers, moved by horses or oxen, and supporting a wagon-Uke frame
(see Driver, Joel and Amos, pp. 227 — 8).
28. Bread corn is ground. Better, Is bread-corn crushed? Nay,
he will not ever he threshing it, but he drives his cart-wheek and his
horses over it without crushing it, i.e. even the grain for which threshing
by sledges and rollers is suitable is not subjected to them continuously.
Duhm, to avoid putting the cart before tbe horse^ emends the last clause
to when he has driven the wheel of his cart over it, he scatters (i.e.
winnows) it without crushing it (reading "165'']?-1 for VB'"1S-1).
29. This also, etc. i.e. the insight displayed in the judicious use
of heavy implements. As this, too, is of Divine origin, it argues that
the Lord will use equal judgment in not extending the tribulation of
His people to the point of annihilation.
1 The Heb. usually means war-horse (Jer. xlvi. 4, Ezek. xxrii. 14), and so is
unsuitable in such a context as this.

XXIX i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 185

Chapter XXIX.
This c. consists of four sections : (1) an announcement of impending distress
for Jerusalem (vv. I — 8) ; (2) a denunciation of the blindness of the people and
their leaders (w. 9 — 12) ; (3) a rebuke of religious insincerity (vv. 13, 14) ;
(4) a condemnation of secret political intrigues, and a prediction of eventual
deUverance from oppression and iri'eUgion (vv. 15 — 24).
The a seems to have in riew the same situation as the preceding, namely a
prospective invasion of Judah by Sennacherib, against which the nation's rulers
were hoping to organize a successful resistance by poUtical diplomacy, the
issue of which Isaiah knew would only disappoint the politicians. The
occasion may have been the inception of the scheme to negotiate with Egypt,
of which more is said in cc. xxx., xxxi. ; but the precise date between 705
and 701 is impossible to determine. Cheyne suggests 703. All of the four
dirisions, though probably distinct addresses, seem to belong to the same
period of Isaiah's ministry. The authenticity of various portions of the c. has
been questioned ; the most suspicious passage is vv. 17—24.
XXIX. 1 ^Ho ^ Ariel, Ariel, the city where David en
camped! add ye year to year; let the feasts come round:
1 Or, Woe to * That ia. The lion of God or. The hearth of God.
XXIX. 1 — 8. An announcement of the Lord's intention to
distiess and humiliate Jerusalem by a siege, and then to deliver it
hy a sudden display of His power.
1. Ho Ariel. The name is here a designation of Jerusalem. An
Ariel (or Arial) was probably an altar-hearth, at which cattle were
slaughtered and burnt in sacrifice (the word ('S*'^^) being synonymous
with ^''iflS. and ^^"VJ in Ezek. xliii. 15 and ''*i'< in the inscription on
the Moabite stone) ; and the expression may have been popularly
appUed as a title to Jerusalem as the seat of the Lord's altar-fire
(cf xxxi. 9). Isaiah here makes use of it with a sinister reference to
the carnage with which, he anticipates, the city will soon be fiUed.
Cheyne (Encyc. Bib. i. 298), here and in vv. 2" and 7, would substitute
Uriel, supposing that the prophet modifies in this way the city's earlier
name Urusalim (in the TeU-el-Amarna tablets) for the sake of the
assonance with the term Ariel, " altar-hearth " (see v. 2'').
where David encamped, i.e. when he laid siege to it, whilst it was
stiU in the hands of the Jebusites (2 Sam. v. 6, 7) : cf LXX. ijV
Aav€iS iTro\epLrj(Ttv.
add ye year, eta. The prophecy was perhaps delivered at the last
of the three agricultural festivals, the feast of Ingathering, which in
early times coincided with the close of the year (Ex. xxxiv. 22), after
which the annual cycle began afresh. The prophet's words con
sequently seem to imply that by the time the round of feasts should
again be complete, tribulation would be at hand.

186 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxix. 2-5
2 then wiU I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and
lamentation: ^and she shall be unto me as Ariel. 3 And I
wiU camp against thee round about, and wiU lay siege against
thee with a fort, and I will raise siege works against thee.
4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the
ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust ; and thy
voice shaU be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the
ground, and thy speech shall ^whisper out of the dust. 5 But
the multitude of thy ^foes shall be like smaU dust, and the
' Or, yet ^ Ot, chirp ' Heb. strangers.
2. then will I distress. The speaker is the Lord, Who works
through the agency of the Assyrians (x. 5, 6).
mourning and lamentation. An assonance in the original is imitated
by Cheyne with moaning and bemoaning : cf Lam. ii. 5 (Heb.).
as Ariel. Better, as a veritable Ariel, i.e. she shaU reek, like an
altar-hearth, with blood, and so justify in an unexpected way her
(popular) appellation. The mg. yet (for and) she shall be,,, as Ariel,
assumes that Ariel means "God's lion" (it probably has this sense
in the personal names occurring in 2 Sam. xxiii. 20, Ezra viii. 16), and
supposes that Jerusalem in the coming conflict vrill turn to bay like
a lion or lioness (cf Ezek. xix. 2, 3) and vanquish its enemies; but
this is alien to Isaiah's belief that the city would owe its deliverance to
the Lord alone.
3. round about. Better, after the LXX., like David CH? for l-l'^?,
cf V. I), i.e. the Lord will act towards His own Jerusalem as though
it were a Canaanite city : cf xxviii. 21.
a fort. Better, an earthwork or entrenchment : Vulg. iadam contra
te aggerem. 4. out ofthe ground, better, from the ground, i.e. in a position of
humiliation. as of one... spirit. Better, as a ghost's, i.e. subdued and feeble
(cf on viii. 19).
5. But the multitude, etc. From a description of the straits to
which the city is to be reduced there is here a sudden transition to a
promise of reUef (vv. 5 — 8) ; and the abrupt change of tone has led
Cheyne and others to regard vv. 5, 7, 8 as later interpolations designed
to qualify the sternness of the original prediction (v. 6 alone being
retained and interpreted of a hostue visitation). But in reaUty the
passage seems to correspond with Isaiah's actual anticipation con
cerning Jerusalem, which he expected to be brought to the verge of
destruction and then preserved by the direct intervention of the Lord,
see V. 14 and cf x. 5—19, 24—27, 33, 34, xxviu. 16.
thy foes. LiteraUy, thy strangers (xxv. 2, Ps. Uv. 3) ; but better
(by a sUght correction), thy enemies (T?^ for i''^l).
like small dust, etc. The same comparisons occur in xvii. 13.

XXIX. 6-9] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 187
multitude of the terrible ones as chafl' that passeth away : yea,
it shall be at an instant suddenly. 6 ^She shall be visited of
the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great
noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring
fire. 7 And the multitude of aU the nations that fight against
Ariel, even all that fight against her and her strong hold, and
that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.
8 And it shall be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold,
he eateth ; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty : or as when
a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he
awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite:
so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against
mount Zion.
9 ^Tarry ye and wonder; ^take your pleasure and be blind:
they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not
^ Or, There shall be a visitation from the Lord (6c. ^ Ot, Be ye amazed
^ Or, blind yourselves and be blind
yea, it shall be, etc. Better (prefixing the clause to v. 6), And it
shall come to pass at an instant suddenly that....
6. vidted. i.e. relieved (see on xxiii. 17). Though the verb is
ambiguous and may mean punished (see on xxiv. 22), the description
of the theophany supports the view that tbe Lord's interposition is
directed to the deliverance of His people and the overthrow of their
foes (cf xxx. 27, 30).
7. that fight against her, etc. The construction of the original is
unusual, and the text should perhaps be corrected to her besiegers and
their dege works (D^'ri'ivp-I n^V for Pini'vp-I ri'^'V) : cf v. 2.
8. as when an hungry man, etc. The simile of a dream, used in
V. 7 as an iUustration of the suddenness of the foe's disappearance
(cf Job XX. 8), is here replaced by that of a dreamer, to express the
disappointment of their expectations.
9 — 12. A declaration that the blank gaze of incredulity at the
prophet's predictions of evil will be succeeded by a blank gaze of
bewilderment when they come to pass.
9. Tarry ye. Better (after the Vulg.), Be astounded (reading
iniprin for ¦inpi^pjpn). The command is an ironical exhortation to
maintain their incredulous attitude.
take your pleasure, i.e. amuse yourselves with fancied triumphs.
But better (as in the mg.) blind yourselves (the first verb coming from
the same root as the second).
they are drunken. Better (by a change of points), be drunken
(LXX. Kpain-aXijo-are) and Stagger, i.e. persist in your besotted insensi
bility to the plainest warnings.

188 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxix.io-13
with strong drink. 10 For the Lord hath poured out upon
you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed ^your eyes, the
prophets ; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered. 11 And
all vision is become unto you as the words of a ^book that is
sealed, which men deliver to one that 4s learned, saying. Read
this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed: 12 and
the book is deUvered to him that is not learned, saying. Read
this, I pray thee : and he saith, I am not learned.
13 And the Lord said. Forasmuch as this people draw nigh
wnto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honour
me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear
of me is a commandment of men which hath been * taught them:
1 Or, your eyes; the prophets, and etc. " Or, writing
' Heb. knoweth writing (or letters). * Or, leamed by rote
10. For the LoBD, etc. The people's obtuseness to wiser counsels
(like Rehoboam's in 1 Kgs. xii. 15) is ascribed to Divine agency (cf vi.
9, 10). The passage is quoted in Rom. xi. 8 in reference to the Jews'
rejection of Christianity.
the prophets, ,.the seers. These words are probably mistaken glosses
(Uke ix. 15), the terms eyes and heads being meant Uterally.
11. And all vision. Better, And the msion of all this. The simile
iUustrates the rejection which the prophet's revelations encounter from
all classes alike. By some critics iw. 11 and 12 (prosaic in style) are
deemed to be a late addition: with «. II cf Dan. xii. 9, 10.
13 — 14. The Lord's design of confounding the expectations of
those whose worship of Him is insincere.
13. draw nigh, etc. The sentence is better balanced in LXX. B,
which has draw nigh unto me with their mouths, and with thdr lips do
honour me. The kind of religion here rejected as worthless is similar
to that reprobated in i. 11 f , viz. formal homage divorced from obedience
of the heart and will; but whereas in i. II f the unreality of the
people's profession is evidenced by their acts of social injustice, here it
is shewn by the faith they repose in their own statecraft.
have removed thdr heart. The LXX. has thdr heart is removed
(pn-1 for pni).
their fear of me. i.e. their religion. Instead of is a commandment,
etc. the Lxx. has is unreal, a commandment, etc. (reading -inrTi for 'n?>!).
The popular religion was a system of conventional rites practised out
of deference to authority or custom, and inspired by no spiritual motive
and consequently without value for a purely spiritual God. The
greater part of the v. is quoted (from the LXX.) by our Lord in refer
ence to the traditional teaching of the Pharisees, who prescribed
ceremonial precautions against external defilement but were indifferent
to the moral impurity which had its seat within (Mk. vii. 6, 7, Matt.
XV. 8, 9). Cf also Col. u. 22.

XXIX. 14-17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 189
14 therefore, behold, I will ^proceed to do a marvellous work
among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder : and
the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding
of their prudent men shall be hid.
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel
from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say,
Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16 ^Ye turn things upside
down! Shall the potter be counted as clay; that the thing
made should say of him that made it, He made me not ; or the
thing framed say of him that framed it. He hath no under
standing? 17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon
1 Or, again do Heb. add to do. ^ Or, 0 your perversity !
14. / will proceed to do. Better (as in the mg.), / will again do,
i.e. as once before in the reign of Ahaz (see cc. vii., viii.).
a marvellous work. i.e. the promotion of Assyria's success (cf
xxviii. 21) and the deliverance of Jerusalem at the last moment by
unforeseen means.
and the wisdom, etc. i.e. the calculations of the Jewish politicians
wiU be upset (cf v. 21, xxviii. 14 — 22) and their boasted statesmanship
cast into the shade. By St Paul (1 Cor. i. 19) the passage is applied
to the confounding of human expectations by the salvation of the world
through the Cross.
15 — 24. An assertion of the impotence of the political schemers in
the face of the Lord's purpose, and a prediction that a change for the
better in the condition of the nation will be brought about by
superhuman power.
15. Woe unto them. Better, Ho! they who seek, etc., i.e. the
Jewish statesmen who, in pursuing their intrigues with Eg3T)t, kept
them from the knowledge of Isaiah, from whom such could receive no
approval (see xxx. 1).
16. Ye turn, etc. Better (as in the mg.), Oh, yowr perverdty (the
word being a noun, not a verb).
Shall the potter, etc. Their fancied ability to act without the know
ledge or control of the Lord was a misapprehension of their real relation
to Him Who was their Maker. The figure employed to illustrate the
presumption of those who deemed themselves independent of, or wiser
than, the Lord, though paraUel to that used in x. 15, does not occur
elsewhere in Isaiah, but is common in later writings (xiv. 9, lxiv. 8,
Jer. xviii. 4, 6); and tbe v. is rejected by Cheyne and others as out of
place in a censure of statecraft (contrast xxx. 3 — 5). The passage
seems to be quoted by St Paul in Rom. ix. 20.
17 — 24. A prophecy of an impending transformation of nature and
an amelioration of political and social evils.
These 8 vw. are thought by Cheyne, Duhm and Marti to be non-
Isaianic and post-exilic, chiefly on the ground that whereas the preceding

190 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxix. 18-21
shaU be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall
be counted for a forest? 18 And in that day shall the deaf
hear the words of Hhe book, and the eyes of the blind shaU see
out of obscurity and out of darkness. 19 The meek also shaU
increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the terrible one is
brought to nought, and the scorner ceaseth, and all they that
watch for iniquity are cut off": 21 that ^make a man an off'ender
in a cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate,
' Or, a book or writing 2 Qr, make men to offend by their words
part of the prophecy anticipates for the people persistence in its delusions
and consequent chastisement (see xxix. 9, 10, cf vi. 9 — 13), this passage
does not predict a judgment for the nation as a whole (as might be
expected after the tone of v. 15), but only for an irreligious section of
it, together with foreign tyrants. The lack of any insistence upon a
period of calamity preceding the promised relief (contrast xxxii. 9— 20),
and the pervading consolatory spirit of the passage are certainly rather
un-Isaianic, and though the phraseology has points of contact with
Isaiah's writings (w. 17, 20, 23), it contains features suggestive of
lateness (see vv. 19, 24).
17. Lebanon... a forest. Since Lebanon was famous for its forests,
the change described must be figurative for an inversion of the prevaiUng
political and social conditions, the proud being humbled and the humble
exalted. The passage seems dependent on, but modified from, xxxii. 15,
and used in a different sense.
18. shall the deaf etc. i.e. the spiritual insensibility (see vi. 10
and cf xiu. 18, 19) hitherto prevailing (vv. 9 — 12) is to disappear : cf
xxxii. 3.
19. The meek. ..the poor. The terms must designate the Jewish
nation — a usage commonest in late (post-exilic) writings (cf xxv. 4,
Ixi. I, Ps. Ixix. 32, 33). The LXX. for the meek has ittuyoi' (Q«3l!
for 0*131!) : cf on xi. 4.
20. the terrihh one. i.e. the contemporary foreign oppressor (see
V. 5 and cf xiii. II, xxv. 3).
the scorner. If the passage proceeds from Isaiah the expression
will refer to the Jewish politicians and others who were incredulous of
Isaiah's predictions of eyU (xxvui. 14, 22, cf v. 19). But the word is
a common designation in Proverbs for religious sceptics in general
(Prov. i. 22, ix. 7, xxi. 24, cf Ps. i. 1).
they that watch, etc i.e. those who deliberately seek occasion to
effect some harmful purpose (cf Dan. ix. 14).
21. that make a man, etc. i.e. cause, or help, a man to commit
wrong in a suit. The rendering that procwre the condemnation of a man
hy a (false) word (ci. xxxii. 7) would seem to require '}?'6:''!» instead of

XXIX. 22-24] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 191
and turn aside the just with a thing of nought. 22 Therefore
thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the
house of Jacob : Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall
his face now wax pale. 23 ^But when he seeth his children,
the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify
my name ; yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and
shall stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 They also that err
in spirit ^shall come to understanding, and they that murmur
shall leam ^doctrine. * Or, But when his children see etc.
^ Heb. shall know understanding.
' Or, instruction
lay a snare for. i.e. seek to mislead or corrupt.
him that reproveth, etc. Better, him that arbitrateth in the (city)
gate (the place where trials and arbitrations were usuaUy conducted,
see Am. v. 10, Deut. xvi. 18, xxi. 19, Ruth iv. 1, 11, 2 Sam. xv. 2,
Prov. xxii. 22).
turn adde, etc. i.e. deprive a man of his rights on unsubstantial
grounds (cf x. 2, Ex. xxiii. 6, Am. v. 12, Prov. xviu. 5, Mal. iii. 5).
22. who redeemed, etc. The occasion meant may be some signal
rescue (perhaps from his heathen kinsmen in Chaldea) which is unre
corded in the O.T. and related only in tradition (see Charles' note on
the Book of Jubilees xn. §§ 12—14).
conceming the house, etc. Many critics adopt Lowth's emendation,
the God of the house, etc. ('?? for ^^).
wax pah. i.e. with fear (Jer. xxx. 6).
23. when he seeth, etc. This presumably means " when he seeth
his children purified and preserved through the execution of my judg
ment " ; but the distinction between Jacob and his children seems
pointless. Hence better (cf mg.), when he, even his children, see the
work of mine hands (i.e. vntness the operation of the Divine power in
giving relief after due chastisement). But the phrase his children is
probably a gloss explaining that the better conditions predicted vriU
be experienced by a future generation'.
sanctify, i.e. regard vrith reverence and fear instead of ignoring
Him (v. 15): cf viu. 13.
24. This V. resembles in tone the book of Proverbs, and the word
doctrine seems to belong chiefly to Gnomic literature (see Prov. i. 5 Heb.,
iv. 2, ix. 9 Heb., xvi. 21, etc.).
' A similar gloss occurs in xiv. 11, where it ia intended to explain the work of
my hands, and Cheyne thinks that it apphes to the same words here.

192 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxx. 1-3

Chapter XXX.
This c. has in riew a later phase of the policy denounced in xxix. 15. The
plans for seeking the aid of Egypt, hitherto concealed, had so far emerged into
the light that it was known that envoys had been despatched to negotiate an
alUance ; and Isaiah renewed his condemnation of them. The c. (dating irom
about 703 or 702) consists of five sections ; (1) and (2) oracles declaring the
fatuity of any reUance upon Egypt (vv. 1—5 and 6, 7); (3) a description of
Israel's estrangement from the Lord, and its calamitous consequences (vv. 8 —
17) ; (4) a prediction of a change of spirit in the nation and a retum of its
prosperity (w. 18—26) ; (5) an announcement of the chastisement about to be
inflicted upon Assyria (vv. 27 — 33). Of the last two sections the genuineness
is denied by some critics (see notes).
XXX. 1 Woe to the rebelUous chUdren, saith the Lord,
that take counsel, but not of me; and that ^ cover with a
covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
2 that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my
mouth; to ^strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3 Therefore shaU the
strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow
' Or, weave a web Or, pour out a drink offering Or, make a league
" Or, flee to the strong hold of Pharaoh
XXX. 1 — 5. An oracle denouncing negotiations with Egypt
whose boastful professions end in nothing.
1. Woe to the rebellious, etc. The Jewish people, as the Lord's
children (i. 2), might have been expected to seek the guidance and aid
of their God and Father through His prophets ; but this they had not
done (cf. xxix. 15).
take counsel, etc Better, execute a purpose (or plan) that is not
from me (cf Hos. viii. 4).
cover with a covering, etc. LiteraUy, weave a web (xxv. 7 Heb.), i.e.
either, procure means of protection (cf xxii. 8, xxvui. 20), or, engage in
poUtical scheming. But the LXX. (perhaps taking the original to mean
powr a drink offering, a usual accompaniment of a covenant) regards it
as equivalent to make a treaty (cf the Greek o-irofSas o-ircVSeo-eai),
though a compact with Egypt was not yet actually concluded (see v. 6).
that they may add, etc. Such conduct aggravated their previous
guilt (the consequences, in accord with Heb. idiom, being represented
as a purpose; cf xliv. 9, Jer. xxvii. 10) : see cc. vii., xx.
2. to strengthen themselves, etc. Better (as in the mg.), to flee for
refuge to the stronghold of (i.e. the security afforded by) Egypt.
shadow. A figure for shelter and protection, as in xvi. 3, xxxii. 2.
3. Therefore, etc. Better, But the stronghold, eto. The supine
ness or weakness of Egypt at this time was calculated to bring

xxx. 4-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 193
of Egypt your confasion. 4 For his princes are at Zoan, and his
ambassadors are come to Hanes. 5 They shall all be ashamed
of a people that cannot profit them, that are not an help nor
profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.
6 The ^burden of the beasts of the South.
Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come
* Or, oracle concerning
disappointment to aU who trusted it ; see xx. 5, xxxvi. 6, and cf Jer.
ii. 36, 37.
4. For his princes, etc. Better, For though his (Pharaoh's) princes
(i.e. vassals) are at Zoan and his messengers reach to Hemes, yet they
(the Jews) shall all he brought to shame by a peoph, etc., i.e. though
Pharaoh's authority extends widely N. and S., yet Judah's trust in ms
support wiU only result in disillusion. Some critics consider his princes
and his messengers to mean Judah's envoys, but the singular his (as
contrasted with you and they) seems decisive for the reference to
Pharaoh. Zoan. i.e. Tanis in the Delta (see xix. 11).
Hanes. The later 'Avdo-is and Herachopolis magna, situated in the
Nile vaUey, S. of Memphis.
5. be ashamed. The rendering is that of the Heb. mg. and Vulg. ;
the Heb. text has become stinking to or he in bad odowr with (Prov.
xiii. 5, 1 Sam. xxvii. 12, Heb.). Certain critics would emend to they
have all brought gifts to a peoph (reading *K' -IN^an D?3 for EJ^'S^n 73)
to purchase their aid : cf v. 6.
6 — 7. A second oracle asserting the uselessness of an appeal to
Egypt for help.
This short passage, repeating the substance of the preceding, seems
to be distinct from it, as it has a title. In thus having a heading it is
isolated amongst the prophecies contained in cc. xxviii. — xxxiii. ; and
the oracle would consequently be more in place in the series cc. xiii. —
xxiii., whence Duhm conjectures that it has been transferred by the
latest editor.
6. The burden, etc. Better, The orach concerning the beasts of the
South. The title, like those in xxi. 1, 11, 13, xxii. 1, is suggested by
the contents, the beasts of the South being the wild animals and venomous
serpents infesting the South (or Negeb) of Judah (see on xxi. 1), which
the envoys of Judah had to traverse in their journey to Egypt. But the
word beasts in the sense of dangerous animals is unusual (it generally
denotes cattle), and some critics take it to be sing, and to designate
the hippopotamus (as in Job xl. 15) and interpret it as a symbol of
Egypt (which is thought to be denoted by the South as in Dan. viii. 9,
xi. 5), rendering, The oracle concerning the beast of the South.
from whence. The Heb. is ungrammatical and there is no verb, so
Klostermann and others emend to (the land. . .of the lioness) and of the
roaring lion, etc. (reading DD^ for D™).
w. I. 13

194 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxx. 7-10
the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they
carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their
treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not
profit them. 7 For Egypt helpeth in vain, and to no purpose :
therefore have I ^caUed her Rahab that sitteth still. 8 Now
go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come ^for ever and ever. 9 For
it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not
hear the ^law of the Lord : 10 which say to the seers. See not;
1 Or, cried concerning this. They are but arrogancy : be still
2 Or, according to some ancient authorities, for a witness for ever ' Or, teaching
viper,,, serpent. For the presence of these in the desert between
Palestine and Egypt see Num. xxi. 6, Deut. viii. 15. Herodotus (n. 75,
76, m. 107 — 109) speaks of flying serpents which fly from Arabia
towards Egypt, having wings like a bat's (cf on xiv. 29).
their riches, i.e. valuable presents.
7. have I called her, etc. Better (if the text is retained), / (the
Lord) have declared concerning her, Eahah, she is (literally, they, i.e. the
Egyptians, are) inaction. The name Eahah, though originally desig
nating the monster which in Heb. mythology was the personification of
chaos (see on li. 9), was probably also a current title for Egypt
(Ps. Ixxxvii. 4), which in Ezek. xxix. 3 is represented as a great
sea-monster; and was the more appropriate because it etymologically
means bmsterousness or bluster (cf the verb in iii. 5, Prov. vi. 3, and the
noun in Ps. xc. 10 (pride)), and the policy of Egypt (called by PUny
ventosa et insohns natio) was one of vainglorious vaunting and supine
inactivity. Some critics emend the text to I have called her, Eahah
the inactive or Eahah the quelled, i.e. the impotent (reading n3E''n or
n3B*an for t\-w dh)
8 — 17. A solemn prediction of an overwhelming disaster for the
nation in consequence of its presumptuous self-confidence.
8. write it, etc. As Isaiah's prediction fell on deaf ears, he is now
bidden by the Lord to put it on record against the time when events
should justify him (cf viii. 16).
before them. i.e. certain witnesses : cf. viii. 2.
inscribe it fn a hook. Perhaps better, inscribe it on a document
(the phrase being equivalent to " put it in writing "). Probably only a
tablet was used. What was written upon it may have been the title
given to Egypt in v. 7 (cf viu. 1), or the substance of the oracle
contained in w. 12 — 17.
for ever and ever. This, foUovring upon for the time to come, is
unduly pleonastic, and the text should be emended (after the Vulg. and
Syr.) to as a testimony for ever (^]h for ^l'^) : cf Deut. xxxi. 19 — 21.
9. lying children, i.e. such as practicaUy renounce their fiUal
relationship and consequent duties (cf kin. 8, Job xxxi. 28).

XXX.XI-I6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 195
and to the prophets. Prophesy not unto us right things, speak
unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits : 11 get you out of the
way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel
to cease from before us. 12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy
One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in
oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon; 13 therefore
this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling
out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an
instant. 14 And he shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken,
breaking it in pieces without sparing; so that there shall not
be found among the pieces thereof a sherd to take fire from the
hearth, or to take water withal out of the cistern. 15 For thus
said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and
rest shaU ye be saved ; in quietness and in confidence shall be
your strength : and ye would not. 16 But ye said. No, for we
wUl flee upon horses ; therefore shall ye flee : and. We wiU ride
10. Prophesy not, etc. For similar attempts to suppress the
utterance of uncongenial truths see Am. ii. 12, vii. 12, 13, Mic. ii. 6,
Jer. xi. 21, and cf 1 Kgs. xxii. 8, 13.
smooth things, , .decdts. Isaiah puts into the mouth of his opponents
terms describing the real significance of what they said (cf xxviii. 15).
11. get you out of the way, etc. i.e. refrain from obstructing the
policy which we are bent on pursuing.
cause the Holy One, etc. i.e. cease insisting on the faith and
obedience which the Lord requires (see v. 15) and which we are
unvriUing to yield (cf xxviii. 9, v. 21).
12. oppresdon. i.e. the exactions rendered necessary by the policy
of amassing war-material and of purchasing the help of foreign powers
(v. 6). But many critics adopt the emendation wiliness (K'SV for P^'^) as
better describing the pohtical scheming which is here condemned : cf
LXX. itrl ij/evSei.
13. as a breach, etc. i.e. the policy initiated in defiance of the
Lord is like the begiiming of a crack in masonry, which widens till it
ends in a coUapse : cf Ps. Ixii. 3.
14. as a potter's vessel. To express better the completeness of the
impending ruin, the figure of a broken wall is exchanged for that of an
earthen vessel shattered into fragments too smaU to be of any use
(cf Jer. xix. 11, Ps. ii. 9).
15. In returning, etc. i.e. by repentance and a reversal of their
policy of diplomatic intrigue and military preparation, and by a
tianquil reliance upon the Lord's protection (cf vii. 4, 9, xxviii. 12, 16).
But instead of returning some would read sitting still (pW for fi^-lt?').
16. we will flee. "Sietter, we will fly upon horses (}..e. to the a.tta,c\i);
therefore shall ye fly (i.e. from the attack). The war party in
13—2

196 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxx. 17-19
upon the swift; therefore shaU they that pursue you be swift,
17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one ; at the rebuke
of five shall ye flee: tUl ye be left as ^a beacon upon the top of
a mountain, and as an ensign on an hiU. 18 And therefore wiU
the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore
will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you : for the
Lord is a God of judgement ; blessed are aU they that wait for
him. 19 For Hhe people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou
' Or, a WMSt '' Or, 0 people that dwellest in Zion at Jerusalem
Jerusalem possessed war-horses (u. 7, Mic. v. 10), but calculated upon
a further supply from Egypt (xxxi. I, 3).
the swift... swift, i.e. the speed of your horses shaU be tested by
speedy pursuers.
17. One thousand,,, one. This clause, which lacks a verb, and
makes the next an anti-climax, is thought by Duhm to be a gloss
suggested by Deut. xxxii. 30, Josh, xxiii. 10.
rebuke, i.e. menace (xvii. 13, li. 20, Ixvi. 15).
a beacon. Better, a flagstaff, which usually stands in isolation.
Judah's troops will be reduced to solitary units.
18 — 26. A prophecy of the restoration of the people, in consequence
of their afflictions, to right relations with the Lord, and of their
resultant prosperity.
With «. 18 a new paragraph begins, consolatory in tenor, which,
being introduced by therefore, cannot be the immediate sequel of the
preceding denunciation; so that if it proceeds from Isaiah it must
belong to a different occasion. Its contents, for the most part, are
compatible with his authorship (cf xxix. 5 — 8, xxxii. 1 — 5 (8)), and
it exhibits some of his phrases (see vv. 25, l&fin.); but its authenticity
is denied by Cheyne and Duhm, partly on the ground of v. 20 (see note).
18. wait,., he exalted, i.e. (if the v. be attached to the preceding
paragraph) delay before being gracious and remain aloof before having
mercy. But this does violence to the Heb., and DiUmann and some
other critics, to obtain the same sense, emend be exalted to be still
(Dn* for D-1'^;). But a different division of the paragraphs aUows the
text to be retained and rendered And therefore the Lord longs (viii. 17,
bdv. 4, Job iii. 21) to be gracious unto you, and therefore he rises
(or exerts himself triumphantly, ci. xxxiii. 10, Ps. xlvi. 10, xxi. 13) to
have mercy upon you,
a God of judgement, i.e. the Lord's justice is a warrant for the
eventual deliverance of those who trust Him (or, according to DiUmann's
view, for the punishment of the impious before His mercy is shewn to
the penitent, cf i. 27).
19. For the peoph, etc. Better, by a change of points (cf mg.),
0 peoph in Zion that dwellest at Jerusahm (reading ^ty* for 3E'.^). The

xxx. 20-23] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 197
shalt weep no more ; he will surely be gracious unto thee at the
voice of thy cry; when he shall hear, he will answer thee.
20 ^And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and
the water of aflBiction, yet shall not thy ^teachers ^be hidden
any more, but thine eyes shall see thy ^teachers: 21 and thine
ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying. This is the way,
walk ye -in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye
turn to the left. 22 And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy
graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images
of gold: thou shalt *cast them away as an ^unclean thing; thou
shalt say unto it. Get thee hence. 23 And he shall give the
rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and
bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and
^ Or, And the Lord will give. ..and thy teachers shall not dec.
' Or, teacher ^ Or, hide themselves
* Heb. scatter. ' Heb. menstruous.
fact that they are dweUers in Zion, the Lord's city, is a source of
hope (cf X. 24, xiv. 32).
20. And though, etc. i.e. though the people have to undergo
privation (1 Kgs. xxii. 27) — perhaps through a siege — yet it will bring
spiritual compensation.
shall not thy teachers he hidden, etc. Better, shall not thy teachers
be thrust adde any more, i.e. the faithful prophets shall emerge from
the obscurity into which they have been driven (cf v. 10), and resume
the guidance of their countr3mien. But a few MSS. have teacher, and
the plur. read by the rest may be a plur. of dignity; and as the verb is
in the sing., the trae text is perhaps, yet shall not thy Teacher (i.e. the
Lord) be thrust aside (i.e. ignored) any more. Some critics, assuming
this rendering to be correct, urge it as an objection to the authenticity
of the section w. 18 — 26, since the representation of the Lord as
personaUy instructing His people seems to be late (cf. liv. 13,
Ps. xxv. 5, 8, 9, xciv. 12, cxix. 12, 26).
21. a word behind thee. The people are thought of as a child
leaming to walk under the eye of his father. But perhaps better
(substituting T'^.^'SP for 'T''3D^P), the word of thy correctors (or
Corrector). 22. ye shall defile. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.), thou shalt
defih; cf the adjoining 2nd pers. sing.
the overlaying, etc. Idols ordinarily consisted of a core of wood,
or some common metal, plated with gold or silver (see xl. 19, Jer. x.
3,4). cast them away. Literally, scatter them, which assumes that they
were first ground to powder (cf Ex. xxxii. 20, 2 Kgs. xxiu. 6). The
idolatrous associations attaching to the plating will render the destruc
tion of it necessary: see Deut. vii. 25.

198 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxx. 24-27
plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground
shall eat ^savoury provender, which hath been winnowed with
the shovel and with the fan. 25 And there shall be upon every
lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of
waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the
sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of
seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the hurt of his
people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning
with his anger, and in thick rising smoke : his lips are ftdl of
' Heb. salted.
23. fat and phnteous. Better, rich and fattening. The scarcity,
alluded to in v. 20, will give place to abundance (cf iv. 2).
in large pastures, i.e. in pastures no longer circumscribed in
consequence of a hostile occupation of the land (cf xxxii. 20, xxxiii. 17).
24. shall eat savoury, etc. Better, shall eat salted provender : the
husbandman's cattle are to share his plenty. The admixture of salt
with fodder is recommended in Verg. G. in. 394, At cui lactis amor...
ipse manu salsas ferat praesepibus herbas.
fan. Better, pitchfork, an implement with prongs.
25. upon every hfty, etc. The phraseology recaUs ii. 14. Even
ground that is naturally dry and sterile shall be irrigated and rendered
fertile. the great slaughter. If the section is Isaianic, this must refer to
the predicted destruction of the Assyrians (cf xviii. 6) ; if post-exilic,
it has in view an eschatological overthrow of the heathen, Uke that
described in Ezek. xxxviii., xxxix.
the towers. Better, towers (omitting the article). The expression
may be understood literaUy of siege towers, or figuratively with Sym.
(who has ev T<3 mo-uv fueyaXovs) of hostile leaders.
26. the light of the moon, etc. The light of the fuU moon was
thought to be normally one-seventh of that of the sun (Enoch Ixxiii. 3).
Light intenser than ordinary is a feature of the blissful future described
in Ix. 20 (though there it proceeds from the Lord's presence).
as the light... days. This clause is omitted by the LXX. and is
probably a gloss.
27 — 33. A description of the theophany on the occasion of the
Lord's advent to annihilate Assyria.
Opinions differ as to whether this passage, impetuous in movement
and crowded with vivid but not very consistent imagery, manifests the
qualities of Isaiah (many of whose figures it reproduces) or shews a
non-Isaianic lack of restraint and sobriety. Duhm accepts it as

xxx. 28, 29] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 199
indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire: 28 and his
breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto
the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of ^vanity: and a
bridle that causeth to err shall he in the jaws of the peoples.
29 Ye shaU have a song as in the night ^when a holy feast is
kept ; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to
come into the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
' Or, destruction
2 Or, when a feast is hallowed
genuine, Cheyne rejects it. It forms an appropriate sequel to the
preceding section, affording a needed explanation of the great slaughter
of V. 25. The substantive thought of the passage has a paraUel in
X. 24—27, 33, 34, though the details vary. Cf also xxix. 5 — 8.
27. the name of the Lobd. i.e. His PersonaUty (Ps. xx. 1, xliv. 5,
Prov. xviii. 10), of which His Name was the expression (see Ex. xxiii. 21,
and cf the use of names for " persons " in Num. i. 2, Acts i. 15).
from far. The Lord's approach is conceived to be like the rising of
a storm above the distant horizon, the smoke (literaUy the uplifted)
being the ascending masses of cloud, the Lord's tongue (likened to
devouring fire, xxix. 6, xxxiii. 14) being the darting lightning, and His
breath being the accompanying blast of wind and rain : cf Ps. xviii. 8,
Is. lix. 19, Jud. V. 4.
28. an overflowing stream. The simile (cf viii. 7, 8, xxviii. 17)
is drawn from a ravine, or wddy, fiUed, by a sudden storm, with a
torrent which rises to the neck of a traveUer before he has made his
way through it.
to dft the nations, etc. Better, to shake to and fro the nations in
the winnowing fan of destruction, from which they faU and perish
(cf xli. 16, Jer. xv. 7).
a bridle that causeth, etc. i.e. the various nationalities composing
the Assyrian forces (xvii. 12, 13) are diverted from their intended goal
(i.e. Zion) like brute beasts by their tamer: cf the similar figure in
xxxvii. 29.
29. Ye shall have a song as, etc. The strain of joy with which the
Jews will greet the overthrow of their enemies is likened to the songs
with which the annual pilgrimages to the sanctuary (Deut. xvi. 16,
Ps. cxxii. 4) were celebrated (cf Ps. xhi. 4 and the "Songs of Ascents,"
Pss. CXX. — cxxxiv.). If a particular festival is in the writer's mind, it
is probably that of Ingathering (Tabemacles), which was "the feast"
par excelhnce (see 1 Kgs. viii. 2, 2 Ch. vii. 8, 10, Ezek. xiv. 25), though
DiUmann and others decide for the Passover, which is described as
a night festival in Ex. xii. 42; cf v. 32 (note).
a pipe. Or a flute, the instrument specially fitted to accompany a
procession or march (cf 1 Kgs. i. 40).
the Eock of Israel. The same title for the Lord occurs in
2 Sam. xxiii. 3; cf also Deut. xxxii. 4, 31.

200 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxx. 30-33
30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and
shall shew the Ughting down of his arm, with the indignation
of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with ^a blast,
and tempest, and hailstones. 31 For through the voice of the
Lord shall the Assyrian be broken in pieces, ^which smote
with a rod. 32 And every * stroke of the * appointed stafl',
which the Lord shall lay upon him, shall be with tabrets and
harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with them.
33 For ^a Topheth is prepared of old ; yea, for the king it is made
' Or, crashing ^ Or, with his rod shall he smite him ' Heb. passing.
* Or, staff of doom (Heb. foundation) » See 2 Kings xxiii. 10, Jer. vii. 31.
30. And the Lobd shall cause, etc. The imagery is again derived
from a storm (v. 27), the Lord's vmce being the thunder (Ps. xxix. 3, 4,
Ex. xix. 16, 19), and His arm the lightning, which is here regarded as
a weapon. with a blast. Better, with a cloud-burst (Cheyne).
31. he broken in pieces. Better, be dismayed (cf. xx. 5, xxxvii. 27).
which smote, etc. Better (if the pointing is retained) as in the mg.,
with his rod shall he (the Lord) smite him. But the text should
probably be emended to with a rod shall he (the Assyrian) be smitten
(ns^ for n|»).
32. the appmnted staff. Literally, the staff of destiny (cf mg.).
But some MSS. have the staff of chastisement (or of his chastisement),
reading n^p-10 (or n'lWD) for n-ip-lD.
shall be with tabrets, etc. i.e. the smiting of the Assyrians is to be
celebrated with music and rejoicings (as was the overthrow of the
Egyptians at the Bed Sea, Ex. xv. 20).
battles of shaking. The writer seems to retum to the thought of
V. 28 : the Lord in His battle with the Assyrians will shake them
to and fro as in a sieve or winnowing shovel, and they wiU faU to the
ground like flying chaff. But some scholars think that the expression
shaking refers to the brandishing of a weapon (cf v. 30, xix. 16);
whilst others render, hatths of wave-offering, as though the Assyrians
are to be ritually "waved" (Lev. vii. 30, Num. vi. 20), preparatory
to being slaughtered and bumt (cf v. 33).
33. a Topheth. Perhaps better, his Topheth (pointing nh?ri for
nn^Pi). Topheth (the word probably means fire place, see W. R. Smith,
Eel. Sem. p. 377) was the name applied to a locaUty in the vaUey of
Hinnom, W. of Jerasalem, where children were burnt in sacrifice to
Molech (2 Kgs. xxiu. 10, 2 Ch. xxviu. 3, Jer. vii. 31, xix. 6) and the
vnriter thinks of the Assyrian as about to be consumed at a similar
burning-place. yea, for the king, etc. Better, it too is made ready for Molech
(literaUy Melech "the (divine) king"), i.e. the new Topheth (Uke the
old) is to be the scene of a Molech-sacrifice, the Assyrians being the
human victims.

XXXI.I] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 201
ready ; he hath made it deep and large : the pUe thereof is fire
and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of
brimstone, doth kindle it.
he hath made, etc. The Topheth which the Lord has prepared is
regarded as an excavation containing a heap of faggots, and capacious
enough to receive the Assyrian king and his army.
fire. As mention of this is inappropriate before the kindling, the
text should probably be emended (as proposed by Duhm) to straw
(^P. for m).
the breath of the Lobd. i.e. His fiery rage.

Chapter XXXL
This prophecy belongs to the same period, and relates to the same political
situation, as c. xxx., being directed, like the latter, against the alUance vrith
Egypt. It is partly menacing and partly consolatory, affirming both Egypt's
powerlessness to protect Jerusalem against its assailants, and the Lord's
purpose to be Himself its eventual defender. The point at which the
transition is made from the exposure of Egypt's impotence to the expression
of the Lord's resolve to save Zion is disputed, some critics placing it at v. 4,
others at v. 5, the latter probably correctly. Certain scholars hold that the
second half of the c. (from b. 4 or 5 to the end) is composite, a combination of
Isaianic fragments and later interpolations ; and Cheyne believes vv. 5 — 9 as a
whole to be a supplement by a post-exilic writer. But there seems no sufficient
reason to deny the Isaianic origin of w. 8, 9, which are a fitting complement
to B. 5 : it is only w. 6, 7 that raise serious doubts.
XXXI. 1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help,
and stay on horses; and trust in chariots, because they are
many, and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they
look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord !
XXXI. 1— ;4. An announcement of disaster for those who rely
for help on the military resources of Egypt, in opposition to the Lord.
1. Egypt. . .horses. Egypt had a strong force of chariots as early as
the Exodus (Ex. xiv. 6, 9, xv. 4), and seems to have been famous for
its horses (Deut. xvii. 16, 1 Kgs. x. 28, Cant. i. 9, Hom. //. ix. 380—4)';
and it was not Hezekiah alone of Judsean sovereigns who turned to the
same quarter for supplies of them (see Ezek. xvii. 15).
stay on. The LXX. impUes hok unto (W\ for -".Vif !).
very strong. Perhaps better, very numerous (ci. xlvii. 9, Jer. v. 6,
Ps. xl. 5, 12) : LXX. 7rA^6lo5 <T<t>6Spa.
seek the Lobd. i.e. consult Him (see xxx. 2).
' Diodorus Siculus (i. 45) states that between Memphis and Thebes there once
existed 100 stables, each containing 200 horses.

202 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxi. 2-5
2 Yet he also is wise, and wUl bring evil, and will not caU back
his words: but will arise against the house of the evil-doers,
and against the help of them that work iniquity. 3 Now the
Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and
not spirit : and when the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both
he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is holpen shall fall,
and they all shall fail together. 4 For thus saith the Lord
unto me, Like as when the lion growleth and the young lion
over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds be caUed forth against
him, he will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself
for the noise of them : so shall the Lord of hosts come down to
fight ^upon mount Zion, and ^upon the hill thereof 5 As
birds flying, so wiU the Lord of hosts protect Jerusalem; he
^ Or, against
2. Yet he also, etc. Isaiah uses irony: the statesmen of Judah
(xxix. 14) have no monopoly of wisdom, to which the Lord likewise can
lay claim.
and will bring, etc. Better, and brings edl and hath not called
hack his words (i.e. his fiats, which are thought of as self-fulfiUing,
unless withdrawn: cf Iv. 11).
the evil-doers, i.e. the Jewish politicians, whose diplomacy betrayed
distrust of tbe Lord (see xxx. 1 and cf Jer. xvii. 5).
3. flesh... spirit, i.e. the conflict between the Egyptians (in whom
such confidence is placed) and the Lord ("Who is ignored) will be found
to be unequal, for they and their horses are of a nature dependent and
perishable (cf xl. 6, 7, 2 Ch. xxxii. 8, Jer. xvii. 5), whereas He is the
originating source of all life, independent and free from decay.
4. as when the lion, etc. The lion represents the Lord (cf
Hos. V. 14, Jer. xxv. 38, Ps. Ixxvi. 1 — 4), Who, through the agency
of the Assyrians (cf v. 29) will hold Jerusalem, Uke a stricken quarry,
in His grasp, and cannot be scared away by the Egyptians, though they
come, like a band of shepherds, to the rescue (cf Hom. II. xvui. 161,
162, (iJS 8' airo (7(o/xaTOs ov Tl Xeovr aWmva Swai'rai iroiju,€V€S . . . Sieo'^at).
Some critics, separating v. 4 from v. 3, think that the comparison
illustrates the Lord's defence of Zion; but a beast of prey growUng
over its victim is an unsuitable figure for the Lord as the protector of
His people.
abase himself. Better, be cowed.
upon... upon. Better, against... against (cf. xxix. 7, 8, Zech.
xiv. 12).
5 — 9. A declaration of the Lord's intention to preserve Zion and
to destroy the forces of Assyria.
5. In this V. the previous announcement of chastisement for Zion
is qualified, as elsewhere, by a prediction of deliverance from final

XXXI. 6^] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 203
wiU protect and deliver it, he wiU pass over and preserve it.
6 Turn ye unto him ^from whom ^ye have deeply revolted, 0
children of Israel. 7 For in that day they shall cast away every
man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own
hands have made unto you for a sin. 8 Then shall the Assyrian
faU with the sword, not of man ; and the sword, not of men,
shall devour him: and he shall flee from the sword, and his
young men shall become tributary. 9 And his rock shall pass
away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at
1 Or, from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted
" Heb. they.
capture (cf xxix. 5). The Lord is represented as hovering over
Jerusalem to protect it, as mother-birds fiutter over their nestlings (cf
the kindred figures in Deut. xxxii. II, Ps. xci. 4, Matt, xxiii. 37).
pass over. The verb recalls the preservation of Israel on the
occasion of the first "Pass-over" (Ex. xii. 13, 23, 27).
6 — 7. These two w. interrupt awkwardly the connection between
w. 5 and 8, 9 (the announcement of the Lord's defence of Zion having
its natural sequel in a description of the discomfiture of its assailants),
and are probably an interpolation. Verse 7 seems to be imitated from
n. 20. 6. Turn ye. The exhortation, in its present context, must have in
view only the survivors of the judgment, for, since chastisement is
determined on (xxviii. 22), no repentance can avail to avert it.
7. they shall cast away, etc. i.e. shall repudiate them, in penitence
(cf xxx. 22, xvii. 8).
your own hands, ..unto you. Better, with the LXX., thdr own
hands... unto them,
8. Then. More strictly. And (linking the v. to v. 5).
not of man. i.e. the Assyrians will be discomfited by the super
human power of the Lord Himself: cf v. 3, and see xxx. 31, xxxvii. 36.
he shall flee. Tbe reference is to such of the Assyrian troops as
escape slaughter.
his young men. i.e. his warriors (ix. 17, Jer. xviii. 21, xlix. 26).
become tributary. Strictly, he put to forced labour (cf Deut. xx. 11,
Jud. i. 30 (mg.), 1 Kgs. v. 13 Heb.).
9. his rock, etc. i.e. his martial strength (cf N'a\g,,fortitudo dus),
which is the source of his confidence, shall disappear (cf xxix. 5). But
some scholars take the metaphor to mean his god (cf Deut. xxxii.
30, 31, 37), whilst others, disregarding the parallelism, consider the
substantive to be the object (instead of the subject) of the verb, and
render either he shall pass over to his rock (i.e. to a place of refuge in
some rocky height) or shall pass by his rock (Uke a hunted animal that
in its terror rans past its rocky lair).
be dismayed at, etc Better, fly in dismay from the ensign, i.e.

204 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxii.i,i
the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace
in Jerusalem.
abandon their standard. An Assyrian standard, bearing the figure of
Asshur, is represented in Eagozin's Assyria, p. 252.
whose fire is, etc. i.e. whose altar- fire at Jerusalem marks it as the
seat of His worship and the object of His care. But fire was also a
symbol of the Deity (cf Gen. xv. 17, Ex. iii. 2), and the words thus
suggest the perU confronting aU who seek to injure the city where the
Lord's Presence abides (cf x. 16, 17, xxxiu. 14).

Chapter XXXIL
This c. consists of two parts. The first, comprising vv, 1 — 8, is a descrip
tion of the Jewish state in the future, under a righteous govemment. The
second (vv. 9 — ^20) contains a prediction of calamity, addressed to the women
of Jerusalem, foUowed by a second announcement of a fature age of feUcity
succeeding the chastisement. The two sections are detached both from one
another and from their context, and the question of their respective date and
origin are most conveniently considered separately.
XXXII. 1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
and princes shall rule in judgement. 2 And a man shall be as
an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest;
XXXII. 1 — 8. A prediction of the establishment, under a just
ruler, of social security and spiritual enUghtenment.
This section bears to c xxxi. much the same relation as xi. 1 — 9
to X. 5 — 34, xxix. 17 — 24 to xxix. 9 — 1 6, and xxx. 18 — 33 to xxx. I — 17,
and depicts the sequel of the judgment when the purification of the
nation has been accomplished ; and it may, like xi. 1 — 9, be styled a
Messianic prophecy. Isaiah's authorship of it has been denied by
Cheyne and some other critics, chiefly on the ground of the unusual
vocabulary and the colourless description of the future king (as con
trasted with ix. 6, 7, xi. 1 — 9). Duhm, however, with some reason
defends the authenticity of w. 1 — 5, perhaps composed when the
writer of xi. 1 — 9 had passed the prime of his powers. More suspicion
attaches to w. 6 — 8, which look like a character-study in the manner of
the Gnomic writers.
1. a king, , .princes. Isaiah, as a statesman, regarded good govern
ment as conditioning the future welfare of his country (cf i. 26).
in righteousness, etc. Better, according to righteousness... according
to justice. 2. a man. Perhaps better, a great man (Ps. xlix. 2, Ixu. 9), a
coUective expression for the upper classes ; though some take it dis-
tributively and render each of them (Gen. xl. 5). For the metaphors
that follow cf iv. 6, xxv. 4.

XXXII. 3-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 205
as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock
m a weary land. 3 And the eyes of them that see shaU not
be ^dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 4 The
heart also of the ^rash shaU understand knowledge, and the
tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
5 The *vile person shaU be no more caUed * liberal, nor the
^churl said to be bountiful. 6 For the ^vUe person wiU speak
'vUlany, and his heart wiU work iniquity, to practise pro-
faneness, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty
the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to
1 Or, closed ^ Heb. hasty. ^ Or, fool See 1 Sam. xxv. 2S.
* Or, noble = Or, crafty « Or, folly
the shadow of a great rock. Cf Hes. W. and D. 589, mTpair) o-kitj,
Verg. G. m. 145, saxea umbra. This, in a treeless desert, would be the
only shelter possible.
3. And the eyes, etc. i.e. the spiritual unreceptiveness which the
people have hitherto shewn (vi. 9, 10, xxix. 10) will cease (cf xxix. 18
24). he dim. LiteraUy, as in the mg., be closed (as in vi. 10, xxix. 10).
This impUes a necessary correction (after Sym. and the Vulg.) of the
Heb., which has look.
4. The heart also of the rash, etc. i.e. opposite defects wiU be
remedied, the precipitate becoming judicious, and the hesitating
distinct. 5. The vile person, etc. i.e. the inversion of moral distinctions
which once obtained (v. 20) wiU no longer continue, but every one wiU
be seen in his true colours and appraised at his true value. The mh
person is one who neither fears the judgments of God nor respects the
rights of his feUow-men'-
liberal. Better (as in the mg.), nohh (by reason of his rank only).
_ nor the churl, etc. Better, nor the trickster (Vulg. frauduhntus)
said to be respectabh (or a genthman) in virtue of his wealth or the
Uke (cf Job xxxiv. 19 Heb.).
6 — 8. These three w. look like an alien addition, since, instead of
continuing the description of the altered state of the community, they
enlarge upon the habits of two of the characters previously mentioned.
In contents and manner the vv. resemble Proverbs (cf Prov. xxi. 24).
6. will speak villany. Better, speaks folly (see ix. 17). The tense
is a frequentative, and so in v. 8.
will work. Better (after the LXX.), meditates C^^'q^ for rwv^).
/rofaneness. i.e. irreligion and unbeUef (cf. x. 6); see v. 12, 19
cf Ps. X. 4, 13, xiv. 1.
1 On the meaning of the Heb. term rendered vile person or fool see Driver,
ParaUel Psalter, p. 457.

206 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxii.7-11
faU. 7 The instruments also of the churl are evil : he deviseth
wicked devices to destroy the ^meek with lying words, even
when the needy speaketh right. 8 But the Uberal deviseth
liberal things ; and ^in liberal things shall he continue.
9 Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice;
ye ^careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. 10 *For days
beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women : for the
vintage shaU fail, the ingathering shall not come. 11 Tremble, ye
women that are at ease ; be troubled, ye careless ones : strip you,
and make you bare, and ^gird sackcloth upon your loins.
' Or, poor ^ Or, by liberal things shall he stand ^ Heb. confident.
* Or, After a year and days Heb. Days above a year. ^ Or, put a girdle wpon
7. The instruments, etc. Better, The tricks of the trickster (there
being an assonance in the Heb.).
the meek. So the Heb. text : the Heb. mg. has the poor.
speaketh right, i.e. has, in a law-suit, right on his side (cf
xxix. 21).
8. the liberal. Better, the noble (i.e. in character, cf Prov. xvii. 26).
9 — 20. A prediction, addressed to the luxurious ladies of Jerasa
lem, of impending devastation for the country and its capital and of a
subsequent transformation of physical nature and human society.
The Isaianic authorship of this section is denied by Cheyne, chiefly
on the ground of a certain vagueness pervading the invective (as con
trasted with iii. 16, 17); and its origin is assigned to post-exiUc times ;
but as it is considered that it represents "what a post-exilic editor
thought Isaiah would be likely to have vfritten," its general resemblance
to the prophet's utterances is admitted. If the oracle is Isaiah's, it
probably proceeds from an early period in his ministry, since the pre
diction of prolonged desolation for the city no less than for the country
(v. 14) is more intelligible in the reign of Ahaz (cf v. 14, 17) than in
the years 705 — 701 when the prophet anticipated that Zion would be
preserved from its foes (x. 24, xiv. 32, xxxi. 5, xxxvii. 33, 34). Duhm
favours the Isaianic origin of the passage, but denies its unity, holding
that vv. 9 — 14 and vv. 15 — 20 are distinct oracles (see further on v. 15).
9. Eise up. i.e. abandon your attitude of heedless unconcern.
By Duhm and Marti the verb is omitted as spoiling the parallelism.
10. For days, etc. Better, After a few days beyond a year,
i.e. within little more than a year: cf xxix. 1.
the vintage, etc. The occasion of the prediction was probably the
festival of Ingathering at the close of the year (Ex. xxxiv. 22), and the
prophet implies that by the time it comes round again the vintage
which supplies the means for their careless enjoyment vrill have been
destroyed by a hostile invasion (cf xvi. 7 — 10).
11. Tremble, etc. i.e. because of the certainty and nearness of the
approaching disaster.

XXXII. i2-is] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 207
12 They shall smite upon the breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vine. 13 Upon the land of my people shaU
come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy
in the joyous city: 14 for the palace shall be forsaken ; the popu
lous city shall be deserted; Hhe hiU and the watch-tower shall
be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
15 until the spu'it be poured upon us from on high, and the
1 Or, Ophel
12. They shall smite. The Heb. is ungrammatical, and the text
should be corrected (after the LXX.) to Smite (literally, moum) upon
the breasts for the pleasant fields, or (by another slight emendation)
Mourn for (2 Sam. i. 12, xi. 26) the fields, the pleasant fields (reading
nnbp Dnb^^r for Dnsb DnB'-'?i;).
13. Upon the land, etc. This v. is a continuation of v. 12 : (mourn)
for the land of my peoph, which shall spring up in thorns and briers,
yea, for all the houses of mirth in the joyous town. The prediction re
sembles vii. 23—25, v. 13—17.
14. for the palace, etc. i.e. the mansions of the wealthy. Although
the destruction of many of the inhabitants of the Jewish capital is
prophesied in xxii. 2, 14, the complete depopulation of the city is
nowhere else so unequivocaUy predicted ; and the prediction was
subsequently qualified.
the populous city. Better, the bmsterous dty (cf v. 14, note).
the hill. LiteraUy, the Ophel, a word usually explained to mean a
natural sweU in the earth's surface, a knoll, but regarded by Burney
(Kings, p. 282) as denoting an artificial citadel or keep. It occurs
in connection with Samaria (2 Kgs. v. 24) and a place mentioned on the
Moabite stone, but it is appUed in particular to the southern extremity
of the eastern hiU of Jerusalem (Mic. iv. 8, 2 Ch. xxvii. 3, xxxiu. 14,
Neh. iii. 26, xi. 21).
watch-tower. The tower meant was probably on Ophel, where there
existed one described as the tower that standeth out (Neh. iii. 25, 27).
for ever. The word does not necessarily mean more than an unde
fined period of considerable duration (cf ix. 7, Ps. xxi. 6, 1 Sam. i. 22,
2 Sam. vii. 16).
a joy of wild asses, i.e. a vrilderness (see Job xxxix. 5, 6).
15. The incongruity between w. 15 — 20, which prophesy a happy
change, and the foregoing passage (vv. 9 — 14) predicting protracted
desolation has led Duhm to conclude that these verses (in which no
reference is made to the women addressed in v. 9) are not the sequel of
vv. 9 — 14, but have been appended by an editor (who perhaps inserted
until to link the two together). He suggests that they were originally
connected with w. 1 — 5, and describe the condition destined to prevail
in the Messianic age.
the spirit. Better, a spirit. The wonderful change alike in physical
nature and human character wiU be wrought by supernatural influence

208 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxii.i6-w
wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be
counted for a forest. 16 Then judgement shaU dwell in the
wilderness, and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.
17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the
efi'ect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever.
18 And my people shaU abide in a peaceable habitation, and
in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. 19 But it shall
hail, in the downfall of the forest ; and the city shaU be utterly
laid low. 20 Blessed are ye that sow beside aU waters, that send
forth the feet of the ox and the ass.
(cf xxvui. 6, xliv. 3, 1 Sam. xi. 6, Num. xi. 29, Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27,
xxxix. 29, Joel ii. 28).
us. The prophet associates himseK with his countrymen, as in ix. 6.
the wilderness, etc. The series wilderness, fruitful field (or planta
tion) and forest seem to constitute a climax (contrast xxix. 17) : in
the transformed world the sterile ground wiU be as productive as an
orchard, and an orchard wiU be so luxuriant as to resemble a forest
(xxxvu. 24); cf U. 3.
16. judgement. . .wilderness, i.e. under the sway of righteous rulers
justice wiU be ensured even in the open prairie which was ordinarUy
the scene of frequent quarrels about weUs and pasturage (Gen. xiii. 7 f ,
xxvi. 20, 21).
17. confidence. Better, security (cf xiv. 30 Heb.). To avoid the
duplication of righteousness and to improve the symmetry of the clauses,
the second has been emended to and the effect of justice security for
ever (reading !3S?'0 for 'i|'?7V).
19. This V. is suspicious. Though the forest might be a figure for
Assyria (cf x. 18, 19, 33, 34), the city cannot refer to it (for Assyria
is nowhere else so described in Isaiah). Nor can the first denote
Assyria and the second Jerusalem, for the afiliction of the latter should
precede (not foUow) the downfall of the former. Both expressions must
be understood literaUy of Jerusalem and its woods ; but since a
renewed prediction of disaster is inappropriate in the midst of a
description of its fehcity, the v. is probably a misplaced marginal
citation which has intruded into the text.
shall hail. Though hail figures in the judgment upon Jerusalem in
xxviu. 2, 17, the verb here used does not recur, and the symmetry of
the clauses is improved by the emendation. But the forest shall come
down (Zech. xi. 2) with a downfall (Uterally, a down-come), and the
city in lowliness shall lie low (reading TIJI. for I'D?-!).
the forest. The woods are doomed to destruction as providing the
material defences which fostered the nation's self-sufficiency (ci. ii. 13).
20. This V. continues the tenor of vv. 15 — 18.
that sow beside all waters, i.e. enjoy conditions of peace and security
permitting country employments to be carried on unrestrictedly, cf.
xxx. 23—25.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 209

Chapter XXXIII.
This c. is an announcement of Zion's deUverance which is less qualified by
utterances of an adverse character than any other in this group of cc. (xxriu. —
xxxiii.). It begins with a prediction of the enemy's impending overthrow and
the city's assured safety (w. 1—6), depicts the nation's extremity and the
Lord's resolve to annihilate the foe {w. 7—12), and concludes by describing the
consternation of the sinful at the Lord's interposition, and the felicity which
wiU result to the righteous (w. 13 — 24).
The c, if by Isaiah, belongs to the occasion of Sennacherib's invasion, but
is a little later in date than the companion cc. xxii., xxvui. 7 — 29, xxix. —
xxxi. The hypothesis which best explains the external situation that seems
to be impUed is one suggested by the historical narrative in 2 Kgs. xvui.
14 — 17. There it is related that Hezekiah, under stress of invasion, treated
for peace, and, petitioning the Assyrian king to withdraw from him, agreed to
pay a heavy fine as a penalty for his rebeUion ; but Sennacherib, notwith
standing this payment, sent his officers to demand the surrender of Jerusalem
(presumably as being too strong a fortress to leave behind him in his advance
towards Egypt). If it is assumed that Hezekiah consented to the fine on
condition that the surrender of his capital was not required, and that this
condition was subsequently disregarded by the Assyrians, several allusions in
the present c. can be accounted for. Thus ». 18 points to the payment of a
tribute or ransom, v. 8 implies the violation of an agreement, v. 7 is expUcable
hy the supposition of an unsuccessful remonstrance with the riolators, whilst
the reference to the foreign speech of the enemy (v. 19) corresponds to the
description ofthe Assyrians in xxviii. 11. But by many critics the prophecy
has been denied to Isaiah and assigned to post-exilic times on the gi-ound of
its unUkeness to Isaiah's writings and its resemblance to post-exilic composi
tions in respect (mainly) of (a) the unqualified assurance herein contained of
an approaching deliverance (contrast xxiL 14), (6) the piety and faith to which
expression is given in the name of the community (vv, 2, 22), (c) the similarity
in tone to the language of the Psalms (w. 2, 10, 15 — 16, 22), (d) the interest in
reUgious serrices (v. 20), (e) the character of the vocabulary, which exhibits a
number of pecuUarities. A difference of attitude, however, consequent upon
a difference in the situation, is intelligible in Isaiah himself, who, beUering as
he did in the survival of a remnant of his countrymen, might naturaUy exchange
his tone of menace for one of encouragement when the surrender of the capital
was demanded ; whilst the people's self-confidence could scarcely surrive the
presence of the enemy at their very gates. To such a degree, indeed, does the
prophecy fit in with the historical circumstances described in 2 Kgs. xviii. 14 —
17, that Cheyne, who dates it in the Persian period (circ. 350 — 330), thinks
that the author places himself imaginatively in the time of Sennacherib's
invasion, and endeavours to write as Isaiah would have written. Nevertheless,
since some of the Unguistic features are remarkable (see note on vv, 20 — 24),
the most reasonable conclusion seems to be that, whilst the bulk of the c.
proceeds from Isaiah, and was written in 701, it has been enlarged by insertions
in the middle (see on w, 15, 16) and additions at the close (e.g. vo, 20 — 24).
w. I. 14

210 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxiii. 1-6
XXXIII. 1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not
spoiled ; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacher
ously with thee ! When thou hast ceased to spoil, thou shalt be
spoiled ; and when thou hast made an end to deal treacherously,
they shall deal treacherously with thee. 2 0 Lord, be gracious
unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every
morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3 At the
noise of the tumult the peoples are fied; at the lifting up of
thyself the nations are scattered. 4 And your spoil shall
be gathered as the caterpiller gathereth : as locusts leap shall
they leap upon it. 5 The Lord is exalted ; for he dwelleth on
high: he hath filled Zion with judgement and righteousness.
6 ^And there shaU be stabUity in thy times, abundance of
salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is his
treasure. ' Or, And abundance of salvation wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of
thy timesXXXIII. 1 — 6. A prediction of retribution for the enemy, and
of deliverance for Zion.
1. Woe to thee. Or, Ho thou. The address, which resembles that
of cc. xxviii. — xxxi., is directed, not (as there) to the Jews, but to
their enemy.
2. umto us. The prophet identifies himself vrith his countrymen as
in xxxii. 15.
their arm. Better (vrith the Vulg. and Sjrr.), our arm, i.e. our
means of defence (Jer. xvii. 5, Ps. Ixxxiii. 8, mg.).
3. the tumult, i.e. the roar of the elements accompanying the
Lord's approach (in a theophany) to save Zion (cf xxx. 30).
the peoples... the nations, i.e. the allies and auxUiaries of the
Assyrians : cf viii. 9, xxix. 7.
4. yowr spdl. i.e. the spoil taken by you (the Jews). But perhaps
better (with Duhm), spml (omitting your and reading io? ???' for
°?^^^)- caterpiller. In the original another term for hcust.
5. is exalted, i.e. exhibits His supremacy : cf ii. 11, 17.
with judgement, etc. The writer anticipates a moral change in the
nation, which wiU result from the removal of the impious and the
preservation of the faithful ; cf i. 26 — 28, xxix. 20, xxxii. 16.
6. And there shall be stability, etc. Better (by a sUght emenda
tion), And there shall he stability in her times (i.e. fortunes, 1 Ch. xxix.
30, Ps. xxxi. 15), wisdom and knowledge are a store cf salvation, the
fear of the Lord is her treasure (reading O'W and an^iK for IW and
iiyiS).

xxxiii. 7-io] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 211
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry without: the ambassadors
of peace weep bitterly. 8 The high ways lie waste, the way
faring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath
despised the cities, he regardeth not man. 9 The land mourneth
and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and withereth away:
Sharon is like ^a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shake off^
their leaves. 10 Now will I arise, saith the Lord; now will
' Or, the Arabah
7 — 12. A description of the nation's desperate situation, and the
Lord's resolution to discomfit its adversaries.
7. thdr valiant ones. The original (^f'^1?) is of curious form and
conjectural meaning : it seems simplest to correct the text to D'?!*'")*?,
Ariels, i.e. "lions of God" (see on xxix. 2), heroes, assuming that "lion
of God " was an honorific designation of a warrior : cf 2 Sam. xxiii. 20.
Others take the word to mean men of Ariel, i.e. the people of Jerusalem
(see on xxix. l).
without, i.e. outside the waUs, where a conference has been held.
the ambassadors, etc i.e. the Jewish envoys, who have failed to
obtain any abatement of the enemy's demands.
8. The high ways, etc. i.e. all traffic has been interrupted, through
the Assyrians' seizure of the main roads : cf Jud. v. 6.
broken the covenant. Though Sennacherib is not charged with
having done this by the author of Kings, his demand for the capitula
tion of Jerusalem after Hezekiah had surrendered his treasures (2 Kgs.
xviii. 14) looks suspiciously like perfidy.
the cities. Better, cities: cf Hab. i. 10. Many of the Judaean
fortiesses were aheady captured, and Jerusalem's capacity for resistance
was held in contempt ; see x. 9 — 11, xxxvi. 18 — 20. Duhm conjectures
witnesses (D'1!? for 2*"!?), i.e. those before whom was made the engage
ment which is now broken.
9. The land, etc. Nature is thought of as sjrmpathizing with the
national distiess : cf xxiv. 4, 7, Nah. i. 4.
Lebanon, etc. The places named were not within the territory of
Judah, but were typical features of a Palestinian landscape: cf
xxxv. 2.
Sharon. The fertile maritime plain between Carmel and Joppa.
a desert. LiteraUy, the Arabah, a term that specificaUy denoted
the floor of the Jordan vaUey (the mod. El Ghor) and the corresponding
depression S. of the Dead Sea, but here is used in the more general
sense of steppe (ci. xxxv. 1, 6, Jer. xvii. 6, 1. 12). For Bashan, the high
plateau E. of Jordan, cf ii. 13.
Carmel. The ridge S. of the plain of Esdraelon : its dells are said
to be still covered with coppices.
10. Now will I arise, etc. Cf Ps. xu. 5. Judah's extremity is
the Lord's opportunity.
14—2

212 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxiii. n-17
I lift up myself; now will I be exalted. 11 Ye shall conceive
chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble : your breath is a fire that
shaU devour you. 12 And the peoples shaU be as the burnings
of lime: as thorns cut down, that are bumed in the fire.
13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that
are near, acknowledge my might. 14 The sinners in Zion are
afraid; trembling hath surprised the godless ones. Who among
us shaU dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shaU
dweU with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walketh right
eously, and speaketh uprightly ; he that despiseth the gain of
^oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes,
that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his
eyes from looking upon evil; 16 he shall dwell on high : his place
of defence shaU be the munitions of rocks : his bread shaU be
given him; his waters shaU be sure. 17 Thine eyes shaU see
' Ot, fraud
11. Ye shall conceive, etc An address to the Assyrians, whose
efforts are to be fruitless (cf , for the metaphor, lix. 4, Ps. vu. 14 and
the paraUel in xxvi. 18).
your breath, i.e. your rage. But. the text should perhaps be
corrected to my breath (io? 'n-li for t^sq-n).
12. as the burnings of lime. i.e. totally consumed (cf Am. ii. 1).
13 — 24. A description of the impressions produced by the Lord's
achievement (assumed to have been accomplished) and the consequences
ensuing from it.
13. Hear, ye that, etc. Perhaps better (with the LXX.), They that
are far off (i.e. distant nations, cf. xviii. 3) shall hear,., they that are
near (i.e. the disloyal Jews) shall acknowledge, etc.
14. The sinners. The impious section of the Jewish people (ix. 17,
X. 6) are overwhelmed with alarm at what they have witnessed ; for the
Lord's indignation, so destructive to the enemy (v. 12, x. 16, xxx. 27,
30, xxix. 6), cannot but be fatal to themselves likewise.
15. He that walketh, etc. In the proximity of such a God those
alone can be safe who are unsuUied by social crimes (see i. 15 — 23,
iu. 13—15, iv. 4, V. 23, x If).
he that despiseth, etc. The rest oi v. 15 (from this clause to the
end), since it expands the answer to the questions of v, 14 after the
manner of Pss. xv. 2 — 5, xxiv. 3, 4, v. 4 — 6, is rejected by Duhm as an
interpolation. hearing of bhod. i.e. listening with approval to schemes of murder.
16. d/well on high. i.e. be secure from all dangers.
munitions of rocks. Better, rocky fastnesses, a figure for the impreg
nable defence afforded by the Lord : cf xvii. 10, Ps. xviii. 2.

xxxui. i8-«] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 213
the king in his beauty: they shall behold ^a far stretching
land. 18 Thine heart shaU muse on the terror: where is ^he
that counted, where is he that weighed the tribute'^, where
is he that counted the towers? 19 Thou shalt not see the
fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou canst not
perceive; of a ^strange tongue that thou canst not understand.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our ^solemnities : thine eyes
shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be
removed, the stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, neither
shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 21 But there the
Lord will be with us in majesty, ^a place of broad rivers and
streams; wherein shaU go no galley with oars, neither shall
' Or, a land that is very far off Heb. a land of far distances.
" Or, the scribe ^ Or, stammering * Or, set feasts
° Or, but in the place,,, streams there shall go (tc,
17. the king in his beauty, i.e. the ideal king of the peaceful
future, in aU his royal splendour, as contrasted with the recent spectacle
of Hezekiah in the garb of woe (see xxxvii. I).
a far stretching land. i.e. the Jewish territory, no longer reduced
in compass by the presence of an enemy in it (cf xxx. 23), but restored
to its ideal limits (cf on xxvii. 12).
18. Thine heart, etc. Cf Verg. A. i. 203, Forsan et haec olim
meminisse iuvabit.
counted the towers, i.e. as a preliminary to an assault. But the
sense is not very appropriate to the context, and the text is perhaps
corrupt. 19. the fi^ce peoph. Perhaps better (by a slight correction), an
unintelligibh peoph QSP for Tl?i3) : of Ps. cxi v. 1.
of a deep speech. Better, obscure of speech. The Assyrian tongue,
though cognate with Hebrew, would be unintelligible to the bulk of the
Jews, a circumstance that increased the aversion which the presence of
the invaders inspired (cf Jer. v. 15).
of a strange tongue. Better, jabbering of tongue : ci. xxviii. II.
20 — 24. In view of the recurrence in these last five vv. oi the
negative ??, which occurs in cc. xxiv. — xxvii. and xl. — Ixvi. but is not
found in Isaiah's authentic prophecies, it seems probable that they are
a later conclusion to an Isaianic oracle that appeared to end abruptly.
20. a tent, etc. UsuaUy such structures were not permanent
(cf xxxviii. 12), but Jerasalem was to be secure against all instability;
21. But there, etc. Better (if the text is sound). But (LXX. For)
there we shall have a Mighty One (x. 34), even the Lord, as a place of
broad rivers and streams, whereon, etc.; i.e. the Lord, like an encom
passing steeam (or stieams), wiU encircle and protect the inhabitants of

214 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XXXIII.22-H
gallant ship pass thereby. 22 For the Lord is our judge, the
Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.
23 Thy tacklings are loosed ; they could not strengthen the foot
of their mast, they could not spread the sail : then was the prey
of a great spoil divided ; the lame took the prey. 24 And the
inhabitant shall not say, I am sick : the people that dwell therein
shall be forgiven their iniquity.
Zion as the Euphrates and Nile defend Babylon and Egypt; (cf
Nah. iii. 8). But the direct comparison of the Lord to a river is very
harsh, and probably the passage should be corrected (vrith Duhm and
Cheyne) to For there we shall have the river (or channel) of the Lord
instead of (Hos. i. 10 mg.) broad streams (like those of Egypt and
Babylon), omitting m (with the LXX.), reading P'-BS for "^1^, and
omitting rivers as a gloss on streams ('^'1^1) : cf. the conception in
Ps. xlvi. 4. Marti prefers the emendation. For we shall have_ a
majestic (or glorious) name, a source of broad streams, etc reading Q?' '?
lipp -wS r\)f\\ nns.
wherdn shall go, etc i.e. the river of the Lord which wiU fertiUze
and enrich Jerusalem (cf Ps. xlvi. 4, Ezek. xlvii. 1 — 12, Zech. xiv. 8)
wiU not allow (like the Euphrates or the Nile) hostUe fleets to navigate
it and endanger the safety of the people who dweU by it.
22. lawgiver. Better, marshal or commander (Jud. v. 14).
23. Thy tacklings. This (down to sail) seems to be an apostrophe
to the ship, if such there should be, that attempts to ascend the stream
flovring by Jerusalem (v. 21): its fate is to become dismasted and
helpless. As the address separates most awkwardly two passages
(vv. 22 and 23'') which should be in close connection, it is rejected by
Duhm, Cheyne, and Marti as a marginal citation that has been
imported into the text.
they. Probably the tacklings, or ropes, which, hanging slack,
cannot keep the mast secure or the sails spread.
the foot. i.e. the socket (the Homeric lOTOTreSij or fieaoS/jirji) in
which the mast was stepped, and in which it was secured by stays.
then was the prey.,, spoil, etc. The expression is pleonastic: hence
better (in view of the parallelism), with Duhm and others, then shall
even the blind divide great spoil, even the lame take the prey (reading
"^^V Pijy\ for iy Piin), i.e. so complete wiU be the discomfiture of the
enemy (see v. 3) that even the sightless and infirm will secure a share
of the booty. The passage forms a better sequence to v. 22 (he will
save us) than to the first half of v. 23.
24. And the inhabitant, etc. i.e. the people of Zion will no more
incur suffering for sin, for their iniquity is forgiven (cf Ps. cin. 3,
Mk. ii. 5—12). The metaphor of dckness recaUs i. 5, 6.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 215

Chapters XXXIV., XXXV.
These two cc. are companion pictures, the first predicting the destruction
of the heathen world in general and the desolation of Edom in particular, and
the second the fertility in store for Judah and the felicity awaiting the Lord's
people on their retum from the Dispersion. Though distinct from one another,
they are nevertheless united by certain common characteristics of matter and
style. They both produce an impression of detachment from reality, their
descriptions are overloaded with detail, and their imagery and diction have
numerous points of contact with other writings. One or two features in
c xxxv. seem to be specially designed to afford a contrast to the contents
of c. xxxiv. (cf. xxxv. &>, 1 with xxxiv. 9, 13, xxxv. 9 with xxxiv. 14, 15) ; and
it is reasonable to suppose that they proceed from the same author. They
were manifestly written at a time when many Jews were in exile (from which
their retum is here predicted), and they consequently must date from some
period after 587, so that their composition by Isaiah (to whose diction they
present many contrasts) is precluded. But since there were Jews Uring in
Babylon and other countries after the restoration of some of their number in 537
(see Zech. iL 6, 7), it cannot be inferred vrith confidence that the date of the
cc. falls within the exile ; and the fact that the hatred of the writer is concen
trated upon Edom, and not upon Babylon, is in favour of his having resided in
Palestine and haring Uved after the Retum. The animosity which was inspired
in the Jews by the joy of the Edomites over the fall of Jerusalem in 587
continued after the Retum (see Mal. i. I — 5), being perhajis rerived by
encroachments upon Judsean territory ; and it has been conjectured that the
present prophecy originated in the fifth century. If this post-exilic date is
correct, the many pai-allels which this prophecy presents to cc. xL — Iv. (cf.
xxxv. 4 with xl. 9, xxxv. 2 with xl. 5, xxxv. 6, 7 with xliii. 19, xlix. 10, xxxv. 8
with xl. 3, xlix. 11) can be explained by imitation ; and the conclusion that the
descriptions in these cc. are later than the similar passages in the cc. just cited
is confirmed by their labom-ed character. There is also much likeness between
these cc. and the prophecy against Babylon in xiii. 1 — xiv. 23 (sixth century) :
cf. xxxiv. 11, 14, 15 with xiii. 21, 22, xiv. 23 ; cf also xxxiv. 8 with Ixiii. 4 (where
Edom is also the object of the Lord's vengeance).
Chapter XXXIV.
This c. begins with an announcement of a universal judgment (vv. 1 — 4),
which passes over into a description of the retribution about to befaU Edom
(m. 5 — 17). The universality of the doom here predicted, which extends to
heaven as weU as earth, is a mark of Apocalyptic writings (cf p. 156), and this
feature is corroborative of the late date that has been assigned to the prophecy.
The general judgment, however, here serves for little more than a setting for the
vengeance upon Edom, in which the writer is chiefly interested. The historical
relations between the Hebrew people and the Edomites, whose origin was
traced to Esau, the brother of Jacob (Gen. xxxvi. 1), were marked by great
animosity. In Mosaic times the latter refused to Israel permission to traverse

216 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxiv. i,^
their land on the way from the Sinaitic desert to Canaan (Num. xx. 14— 21)*.
In the period of the Hebrew monarchy they were assailed by Saul (1 Sam.
xiv. 47) and subjugated by David (2 Sam. riii. 13, 14); and though some
measure of independence was acquired in the reign of Solomon (1 Kgs.
xi. 14—22), the authority of Judah was still acknowledged in the reign of
Jehoshaphat (1 Kgs. xxu. 47)", who used Ezion-geber as his port (1 Kgs.
xxU. 48). In the reign of Jehoram, however, they freed themselves from
Judsean control (2 Kgs. viii. 20—22, cf Gen. xxvii. 40) ; but did not recover
the harbour of Elath until the reign of Ahaz, when it was regained for them
by Rezin of Syria (2 Kgs. xvi. 6 mg.). The hostiUty of the two peoples was
perpetuated after the capture of Jemsalem in 587 by the malevolent satisfac
tion manifested by the Edomites on that occasion; see Obad. vv. 10—16,
Ezek. xxv. 12, xxxv. 5 i., xxxvi. 5, Jer. xUx. 7—22, Lam. iv. 21 i., Ps. cxxxrii. 7,
Ecclus. 1. 25, 26 (mg.). In the fourth century Edom was overran by the Nabatseans
(Diod. Sic. XIX. cc. 94, 95), and its people were driven into the south of
Judah, occupying Hebron, whence they were expelled by Judas Maccabseus
(1 Mace. V. 65). In the second century John Hyrcanus compeUed the Edomites
(or Idumseans, as they were then caUed) to be circumcised and accept the
Jewish law (Jos. Ant, xiii. ix. 1) ; but eventually they gave to their Jewish
adversaries a king in the person of Herod.
XXXIV. 1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken,
ye peoples: let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof; the
world, and aU things that come forth of it. 2 For the Lord
hath indignation against all the nations, and fury against all
their host : he hath ^utterly destroyed them, he hath deUvered
' Heb. devoted.
XXXIV. 1 — 4. A summons to the nations of the world to
receive their sentence of approaching doom.
1. all things that come forth of it. Though the expression is more
appropriate to vegetation (cf xiii. 5) the thought conveyed is that of
human kind.
2. indignation ...fury. Within the book of Isaiah these words
occur only in sections which, for independent reasons, are regarded as
late : see for the former (flXi?) Uv. 8, Ix. 10, and for the latter (n»n)
xxvu. 4, xUi. 25, U. 13, 17, lix. 18, kin. 3, Ixvi. 15.
utterly destroyed. Better (as in the mg.), devoted or placed under
the han. The word connotes a practice prevailing among the Hebrews
and the Semitic races generally, whereby in war a people dedicated its
enemies, if vanquished, to its national god (Num. xxi. 2), and thereupon
consigned them to indiscriminate slaughter (see xxxvii. II, xliii. 28,
Ex. xxii. 20, Josh. vi. 17, 18, x. 28, 37, Deut. ii. 34, 1 Sam. xv. 3,
Jer. XXV., Moabite Inscrip., I. 17). The property of the victims
was sometimes destroyed with them (Josh. vi. 21), sometimes not
1 Thia account comes from the Priestly narrative : contrast Deut. ii. 4 — 8, 29.
2 The king of Edom mentioned in 2 Kgs. iii. 9 was probably a vassal.

XXXIV. 3-€] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 217
them to the slaughter. 3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and
the stink of their carcases shall come up, and the mountains
shall be melted with their blood. 4 And all the host of heaven
shall ^be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as
a scroll : and all their host shall fade away, as the leaf fadeth
from oif the vine, and as a fading leaf from the fig tree. 5 For
my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come
down upon Edom, and upon the people of my ^curse, to judge
ment 6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made
fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat
of the kidneys of rams : for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah,
1 Or, moulder away ^ Heb. devoting, or, ban.
(Deut. n. 35, Josh. viii. 26, 27, xi. 12, 14, Mic. iv. 13). A similar
practice is recorded by Caesar (B. G. vi. 17) of the Gauls: Huic
(i.e. the war god Hesus), cum proelio dimicare constituerunt, ea quae
belh ceperint phrumque devovent; cum superaverunt, animalia capta
immolant, reliquasque res in unum hcum conferumt. Tacitus (Ann.
xm. 57) also relates of certain German tribes : Victores diversam aciem
Marti ac Mercurio (i.e. Tin and Woden) sacravere, quo voto equi viri,
cuncta viva ocddioni dantwr.
3. cast out. i.e. left unburied; cf. xiv. 19, Jer. xiv. 16.
shall be melted with. Better, shall run with.
4. And all the host... dissolved. The received text of this clause
dupUcates in substance the opening words of the second half of the v. ;
it should probably be corrected (with Bickell) to and all the hills shall
be dissolved (or decay), and transferred to ?>. 3.
and all their host. i.e. the stars, which are imagined to drop out of
the firmament (in which they are fixed) as it is rolled together. Similar
convulsions of the heavens are represented as accompanying the Last
Judgment in Mk. xiii. 25, Matt. xxiv. 29, Rev. vi. 13, 14.
5 — 17. A prediction of the slaughter of the Edomites and the
desolation of their land.
5. my sword. If the text is correct, the Lord is the speaker, but
it should perhaps be emended to the sword of the Lord (who is else
where referred to in the 3rd pers.).
hath drunk its fill i.e. is intoxicated with fury (cf v. 2), thelatter
words being added to the text by many critics (who insert l^l!!).
Divine vengeance on celestial powers is mentioned in xxiv. 21.
the peoph of my curse. Perhaps better (see above), the people of his
cwrse (or ban), reading io-)n for 'Pin, i.e. those whom the Lord has
devoted to destruction (see on v. 2).
6. lambs... goats. The approaching slaughter is compared to a
sacrifice (cf Jer. xlvi. 10, Zeph. i. 7, Ezek. xxxix. 17—19), and the
Edomites to the customary victims (cf Jer. 1. 27, li. 40).
the fat of the kidneys. This was one of the choicest portions of

218 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxiv.?-"
and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 And the wUd-oxen
shaU come down with them, and the bullocks with the buUs;
and their land shaU be drunken with blood, and their dust made
fat with fatness. 8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance,
the year of recompence in the controversy of Zion. 9 And the
streams thereof shaU be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof
into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
10 It shaU not be quenched night nor day ; the smoke thereof
shall go up for ever : from generation to generation it shaU lie
waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11 But
the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the ^owl and
' Or, bittern
sacrificial victims (Lev. in. 4), the fiat, like the blood, being regarded
as the seat of life (cf the paraUelism in 2 Sam. i. 22).
Bozrah. The Edomite city of this name (there was another Bozrah
in Moab, Jer. xlviu. 24) has been identified with the mod. Busdrah,
some 20 m. S. of the Dead Sea. Mention of it occurs in Ixiii. 1, Am.
i. 12, Gen. xxxvi. 33.
7. the wild-oxen. Heb. r'emim. The animals of which this was the
name belonged to an extinct species (Bos primigenius), thought to be
identical with the urus described by Caesar, B.G., vi. 28 : in the O.T.
they are famed for their strength and untameableness (Num. xxiii. 22,
Job xxxix. 9 — 12). Here they represent (vrith the bullocks and bulls)
the chiefs of Edom : for the like figures cf xiv. 9 mg., Ps. Ixvui. 30,
Jer. I. 27.
come down. i.e. sink down slain (cf Hag. ii. 22, Jer. xlviii. 15, 1. 27,
li. 40) : LXX. o-u/ATreo-ovvrai.
with them. i.e. with the smaller cattle (v. 6). Duhm suspects the
loss of a word, e.g. thefatlings (cf Ezek. xxxix. 18).
thdr dust. Perhaps better, its dust ('^tPV, for Q'7?^).
8. the controversy of Zion. i.e. Zion's quarrel with Edom.
9. And the streams thereof, hit., And its (Eiom's) torrent-valleys.
The description that follows (suggestive of a conflagration caused by
the ignition of bitumen) was perhaps inspired by the proximity of Edom
to the site of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen. xix. 24) : cf xiii. 19, Jer.
xlix. 18.
10. night nor day. The LXX. (B) connects this with v. 9 and reads :
the land thereof shall become as pitch burning night and day, it shall not
be quenched for ever, the smoke thereof shall go up from generation to
generation, it shall lie waste for ever and ever. Part of this description
is appUed in Rev. xix. 3 to the destined destruction of Babylon, the
symbol of Rome.
11. But the pelican, etc. The picture here changes from a scene
of perpetual conflagration (in which a water-bird is an inappropriate
figure) to one of desolation : cf xiv. 23, Zeph. ii. 14, Ps. cu. 6.

XXXIV. I2-.4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 219
the raven shaU dwell therein : and he shall stretch over it the
line of confusion, and the ^plummet of emptiness. 12 ^They
shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be
there; and all her princes shall be nothing. 13 And thorns
shall come up in her palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses
thereof: and it shall be an habitation of jackals, a court for
ostriches. 14 And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with
the 'wolves, and the *satyr shall cry to his fellow; yea, *the
night-monster shall settle there, and shaU find her a place of
' Heb. stones.
' Or, As for her nobles, none shall be there to proclaim the kingdom
' Heb. howling creatures. * Or, he-goat ' Heb. Lilith.
porcupine. Or bittern, see xiv. 23. Here (as in Zeph. ii. 14) the
creature denoted is associated with birds.
owl. The LXX. and Vulg. have ibis.
he shall stretch. The subject is the Lord, and Chevne inserts
the line of confudon, etc. Better, the line of wasteness. The meta
phors (derived from the operations of building) imply that the work of
destruction wiU be accomplished with the same care and completeness
as usuaUy mark the work of construction : cf Lam. ii. 8, 2 Kgs. xxi. 13.
The words confusion (or wasteness) and emptiness only recur in com
bination in Gen. i. 2 (P), Jer. iv. 23.
12. They shall call, etc. The Heb. is imperfect, and a more complete
text is suppUed by the LXX., which suggests that the true reading is
Wohes (or JackalsY shall dwell therein, and her nohhs shall cease to he,
and there shall he none there to proclaim a kingdom (i.e. a new reign),
and all her princes shall he nothing.
13. thorns.,. netths and thistles. In a similar connection Isaiah
uses different words: see v. 6, vii. 23, 24, 25, cf also ix. 18, x. 17
(Heb.). jackak. Better, wolves (xiii. 22).
a court. Or enclosure (a tacit correction of the Heb. after the LXX.),
14. wolves. Better, jackals (cf mg.).
and the satyr shall cry to. Better, and the satyr shall meet (reading
fi^i?! for '^^P!). Desert places were thought to have evil spirits, as well
as wild beasts, for their denizens : cf on xiii. 21. The present passage
is imitated in Rev. xviii. 2.
the night-monster. Better, the night hag (Heb. Lilith'). This was
a female demon that persecuted men in their sleep, and sought to kiU
children. According to Rabbinic legend she was the first wife of Adam,
and became a demon after leaving him.
' The LXX. has dvoxivravpoi, which in v. 14, xiii. 22 corresponds to the Heb. D«.K ,
* The Vulg. renders the name by Lamia, a female monster that fed on the blood
of children.

220 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxiv. 15-17
rest. 15 There shaU the arrowsnake make her nest, and lay,
and hatch, and gather under her shadow : yea, there shall the
kites be gathered, every one with her mate. 16 Seek ye out of
the book of the Lord, and read : no one of these shall be missing,
none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded,
and his spirit it hath gathered them. 17 And he hath cast the
lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by Une :
they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shaU
they dwell therein.
15. the arrowsnake. If a variety of serpent is really denoted (see
next note), the species cannot be determined with certainty.
gather, etc. i.e. her young. But the words are inappropriate to a
snake, and Duhm transposes and emends the text to shall gather and
hatch her eggs (C'P for i^JV?). To this correction it has been objected
that no serpents, except pythons (and these are not found in Palestine),
incubate ; and hence certain authorities think that the word rendered
arrowsnake means some kind of bird (cf Jer. xvii. 11) : see DB.
m. 637.
every one with her mate. The Heb. is defective and is part of a
.sentence which has been accidentally transferred to ^). 16 : re-transferred,
it should be rendered as there, none shall want her mate.
16. the hook of the Lobd. The direction to seek and read shews
that the book does not refer to the Lord's secret book of fate (Ps. cxxxix.
16) but to some written document capable of being consulted (cf Dan.
ix. 2), and probably designates a collection of scriptures which would
include this prophecy. It is implied that the prophecy, if examined on
the occurrence of the event, will be found to have aocurately predicted
all the circumstances.
none,,, mate. This clause, as already stated, is misplaced here.
my mouth. tJheyne emends to the Lordls mouth (inserting nin*.
between Kin and '?) ; cf vv. 5 (note), 6, 8.
his spirit. Perhaps better, his breath (Ps. xxxiii. 6).
17. cast the ht for them. i.e. assigned Edom to them as their
permanent possession (cf Num. xxvi. 55).
hy line. i.e. by the measuring line, used for apportioning parcels of
ground (cf Jer. xxxi. 39, Ezek. xlvii. 3).

Chapter XXXV.
This c. is the counterpart of c. xxxiv., the juxtaposition of the two (whether
due to author or editor) being obviously intended to accentuate the contrast
between them. The fact that the contents of the present c. are thus purposely
opposed to a picture of the devastation of Edom (not of Babylon) makes it
probable that it is a prediction of a transformation in the condition of Judah

xxxv. 1-3] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 221
after the Retum from Babylon, and that it was designed to console those
who, though restored to their own country, found in their circumstances much
that was adverse and disappointing. Their comparative poverty and the
paucity of their numbers must have hampered them in the cultivation of the
soU; and hence the opening part of the c. predicts renewed and enhanced
fertility for the land, whilst the conclusion foretells the restoration to Palestine
of Jews stiU in exUe and the facilitation of their joumey over the intervening
wastes. XXXV. 1 The wilderness and the ^solitary place shall be
glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the ^rose.
2 It shaU blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and
singing; the glory of Lebanon shaU be given unto it, the
excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of
the Lord, the excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the ^feeble
^ Or, parched land ^ Or, autumn crocus See Cant. ii. 1. * Or, tottering
XXXV. 1 — 2. A prophecy that barren places wiU become
fertile and luxuriant.
1. The wilderness, etc. The passage begins so abruptly that the
wilderness and the solitary place (or parched land) must denote localities
which those whom the prophet addresses had constantly before them,
viz. the uncultivated pasture grounds of Judah (see on xxxii. 15) :
cf U. 3.
the desert. LiteraUy, the Arabah (and so in v. 6) : see on xxxiii. 9.
as the rose. This should be transferred to the next v. (where it
improves the symmetry of the clauses), and connected with it shall
bhssom. The flower meant is some meadow plant (Cant. ii. 1), either
(as in the mg.) the autumn crocus (Golchicum autunmah) or some
variety of narcissus (N. tazetta or N. serotinus).
2. Lebanon... Carmel... Sharon. These were the localities in
Palestine most noted for dignity or fertiUty : cf on xxxiii. 9. Sharon
was famous both for its pastures (Lxv. 10) and for its corn-lands (men
tioned in the inscription of Eshmunazar, see Cooke, NSI, p. 31).
they. Better, these, i.e. the Jewish people (to whom allusion is
made in v. 3).
the glory of the Lobd. i.e. the visible splendour betokening His
presence as He brings back His exiled people (see xl. 5, Iii. 8).
3 — 10. An exhortation to confidence, and a promise of the removal
of aU infirmities and hardships, and of a joyful return of exiles to their
home. 3. Strengthen. The command seems addressed to all whose faith
has remained steadfast.
the weak hands, etc. i.e. the spiritless and hopeless (cf Job iv. 3, 4)
who constituted a great part of the Jewish community in the years
succeeding 537. The v. has infiuenced Heb. xii. 12.

222 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxv. 4-8
knees. 4 Say to them that are of a ^fearful heart. Be strong,
fear not: ^behold, your God will come with vengeance, vrith
the recompence of God; he will come and save you. 5 Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf
shaU be unstopped. 6 Then shaU the lame man leap as an hart,
and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness
shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the
^glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground
springs of water : in the habitation of jackals, where they lay,
shall be *grass with reeds and rushes. 8 And an high way
shaU be there, and a way, and it shaU be called The way of
^ Heb. hasty.
^ Or, behold, your God! vengeance will come, even the recompence of God
^ Or, mirage ' Ot, a court for reeds <&c. See ch. xxxiv. 13.
4. of a fearful heart. The original is the same as that used by
Isaiah in xxxii. 4, but here denotes not the hasty, but the despondent
and anxious.
behold, etc. Better, as in the mg., or as Duhm, who emends the
text to behold your God; he will come wreaking (inserting Qi?.^) vengeance
(cf xxxiv. 8) ; then will come the recompense of God (inserting ^^i^J) ;
he unll come and save you.
5. Then the eyes, etc. The infirmities mentioned are, no doubt, in
the first place bodily, for in the transformation of nature the healing of
man's physical ills can scarcely be omitted ; but the cure of the body
may be supposed to be accompanied by the enlightenment of the
understanding (cf xxix. 18, xxxii. 3, 4, Matt. xi. 5).
6. for. The issuing of water in the desert is a token that a
Golden Age is at hand when deficiencies of all kinds will be remedied.
The writer is probably drawing on the description (in xliii. 19, 20,
xlviii. 21, xlix. 10) of the provision promised by the Lord to the
exiles when returning home in 537, but employs it merely to iUustrate
the coming change in the face of nature generally.
7. glowing sand. The parallel passage xlix. 10 (see note) seems
decisive for this rendering (as against the mg. mirage) : cf LXX.
in the habitation, etc. The text is defective, and should probably
be corrected (after xxxiv. 13, which describes the converse change) to
in the habitation of jackals (or wolves) your flocks shall lie down, and
the enchsure of ostriches shall become reeds and rushes, i.e. desert places
shaU be turned into well-watered meadows.
8. and a way. To be omitted (vrith the Syr.) as a dittograph.
The LXX., for the opening sentence, has And a pure way shall he
there. The way of holiness. Better, The holy way, i.e. confined to the holy
people (cf Ixii. 12), the Jews.

xxxv.9,io] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 223
hoUness; the unclean shall not pass over it; ^but it shaU be for
those : the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. 9 No
lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon,
they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk
there : 10 and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come
with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting joy shall be upon their
heads : they shaU obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing
shaU flee away.
' Or, for he shall be with them <&c. Or, and he shall walk in the way for them,
and fools <6c.
the unclean, i.e. the heathen (cf Ui. 1).
hut it,,, men. If the text is to be retained, better as in the mg.,
and he (the Lord) shall walk in the way for them. But since there is
no noun to which the pronoun them can refer, the text should be
corrected to hut it shall he for his peoph when journeying (i.e. to
Jerusalem), reading is^? for lO?. By Duhm and Cheyne the words
are rejected as a gloss because they separate the preceding and foUow
ing clauses, which are parallel.
yea fools, etc. Better, and fools (i.e. impious heathen) shall not
roam there.
9. No lion, etc. The high way (v. 8) is thought of as being
elevated as a causeway (cf xlix. 11, Ivii. 14, btii. 10) above the
thickets wherein wUd animals have their lairs (Jer. iv. 7), so that
traveUers upon it wUl be secure from molestation by them.
they shall not.,, there. This clause spoils the metre and is best
omitted. the redeemed, i.e. the Jews who shaU be restored from exile (the
term being the same as that used in li. 10, Ixii. 12).
10. and the ransomed. . .return. This clause belongs to the previous
v., being paraUel to the redeemed shall walk there.
and come. Better, They shall come (beginning the v.). For the
thought cf Ps. cxxvi. 2.
upon their heads. The redeemed are represented as crovmed with
joy as with a garland (the wearing of a wreath of flowers being a token
of rejoicing, Ixi. 3).
they shall obtain, etc. The LXX. has gladness and joy shall over
take them — a personification of gladness and joy parallel to that of
sorrow and dghing in the following clause (cf xiii. 8 and Hom. P.
XVII. 143, ri <T avTcos (cXeos ^(tOXov €;(€t).
The V. recurs in li. II, whence it has probably been borrowed:
cf also U. 3, Ixi. 3, 7.

224 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

HISTORICAL SUPPLEMENT TO ISAIAH'S PROPHECIES,
CHAPTERS XXXVL— XXXIX.
These four cc. consist of an historical narrative, constituting an appendix
to the foregoing collected prophecies, and containing an account of certain
additional predictions attributed to Isaiah on various occasions in the reign of
Hezekiah. The occasions referred to are three : (I) the expedition of Sen
nacherib against Jerusalem (cc. xxxvi., xxxrii.) ; (2) a dangerous illness
experienced by Hezekiah (c. xxxviii.); (3) an embassy received by that king
from Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon (c. xxxix.).
These cc. recur substantially in 2 Kgs. xriii. 13 — xx. 19 and are summa
rized in 2 Ch. xxxii. 9 — 31. Apart from some minor textual variations, the
only important dififerences between the parallel accounts in Isaiah and Kings
are the omission from Isaiah of 2 Kgs. xriii. 14 — 16, and the absence from
2 Kings of Is. xxxriii. 9 — 20. A comparison of the two accounts shews that
the section in Kings ^ is prior to that in Isaiah, and that the latter has been
excerpted from the former, for the narrative in Isaiah (a) is shorter than, and
seemingly abbreriated from, that in Kings (cf Is. xxxri. 2, 3 vrith 2 Kgs.
xriu. 17, 18, Is. xxxvi. 17 vrith 2 Kgs. xviu. 32, Is. xxxrii. 36 with 2 Kgs.
xix. 35, Is. xxxriii. 4, 6 with 2 Kgs. xx. 4, 6, Is. xxxriii. 8 with 2 Kgs. xx. 9),
(6) departs from the natural order, which is found in Kings (see Is. xxxviu.
21, 22, which should follow xxxriU. 6, cf 2 Kgs. xx. 6—8), (c) exhibits some
of the characteristic diction of Kings (cf Is. xxxrii. 35, for my servant Davids
sake, with 1 Kgs. xi. 13, 32, 2 Kgs. riii. 19, Is. xxxviu. 3, walked before thee
in truth, with 1 Kgs. ii. 4, iii. 6 (cf ix. 4), a perfect heart, vrith I Kgs. riiL 61,
xi. 4, XV. 3, 14, done that which is good in thy sight, with 1 Kgs. xi. 33, 38,
xiv. 8, XV. 5, 11, 2 Kgs. xriii. 3, Is. xxxriu. 1, in those days, with 2 Kgs. x. 32,
XV. 37, Is. xxxix. 1, at that time, with 1 Kgs. xiv. 1, 2 Kgs. xvi. 6 ; cf Driver,
LOT. p. 200 f ). As the editor of Isaiah who inserted these chapters thus drew
upon 2 Kings, he must have been later in date than the editor of the latter
work, and lived after the time of Josiah if not after the Exile. The poem
ascribed to Hezekiah (xxxriu. 9—20), which does not occur in 2 Kings, must
have been derived by the editor from a dififerent source.
Chapters XXXVL, XXXVII.
The proximate source of these cc. (as has been said) is 2 Kings ; but their
ultimate origin is less clear. The writer of Chronicles (2 Ch. xxxii. 32) cites as
an authority for the history of Hezekiah the vision of Isaiah, contained in
the hook ofthe kings of Judah and Israel, the latter being an historical work
(distinct from 1, 2 Kings) which drew upon some earUer sources relating to
Isaiah and other prophets ; and it seems likely that the existmg books of
Kings were simUariy based, for part of their contents, upon prophetical

' The compiler of Kings was probably contemporary with Jeremiah (Driver,
LOT. p. 199).

XXXVI. i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 225
records. If so, the section of 2 Kings (xriu. 17— xx. 19), which the editor of
Isaiah has incorporated, may be derived from a biography of Isaiah.
The unity of the narrative contained in these cc. is open to grave suspicion
since it relates two demands from Sennacherib for the surrender of Jerusalem
difiFering in circumstances and sequel but couched in similar language (cf
xxxvi. 15 with xxxrii. 10, xxxvi. 18, 19 with xxxrii. 12, 13, xxxrii. 7 with
xxxvu. 34, xxxrii. I vrith xxxrii. 14, xxxvU. 4 with xxxvu. 17). The first
demand is made through the Rabshakeh with a strong force; thereupon
Hezekiah goes to the Temple, and by his servants intreats Isaiah to pray to
the Lord, and Isaiah predicts that Sennacherib wiU return to Nineveh in
consequence of a rumour and there perish by assassination (xxxri. 2 — xxxvii. 7).
The second is made through a letter, Hezekiah goes to the Temple with the
letter and himself prays to the Lord, and Isaiah, without being appealed to,
sends to him a prediction that Sennacherib wiU retum home unsuccessful
(xxxvii. 9— 21 (22—32), 33—35). It seems rather unlikely that a demand which
failed when supported by an army should be renewed by a letter merely (in
which no reference is made to any prior demand), and the prediction in
xxxrii. 33 seems inconsistent with an investment of Jerusalem by a hostile
force a short time preriously. Hence many critics hold that the narrative
consists of two paraUel, but in details divergent, accounts of a single
summons for the surrender of the city in 701, riz. (a) xxxri. 2 — xxxrii. 7 (8),
and (6) xxxrii. (8) 9 — 35, and that xxxrii. 37, 38 forms the conclusion of the first
(cf xxxvii 7), whilst xxxrii. 36 is the conclusion of the second. On the other
hand the Assyrian inscriptions furnish eridence that Sennacherib really made
two (or more) expeditions in the direction of Palestine \ the second taking
place about 690 ; and it is to this later occasion that the second of the two
narratives is thought by some scholars (e.g. Winckler) to have originally
referred. On this hypothesis the events of 701 and 691 have been confused
by the writer of 2 Kings, and the records of them combined into one. But
the correspondence in language between the two accounts is against this
riew, and favours the inference that they represent variant traditions of one
and the same episode.
XXXVI. 1 ^Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year
of king Hezekiah, that ^Sennacherib king of Assyria came up
1 See 2 Kings xviii. 13, 17, &o. ^ Heb. Sanherib.
XXXVI. 1. in the fourteenth year. Sennacherib's invasion
took place in 701, which was probably Hezekiah's twenty-seventh year
(see p. xli). The figure here given seems to be an erroneous inference
from xxxviii. 5 (see note) and 2 Kgs. xviii. 2.
Sennacherib. The son and successor of Sargon, the conqueror of
Samaria : his reign lasted from 705 to 681. His invasion of Judah
was an episode in an expedition against the coUective Palestinian
states and Egypt (see p. xxvi).
1 See G. A. Smith, Jerusalem, n. pp. 171—172.
W. I. 15

226 THB BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvi. i
against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 2 And
the king of Assyria sent ^Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem
unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the
conduit of the upper pool in the high way of the fuller's field.
> The title of au Assyrian oflScer.
all the fenced cities. See p. xxvu. The word all is not to be pressed ;
see xxxvii. 8.
After this v. it is related in 2 Kgs. xvui. 14—16 that Hezekiah, in
consequence of Sennacherib's capture of the Judsean fortresses, sub
mitted to the invader and offered to pay such additional tribute as
might be imposed upon him; and the statement is confirmed (with
some difi'erence of detail) by the inscriptions (Int. p. xxvii) : cf also
xxxiii. 7. The source of the statement seems to be difi'erent from
that whence the rest of the narrative is derived, for in it Hezekiah's
name (in Heb.) is spelt otherwise than in vv. 4, 7, etc (=2 Kgs. xviii.
19, 22, etc). The passage was perhaps omitted by the editor of Isaiah
because Hezekiah's payment of tribute might seem to impair the com
pleteness of the deliverance which (in accord with Isaiah's prediction)
the king experienced.
2 — 22. A demand from Sennacherib, through an ofiicer accompanied
by an army, for the surrender of Jerusalem.
This section, together with xxxvii. 1 — 7 and xxxvii. 37, 38, consti
tutes the first of the two parallel narratives. It is more faithful to
historical truth than the second, in so far as it implies that Jerusalem
was actuaUy invested though not taken, for according to Sennacherib's
own account he "shut up Hezekiah like a bird in a cage in the midst of
Jerusalem" (p. xxvii). But if xxxvii. 37, 38 is rightly held to be a part
of it, the implication that Sennacherib was assassinated shortly after his
return to Nineveh is erroneous.
2. Eahshakeh. Better, the Eabshakeh, a title which in Assyrian
is said to mean "chief ofiicer." In 2 Kgs. xviii. 17 it is stated that he
was accompanied by two other of&cers the Tartan (see xx. 1) and the
Bab-saris (cf Jer. xxxix. 3), and their presence seems to be implied in
xxxvii. 6. The demand for the surrender of Jerusalem, of which they
were the bearers, is not related in the inscriptions.
Lachish. The mod. Tell-el-Hesy in the Shephelah, 33 m. S.W. of
Jerusalem, and 16 m. E. of (jraza. According to Josh. xv. 39 it was
included in Judah (cf 2 Ch. xi. 9). Recent excavations have shewn
that it has been the site of some eight or nine successive cities, the
earliest of which dates from about 1700 B.C. (see Driver, Modern
Eesearch, etc., p. 41)'. Sennacherib's siege of it is not mentioned in
his inscriptions, but a bas-relief found at Kouyunjik, and now in the
British Museum, represents the Assyrian king receiving the spoils of
the place.
the conduit, etc. See on vii. 3.
' Driver refers to Bliss, A Mound of Many Cities.

XXXVI. 3-7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 227
3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which
was over the household, and Shebna the ^ scribe, and Joah the
son of Asaph the ^recorder. 4 And Rabshakeh said unto them,
Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of
Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 5 I
say, thy counsel and strength for the war are but vain words :
now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against
me? 6 Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed,
even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his
hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to aU that
trust on him. 7 But tf thou say unto me. We trust in the Lord
1 Or, secretary ^ Or, chronicler
3. the scribe. Better, the secretary, the official who had charge of
the state registers and records, and perhaps the king's correspondence.
the recorder. Better, the remembrancer (cf Ixii. 6), an official whose
duty it was to bring before the king matters of state requiring his
consideration, and who was perhaps equivalent to a modern chancellor.
4. And Eabshakeh said. The speech that follows implies that a
previous demand for the capitulation of the city had been refused; and
asserts that neither Hezekiah's own resources (v. 8), nor his expectations
of foreign aid (v. 6), nor his hopes of Divine help (vv. 7, 10) could
justify further resistance.
5. / say. Better (with 2 Kgs. xviii. 20), Thou sayest (i.e. deemest,
cf. Gen. XX. 11) that a (mere) word of the lips (i.e. some promise of
aid) is counsel and strength (xi. '2) for war.
6. this bruised reed. Cf. Ezek. xxix. 6, 7. This estimate of Egypt
agrees with Isaiah's (xx. 6, xxx. 3 — 7, xxxi. 1 — 3).
7. if thou say. Better (with LXX. and 2 Kgs. xviii. 22), i/?/^ say
(a change which suits better the plur. we trust, etc.). This v. (in
which Hezekiah is referred to in the 3rd pers.) interrupts the address
to the king (vv. 5, 6, 8), and its allusion to a matter of religious
administration seems a little out of place in a calculation of military
resources ; so that it is regarded by Cheyne and others as an interpola
tion. (The order of the words Judah and Jerusahm agrees with that
in the editorial headings i. 1, ii. 1.) It is impUed, both here and in
2 Kgs. xviu. 4 (cf also 2 Ch. xxix. — xxxi.^), that by 701 Hezekiah had
anticipated the action of Josiah (2 Kgs. xxiii. 4 — 20) in centralizing
the national worship of the Lord (cf Deut. xu. 5) and restricting it to
Jerusalem (cf 2 Kgs. xxi. 3); but the credibility of the statement has
been questioned (see "Wellhausen, Prohg. pp. 46, 47). If such a
reform had been initiated by Hezekiah, it could scarcely have failed
to be included among those advocated by Isaiah; but Isaiah seems to
' By the Chronicler it aeems to be implied that Hezekiah's alleged reforms were
begun at the outset of his reign.
15—2

228 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvi. s-u
our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars
Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to
Jerusalem, Ye shaU worship before this altar? 8 Now there
fore, I pray thee, ^give pledges to my master the king of Assyria,
and I wiU give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy
part to set riders upon them. 9 How then canst thou tum away
the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and
put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 And
am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy
it? The Lord said unto me. Go up against this land, and destroy
it. 11 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh,
Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the ^Syrian language ;
1 Or, make a wager with ^ Heb. Aramean.
have sought the abolition of idolatry and necromancy merely (i. 29 — 31,
ii. 8, viii. 19, xvii. 8, xxviii. 15, 18, xxx. 22, xxxi. 7), and not of the
provincial sanctuaries as such. Of the measures ascribed in 2 Kgs.
xviii. 4 to Hezekiah the destruction of the pillars, the Asherim, and
the brazen serpent are more in accordance with the tenor of con
temporary prophetic teaching. At any rate, if the removal of the
high places was really undertaken at this time, it cannot have been
very complete, since those which were built by Solomon for his foreign
wives in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem survived until the time of
Josiah (see 2 Kgs. xxiii. 13).
8. give pledges, ^ett&r, exchange pledges, i.e. make a, viaigev(ci.nig.).
the king of Assyria. Better, the king, the next word being (m Heb.)
an ungrammatical addition (and so in v. 16).
horses. The Judaeans, even before the war, looked to Egypt for
supplies of horses (xxxi. 1 — 3), and in the course of it must have lost
many of those they had (horses being mentioned among Sennacherib's
captures). 9. captain. The word (literally, governor of a province) is irregular
in form, and best omitted.
10. this land. Better (with 2 Kgs. xviii. 25), this place, i.e.
Jerusalem with its temple (thus avoiding a duplication of the next
clause). The assertion is not impossible for an Assjrrian to have made,
since the successful invasion of a country was generaUy deemed to be
a token that the national god was angry with his land (cf the language
of Mesha in the Moabite inscription, /. 5) ; but the historian may
have had in his mind Isaiah's statements in x. 5. The argument that
the Lord will not defend Jerusalem is replaced in v. 20 by the conten
tion that He cannot.
11. the Syrian language, i.e. Aramaic, which, as a medium of
international intercourse (cf Ezra iv. 7), was understood by the state
officials.

XXXVI. „-,8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 229
for we understand it : and speak not to us in the Jews' language,
in the ears of the people that are on the wall. 12 But Rab
shakeh said. Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee,
to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit
upon the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own
water with you? 13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a
loud voice in the Jews' language, and said. Hear ye the words of
the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 Thus saith the king,
Let not Hezekiah deceive you ; for he shall not be able to deliver
you : 15 neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying,
The Lord wiU surely deUver us ; this city shaU not be given into
the hand of the king of Assyria. 16 Hearken not to Hezekiah :
for thus saith the king of Assyria, ^Make your peace with me,
and come out to me ; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every
one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own
cistern: 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your
own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vine
yards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying. The
Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations
deUvered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
' Heb. Make with me a blessing.
the Jews' language. In consequence of Assyria's relations with
Palestine her officers were naturaUy acquainted with the Hebrew
tongue (for the term here used cf Neh. xiii. 24). The Jewish
officials feared that further representations like those in lyv. 6 — 10, if
couched in Hebrew, would increase the dismay of their countrymen
(cf 2 Ch. xxxii. 18) and induce disaff'ection towards Hezekiah.
12. to thee. i.e. Eliakim, the chief of the Jewish representatives.
to eat. i.e. who will be reduced by the privations of a siege to eat
(2 Ch. xxxii. II).
with you. i.e. you who support a policy of resistance.
16. Make your peace, etc. LiteraUy, Make a blesdng vnth me
(exchange friendly greetings) and come out to me, i.e. surrender
(I Sam. xi. 3) cheerfully.
17. until I come. i.e. after bringing to a close the expedition
against Egypt.
take you away. For the Assyrian practice of deportation (designed
to secure the tranquiUity of conquered territories) cf 2 Kgs. xv. 29,
xvi. 9, xvii. 6, 24.
18—20. These vv., which in spirit are inconsistent with v. 10,
are considered by Cheyne and others to be interpolated (under the
influence of x. 9 — 11) ; but they are referred to in xxxvii. 4.

230 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvi. 19-xxxviL +
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad ? where are the
gods of Sepharvaim? and have they deUvered Samaria out of
my hand? 20 Who are they among all the gods of these
countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand,
that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 21 But
they held their peace, and answered him not a word : for the
king's commandment was, saying. Answer him not. 22 Then
came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household,
and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder,
to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of
Rabshakeh. XXXVII. 1 ^And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah
heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with
sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent
Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe,
and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah
the prophet the son of Amoz. 3 And they said unto him, Thus
saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and
of contumely : for the children are come to the birth, and there
is not strength to bring forth. 4 It may be the Lord thy God
wiU hear the words of Rabshakeh, ^whom the king of Assyria
his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and wiU rebuke
' See 2 Kings xix. ^ Qj,^ wherewith the king of Assyria... hath sent him
19. Sepharvaim. Identified variously with Sippar in Babylonia
on the left bank of the Euphrates, and Sibraim in Syria between
Hamath and Damascus (see Ezek. xlvii. 16).
have they delivered Samaria. Before this clause the sense requires
the insertion (with 2 Kgs. xviii. 34, LXX. Luc.) of and where are the
gods of the land of Samaria ?
21. they held, etc. 2 Kgs. xviii. 36 has the peoph held their peace.
the king's commandment, etc. Hezekiah did not wish his own
decision forestalled either by his ministers or by the clamours of the
populace. XXXVII. 1 — 7. Hezekiah's appeal to Isaiah to pray to the
Lord for deUverance and the Lord's answer through the prophet.
3. rebuke. Or punishment ; cf the use of the verb in Ps. vi. I,
xxxviii. I.
contumely. Better, rejection. The word is an acknowledgment
that the nation's extremity was caused by the Lord, Who had cast it
off for its sins : cf the verb in Deut. xxxu. 19, Jer. xiv. 21.
for the children, etc. For the metaphor, describing a critical
position, cf Hos. xiii. 13.

XXXVII. s-8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 231
the words which the Lord thy God hath heard : wherefore Uft
up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. 5 So the servants
of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said unto them,
Thus shaU ye say to your master. Thus saith the Lord, Be not
afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants
of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Behold, I will
put a spirit in him, and he shaU hear a rumour, and shaU return
unto his own land ; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in
his own land.
8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria
4. the living God. The Lord is so termed in contrast to idol gods
(styled the dead in Ps. cvi. 28).
the remnant. Cf. xxxvii. 32. Numbers of the people had perished
or been captured in the course of the war (Int. p. xxvii).
5. So the servants, etc. Better, And when the servants- ..Isaiah,
6 Isaiah said, etc.
7. a spirit, i.e. of alarm, the Lord being regarded as the inspirer
of aU emotions or impulses beyond the ordinary (see xix. 14, xxix. 10,
xxviii. 6, 1 Sam. xvi. 14, 1 Kgs. xxii. 23). Cf. the ascription by the
Greeks of extreme fear to Pan.
a rumour. If cc. xxxvi., xxxvii. are a unity, this must refer to the
news of the approach of Tirhakah (v. 9). But a serious objection to
regarding xxxvii. 1 — 7 and xxxvii. 8 — 36 as continuous is the absence
from Isaiah's response here of any reference to the repulse of Sen
nacherib which is implied in the later part of the c (see vv. 29 and
36) ; and if vv. 1 — 7 here are independent of vv. 8 — 36 the rummwr
probably relates to tidings from home of a rebellion in Babylon, where,
after expeUing Merodach-baladan in 703, he had set up a vassal king
caUed Bel-ibni, who shortly afterwards revolted, and against whom he
directed a campaign in 700 (cf G. A. Smith, Jerusalem, n. 154, 161,
Eogers, HBA. ii. p. 205). In the combination of the narratives
mention of the fulfilment of the prediction about the rumour may have
been lost ; but the retum of Sennacherib to his own land is described
in w. 37, 38 which form the sequel of this account.
8 — 36. A demand from Sennacherib by letter for the surrender of
Jerusalem, a prayer of Hezekiah for deliverance, and a response from
the Lord through Isaiah.
This seems to be a second account of the incidents recorded in
xxxvi. 2 — xxxvii. 7. It differs from the first in representing the
summons for the capital's surrender as sent from Libnah (not Lachish)
by letter (not through Eabshakeh with an army) ; and in thus imply
ing that the Assyrians did not approach the city in force (cf m. 33, 34)
is less plausible than the parallel narrative (see also on w. 9, 36).
8. So Eabshakeh, etc This v. appears to be an editorial link to
connect the two accounts.

232 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvii. 9-13
warring against Libnah : for he had heard that he was departed
from Lachish. 9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king
of Ethiopia, He is come out to fight against thee. And when he
heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 Thus shaU
ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying. Let not thy God in
whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be
given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, thou
hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to aU lands, by
^destroying them utterly : and shalt thou be delivered? 12 Have
the gods of the nations deUvered them, which my fathers have
destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of
Eden which were in Telassar ? 13 Where is the king of Hamath,
1 Heb. devoting them.
Libnah. A city in the Shephelah (Josh. xv. 42) ; its site is not
known with certainty, but is supposed to be near the mod. Bdt Jibrin.
If so, it lay between Ekron and Jerusalem, and would naturaUy be
besieged before Lachish.
9. And he heard. The pronoun refers to Sennacherib, not (as the
connection in which the v. now stands suggests) to Eabshakeh.
Tirhakah. An Ethiopian who became sovereign of all Egypt in 69 1\
The writer of this narrative, if it relates to the year 701, has mistaken
the name of the Egyptian king, who in 701 was Shabaka".
he sent messengers. The LXX. impUes the reading he sent messengers
again (ci. 2 Kgs. xix. 9); but this is probably a harmonizing correction.
10. Thus shall ye speak. ..saying. Inasmuch as ¦». 14 implies that
the Assyrians' demand was conveyed by letter, this direction to the
bearers of it (which is omitted in 2 Kgs. xix. 10, LXX.) to carry an
oral message seems superfluous and is perhaps an interpolation.
11. by destroying. Literally, by devoting (see on xxxiv. 2).
12. fathers. Probably equivalent to "predecessors": Sennacherib
inherited the throne from his father Sargon, but the latter was a
usurper. Gozan. A district near the Habor (Chaboras), to which a part of
the population of the Ephraimite kingdom was transported (2 Kgs.
xvii. 6, xviii. II).
Haran. Better, Harran, a city in N.W. Mesopotamia on the BaUkh
(or Baliar), the Latin Garrhae.
Eezeph. A place between Palmyra and Thapsacus (on the Euphrates),
the name remaining in the mod. Busdfa.
Eden. A district between the Euphrates and Balikh, called in the
inscriptions Bit-Adini.
' According to Breasted, 688.
'^ Possibly identical with the So (otherwise vocalized as Seve) mentioned in
2 Ebb. xrii. 4.

XXXVII. i4-^o] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 233
and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim,
of Hena, and ^Ivvah? 14 And Hezekiah received the letter
from the hand of the messengers, and read it : and Hezekiah
went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the
Lord. 16 And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, 16 0
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, that ^sittest upon the cherubim,
thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the
earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 17 Incline thine ear,
O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see : and hear
aU the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the
Uving God. 18 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid
waste aU the countries, and their land, 19 and have cast their
gods into the fire : for they were no gods, but the work of men's
hands, wood and stone ; therefore they have destroyed them.
20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that
aU the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord,
even thou only.
1 In 2 Kings xvii. 24, Avva. ^ Or, dwellest between
Telassar. A tovm (perhaps deriving its name from the god Asshur,
Asshur s momnd) which has not yet been identified.
13. Hema...Iwah. The first of these towns is not elsewhere
mentioned, the second is probably the same as Awa (named in
2 Kgs. xvii. 24): they were both presumably in Syria.
14. spread it. Perhaps in order that the Lord might be the more
induced to resent the impiety to which it gave expression. Cf I Mace
in. 48. 16. that sittest upon, etc. The Lord was believed to be locaUy
present (in the Shechinah) above the Ark, which was placed in the
innermost chamber of the Temple.
the cherubim. These, which were attached to the mercy seat, a
slab of gold covering the ark (Ex. xxv. 18 — 22), were probably com
posite figures, perhaps with the body of an ox or lion, the wings of an
eagle, and the face of a man. Their original significance is conjectural.
It is possible that they personified the vrind (cf Ps. xviii. K)), similar
figures being shevm on Assyrian monuments in the act of fertilizing the
date palm by conveying pollen to the female flowers ; but they also
represented guardian powers of sacred places (see Gen. iii. 24 ; cf Ezek.
xxviii. 16). In the Temple they appear to have symbolized the Lord's
chariot (see 1 Ch. xxviii. 18, Ezek. i., x., and cf Ps. xviii. 10).
18. have laid waste, etc The text, which literaUy is all the lands
and their land, is obviously in error, and should be emended (from
«. 11 and 2 Kgs. xix. 17) to have destroyed (strictly devoted) all the
nations and their lands.
20. that thou art the Lord. Better (after 2 Kgs. xix. 19), that

234 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvii. 2. -h
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying,
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast
prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the
word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him : The virgin
daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn ;
the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head ^at thee.
23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against
whom hast thou exalted thy voice and Ufted up thine eyes on
high ? even against the Holy One of IsraeL 24 By thy servants
hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude
of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to
the innermost parts of Lebanon ; and I wiU cut down the tall
cedars thereof, and the choice ^fir trees thereof: and I wiU
enter into his farthest height, the forest of his fruitful field.
' Heb. after. " Or, cypress
thou, 0 Lord, art alone God. The conflicts of Semitic nations were
generaUy thought of as involving conflicts between their gods Ukevrise
(cf Ex. XV. 11); but the writer of the present passage had attained to
a developed monotheistic faith (cf xliii. 10, xliv. 6, Deut. xxxu. 39).
21. Whereas, etc. The text in its present context has to be
emended (after the LXX. and 2 Kgs. xix. 20) to That which thou hast
prayed.,, I have heard (inserting 'PI'D^). But originaUy it most likely
in its existing form preceded v, 33 (see note).
22 — 36. This section contains two oracles, viz. (as) 22 — 32, and
(h) 33 — 35, which duplicate one another (cf v. 29 with v, 34). The
second probably linked on originally to v. 21 (see note on v, 33). The
first, which consists of a taunt-song, hurUng defiance at the Assyrian
king (vv. 22'' — 29), followed by an address to Hezekiah and his people,
displays much of Isaiah's vigour and something of his diction, though
the latter is combined with some non-Isaianic phrases (especiaUy in
V. 25, cf xix. 6) : in its present position it appears to be an insertion.
22. hath shaken, etc. Literally, hath shaken her head after thee, a
gesture of contempt (Ps. xxii. 7, cix. 25, Jer. xviii. 16, Lam. ii. 15,
Bcclus. xiii. 7, Matt, xxvii. 39) at the baffled and retreating foe.
23. Whom hast thou., etc. Better (in accord with the Heb. accents),
Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed, and against wlwm hast thou
exalted thy vmce ? that thou hast lifted up thine eyes on high against the
Holy One of Israel.
24. Lebanon. The name is merely representative of high moun
tains, which had proved no obstacle to the progress of his arms.
/ will cut down, etc Better (pointing diff'erently, with the LXX.),
/ have cut down. . .1 have entered.
his farthest height. 2 Kgs. xix. 23 has his (or its) farthest hdging
place (or camping-ground), reading li?P for DiiP (which occurs earher).

xxxvii. .5-»8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 235
25 I have digged and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet
wiU I dry up aU the rivers of ^Egypt. 26 Hast thou not heard
how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times ?
now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay
waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps. 27 Therefore their
inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and
confounded ; they were as the grass of the field, and as the
green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as ^a field of
corn before it be grown up. 28 But I know thy sitting down,
and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against
' Or, defence Heb. Mazor. See ch. xix. 6. ^ In 2 Kings xix. 26, corn blasted.
the forest of, , .field. Better, his forest-like (i.e. dense) plantations (of
cedar and other valuable trees) : for the form of the expression cf Gen.
xvi. 12, Heb.
25. drunk water. Better (as in 2 Kgs. xix. 24), drunk strange
waters (inserting 2'"!t). The expression implies the conquest of foreign
lands (contrast Prov. v. 15).
will I dry up, etc. Better (with the LXX.), / have dried up
(pointing 3nn.Nj) all the rivers of Egypt. The mouths of the NUe
formed one of Egypt's chief means of defence (cf Nah. iii. 8), but these
(it is impUed) had been no barrier against the Assyrian king. For the
hyperbole cf. Judith xvi. 4, Hdt. vn. 21 (of Xerxes), koiov Se ¦Trivo'/xevoV
fuv v8ii)p OVK cireXtTre, 7r\^v t<Sv /tcyaXcov ¦TroTa/.wov ; Claudian, de Bell. Get.
527 (of Alaric), subddere nostris sub pedibus montes, arescere vidimus
amnes. In the Ups of Sennacherib the claim to have subdued Egypt is
an idle boast. His successor Esar-haddon was the first Assyrian king
to invade it successfuUy.
26. Hast thou not, etc. The Lord's reply to the Assyrians : what
ever the latter had achieved had been subservient to tbe Lord's own
purpose; see x. 5 f, and cf xxii. 11.
that thou shouldest be. Better (by a sUght correction), that thou hast
been (*nj;il for 'nril).
27. as the grass of the field, i.e. short-lived and transient : ci.
xl. 6, Ps. xxxvu. 2, xc. 5, 6, ciii. 15, 16, cxxix. 6.
and as a field. . .grown up. The text is defective, and the concluding
words belong to the next v. (see note). A plausible correction (proposed
by Marti) is (as the grass on the house-tops) blasted by the east wind
(Dni'7 fj-nf (cf. 2 Kgs. xix. 26 n^W'^) for nDl^y-l ; cf Ps. cxxix 6).
28. JBut I know, etc. Better (transferring hither, and emending,
the final words of v. 27), Before me are thy rising up, and thy sitting
down, and I know thy going out and thy coming \in (reading IPi? 'J??
for HDi? \3?i?), i.e. all thy proceedings ; cf Deut. xxviu. 6, Ps. cxxi. 8,
cxxxix. 2.
and thy raging against me. These words are probably an accidental
dupUcation of the beginning of v. 29.

236 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvii. ^9-33
me. 29 Because of thy raging against me, and for that ^thine
arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my
hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy Ups, and I will turn thee
back by the way by which thou eamest. 30 And this shall be
the sign unto thee : ye shaU eat this year that which groweth of
itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same ;
and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and
eat the fruit thereof 31 And ^the remnant that is escaped of
the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear
fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shaU go forth a remnant,
and out of mount Zion they that shall escape : the zeal of the
Lord of hosts shall perform this. 33 Therefore thus saith the
Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shaU not come unto
this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before
' Or, thy careless ease " Heb. the escaped of the house of Judah that remain.
29. arrogancy. The original (P^B*) means at ease (ci. mg.), and
should be corrected to uproar (P^B', xxiv. 8, xxv. 5).
^dll I put my hook, etc. i.e. the Assjrrian wiU be treated like a
brute beast that is led by bridle and nose-ring: cf xxx. 28, Ezek. xix.
4, xxix. 4, xxxviii. 4.
30. And this shall be the sign, etc. The occurrences described are
not thought of as a pledge of the retreat of the Assyrians (since they
are in the main subsequent to it), but as events which, by happening
just as predicted, are calculated to deepen the people's beUef in the
Lord's prescience, already created by the deliverance experienced (ct
Ex. iii. 12), and to strengthen their faith in His promise of security for
the future (yv. 31, 32).
that which groweth, etc. Though Sennacherib's campaign occupied
only a single year, it presumably prevented both the sowing of the corn
in the spring of that year and the preparation of the soil in the autumn,
vrithout which the next year's crop would be a failure. Only in the
third year (reckoned inclusively) would the regular succession of
agricultural operations be renewed.
31. shall again take root, etc. i.e. the nation is destined to revive
like a plant that has been cut down; cf xxvii. 6, Hos. xiv. 5 — 7.
32. shall goforth a remnant, i.e. the population hitherto cooped
up in the city will once more be free to occupy the country. The
thought of the survival of a remnant is one common in Isaiah (see
vii. 3, and cf iv. 3), but the word here used (which occurs in xiv. 30)
is not the same as that in the passage just cited. The expression they
that escape is found in iv. 2, x. 20.
33 — 36. This section, which contains an oracle given in response
to Hezekiah's prayer (w. 15 — 20), is probably the sequel of the

XXXVII. 34-36] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 237
it with shield, nor cast a mount against it. 34 By the way that
he came, by the same shall he return, and he shaU not come
unto this city, saith the Lord. 35 For I wiU defend this city to
save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
36 And the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the
(second) narrative in xxxvii. 9—21, for it presupposes, like the latter,
that no Assyrian army was at the time encamped before Jerusalem, and
the Lord's motive in v. 35 corresponds to the consideration to which
Hezekiah appeals in v. 20. If it was originally attached to v. 21, the
two w. perhaps dovetailed thus: Because (1 Sam. xv. 15, xx. 42, Heb.)
thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, therefore thus
saith the Lord, etc. Both the contents (see on p. 231) and the phrase
ology of the oracle (see below) attest that it is not in its existing form
contemporary with the circumstances to which it relates (contrast v. 33
with xxu. 5, xxix. 3).
34. This v., which agrees better with the first narrative (see
xxxvu. 7) than with the second, is supposed by Cheyne to be an insertion
(based on v. 29) to Unk together the two narratives.
35. for mine own sake. The phrase (with its equivalent for my
name's sake) is characteristic of the post-Isaianic prophets Deutero-
Isaiah (cf xliii. 25, xlviii. 9, 11), Jeremiah (xiv. 7, 21), and Ezekiel
(xx. 14, xxxvi. 22).
for... David's sake. i.e. in fulfilment of the promise recorded in
2 Sam. vii. 16; cf 1 Kgs. xi. 13, 34, xv. 4, 2 Kgs. viu. 19.
36. And the angel, etc. The cause of the destruction of the
Assyrian host (which is perhaps thought to have been at Libnah
xxxvii. 8) was probably a pestUence (cf the representation in Ex. xii.
23, 29, 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, 16, Ps. Ixxviu. 49, 50) infecting the low-lying
N.E. frontier of Egypt (cf Am. iv. 10, Jos. Ant. x. i. 5). By Herodotus
(ii. 141) it is related that the Assyrians, whilst invading Egypt, sustained
a great disaster near Pelusium, a multitude of field-mice devouring
their bow-strings, their leathern quivers, and the thongs of their shields,
and thereby leaving them defenceless ; and as a mouse was possibly a
symbol of plague or pestilence' (cf 1 Sam. vi. 4, and the epithet
Sfuvfle-us^ (from the Cretan and ^olic a-pLivdos, mouse) given to Apollo,
the author of the pestilence in Hom. P. i. 43 f ), both the Greek
and Hebrew accounts may preserve traditions of the same calamity.
' Such symbolism has been curiously justified by the modern discovery that
mice and rats are agents in the propagation of plague. But it is far from certain
that the golden mice in 1 Sam. vi. 4 were emblems of the disease from which the
PhiUstines suffered: the LXX. implies that they had relation to a plague of field-
mice. ^ The true significance of the title Sp.ivOeiis is doubtful. Marti compares the
epithets \vkokt6vos and aavpoKrbvoi likewise applied to Apollo, and suggests that
ApoUo was entitled Xp-wBeis because he drove away mice from cornfields : whilst
some scholars have held that he was a god of totemistio origin (cf. Farnell, Cults of
the Greek States, iv. pp. 130, 256).

238 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvii. 37, 38
camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand :
and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were aU
dead corpses. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and
went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 38 And it came to
pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that
Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword :
and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon
his son reigned in his stead.
Whether, indeed, Sennacherib reaUy retired from Jerusalem in con
sequence of some such disaster to his troops as Isaiah expected (x. 33, 34,
xiv. 25, xxix. 7, 8, xxx. 27 — 33, xxxi. 8) or for a difi'erent reason (as
xxxvii. 7 represents) is doubtful; but that the threatened city reaUy
experienced the deliverance which Isaiah predicted is certain.
a hundred and fourscore, etc The enormous number of those
related to have perished, and their annihilation in a single night (see
2 Kgs. xix. 35), must be imaginative details to enhance the marvel
37 — 38. These w. are probably the conclusion of the first narrative
xxxvi. 2 — xxxvii. 8 (cf v. 7).
37. dmelt at Nineveh. The words are meant to imply that Judah
was henceforth left undisturbed by him.
38. And it came to pass, etc. The death of Sennacherib is
probably regarded by the writer as following closely upon his return ;
but in point of fact his life did not end till 681 (20 years later).
Nisroch. This name does not occur elsewhere, and has been con
jectured to be a corruption of Nusku (a solar god), Merodach, or Asshur
(ci. LXX. A. 'Aarapd)().
Adrammehch. . .Sharezer. The murder of Sennacherib in an insur
rection is recorded on the monuments, but is represented as perpetiated
by his son (not sons). Tbe murderer, according to the historian
Abydenus, was Adrammelech. The name Sharezer, though occurring
in Zech. vii. 2, is possibly abbreviated, since it is a common element in
several appellations, e.g. Bel-sharezer (Belshazzar), Neho-sharezer,
Nergal-sharezer (cf Jer. xxxix. 13)'.
Ararat, i.e. Armenia. The escape of the murderer or murderers
to Armenia (cf Tob. i. 21) is not mentioned outside the O.T. By
Abydenus Adrammelech is stated to have been killed by Esar-haddon,
who, at the time of his father's death, was himself in Armenia.
Esar-haddon. The Sarchedonus of Tob. i. 21. His reign lasted
from 681 to 668.

^ Cf. Ahaz for Jehoahaz (as that king's name appears in the inscriptions,
Schrader, GOT. i. p. 249).

XXXVIII. 1-3] ; THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 239

Chapter XXXVIII.
This c. consists ;of two parts, (1) a narrative of Hezekiah's illness and its
cure (m. 1—8, 21, ,22), (2) a song of thanksgiring for his recovery (vv. 9—20).
The narrative is taken from 2 Kgs. xx. 1—11, where the account of the
king's recovery (vk I — 7) precedes that of the sign requested and given as a
pledge of it (w. 8 — II) ; and the unnaturalness of this makes it probable that
vv. 8 — 11 there are a later addition to the original version. In Isaiah this
awkwardness is obviated by the omission of vv. 7, 8 ( = Is. w. 21, 22), which
were afterwards supplied and inserted in their present unsuitable position.
Certain features in the narrative suggest that it was originally connected with
the accoimt contained in xxxvii. 9 — 36 (p. 225); cf. xxxviii. 2 with xxxvii. 15,
xxxviii. 7 with xxxrii. 30, xxxriii. 6 with xxxvii. 35.
The song, which does not occur in 2 Kings, seems to have been extracted
from a liturgical collection of Psalms (see v. 20). It is appropriate enough to
one suffering from a dangerous illness, and Hezekiah, to whom it is attributed,
is credited with an interest in literature and music (see Prov. xxv. 1, 2 Ch.
xxix. 30). But there is nothing in it specificaUy suggestive of a royal sufferer;
and as several of its figures of speech have parallels in Job (cf. ». 10 with
Job xxxviii. 17, v. 12 with Job rii. 6, vi. 9, v. 13 with Job x. 16), and part of its
vocabulary appears to be late, many critics conclude that it proceeds from
a more recent age than Hezekiah's, and Cheyne assigns it to the fourth century.
XXXVIII. 1 ^In those days was Hezekiah sick unto
death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him,
and said unto him. Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in
order ; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then Hezekiah turned
his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, 3 and said.
Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked
before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done
1 See 2 Kings xx. 1, &c.
XXXVIII. 1. In those days. As this narrative is at present
arranged these words imply that Hezekiah's illness occurred about the
time of Sennacherib's campaign in 701 ; but inasmuch as it preceded
the embassy from Babylon (c xxxix.), and this took place before 701
(see on xxxix. 1), the arrangement of cc. xxxviii., xxxix. after cc. xxxvi.,
xxxvii. is misleading.
2. turned... wall. The posture indicated a wish to be alone (cf
1 Kgs. xxi. 4), in consequence of which Isaiah left the king (see on
V. 4). 3. how I ha/ve walked.,, in truth, i.e. steadfastly: cf 1 Sam. xii.
24, 1 Kgs. ii. 4. Loyalty to the Lord was expected to be rewarded by
length of days (Deut. xxx. 16).
with a perfect heart, i.e. with undivided allegiance (cf 1 Kgs. xv
14, 2 Kgs. xviii. 5, 6 and contrast 1 Kgs. xi. 4, xv. 3).

240 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxviii. 4-8
that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, 5 Go, and
say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy
father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears : behold,
I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 6 And I v/'ill deUver thee
and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria : and I will
defend this city. 7 And this shall be the sign unto thee from
the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken :
8 behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone
down on the ^dial of Ahaz ^with the sun, to return backward ten
steps. So the sun returned ten steps *on the dial whereon it
was gone down.
^ Heb. steps. * Or, by ' Or, by which steps it die.
4. came... to Isaiah. The prophet, after leaving the king, had not
yet reached the middle court (i.e. the courtyard surrounding the palace,
2 Kgs. XX. 4 mg.), when he received the Divine communication.
5. fifteen years. On the editor's assumption that Hezekiah's Ulness
happened in 701, the deduction of the fifteen years of life here promised
to him from the 29 years of his reign (2 Kgs. xviii. 2) probably explains
the statement in xxxvi. 1 that Sennacherib's invasion occurred in
Hezekiah's 14th year.
6. And I will delimer, etc. This v. (=2 Kgs. xx. 6''), which
assumes that the king's sickness synchronized vrith Sennacherib's
attack on Jerusalem, is probably an insertion of the compUer of
Kings (cf xxxvii. 35, 2 Kgs. xix. 34). The sign of v. 7 relates only to
Hezekiah's recovery (v. 5), not to the deliverance of his capital.
7. the sign. According to the parallel account in 2 Kgs. xx. 8 —
II Hezekiah requested a sign as a pledge of the promised recovery, and
was given a choice of two, an accelerated advance of the sun's shadow
(2 Kgs. XX. 9 LXX.) or a return of it, and chose the latter.
8. the shadow on the steps, etc. Better (with the LXX.), the shadow
on the steps which the sun has gone down on the steps of Ahaz^. The
steps may have been those which led up to the entrance of the palace
(the LXX. inserts the ten steps of the house of thy father), or they may
have formed part of a structure specially designed to measure the time
(cf Vulg. lineae,,,in horologio Achaz), such as a stepped pedestal sur
mounted by a column. Ahaz may have learnt of the device when he
went to Daniascus to meet the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser (2 Kgs.
xvi. 10), and the Assyrians (or the Syrians) may have derived it from
the Babylonians who, according to Herodotus (11. 109), taught the
Greeks the division of the day into 12 parts, and the use of a concave
sundial on which a shadow was cast by a gnomon.
1 A more complete reconstruction of the text is Cheyne's, I will cause tlie shadow
to return backward the steps which the sun has gone down on the steps of Ahaz.

XXXVIII. 9-1 1] THE BOOK OF ISALA.H 241
9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been
sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
10 I said, In the ^noontide of my days I shall go into the gates
of ^the grave :
I am deprived of the residue of my years.
Ill said, I shaU not see "the Lord, even "the Lord in the land
of the living :
I shaU behold man no more *with the inhabitants of the
world.
1 Or, tranquillity = Heb. Sheol. s Heb. Jah.
* Or, when I am among them that have ceased to be
So the sun returned. The writer obviously has in mind an actual
retiogression ofthe sun in the heavens (cf Hom. //. n. 413, xvm. 239 f ).
The narrative has been thought to be a distorted account of some real
phenomenon connected vrith an eclipse or caused by refraction. Sir
C. Wren (who was Gresham Professor of Astronomy) suggesting that it
was caused by a parhelion, the sun being under the horizon or hidden
by a clouds But the late date of these cc. really renders such specula
tions superfluous ; the account may be merely a prosaic interpretation
of a metaphor (paraUel to " setting back the clock of life " or the like) :
cf the Uteral construction put on a poetic phrase in Josh. x. 12 — 14.
9. The writing. Some critics emend the text to a Michtam, a term
of unknown meaning, found in the titles of several psalms (Pss. xvi.
Ivi. — Ls.), and perhaps signifying a golden (i.e. choice) poem.
The poem that follows seems to consist of two parts — a prayer
during illness and a thanksgiving on recovery (see v. 19), the transition
probably occurring at «. 17 (and not, as usually thought, &tv. 15). But
Duhm considers it to be a prayer only, and changes the past tenses in
u 17 to imperatives.
10. I said. i.e. I thought; and so in -y. 11 (cf on xxxvi. 5).
In the noontide, etc. LiteraUy, In the pause (or quiet') of my days, i.e.
(if the metaphor be taken from the apparent stationarmess of the sun
at noon) in the prime of age (cf Vulg. in dimidio dierum mewum).
But some take it to mean, in the midst of a tranquil life (cf mg.).
I shall go, etc. Duhm and others render / must go away (i.e. die,
Ps. xxxix. 13): unthin the gates of Sheol (Ps. ix. 13, cvii. 18, Matt. xvi.
18, cf the Homeric rrvXai 'AtSao) I am consigned (Jer. xxxvii. 21) for
the reddme of my years.
11. see the LoBD. i.e. visit His sanctuary (cf i. 12 note). The
duplication of the Lord's name does not occur in the LXX.
with the... world. The rendering implies a tacit correction (sup
ported by some MSS.): the Heb. text has (when I am) with the
inhabitants of cessation, i.e. of Sheol, where aU activity ceases.
^ Wren's explanation was brought to my notice by Professor H. H. Turner, of
Oxford. The same suggestion was made by Spinoza (see Gesenius, Is. i. 987).
W.I. 16

242 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxvm. 12-14

12 Mine ^age is removed, and is carried away from me as a
shepherd's tent :
I have rolled up like a weaver my life ; he wiU cut me oflF
from the ^loom :
From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
13 "I quieted myself until morning ; as a Uon, so he breaketh
all my bones :
From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
14 Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter ;
I did mourn as a dove : mine eyes faU with looMng upward ;
0 Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.
^ Or, habitation ^ Heb. thrum.
" Or, I thought until moming. As a lion, so will he break c&c.
12. Mine age. Better, My abode (cf the cognate verb in Ps.
Ixxxiv. 10), i.e. the body as the habitation of the soul : cf 2 Cor. v. 4,
2 Pet. i. 13.
a shepherd's tent. A figure of transitoriness (since such a tent
might be pitched one day and struck the next).
/ have rolhd up. Better (with Duhm), He (the Lord) has rolled up
(ci. the next clause). For the metaphor, expressive of completion, cf
the Greek To\uirev*>, " to wind wool into a clew," as used in Hom. Od.
I. 238, hrii iroKipLOv To\v7rev(Te.
he unll,,, hom. Better, he cuts me off from the thrum.
Frqm day. . .end of me. Better, From day even to night (i.e. between
morn and eve, cf Job iv. 20) thou dost make an end of me, or (after the
LXX.) thou surrenderest me (to suffering).
13. / quieted myself i.e. sought to be resigned : cf Ps. cxxxi. 2.
But better (by a slight emendation), I cry out (with pain) until morning
(reading '"'^^W for 'O'F). The clause, which should be attached to the
end of V. 12, implies that the night, as weU as the day, is a time of
pain. From day. ..end of me. This clause has perhaps been accidentaUy
repeated from v. 12.
14. or a crane. The words are better omitted with the LXX. (as
having been introduced from Jer. viii. 7) : the crane's note, which is a
kind of trumpeting, is unsuitable as an iUustration of a sick man's
anguished cries.
chatter. Or, scream. The swallow is perhaps a swift.
as a dove. i.e. plaintively; cf Ux. II, Nah. u. 7, Ezek. vii. 16,
Theoc. vn. 141, i<rT(.v€ rpvy^v.
fail ...upward. Better, look languishingly upward.
my surety. The speaker, under the fear of death, compares himself
to a debtor in the hands of a creditor from whose power he desfres re
lease (cf. Ps. cxix. 122). The Lord, Who in w. 12, 13 is represented as
bringing death near, is here appealed to for aid against it : cf Job xix. 25.

XXXVIII. 1 5-17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 243
15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself
hath done it :
I shaU go ^softly all my years because of the bitterness of
my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men Uve,
And wholly therein is the life of my spirit :
"Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.
17 Behold, it was for my peace that I had great bitterness :
But ^thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit
of * corruption;
For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
' Or, as in solemn procession See Ps. xiii. 4.
* Or, So wilt thou recover me
' Heb. thou hast loved my soul from the pit.
* Or, nothingness
15. What shall I say, etc. Many critics assume that at this point
the sick man's iUness takes a turn, and he cannot find words to express
his gratitude both for the promise of recovery (cf v. 5) and the actual
change for the better. But the prayer for recovery seems to be renewed
in V. 16^ and the text should perhaps be emended (with Duhm) to What
shall I speak and say unto him (reading i7""iOKl. for 7"lD^1.)j seeing that it
is he that hath done it ? i.e. what avails an appeal to One who is Himself
the cause of my suffering 1
I shall go, etc. Better (if the ordinary view of the preceding clause
is correct), I shall go softly (i.e. tranquilly) all my years foUowing upon
for in spite of) the bitterness of my soul. But the verb elsewhere
(Ps. xiii. 4) means to go in procesdon (see mg.), and the text is perhaps
corrupt. Duhm renders / must toss to and fro all my sleeping hours
because of bitterness of soul, reading ^'T^^i (from "nJ) for '^l/i.^, and
connecting 'Di^^ with njB'.
16. by these things, i.e. by the Divine power and mercy (as
recently illustiated). But the E.V. rendering of the v. cannot be got
from the text as it stands, and the. passage seems to be incurably
corrupt. 17. that / had great bitterness. Or, that bitterness was hitter to me
(cf Vulg. amaritvdo mea amarissima). For the sentiment cf Job v.
17. It is probably here that the sick man's recovery is assumed to
have taken place.
hast in love, etc Better (after the LXX. and Vulg.), hast withheld
my soul from the pit of annihilation (reading ^3^0 for J?!??*?) : cf Job
xxxiii. 18.
For thou hast cast, etc. Since suffering was regarded as retribu
tion for sin, the relief implied forgiveness (cf xxxiii. 24, Matt. ix. 2).
With the figure employed contrast the converse in Ps. xc. 8, Hos. vii. 2.
16—2

244 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxYiii. i8-^i
18 For ^the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate
thee:
They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19 The Uving, the living, he shaU praise thee, as I do this day:
The father to the children shaU make known thy truth.
20 The Lord is ready to save me :
Therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments
AU the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
21 ^Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and
lay it for a plaister upon the boU, and he shaU recover.
1 Heb. Sheol. ^ See 2 Kings xx. 7, 8.
18. the grave. Better, Sheol. In the Underworld the relations of
man with God, constituting the religious Ufe, were believed to be
permanently interrupted (cf Ps. vi. 5, xxx. 9, Ixxxviii. 5, 10, 11,
cxv. 17).
thy truth. Better (after the LXX.), thy mercy (or, thy loving kind
ness), reading ^'^.PO for ^iJOS : cf Ps. Ixxxviii. II.
19. The father, i.e. Hezekiah himself (if he is the author of the
poem) who is now restored to health : cf Ps. Ixxviii. 4.
20. to save me. Better (after the Syr.), to save us.
we will sing, etc. Better (after the Vulg.), we unll play our stringed
mudc ; ci. Lam. v. 14, Heb. The plural pronoun seems to refer to the
Temple singers, and to imply that the poem had been adapted to
liturgical use.
in the house. Better, by the house, probably in the Temple court.
21 — 22. These w. are a misplaced portion of the narrative xxxviii.
1 — 8 and occur in 2 Kgs. xx. 1 — 11 in their proper position, after v. 6.
They must have been added by a cop}dst who fancied that their
absence was due to an accidental oversight, and who did not notice that
the editor had omitted in v. 5 the prophet's reference to the house of the
Lobd in 2 Kgs. xx. 5 (without which the king's question in v. 22 is
obscure), and had modified in v. 7 (note and this shall he, etc.) the
language of 2 Kgs. xx. 9.
21. Now Isaiah had said. Strictly, And Isaiah said (the sentence
in its original context linking on to -w. 6 : see 2 Kgs. xx. 7).
a cake of figs. Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxm. 63, mentions the use of
figs for opening ulcers and softening or dispersing tumours and other
swelUngs. lay it for a plaister. Better, rub it.
the boil. It has been suggested that the boil was a plague boil, and
that Hezekiah suffered from the same malady that destroyed Senna
cherib's host. But the date of the incident here recounted is against
this (see on v. I, xxxix. I), and the Heb. term is used of any kind of
ulcerated sweUing or sore, including the eruption of leprosy (see Ex. ix.
9, Lev. xiu. 18, Job u. 7, etc.).

XXXVIII. M-xxxix. a] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 245
22 Hezekiah also had said. What is the sign that I shall go up
to the house of the Lord ?
22. Hezekiah also had said. Strictly, And Hezekiah said (as in
2 Kgs. XX. 8).
the dgn that I shall go up, etc. An aUusion to Isaiah's assurance
(preserved in 2 Kgs. xx. 5) that within three days the Lord would heal
the king, and he would be able to go to the Temple to render thanks.

Chapter XXXIX.
This c, extracted from 2 Kgs. xx. 12 — 19, recounts a congratulatory
embassy received by Hezekiah from Merodach-baladan of Babylon, the king's
display of his treasures, and a prediction by Isaiah that his descendants
would be carried into exile at Babylon.
XXXIX. 1 '^At that time Merodach-baladan the son of
Baladan, Mng of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah :
for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. 2 And
> See 2 Kings xx. 12, &o.
XXXIX. 1. At that time. The determination of the date
of the incident here recorded fixes approximately that of Hezekiah's
illness which occurred shortly before it. The Babylonian king named
was a Chaldean, the ruler of a small state caUed Bit-Jakin (at tbe
mouth of the united Tigris and Euphrates), who made himself master
of Babylon on two occasions. The first was in 721, his occupation of
it lasting tiU 710 or 709, when he was expeUed by Sargon. The second
was early in the reign of Sennacherib, between 704 and 701 ; but he
retained possession for a few months only (see M^Curdy, History,
Prophecy, etc., ii. pp. 273, 274). Even if his embassy to Hezekiah
occurred during his second occupation of the throne it cannot have
synchronized (as the historian seems to imply) with Sennacherib's in
vasion of Judah in 701 (for by that time he had been driven into exile),
hut must have preceded it (perhaps by two or three years). The longer
tenure of his power on the first occasiou (721 — 710) makes that the
more Ukely date for what is here related. It is possible that the I4th
year of Hezekiah's reign, to which the invasion of Sennacherib is
(probably) wrongly assigned in xxxvi. 1, was really the date of the
mission from Babylon, which, if 727 was the date of Hezekiah's
accession, would be 713 (cf Burney, Kings, p. 340).
Merodach-baladan. CaUed in 2 Kgs. xx. 12 (by error) Berodaeh-
baladan. sent htters. The LXX. adds and ambassadors, to whom the words
them (v. 2) and these men (v. 3) refer.
for he heard. So the LXX. and 2 Kgs. xx. 12 : the Heb. here has
amd he heard. The writer represents as the cause of the embassy

246 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xxxix.3-6
Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his
^precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and
the precious oil, and all the house of his ^armour, and aU that
was found in his treasures : there was nothing in his house, nor
in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 3 Then
came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him,
What said these men ? and from whence came they unto thee ?
And Hezekiah said. They are come from a far country unto me,
even from Babylon. 4 Then said he. What have they seen in
thine house ? And Hezekiah answered. All that is in mine house
have they seen : there is nothing among my treasures that I
have not shewed them. 5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear
the word of the Lord of hosts. 6 Behold, the days come, that
all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid
up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon : nothing
' Or, spicery " Ot, jewels
Merodach-baladan's desire to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery,
and the Chronicler (2 Ch. xxxii. 31) the Babylonians' interest in the
wonder that was the sign of it; but probably the real motive was
political (cf mention of the present with xxx. 6 and see p. xxiv).
2. the house of his precious things. The Heb. term is supposed
to be of Assjrrian origin (hit-nakamdti, " treasure-house ") : the mg.
follows Aq., Sym. and the Vulg. Hezekiah's wealth at this time (cf
2 Ch. xxxii. 27 — 29) confirms the conclusion that the incident here
related preceded the exactions of Sennacherib (2 Kgs. xvui. 15).
spices... precious dl. The first were probably foreign importations,
the second a native product (2 Ch. xxxii. 28, Ezek. xxvii. 17).
the house of his armour, i.e. the house of the forest of Lebanon
(xxii. 8). The word all is best omitted (with 2 Kgs. xx. 13).
4. All that is in mine, etc. Probably Hezekiah's display of his
treasures was in part designed to impress the Babylonians with the
extent of his resources, in the event of an aUiance being contracted be
tween them against Assyria. To Isaiah an alliance with Babylon
would be as objectionable as one with Egypt (xxx. 1, 2, xxxi. 1).
6. shall be carried to Babylon. The prophecy, so far as it is
authentic, is more likely to be a prediction of the success of Assyria
over Babylon and its allies (some of whom might be deported to
Babylon as to a subjugated province, cf 2 Ch. xxxiii. 11) than a pre
diction of Babylon's success over Assjrria and an exchange of tyrants
for the Jews, for Isaiah expected the eventual repulse of the Assyrians
to be followed by the inception of the Messianic age (ix. 2 — 7). But it
is probable that the post-exilic vn-iter of the narrative, being acquainted
with the deportation of the Jews to Babylon by Nebuchadrezzar, has

XXXIX. 7, 8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 247
shall be left, saith the Lord. 7 And of thy sons that shall issue
from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and
they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
8 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Loed
which thou hast spoken. He said moreover. For there shall be
peace and truth in my days.
regarded that event as the fulfilment of the prophecy, and modified the
latter accordingly.
7. which thou shalt beget. This superfluous clause has been
thought to be an insertion, referring to the imprisonment of Manasseh,
Hezekiah's son, at Babylon by the Assyrian kmg Asshurbanipal (2 Ch.
xxxiii. 11).
eunuchs. For the emasculation of captives see Dan. i. 3.
8. Good is the word. The postponement of the merited chastise
ment to another generation is regarded as an act of clemency, as in
1 Kgs. xxi. 29, 2 Kgs. xxU. 18—20.
He said. i.e. he reflected (cf on xxxviU. 10).
truth. Better, stability (Jer. xiv. 13, xxxiii. 6).

PART IL DEUTERO-ISAIAH.
CHAPTERS XL.— LV.
First Collection. Chapters XL. — XLVIII.
The prophecies of Deutero-Isaiah faU into two dirisions in consequence of
a difference in the subject-matter of the first nine cc. and the last seven. The
principal topics in the former cc. are the Dirine commission given to Cyrus by
the Lord to overthrow Babylon and to release the Jewish exiles held captive
there, and the proof afforded, by events transpiring when the prophet wrote,
of the supremacy of the God of the Jews and the impotence of the idols of
Babylon. In the later cc. these topics are discontinued ; and the distinction
established between the two groups by the nature of their contents is confirmed
by the fact that cc. xl. — xlriii., which begin with a consolatory address to the
desolate Jerusalem, end vrith an exhortation to its exiled population to depart
from Babylon and commence their homeward march. Hence it is probable
that the flrst nine cc. constitute a separate coUection of prophecies, to which
others were appended at a slightly later date.
Chapter XL.
The contents of this c, dirided according to the subject-matter, fall into
three principal dirisions : (1) an announcement to Jerusalem of the termination
of her chastisement, and of the approaching restoration, by the Lord, of her
exiled people (w. 1 — 11); (2) an assertion of the Lord's incomparable power
(vB. 12 — 26) ; (3) a remonstrance to Israel in exile not to doubt His purpose
and power to right them (w. 27 — 31).
XL. 1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye ^ comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that
'^ Heb. to the heart of.
XL. 1 — 11. This opening passage is an appropriate introduction
to the series of consolatory addresses that follow. In it expression is
given to the thoughts most calculated to cheer the despondent exiles —
the tie between the Lord and themselves (my peoph... your God, cf.
Hos. u. 23), the Divine compassion that magnified the punishment
undergone in comparison with the offence it requited, the predicted
removal of all obstacles that would else retard the homeward journey,
the Lord's ability to coerce their enemies, and His tender care for
their own helplessness.

XL.i,a] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 249
her Warfare is accomplished, that her ^iniquity is pardoned;
that she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her
sina ^ Or, time of service " Or, punishment is accepted See Lev. xxvi. 43.
1, 2. A command from the Lord to declare to Jerusalem the
expiration of her period of affliction.
The speaker who conveys the command is the prophet. The
persons addressed are undefined, and probably include aU who are
sufBciently in sympathy with the depopulated Jerusalem to become
the bearers to it of good news : cf Ui. 7 — 9.
1. Comfort... confort. For the dupUcation see p. xlvui. That
there was need amongst the exUes for comfort appears from v. 27,
xUx._ 14. This passage was probably the source of the expectation
cherished by Simeon and others, who looked for the consolation qf
Israel (Luke ii. 25).
2. comfortably. Better, kindly (Gen. 1. 21) or tenderly, the
original phrase being usuaUy appropriated to the addresses of a
wooer or a bridegroom (see Gen. xxxiv. 3, Jud. xix. 3, Hos. u. 14).
Jerusahm. The city had suffered in, and with, her exiled people,
and their deUverance was hers (cf xlix. 14, Ui. 9).
warfare. Better, hard service. The word, primarily applicable to
miUtary service, is used (as in Job vii. 1, x. 17, xiv. 14) of a period of
hardship from which relief is desired.
axicomplished. i.e. expired (1 Sam. xviu. 26, Jer. xxv. 12, xxix. 10).
her iniquity, etc. Better, her penalty is discharged (or worked off),
ci. Job xiv. 6, Lev. xxvi. 41, 43 (Heb.). The substantive used in the
original may denote, like the Latin piaculum, both guUt and its
punishment (UU. 11, Gen. iv. 13, Lam. v. 7).
douhh. A rhetorical hyperbole (Uke its counterpart the prediction
in Jer. xvi. 18) for an ample penalty ; cf Rev. xviii. 6. Indeed, in
xlvu. 6 (cf Zech. i. 15) the Babylonians, whom the Lord employed to
chastise His offending people, are declared to have actually gone
beyond their mandate : on the other hand, see xiu. 18—25, xliu. 22 —
28, xlvui. 1—11 (?)\
2 — 5. A celestial voice bids preparation be made for the advance
of the Lord to Zion at the head of the returning exiles.
The unseen speakers in vv. 3 — 6 (cf Ivii. 14, Rev. iv. I, x. 4) are
probably heavenly powers, the Lord's avant-coureurs, who herald His
approach. Those here addressed by them are other celestial spirits
who are directed to remove aU natural obstacles wliich obstruct the
passage through the desert, and would ordinarily have to be circum
vented by circuitous routes. The idea finds some parallel in what is
related of Oriental sovereigns, for Justin (ii. x. 24) says of Xerxes,
Montes in planum deducehat, et convexa vallium aequabat, and Diodorus
' Burney suggests that double means double compensation, the perfect being
a prophetic perfect. If so, cf . Ixi. 7.

250 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XL.3-S
3 The voice of one ^that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness
the way of the Lord, make ^straight in the desert a high way
for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain
and hill shaU be made low : and ^the crooked shaU be made
straight, and the rough places *plain : 5 and the glory of the
Lord shaU be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together : for
' Or, that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way (&c. ^ Or, level
' Or, the uneven shall be made level * Or, a plain
Siculus (n. 13) records that Queen Semiramis, when, in her march to
Ecbatana, she reached a mountainous district, instead of making a
detour round it, constructed a direct road across it by digging down
the precipices and filling up the hollows.
3. The vdce of... crieth. Better, Hark! one crying (ci. xiii. 4,
Ui. 8, Ixvi. 6). The LXX. and Vulg. connect in the wilderness with
crying, and the same construction is followed by the citations of the
passage in the N.T. (Mk. i. 3, Matt. in. 3, Luke iu. 4, Joh. i. 23), where
it is applied to the preaching of John the Baptist and his exhortation
to prepare for the advent of the kingdom of heaven ; but the fact that
the voice is a heavenly voice, and the parallelism and accentuation of
the Heb., are decisive for the construction in the text. The wilderness
and the desert (Heb. Arabah, xxxiii. 9) designate the barren region
separating Babylonia from Palestine.
Prepare. Or Clear, by the removal of obstacles, cf Gen. xxiv. 31,
Lev. xiv. 36. Though the preparation is for the Lord, Who is thought
of as coming in person to Zion (cf hi. 8, 12, Ixii. 10, 11), the process
described has in view the needs of the human beings whom He is
about to bring back.
make straight. Better (as in the mg.), make level or even : Sym.
ofiakia-aTt. For high way see on xxxv. 9.
4. the crooked, etc. More literaUy, the uneven shall he made a
plateau and the ridges a vah. The word rendered rough places (or
ridges), which does not occur elsewhere, perhaps denotes a mountain
chain. The language is somewhat imaginative, for the desert between
Babylonia and Palestine is, in reality, tolerably level.
5. the glory of the Lobd. i.e. the visible splendour that indicated
the Divine Presence: cf iv. 5, xxxv. 2, Iviii. 8, Ix. I, 2, Ixvi. 18,
1 Kgs. viii. 11, Ex. xl. 34, 35, Ezek. xliii. 4. The conception is a
refinement of the earlier belief that the Lord sometimes appeared on
earth in human form (Gen. iii. 8, xviii. 1 f ) ; and a transitional stage
between the two seems marked in Ezek. i. (cf. vv. 26 and 28).
all flesh, i.e. mankind at large, as in Gen. vi. 12, Jer. xxv. 31.
shall see it. The unexpressed object is suppUed in the LXX. by
TO trwTTjpiov TOV 6tov, scB Ui. 10 and cf Luke iii. 6.
The V. is rejected as an interpolation by Duhm and Cheyne on
grounds of metre. The phrase the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it
does not recur in Deutero-Isaiah, though found in i. 20, Iviii. 14.

XL. 6-8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 251
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. 6 The voice of one
saying. Cry. And ^one said. What shaU I cry? All flesh is
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field :
7 the grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; because the breath of
the Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people is grass. 8 The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but the word of our God
shaU stand for ever. 1 The Sept. and Vulgate have, I said,
6 — 8. A proclamation of the transitoriness of human pride and
power contrasted with the changelessness of the purpose and promise
of the Lord.
Duhm and Cheyne consider that vv. 6 — 8 should exchange places
with vv. 9 — 11 and that the latter vv. should be inserted here (see
on p. 252), partly because they maintain better the thought and
exultant tone of w. 3, 4, and partly on grounds of metre.
6. The voice, etc. Better (as in v. 3), Hark ! one crying. A second
celestial spirit is heard, to whom a third speaker repUes.
And one said. If the text is sound, the answer may come from
any one of the audience left undefined in ¦!>». 1, 2 ; but the LXX.
and Vulg. (wliich have / said) take it to proceed from the prophet :
cf vi. 8.
All flesh, etc. The words are the response returned to the question
hy the heavenly voice. The expression all flesh, though sometimes
merely a synonym for aU mankind (v. 5, cf Jer. xxv. 31), is generaUy
suggestive of humanity in its frailness (see on xxxi. 3).
the goodliness thereof. The original is elsewhere always used of human
and Divine goodness or mercy (xvi. 5, Ivii. I, Uv. 8, Gen. xx. 13, xxiv. 27) ;
but here may be employed vrith the same comprehensiveness of meaning
as the English grace and the Latin gratia (which are used in the sense
of both "graciousness" and "gr'acefrilness") : cf also the Greek xa.pvi.
The LXX., however, has So'^a (cf 1 Pet. i. 24), the Vulg. ghria (perhaps
reading i^i^ or IIIl! for i'^pn).
The comparison of mankind to fading herbage and flowers is here
designed to iUustrate not so much the transitoriness of human life (as
in Ps. xc. 5, 6, ciii. 15, 16, Job xiv. 2, James i. 10, 11, cf also the
simUes in Bacchylides, 63 — 4, Verg. A. vi. 309 — 10) as the transitori
ness of human glory, the rapid fiourishing and fading of the world's
most splendid empires (cf. xxxvii. 27). Assyria had already perished,
and Babylon, after enjojring a brief supremacy, was about to perish in
its turn (cf xiii. 19).
7. the breath of the Lobd. Or perhaps, a wind of the Lobd, ci.
Hos. xiii. 15, Ezek. xvii. 10 ; see also Ps. ciii. 16.
the peoph. i.e. mankind at large, as in xiii. 5, xliv. 7. The final
clause spoUs the balance of the verse, and is perhaps an addition. The
whole V. is omitted by the LXX. and O.L.
8. the word, etc. In contrast to the abortive schemes of earthly

252 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XL.9^11
9 ^0 thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into
the high mountain ; ^ 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up thy voice with strength ; Uft it up, be not afraid ; say
unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God ! 10 Behold, the
Lord God will come as a mighty one, and his arm shaU rule for
him : behold, his reward is with him, and his recompence before
him. 11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather
' Or, O Zion, that bringest good tidings
' Or, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings
potentates, the Lord's wiU, as expressed by His flats and as revealed
by His prophets, will be unalterably accompUshed (cf xiv. 23, Iv. 11,
xxxi. 2, xiv. 24). The writer doubtless has particularly in mind the
promise of the Lord respecting Israel (xUv. 26, xlvi. 10, Iv. 11,
cf Iii. 6, Ixiii. 1). Verses 6 and 8 are quoted in 1 Pet. i. 24, 25 (the
word being interpreted to mean the Gospel).
9 — 11. Directions for messengers to report the approach of the
Lord with His people, Uke a conqueror with his booty or a shepherd
with his fiock.
If the order of the vv. is preserved (see on vv. 6 — 8), the speaker is
probably the prophet, but if Duhm's transposition be adopted, it is the
invisible voice of v. 3.
9. 0 thou, etc. Better, 0 band that tellest good tidings to Zion
(cf LXX. d em-yyeXt^o;ti€vos SituV, Vulg. tu qui evangelizas Sion), and
similarly in the next clause. The fem., used in the original, is a
coUective expression (cf xii. 6) for those of Jerusalem's friends who
are prepared to be the first to watch for (cf hi. 8), and announce to
her, the approach of the train of returning exiles. The mg. 0 Zion,
that bringest good tidings foUows Aq., Th., Sym., who have cu'ayveXi^o/tenj
Sicov ; but Zion is the receiver of good news (cf. xli. 27, Ui. 7), not the
bringer of it to other Judsean cities.
into the high mountain, i.e. in order that they may soonest descry
the advancing train, and that their voices, as they communicate the
welcome sight, may carry farthest (cf Jud. ix. 7, 1 Sam. xxvi. 13).
afraid. Or diffident, as though their joyous tidings would gain no
credence. 10. as a mighty one. The LXX. and Vulg. have with strength
{pm for ptn?).
his arm. The Lord's arm, Uke His face, name (xxx. 27), hand,
denotes a particular aspect of His self-manifestation or activity, which
is h3rpostatized almost like a separate entity, as the embodiment of His
control over human history: cf Ixiii. 12.
reward,,. recompence. The terms describe, not the requital which
the Lord has in store for His people (Ixi. 8), but that which has
.accrued to Himself from His overthrow of Babylon, viz. the rescued
exiles who, as His spoil, precede Him in His triumphal march;
cf Ixii. 11. The phrase is adopted by St John in Rev. xxU. 12.

XL.li] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 253
the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall
gently lead those that give suck.
12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the
dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in
11. He shall feed, etc. The figure is abruptly changed from that
of a spoiHaden conqueror to that of a shepherd — the latter being
expressive of the Lord's love and sympathy for the way-worn people
as they traverse the desert. The comparison of Israel to a flock
shepherded by the Lord (not found in cc. i. — xxxix.) recurs in xlix. 9,
Ixiii. 11, cf also Jer. xiii. 17, xxiii. 1, xxxi. 10, Ezek. xxxiv. 11 — 16,
Ps. Ixxvii. 20, Ixxviii. 52, Ixxx. I, xxiii. 1, c 3. The same figure was
adopted by our Saviour (Joh. x. 14, cf Luke xii. 32) ; cf also
Heb. xui. 20, 1 Pet. n. 25, v. 4.
he shall gather. A slight omission, favoured by many scholars,
gives the reading, he shall gather it (the fiock) with his arm, he shall
carry the lambs in his bosom.
gently lead. Displaying the same care not to overdrive them as
was shevm by a flock-master like Jacob (Gen. xxxiii. 13).
12 — 26. A declaration of the Lord's supremacy over both physical
nature and human fortunes.
The transposition of vv. 9 — 11 and 6 — 8 (see on p. 251) produces
in connection with this section a better sequence of thought, the
assertion of the unchangeableness of the Lord's word being naturally
followed by an assertion of His transcendent power. Though the
address is not formaUy directed to the Jewish exiles, it seems to be
designed to reassure such of them as might question whether the Lord
could reaUy effect His people's redemption from so great an empire as
the Babylonian, supported, as it was imagined to be, by mighty gods
whose images were visible everywhere. The prophet, to re-estabUsh
then faith, appeals to the nation's traditional behef (v. 21) that the
Lord is the Creator and Controller of the universe : His comprehensive
sovereignty ensures His designs against failure.
12—17. The Lord is the sole Author of the physical world (cf.
Job xxxviii. 4 f , Ps. civ.) ; and beside Him collective humanity is
insignificant. 12. Who hath, etc. The rhetorical questions, here and in m. 13, 14,
differ in their implication, the first being equivalent to "Think who..."
whilst the others expect the negative reply "No one" (cf li. 19,
Num. xxiii. 10).
the hollow, etc. All the instruments of measurement, relatively to
things of such great extent or bulk as the sea, the firmament, and the
earth, are small ; and mention of them in such a connection is sug
gestive of the completeness of the Almighty's mastery over the
elements that constitute the universe (cf Job xxviu. 25, Wisd. xi. 20).
The span was the distance between the tip of the thumb and the
Uttle finger of the spread hand, and considered equivalent to half a

254 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xL. 13-18
scales, and the Mils in a balance ? 13 Who hath ^directed the
spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and
taught him in the path of judgement, and taught him knowledge,
and shewed to him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the
nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small
dust of the balance : behold, ^he taketh up the isles as a very
little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the
beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations
are as nothing before him ; they are counted to Mm *less than
nothing, and *vanity. 18 To whom then wiU ye liken God ? or
' Or, meted out ^ Or, the isles are as the fine dust that is lifted up
' Or, (M a thing of nought * Or, confusion
cubit. A measure is properly a tierce, the third of an ephah, and
contained approximately 22 pints. The word rendered scahs probably
means the beam of the balance. Instead of the dust of the earth the
LXX. has the whoh earth and the other Greek versions have merely
the earth (omitting ditst).
13. Who hath directed, etc. As the Lord's handling of the vast
masses of the earth and sea attested His power, so His independence
of any counsel but His own in the arrangement of them attested His
vrisdom. The spirit of the Lord is the seat of the Divine intelligence :
a different word (heart) is usually employed for the seat of human
intelligence (xxxii. 4, li. 7, Ps. xxxvu. 31, xl. 8). Tbe LXX. has rk
tyvia vovv KvpCov, whence it is quoted by St Paul, in respect of the
Divine scheme of salvation through Christ, in Rom. xi. 34 ; cf also
I Cor. ii. 16.
14. the path of judgement. Better, the right (or model) path, i.e. the
suitable course ; cf xxviii. 26. The word mistranslated judgment is
used in Ex. xxvi. 30, 1 Kgs. vi. 38, Ezek. xhi. II of a pattern or plan.
The writer has in mind the order that prevails in the physical world.
The clause and taught him knowhdge, which awkwardly repeats the
preceding word taught and separates two parallel clauses, is omitted
by the LXX.
15. a drop of a bucket. Better, a drop hanging from a bucket,
which, whether it clings or falls, is unnoticed by the bearer.
dust of the balance. Better, dust on the balance, which is ignored
in weighing. he taketh up, etc. Or, he could take up the isles like fine dust.
16. And Lebanon, etc. There is no disparagement of sacrifice as
a sjrmbolic practice, but only a reminder that no holocaust can be
commensurate vrith God's dignity, even though the forests of Lebanon
(ii. 13) be the fuel, or all their wild creatures the victims : cf Judith
xvi. 16.
17. less than nothing. More strictly, a bit of nothing. Vanity

XL.i9,2o] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 255
what likeness will ye compare unto him ? 19 The graven image,
a workman melted it, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over
with gold, and casteth for it silver chains. 20 He that is too
^perhaps better, vacancy) in the Heb. is the same word as waste
(xiv. 18, Gen. i. 2).
18 — 20. The foUy of regarding idols as having any likeness to
what is Divine.
The argument is probably designed to counteract the dispiriting
effect which the pretensions of the Babylonian religion were likely to
have upon the Jewish exiles; but it foUows a different course from
that which might have been expected. In form it is not a direct
comparison between Israel's God and the gods of Babylon, but an
exposure of the folly of all representations of the Divine by artificial
imagery. But in effect it carries the conclusion that the gods of
Babylon were nonentities, for since idol worshippers in general beUeved
their divinities to be embodied in their images (cf xlvi. 1, 2), to shew
the unreason of supposing objects made by human art to have in them
anything Divine was to deprive the Babylonian idols of all claim to
godhead. The passage is the first of a series dealing with the same
subject, see xliv. 9—20, xiv. 20, xlvi. 1 f ; and has paraUels in
Hab. u. 18, 19, Jer. x. 1—9, U. 15—19, Ps. cxv. 4—7, Deut. iv. 15 f,
Wisd. xiii. 10 f, xv. 7 — 19, Bar. vi., Acts xvii. 29.
18. God. Heb. El (not Jehovah), which is the most widely dis
tributed of the various Semitic words for Deity, and so most appropriate
to express the unity of God (and so in xiv. 14, xlvi. 9).
19. graven image. The word, as the context shews, is used also
of a molten image. The idol, whose claim to represent God is exposed
by a description of its manufacture, consists of a core of inferior metal,
cast (or forged, xU. 7) by one workman, which is covered by another
(the goldsmith) with gold plating ; cf xxx. 22, Jer. x. 9. In a Cyprian
inscription the king of Idalion speaks of " a plating of gold " given by
him to the god Resheph (G. A. Cooke, NSI. p. 75).
casteth. ¦ .chains. The meaning of the clause, which is omitted by
the LXX., is uncertain, since the text is defective, if not corrupt. The
word rendered casteth (^1^) is identical with the word for goldsmith
(xU. 7, xlvi. 6), and probably disguises a verb (Kittel suggests adds
thereto, ^^pi'). The chains would be used to fasten it to a pedestal.
After this v. Duhm, Cheyne, and others tliink that the text has
undergone some displacement, and that xli. 6, 7 should follow here,
the opening words of v. 6, They helped every man his neighbour, being
then referred to the workman and goldsmith of xl. 19, and carpenter in
V. 7 being corrected to workman,. The account of the image of metal
certainly becomes more complete by the addition of a passage describing
its erection (as is the case with the idol of wood, see v. 20''), and the
two xm. in question are, at first sight, rather out of keeping with their
present context ; but see note there.
20. He that is too impoverished, etc. More literally. He that is

256 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XL.«,22
impoverished for such an oblation chooseth a tree that will not
rot ; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to ^set up a graven
image, that shall not be moved. 21 Have ye not known ? have
ye not heard ? hath it not been told you from the beginning ?
have ye not ^understood fi'om the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth ^upon the circle of the earth, and the
inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the
heavens as *a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dweU
' Or, prepare * Or, understood the foundations ' Or, above * Or, gauze
impoverished in regard to an oblation. A worshipper who has not
much to spend upon an idol, instead of having an image of metal, has
to content himself vrith one of wood. But the word oblation (nonn)^
which means strictly "a heave-offering," a part lifted or separated from
a larger quantity (Lev. vii. 14, Ex. xxv. 2, Ezek. xiv. 1, xlviii. 8), is
very inappropriate to describe an idol ; and the LXX., which has
opLoiapia, KaTea-Kevaxrev auVoi/, seems to have read njlDn. Guided by this
Duhm has proposed the correction. He that carveth a likeness chooseth, etc.
(nj-lDfi riPSni for nD-nj;) isppn), and Kittel, As a base (ot pedestal) for
the image he chooseth (HJ-IDJii [isp?).
be moved, i.e. totter and fall (xli. 7, Jer. x. 4, Wisd. xiii. 15, 16).
This would be a bad omen, cf 1 Sam. v. 3.
21 — 26. The Lord is the disposer of human fortunes.
21. Have ye not known, etc. Or, Know ye not? hear ye not? It
seems to be assumed that a knowledge of the Lord was possessed at
the beginning of human history, cf Gen. iv. 26.
understood from the foundations. The rendering impUes the correc
tion nnp^p for nnpio. The Heb. text, supported by the LXX. and
Vulg., requires (as in the mg.), understood the foundations, etc., i.e. dis
cerned what they have to teach (cf Rom. i. 20), which disturbs the
. paraUelism. 22. upon the circle, etc. Better (as in the mg.), above the drch
(or disc) of the earth, bounded by the horizon (cf Prov. viii. 27 and the
corresponding verb in Job xxvi. 10). Others take the drch of the
earth to mean the vault (of heaven) over-arching the earth (cf Job
xxii. 14 mg.). The Lord is throned so high (Ps. cxiii. 5, 6) that men
look as smaU as grasshoppers (a figure for what is insignificant. Num.
xiii. 33).
as a curtain. The heavens are usually conceived by O.T. writers
as a solid firmament rather than as a texture of cloth or gauze (though
cf Ps. civ. 2, xix. 4). The LXX. has ws KapApav, as a vaulted
chamber, and the Heb. P^5 may really be a mutilated corruption of
l'^?13 (as a firmament). The phrase a tent to dwell in means a
habitable tent in general, not a tent for the Lord in particular.
^ This is a conjectural derivative from JiJE' (!'5PV "knife" (Prov. xxiii. 2),

XL. 23-26] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 257
in : 23 that bringeth princes to nothing ; he maketh the judges
of the earth as ^vanity. 24 ^Yea, they have not been planted ;
yea, they have not been sown ; yea, their stock hath not taken
root in the earth : moreover he bloweth upon them, and they
wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble. 25 To
whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him?
saith the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, ^and see
who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number :
he caUeth them aU by name ; by the greatness of his might, and
for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
' Or, confusion
^ Or, Scarce are they planted, scarce are they sown, scarce hath their stock taken
root in the earth, when he bloweth upon them <&c.
' Or, and see : who hath created these ? he that <&c.
23. that bringeth, etc. Cf Job xii. 17 f, Dan. ii. 21. The
writer perhaps has in mind the recent overthrow of Astyages of Media ,
and Croesus of Lydia by Cyrus.
24. Yea, they have not, etc. Better (as in the mg.). Yea, scarcely
have they been planted.,, when he bloweth upon them (for the construction
cf. 2 Kgs. XX. 4). The idea is simUar to that of v, 7.
25. the Holy One. As the Lord had come to be regarded as the
sole God, the epithet holy, which was the commonest expression to
connote what was Divine (see on i. 4), from being a title for the Lord,
became equivalent to a proper name for Him, and is here used without
the article as in Job vi. 10, Hab. iii. 3 and (pi.) Hos. xi. 12 (= xii. 1
Heb.), Prov. ix. 10, xxx. 3.
26. and see who hath. Better, and see : who hath — ? The prophet
is not arguing from nature to a creator — the existence of such is
assumed — but appealing to the vastness of nature in order to enlarge
his countrymen's conception of the greatness of its Creator. The Heb.
term rendered created is exclusively used of the originating activity of
the Deity, and implies independence of mechanical means, but not
production out of nothing (see Driver on Gen. i. 1).
bringeth out. Better, leadeth forth in a military sense, cf. 2 Sam.
V. 2. The comparison of the stars to a living host is probably not a
mere poetic fancy but a survival from an early stage of belief in which
the heavenly bodies were regarded as animated and intelligent powers,
to which worship was often rendered. Amongst the Israelites the stars
were commonly thought of as subservient to the Lord (Jud. v. 20,
Job xxxvui. 7), though occasionaUy they are represented as defying,
and rebeUing against. His authority (xxiv. 21, Enoch xviu. 15, Ixxx. 6).
he calleth. , .name, i.e. like a general acquainted with the names of
the soldiers entered on his muster-roll (cf Ps. cxlvii. 4). By man
even knowledge of their number was unattainable (Gen. xv. 5).
by the greatness, etc. Better (after the LXX. and other Greek
w. I. 17

258 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xl. 27-31
27 Why sayest thou, 0 Jacob, and speakest, 0 Israel, My
way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement is passed away
from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard?
^the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the
earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of
his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to
him that hath no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the
youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall: 31 but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shaU
run, and not be weary ; they shaU walk, and not faint.
1 Or, the Lord is an everlasting God, the Greator, , . he fainteth not c&c.
versions), because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his
power (K^X for r^??). The stars, as animated beings, are represented
as influenced by motives (awe and fear), not merely acted upon by
physical forces.
27 — 31. Israel's fear that the Lord is indifferent to its claims to
redress is unjustifiable in view of His changelessness and inexhaustible
resources. 27. My way is hid, etc Israel's fortunes (for this sense of way
cf xiv. 13, xlviii. 15, Ps. xxxvii. 5) had not been ameliorated as might
have been expected (see Jer. xxx. 18).
my judgement. Better, my right (or du^e) : ci. xUx. 4, x. 2, Ps. ix. 4.
Though in regard to the Lord Israel had sinned (xUi. 24, xlvii. 6,
1. l) and deserved chastisement, yet in respect of Babylon it was
sinned against (cf Ui. 5), and could appeal to the Lord to do it
justice. Compare the similar complaints in xlix. 14, lix. 9.
28. the everlasting God, etc. Better (as in the mg.), the Lord is
an everlasting God, the Creator, etc.
no searching, etc Or, no fathoming of his indght (ci. Iv. 8, Job xi. 7).
Israel's condition does not escape the Lord's notice.
29. He giveth, etc The thought contained in the final clause of
V. 28 is here developed. The Lord is not only possessed of tireless
energy Himself but He sustains the flagging energy of others.
30. Even the youths. These are representatives of human strength
at its best ; but the vn-iter is no doubt thinking in particular of the
military resources of Israel's enemies, youths and youmg men (UteraUy,
" picked men ") often designating warriors (see xxxi. 8, 2 Sam. u. 14,
xviii. 15, Lam. i. 15).
31. wait upon. i.e. wait for His intervention to vindicate or
deliver ; cf xxvi. 8, Ps. xxv. 5.
mount up, etc. Better, grow pinions like those of eaghs (LXX.
¦7rTepo4>vija-oviTiv (us a€Tol, Vulg. assument pennas sicut aquilae). The
verb is the causative of to grow or come wp (Iv. 13) ; cf Ezek. xxxvii. 6,
Jer. xxx. 17, xxxui. 6. The thought is not that of the renewal of

XLLi,2] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 259
decayed powers (as the eagle' in age was supposed to renew its
plumage, and so, in a measure, its youth, Ps. ciii. 5), but of the
acquisition of altogether new capacities for vigorous action, of which
the large and powerful wings of eagles are so suggestive (cf 2 Sam.
i. 23). Elsewhere the Lord is represented as bearing Israel upon
eagles' wings (Ex. xix. 4, Deut. xxxii. II); but here Israel is to get
for itself eagles' wings, i.e. become endowed with extraordinary powers
of activity and endurance.
run.,, walk. No distinction between the verbs is intended, they
are parallel as in Prov. iv. 12. The clause is rejected by Duhm as
outside the metre.
Chapter XLI.
This c. develops three thoughts that are contained in c. xl. : (1) the Lord's
claim to control the destinies of mankind, illustrated by the success of Gyrus
(w, 1—7, cf. xl. 6, 7, 17, 23, 24) ; (2) His benevolent purpose towards Israel
(m, 8—20, cf. xL 1—5, 9—11, 27—31); (3) the futility of idols as proved by the
test of prophecy (w. 21—29, cf xl. 18—20).
XLI 1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the
peoples renew their strength: let them come near; then let
them speak : let us come near together to judgement. 2 Who
hath raised up one from the east, ^whom he calleth in right-
' Or, whom righteousness calleth to its foot Or, whom righteousness meeteth
whithersoever he goeth
XIiI. 1—7. The Lord's chaUenge to the heathen peoples to
shew who. He or their idol-gods, had set in motion the conqueror
from the east. (For the movements alluded to see Introd. p. Ivii.)
1. Keep,,, me. Perhaps better. Come in sihnce unto me, to hear
my contention (for the construction cf xi. 10, Gen. xiii. 28).
renew their strength, i.e. let them coUect all their energies (cf
Job xxxviii. 3) to make a counter-contention for their idols. But
there is nothing suggestive of previous discouragement on the part
of the heathen, and the expression, foUovring closely upon the same
phrase in xl. 31, is suspicious : hence Klostermann aud Cheyne read
and, ye peophs, wait for my argument ('fiDSin? -iprj! for 03 -IS 70.).
2. raised up. i.e. stirred into activity (v. 25, xiv. 13, xiii. 17,
Jer. 1. 9, li. 1). The allusion is to tbe conquering career of Cyrus,
which was begun by the overthrow of Astyages, king of Media, about
549. from the east. i.e. from Anshan, S.E. of Babylonia (cf v. 25,
xlvi. 11).
whom he,.. foot. i.e. whom with faithfulness to His purpose (cf
^ The Hebrew term is a generic one, denoting both eagles and vultures, the
latter being specially meant in Mic. i. 16 ; of. also Prov. xxx. 17.
17—2

260 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLL3-5
eousness to his foot? he giveth nations before him, and maketh
him rule over kings ; ^he giveth them as the dust to Ms sword,
as the driven stubble to his bow. 3 He pursueth them, and
passeth on safely; even by a way that he had not gone with
his feet. 4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the genera
tions from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the
last, I am he. 5 The isles saw, and feared; the ends of the
^ Or, he maketh as the dust their sword, as the driven stubble their bow
xUi. 6, 21) He calleth to follow Him (for the sense of I'^p^ cf 1 Sam.
xxv. 42). If the rendering is correct, the thought is parallel to
xiv. 2, 3. But a preferable translation is, whom victory meeteth
whithersoever he turneth — literally, whom righteousness meeteth at his
foot — the verb *''?i5 being taken as equivalent to n^jij (as in xiv. 9,
li. 19) and the term righteousness being interpreted of the success
which, under the rule of a just God, was believed to be ordinarily its
outward sign and vindication (cf xiv. 8, xlvi. 13, li. 5). The words at
his foot can be understood in the sense they have in Gen. xxx. 30. The
Vulg. has qui excitavit ab Oriente iustum et creavit eum ut sequeretur
se, reading P'''^V (perhaps a victor) for PJ?.
giveth. i.e, giveth up (Deut. vii. 2, Josh. x. 12, 1 Kgs. viii. 46).
maketh him ruh over. The original is irregular in form, and the
LXX. has €Ko-nJ(rei, terrifieth C^ID! for TVS), Suggested emendations
are suhdueth ("IIJ, cf xiv. I) and bringeth down ("'''"!').
he giveth them as the dust, etc. The R.V. follows the Vulg. The
Heb. text, if correct, must mean he (the Lord) maketh like (flying) dust
his (Cyrus') sword, like driven stubble his bow, the comparison describing
the Persian king's rapidity of movement. But slight corrections
produce renderings which yield a better sense : (1) he (Cyrus) maketh
them (DJ)?''. for IBl) as dust with his sword, as driven stubble with his bow;
(2) his sword maketh them (D^l^J? for 15!) Uke dust, his bow like driven
stubble ; (3) he maketh as the dust their sword (P3"in for i^l.n), as the
driven stubble thdr how (QiJtfiJ for nB*!?)^ after the LXX., which is
followed by the mg.
3. even by a way, etc. The tense of the original requires the
rendering even hy a way that he doth not go with his feet, i.e. the
Persian conqueror will press towards his aim Uke a winged bird of
prey (xlvi. 11), with more than human directness and speed: cf
Dan. viii. 5.
4. calling. Better, He that calleth (i.e. bringeth into existence, cf
Ps. xc. 3), the clause that begins here being the answer to the preceding
question. the fir St.. -last. The phrase is equivalent to the everlasting God of
xl. 28 (cf xliv. 6, xlviu. 12), and is the original of Rev. i. 17, ii. 8,
xxii. 13.
1 am he. The expression (which recurs in xlui. 10, 13, xlvi. 4,
xlviu. 12, Ps. cii. 27, Heb.) designates the Lord as the abiding initiator

XLL6-8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 261
earth trembled: they drew near, and came. 6 They helped
every one Ms neighbour ; and every one said to Ms brother. Be
of good courage. 7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith,
and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the
anvil, saying of the soldering. It is good : and he fastened it
with nails, that it should not be moved.
8 But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen,
of aU that happens in space and time : cf Deut. xxxii. 39. The same
pronoun (Heb. hu), probably with the same connotation, enters into the
composition of personal names like Abihu and Elihu. The evidence
for the assertion, here made, that it was the Lord who had raised up
Cyrus is suppUed in v. 27.
5. The ishs saw, etc. The heathen nations, agitated and alarmed,
in answer to the Lord's challenge, assemble for the trial (which begins
in V. 21). After came Duhm (guided by the LXX.) plausibly supplies
together to judgment (cf v. 1).
6 — 7. These vv., as has been previously noticed, are by~ some
recent commentators transferred to c xl. and inserted between vv. 19
and 20, where they suit the context excellently ; whereas here there is
considerable abruptness in the transition from the assembling of the
heathen to the operations of the idol factory. On the other hand their
retention in their present position seems desirable in view of vv. 21 —
24, where the address to the idol gods (see especiaUy v. 23) appears to
require some previous mention of them.
6. Be of good courage. LiteraUy, Be strong, an exhortation to in
creased alacrity and energy (Zech. viii. 9) in the work of manufacture.
7. the carpenter. Bettci, the workman, the same word as in xl.
19, and here, as w^!!'as there, denoting the metal worker, who makes
the core of the i''^l. From this workman the image is passed to the
goldsmith to pi e.
he that smootheth. A synonym for the goldsmith who with the
hammer adjusts -the gold plate to the core of inferior metal.
him that,,,an'dl. The rendering, if correct, probably describes a
workman who produces an image at a forge (cf. xliv. 12). But another
suggested translation is he that smiteth with the malht, descriptive of a
second workman engaged with the plating.
the soldering, i.e. whict attaches the plating to the core ofthe image.
fastened it. i.e. to its pedestal (cf xl. 19, note).
8 — 20. A consolatory address to Israel, assuring it of success over
aU its enemies and reUef from all its wants.
At the end of v. 7 the trial begun in v. 1 is interrupted and not
resumed tiU v. 21. The dislocation caused by the position of vv. 8 —
20 in the middle of the debate with the idol-gods (for vv. 1 — 7 and
21 — 28 are manifestly intende(l\to be consecutive) is so violent that the
section must be regarded as misplaced. Its proper position is pre
sumably at the end of the chapter.

262 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xLLp
the seed of Abraham my friend ; 9 thou whom I have taken hold
of from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the corners
8. my servant. This term, naturally applicable to any person
from whom the Lord, as the universal Ruler, requires service, is used
not only of individual Hebrews like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gen.
xxvi. 24, Deut. ix. 27), Moses (Num. xu. 7, Deut. xxxiv. 5), Caleb
(Num. xiv. 24), Joshua (Josh. xxiv. 29), David (2 Sam. vu. 8,
Ps. Ixxviii. 70, Ixxxix. 3), Eliakim (Is. xxu. 20), Zerubbabel (Hag. ii.
23), the prophets generally (Am. iu. 7, 2 Kgs. ix. 1, Jer. vu. 25, xxv. 4),
and the Messiah (Zech. iii. 8), but likewise of foreigners like Job (i. 8,
ii. 3) and Nebuchadrezzar (Jer. xxv. 9, xxvii. 6). It is also employed
in a collective sense of Israel as a people, and is thus used by Jeremiah
(xxx. 10, xlvi. 27) and in Ps. cxxxvi. 22 (cf Luke i. 54)^; but in this
sense it is particularly characteristic of Deutero-Isaiah. The idea here
conveyed by it is that Israel is the Lord's witness and messenger
(xiii. 19), designed to make known among the heathen His superiority
over, other gods (xliii. 10, Iv. 4): and so to bring them into aUegiance
Jto Him (xiv. 14, 24, Iv. 5). In the qualities expected of it in this
capacity isra'^l is, in these cc, for the most part described as sadly
deficient (xiii. 19, 20, xliii. 8) ; but in certain passages, usuaUy knovm
as the Servant Songs, it is depicted so differently that it seems
impossible for the confiicting representations to proceed from the same
author (see on xiii. 1—4).
whom,,. chosen. By the Lord's choosing Israel, a term frequent in
Deutero-Isaiah, but found also in Ezek. xx. 5, Deut. iv. 37, Ps. cv. 6,
cvi. 5, the prophetic writers express the preferential relations with the
Almighty to which they believed their race had been admitted (as
manifested, for example, by its possession of a reUgious faith superior
to that of other nations, Deut. iv. 7, 8). " N^ojreason is given by them
for God's seemingly arbitrary choice of Israel as the. object of His love
(xUu. 4, cf Mal. i. 2, 3), but though the difiiculty >ifc;asioned by this
unequal treatment is not completely solved, the gravS^ ^of it is gieatly
lightened by the consideration, developed elsewhere in j^eutero-Isaiah,
that the privileges conferred upon a few are entrusted to them for the
eventual good of all (cf p. Ixii). The same consideration is of value
in connection with the similar problem raised by the superior inteUec
tual endowment of certain peoples, races, and individuals above the
rest. the seed of , .friend. Cf Ps. cv. 6. The title my friend (Uterally, my
lover) which is here applied to Abraham is reproduced in 2 Ch. xx. 7,
James ii. 23, and the Vulg. of Judith viii. 22 (Abraham.,, per multas
tribulationes prohatus, Dei amicus effectus est), and appears Ukevrise in
the Koran (Sura iv.).
9. whom I have taken, etc. What the Lord had done for Israel
in the past was an earnest of what He would do for it in the future.
1 In Ezek. xxviii. 2S, xxxvii. 25 the words my servant Jacob seem to designate
the patriarch, not the nation.

XLL 10-15] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 263
thereof, and said unto thee. Thou art my servant, I have chosen
thee and not cast thee away ; 10 fear thou not, for I am with thee ;
^be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I wUl help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness. 1 1 Behold, all they that are incensed
against thee shall be ashamed and confounded : they that strive
with thee shall be as notMng, and shall perish. 12 Thou shalt
seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contend
with thee : they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and
as a thing of nought. 13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy
right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will
help thee, saith the Lord, and ^thy redeemer is the Holy One of
IsraeL 15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp thresMng
1 Or, look not around thee " Or, thy redeemer, the Holy One die.
The event referred to is probably not the Exodus of the nation from
Eg3^t, but the call of its ancestor from Ur (Gen. xi. 31) or Meso
potamia (Gen. xu. 4). These places, though near Babylon, where Israel
now was, are described as the ends of the earth, because viewed in thought
from Palestine, the nation's home ; cf on v. 26.
10. he not dismayed. More literally, look not despairingly around
(ci. V. 23) : see xl. 27.
unll strengthen thee. Perhaps, will secure thee for myself ; cf
xUv. 14, Ps. Ixxx. 15 (Heb.).
the right hand of my righteousness. Better, either my faithful right
hand or my mndicating (or mctorious) right hand : ci. v. 2.
11. ashamed. Better, disappmnted (and so in xiv. 16, 17, Uv. 4).
14. thou worm. A figure for humiliation and degradation (Ps. xxii.
6, .Job xxv. 6).
ye men of Israel. The paraUelism requires a synonym for worm ;
and a plausible emendation is thou wormht Israel (reading OS") for
'09): cf xiv. 11, Job xxv. 6.
thy redeemer. The original term (Goel) denotes the next-of-kin
whose duty and right it was to redeem a fellow-kinsman's person or
property, if either had been sold (Lev. xxv. 25, Ruth iii. 12, 13, iv. 4, 6),
or to avenge his death, if he had been the victim of violence (Num. xxxv.
12, 19, cf. 2 Sam. iv. 11). The equivalent of this tie the Lord
recognized as subsisting between Himself and Israel, and claimed the
consequent right of avenging the nation's wrongs (cf Ex. xv. 13).
the Holy One of Israel. See on i. 4. This is one of the few charac
teristic phrases of Isaiah that are common in Deutero-Isaiah (see vv. 16,
20, xlui. 3, 14, xiv. 11, xlvu. 4, xlviu. 17, etc).
15. sharp. The word so rendered is itself used for threshing
instrument (or sledge) in xxviii. 27, and is perhaps here a gloss.

264 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xll 16-21
instrument having teeth : thou shalt thresh the mountains, and
beat them smaU, and shalt make the hills as chaff. 16 Thou
shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the
whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the
Lord, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 The poor
and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue
faileth for thirst; I the Lord will answer them, I the God of
Israel will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers on the bare
heights, and fountains in the midst of the vaUeys : I will make
the wUderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of
water. 19 1 wiU plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia
tree, and the myrtle, and the ^oil tree; I wUl set in the desert
the fir tree, the ^pine, and the ^box tree together: 20 that
they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together,
that the hand of the Lord hath done tMs, and the Holy One
of Israel hath created it.
21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your
^ Or, oleaster ^ Or, plane ' Or, cypress
the mountains. Probably symbols for formidable foes (who are the
objects of threshing in Mic iv. 13).
Since in vv. 15, 16 Israel is described as being itself the destroyer
of all that opposes or obstructs it, whereas elsewhere in these cc. it
owes its deliverance to others, Marti thinks that vv. 11 — 16 proceed
from another writer than Deutero-Isaiah.
17. The poor and needy. Expressions designating the Jewish
community; see Ps. Ixxiv. 21, Hab. iii. 14.
18. / will open rivers. Similar promises occur in xUii. 19, 20,
xlviu. 21, xUx. 10, Iv. 13.
19. / will plant, etc. Of the trees, planted to shade the travellers,
the oil tree is taken by some (see mg.) for the oleaster or wild olive (cf
Neh. viii. 15), but is more probably a resinous tree Uke the pine. The
fir (so Vulg.), according to some, should be the cypress (so Sym. ; cf
Ix. 13 LXX.). What is here caUed the pine (so LXX. in Ix. 13) is
probably the plane (see mg.^ though Sym. has rmXia and Vulg. has,
ulmus ; whilst the box tree (Vulg.) may be the sherbin-tree, a variety'
of cypress (cf mg.).
20. that they, etc. The pronoun seems to refer to men in general,
who, from beholding the transformation of the wUderness just described,
vriU come to understand better the character and power of Israel's God,
see Iv. 13.
21—29. The Lord's chaUenge to the idol-gods to substantiate their
claims to divinity by predictions Uke His own respecting Cyrus (see
p. Ixi).

xli 22-2+] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 265
strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. 22 Let them bring
them forth, and declare unto us what shall happen : declare ye
the former things, what they be, that we may consider them,
and know the latter end of them; or shew us things for to
come. 23 Declare the things that are to come hereafter, that
we may know that ye are gods : yea, do good, or do evil, that
we may ^be dismayed, and behold it together. 24 Behold, ye
^ Or, look one upon another
The trial scene, introduced in w. 1 — 7, and interrupted by the
intrusion of vv. 8 — 20, is here resumed.
21. Produce. The challenge is addressed to the idols (but see
next note).
bring forth... reasons, i.e. to prove that you are not nonentities.
Gratz, assuming that the idol-worshippers are addressed, emends the
text to hring forth your idok (DS'Till-yy for nj^niDVH).
the King of Jacob. The appellation distinguishes the Lord from
the gods of the heathen who were also entitled kings (viii. 21, Am. v.
26). 22. Let them.., forth. This must be addressed to the idol-wor
shippers, but the Lxx. and Vulg. have Let them (the idol-gods)
approach (^^\\ for •lt5'''^l), which is preferable.
declare umto us, etc. True predictions (made through their
prophets) would be evidence for the reality of the Babylonian gods,
because only from beings controUing events could foreknowledge of
them be derived. On the other hand, though isolated predictions
which the events falsified might only discredit the prophets who
uttered them (see Deut. xviii. 22), complete failure to predict the
future correctly would discredit the gods themselves.
the former things. Instances of past predictions, with which the
actual sequel (the latter end of them) could be compared. But the
balance of the clauses is greatly improved if (with Duhm and others)
the words (that we may) know the latter end of them are placed at the
end of the verse.
things for to come. i.e. predictions concerning what is stiU future,
which time wUl verify or disprove. By the plur. pron. us and we (see
vv. 23, 26) the Lord probably associates with Himself His people who
are present as His witnesses (see xliii. 9, 10).
23. do good, etc. If the idol-gods shrink from the test proposed,
they may select their own conditions, so long as they do something to
shew that they are alive (cf Jer. x. 5).
may be dismayed. Better (cf mg.), may hok around on one another
in astonishment : LXX. Oavfrna-oixida.
24. Behold, etc After v. 23 it must be assumed that there is a pause
whilst an answer is awaited. But the idols are silent and motionless,
and the conclusion here drawn is inevitable. In reaUty, no doubt, the
oracles and prophets of Babylon, like those of Greece and Rome, could

266 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLL.5,26
are of nothing, and your work of nought : an abomination is he
that chooseth you.
25 I have raised up one from the north, and he is come;
from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name : and
he shall come upon ^rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter
treadeth clay. 26 Who hath declared it from the beginning,
that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say. He is
^ Or, deputies
have cited many coincidences between their predictions and the ensuing
events^. your work. i.e. your achievements. The rendering nought is a
necessary correction (based on xl. 17, xli. 12, 29 and confirmed by the
Vulg.) ofthe Heb., which contains a scribal error.
an abomination, etc. i.e. an object of abhorrence is he who chooses
you for worship (Jud. v. 8, x. 14).
25. I have raised, etc. A reiteration of the assertion of vv. 2 — 4
that it was the Lord who was the Author of Cyrus' successful career;
to which is now added (w. 26, 27) the proof suppUed by the prior
prediction of it.
the north... the rising of the sun. A designation of the N.E., the
direction in which Media lay relatively to Babylon.
that calleth, etc. Better, that will call upon (i.e. worship, lxiv. 7,
Gen. iv. 26), or perhaps that will proclaim (i.e. make known, Ex. xxxui.
19, xxxiv. 5) my name. The passage is an anticipation that Cyrus wUl
eventually acknowledge the Lord as the Author of his success, not (as
the R.V. implies) a statement that he, as king of a nation which
(like the Jews) did not worship images, is aheady a genuine, even
though an unconscious, worshipper of the true God (see xiv. 4, 5).
There is not sufiicient evidence, notwithstanding Ezra i. 2 (=2 Ch.
xxxvi. 23), that Cyrus ever worshipped the Lord (as here foretold),
and in his own inscriptions he attributes his success over Babylon to
the Babylonian gods Nabu (Nebo) and Marduk (Merodach); but by
the Hebrews the restoration of the Israelite exiles, which rendered
feasible the re-building of the Temple, might be regarded as an act of
homage satisfying the present prediction. It is possible, however, that
the text is at fault : the parallelism is improved by the emendation /
call him by his name (iof ? NnpN for *»?'3 ^li?;); cf xiv. 4, xlviii. 15.
come upon. Many critics adopt the conjecture tramph upon (D^J
for ^^l) as affording a better parallel to treadeth ; cf xiv. 25, Ixiii. 6.
rulers. The original word (said to be an Assyrian loan-word) only
occurs elsewhere in exilic and post-exilic writings (Jer. li. 23, Ezra ix.
2, Neh. ii. 16, etc), and so supports an exiUc date for these cc.
26. the beginning, i.e. of Cyrus' advance (xlviii. 16).
' For Greek oracles verified by the event see Hdt. i. 46 — 48, 52, 53, vn. 178,
188, 189, VIII. 36, 37.

XLL 27-29] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 267
righteous? yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none
that sheweth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. 27 /
first will s(iy unto Zion, Behold, behold them ; and I wiU give
to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. 28 And when I
look, there is no man ; even among them there is no counsellor,
that, when I ask of them, can answer a word. 29 ^Behold, all
of them, their works are vanity and nought: their molten
images are wind and confusion.
^ Or, Behold, they are all vanity ; their works are nought
He is righteous. Better, He (or It) is correct, LXX. on dkr)6rj ia-nv.
¦27. I first, etc. The sentence in the original is defective, and it
is doubtful whether the tenor of it is Beforehand (literally, As a first
one) to Zion I declared, or A precursor (literally, A first one) to Zion I
sent. The latter suits best the paraUel clause, and is favoured by the
LXX. There is a reference to xl. 9.
Behold, etc. i.e. the approaching train of returning exiles; cf
xlix. 18. Some critics think the words conceal the missing verb ofthe
preceding clause, and substitute / declared it (i7''?'1IO or P^J?1in for
Dsn nan).
/ will give. Better, / give.
28. And when I hok. The Lord, as it were, gives a final glance
round to see whether there is any among the idol-gods who will dispute
His conclusion (v. 26) and furnish evidence of prophetic power. But
Duhm would read. But as for them (^?,^) for ^^l^l).
counsellor, i.e. predicter ; cf the meamng of counsel (i.e. prediction)
in xliv. 26 and the corresponding verb in Num. xxiv. 14.
29. all of them, etc Better (cf mg.), all of them are vanity (or by
the substitution of I*^ for t'"', nothing), their works (i.e. their activities
and achievements) are nought : ci. v. 24.
their molten images. The possessive pronoun refers to the makers
and worshippers of the idols. For wind as a symbol of nothingness cf.
Job vii. 7, Eccles. i. 14, 17. Confusion is literally wasteness or
see xl. 17 and cf 1 Sam. xii. 21.

Chapter XLIL 1—4.
This section describes a mission to the heathen with which the Lord's
Servant is entrusted, his methods of working, and his constancy of purpose.
It is written in three symmetrical quatrains, and constitutes the first of the
passages already alluded to (p. 262) as the Servant Songs, the others being
xlix. 1—6, 1 4—9, Hi. 13— Iiii. 12. These diflFer from the rest of the prophecy
partly in their style, which is less impetuous than that of the rest of cc. xL — Iv.,
and partly in their contents. Elsewhere in this prophecy the Servant is
portrayed as expected by the Lord to witness before the world to His Divine

268 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLn.1,2
power (xliii. 10), but as failing to understand and promote the Dirine purposes
(xiii. 18—20), as having incurred suffering by sinning (xiii. 24, 25, xliiL 25,
xlrii. 6, 1. 1), as complaining under tribulation (xL 27, xlix. 14), as owing his
approaching redemption to the Lord's spontaneous mercy (xliii. 25, xliv. 27),
and as meriting compensation only because his guUt has been exceeded by
his punishment (xl. 2, xlrii. 6). But in these poems, wherein he appears as
expressly commissioned to acquaint the heathen with the religion of the Lord
(xiii. 1—4, xlix. 6), he is depicted as resolute in the discharge of his duty
(xiii. 4, xlix. 4), as obedient to the Dirine will even at the cost of many
indignities (1. 5—7), as patiently submitting to afHiction and persecution
though innocent of wrong (Iiii. 7—9), as expiating by his undeserved sufferings,
which end in death, the offences of others (Iiii. 5, 6, 8, 11, 12), and as being
rewarded by a renewal of life and by the success of his mission (hiL 10).
Since the Servant seems to designate the actual nation of Israel in the Songs
just as in the rest of cc. xl.— Iv. (his death and rerival representing the
nation's political extinction and subsequent restoration), it is probable that
the Songs (which in their respective contexts begin abruptly) are insertions in
the prophecy, since it is unnatural that two such dissimilar conceptions of
Israel's character and bearing should originate with the same author. The
insertion of them, however, seems to have been effected by Deutero-Isaiah
himself, who in two instances appears to have expanded them (see on xiii. 5-9,
xlix. 7-13). Por altemative riews see on p. 345.
XIiII. 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen,
in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my spirit upon Mm;
he shall bring forth judgement to the ^Gentiles. 2 He shaU
1 Or, nations (and elsewhere)
XIiII. 1. Behold my servant, etc. The LXX. here expUcitiy
identifies the Servant with Israel (cf xlix. 3) by inserting Jacob before
my servant and Israel before my chosen,
whom I uphold ; my chosen. Both expressions are used of historic
Israel, the former in xli. 10 (though the construction differs), the latter
in xliii. 20, xiv. 4.
in.,. delighteth. Cf Ps. cxlvu. 11, Prov. iii. 12. The soul, in
Heb., denotes the seat of the higher affections as well as the lower
appetites (xxix. 8).
I have put my spirit, etc. Cf xliv. 3 (of Israel). It was through the
bestowal of the spirit of the Lord that both individuals and nations
were empowered to undertake duties or achieve enterprises beyond
ordinary capacity (see on xi. 2). It is with the quaUfications of a
religious teacher that Israel is here represented as endued; cf 1. 4.
judgement. The word, here and in vv. 3, 4, li. 4, Ivi. I, is the same
as that which in Iviii. 2, Jer. viii. 7 is rendered by ordinance. It is
a collective expression for the Divine requirements both ceremonial
(2 Kgs. xvii. 26, 27) and moral (Jer. v. 4); and so is practically
equivalent to the religion of Jehovah. It was the destiny of Israel to
be the channel of the Divine revelation, which, hitherto confined within

XLIL 3, 4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 269
not cry, nor lift up, nor cause Ms voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the ^smoMng flax shall
he not quench : he shall bring forth judgement in truth. 4 He
shall not ^fail nor be ^discouraged, till he have set judgement
in the earth ; and the isles shall wait for his law.
^ Or, dimly burning wick ' Or, burn dimly ' Or, bruised
the limits of a smaU people, was to be disseminated amongst the Gentiles
(see xlix. 6, U. 4 (cf. ii. 2—4)). For the diffusion of a knowledge of
the true God Israel had been designed and equipped from the first
(xlix. 1, 2), but with the exile all prospect of success seemed to be cut
short (see on xUx. 4); and it was only after its marvellous rescue
therefrom that its influence could begin to prevail (xlix. 7, Iii. 15,
Uii. 10—12).
2. He shall not cry. The command is a prohibition of excited
efforts to win adherents or proselytes^. Israel, in its endeavour to
convert the GentUes, must not emulate the procedure of its own
prophets when working amongst their countr3rmen (see Iviii. 1 and cf
Isaiah's conduct, viii. 1, xx. 2) : its methods must be gentle and unob
trusive, as befitted its situation in the midst of powerful heathen
peoples ; and the knowledge of the Lord which it is designed to spread
is to penetrate the world quietly (cf the description of Israel's influence
amongst the nations in Mic. v. 7).
lift up. i.e. his voice (v. 11, iii. 7, Num. xiv. 1, Job xxi. 12).
3. A bruised reed, ete. Better, A broken reed he shall not break off,
and a flickering (or dimly burning) wick he shall not quench. The
expression not break off.,, not quench is probably a litotes. The faint
elements of faith and goodness in the heathen world, almost extinct
through the prevalence of idolatry and wickedness (and so likened to a
broken reed and an expiring taper), are not to be discouraged by a rigid
and exacting temper, but to be revived by a gentle and conciliatory
attitude. For this aspect of the Servant's work see 1. 4 ; cf the conduct
of Elisha towards the Syrian Naaman (2 Kgs. v. 18, 19) and of St Paul
at Athens (Acts xvii. 23 f ).
he shall hring forth, etc. This clause belongs to v. 4, being the first
line of the third quatrain.
in truth, i.e. faithfully (x. 20, xlviii. 1). But the LXX. has eis
oKr/Ouav, i.e. unto stability (ci. the meaning of truth in xxxix. 8).
4. shall not fail, etc. Better, shall not flicker nor break (reading
y^y., cf Ezek. xxix. 7). The expressions are chosen with reference to
those used in -y. 3: there wiU be no flagging in Israel's resolution as
in the struggling efforts of heathendom.
set judgement, ete. i.e. establish everywhere the practice of true
reUgion. the ishs, etc. Better, the coastlands shall wait for (expect hopefuUy)
his instruction (ii. 3). It is implied that the heathen peoples are ripe
^ Cf. our Lord's condemnation of the Pharisees (Matt, xxiii. 15).

270 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlil s
for Israel's teaching, partly because of dissatisfaction vrith their own
reUgious condition, and partly (as wUl appear later) because of what
Israel's wonderful experiences wiU have revealed of the character and
power of its God. The passage is quoted in Matt. xii. 18—21 in con
nection with our Lord's desire to avoid pubUcity', when engaged in His
works of healing.
XLII. 5—25.
The remainder of the c, in which the thread of the prophecy, broken by
the introduction of the Song, is recovered, consists of affirmations of what the
Lord intends to do with and for His people (w. 5—17), followed by a lament
over their spiritual insensibility (vv. 18 — 25).
5 Thus saith God the Lokd, he that created the heavens, and
stretched them forth ; he that spread abroad the earth and that
which cometh out of it ; he that giveth breath unto the people
5 — 9. A re-statement of Israel's vocation, which the Lord purposes
to promote by effecting its release from captivity.
These vv., in which the Lord addresses Israel, re-affirm Israel's
mission to the (jentiles, but add a reference to the approaching deUver
ance from Babylon, to which there is no allusion in the preceding Song.
They are in the manner of Deutero-Isaiah, and are probably a comment
by him upon the Song which he has incorporated as being calculated to
encourage the people with the thought of having a noble destiny to
fulfil. But Cheyne, who considers that the Songs were inserted by an
editor, holds that w. 5 — 7 were composed by him as a Unk to connect
the inserted song with its framework, and that the original prophecy is
not resumed till v. 8 (with which cf xU. 26 — 29).
5. that created, etc. The Lord's creative power (described in
similar terms in xiv. 12, 18, xlviii. 13, U. 13) is recalled in order to
encourage belief in His ability to fulfil aU His promises (cf on xl.
12—26). spread abroad. The verb means "to stamp, beat firm," see Ex.
xxxix. 3, Num. xvi. 39 (=xvii. 4, Heb.): cf Driver on Gen. i. 6.
that which.,, of it. i.e. plant and animal life (xxxiv. l). The term
used recurs in xliv. 3, xlviii. 19, Ixi. 9, lxv. 23. As the text stands,
the verb spread forth can apply to this object only by a violent zeugma;
possibly an appropriate verb (such as bringeth forth, Ps. civ. 14) has been
accidentaUy lost.
the people, i.e. mankind in general (xl. 7), who, for God's gracious
purposes, are one people.
' The citation in j). 1 omits (with the Heb. ) the names Jacob and Israel ; in the
last clause of v. 3 it has till he send forth judgment unto victory, implying the
Aramaic flVJ^ for JIDNJj and, omitting the first half of v. i, renders the last (with
the LXX.) in his name shall the Gentiles hope.

XLIL 6, 7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 271
upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein : 6 I the Lord have
called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, aud will
^keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a
light of the Gentiles ; 7 to open the blind eyes, to bring out the
prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out
¦^ Or, form
6. have called... will hold. Similar expressions are used in con
nection with the historic Israel in xli. 9.
in righteousness, i.e. with fiixity of purpose; the end for which
Israel was designed from the first will be pursued unalterably : cf the
sense of righteousness in xiv. 13, and perhaps xli. 2, and see Rom.
xi. 29.
keep thee. The original is ambiguous and may mean either preserve
' (xlix. 8, xxvi. 3) orform thee (xliv. 21, xlix. 5). If the latter be
adopted, it goes closely with the following verb — will constitute and
render thee a covenant, etc. The Vulg. makes all the verbs in the v.
perfects (vocavi.,.apprehendi,..servavi,,,dedi), probably correctly, cf the
tenses in xUx. 2.
a covenant of the peoph. i.e. an agency to bring mankind into
covenant with the Lord: cf xlix. 8. The people denotes collective
humanity (as in v. 5, xl. 7), and Israel is styled a covenant of mankind
(instead of being termed a messenger, or mediator, of such a covenant)
in the same way as it is styled a light of the Gentiles, as being the
effective agency whereby the heathen peoples are to be brought into
feUowship with the true God and receive spiritual illumination (cf
paraUel expressions in xUx. 6, Mic. v. 5, Joh. xi. 25). But Giesebrecht
explains the phrase to mean a confederation of people, i.e. Israel, now
scattered in exile, will, by the approaching release from it, once more
become united.
7. to open. . .to bring out. The R.V. appears to distinguish between
the Servant and Israel (cf xlix. 5, 6) and to represent the former as the
means of liberating the latter. But since the Servant and Israel are
probably identical, it is necessary to render hy opening, ,,hy bringing out
(for the construction cf xxxvii. 11, Gen. xxxiv. 7)'. The proceedings are
those of the Lord (Whose activity is emphasized in vv, 5, 6) and directed
to the promotion of Israel's task of enlightening the Gentiles. The
wonderful release of the Jews from exile was calculated to attract the
attention of the heathen to the God Who so mightily intervened on
behalf of His people, and their restoration to comparative independence
would enable them to become a centre of reUgious influence. The
words blind eyes mean eyes prevented from seeing by the darkness of
imprisonment (cf xlix. 9).

' Cf. the parallel use of the infinitive in Aots xv. 10, tI rreipd^ere rov 6ehv,
iwiSehai ( = by imposing) {uyiv i-irl rbv TpAxv^O" i""" p,a0rirwv;

272 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlils-h
of the prison house. 8 I am the Lord ; that is my name : and my
glory wiU I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven
images. 9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and
new tMngs do I declare : before they spring forth I teU you of
them. 10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the
end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is
therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. 11 Let the
wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the vUlages
that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of ^Sela sing, let
' See ch. xvi. 1.
8. Iam the LoBD, Better (after the LXX.), Iam Jehovah the
(sole) God.
my ghry... my praise. The expressions allude to the distinction
of being universally acknowledged as the only God, a distinction which
will accrue from the fulfilment of the prediction just made (v. 7) of
Israel's restoration.
9. the former things, i.e. probably earUer prophecies (like those of
Jeremiah xxx. 3, xxxi. 4 f ) which had portended, without expUcitiy
predicting, the success of Cyrus, and which had been verified by the
event. Contrasted with them are new things, i.e. fresh predictions
respecting the future and destined to be fulfilled with equal certainty.
spring forth. The expression is common in cc. xl. — Ixvi. in connec
tion with conditions or events coming into existence (xliii. 19, xiv. 8,
Iviu. 8, Ixi. 11).
10 — 17. A song in praise of the Lord for championing His people,
and a declaration from Him of His purpose to guide and safeguard them.
10. a new song. The phrase is perhaps suggested by the new
things which are to be celebrated, though the expression is a common
one (Ps. xxxiii. 3, xl. 3, xcvi. 1, etc., and cf Rev. v. 9, xiv. 3).
ye that, , ,sea. The combination of this phrase (for which cf Ps. cvu.
23) with the next (which is literally its fulness) has seemed to some
critics so harsh that it has been proposed to read instead, ht the sea roar
and all that is therein (p^t for *!?''); cf Ps. xcvi. 11, xcviii. 7.
11. the wilderness. The expression represents the inland regions,
as contrasted vrith the seaboard, or stands for the eastern peoples as
the ishs (v. 10) for the western (cf Jer. ii. 10).
the cities thereof, i.e. those which were built at the oases of the
desert and along the trade routes (such as Tadmor, 2 Ch. viii. 4).
Cheyne substitutes the steppe (J^T\^, for I'TV), after Klostermann. In
stead of lift up (their voice), for which cf v. 2, iii. 7, the LXX. has
rejmce (f^V) for Wf p.
Kedar. See on xxi. 16. The villages are perhaps merely temporary
habitations (cf Gen. xxv. 16 of the Ishmaelites), since elsewhere the
tribe is described as nomadic (Ps. cxx. 5, Cant. i. 5).

XLILI2-I6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 273
them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give
glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man ; he shall stir up
^jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, he shall shout
aloud; he shaU do mightily against his enemies. 14 I have
long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained
myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will
*gasp and pant together. 15 I will make waste mountains
and hUls, and dry up all their herbs ; and I wiU make the rivers
islands, and will dry up the pools. 16 And I will bring the
^ Or, zeal ^ Or, destroy and devour
Sela. i.e. Petra, the capital of Edom (xvi. 1, 2 Kgs. xiv. 7). But
the word Uterally means rock, and the rendering inhabitants of rocky
fastnesses affords a somewhat better parallel to the next clause; cf.
Jer. xlix. 16.
12. This V. is rejected by Duhm and Cheyne as duplicating the
thought of V. 10'', of wMch it may be a variant or an iUustration.
13. shall goforth. i.e. on a campaign (cf 2 Sam. v. 24). For the
comparison of the Lord to a warrior see xl. 10, Ux. 17, Ixiu. 1 f , Ex. xv.
3, Zech. ix. 13, 14, xiv. 3, Ps. xxxv. 1 f , bcxviii. 66.
jealousy. Better, ardour; ci. lix. 17, bdii. 15.
cry,,, shout, i.e. raise His war-cry. For the shouting of warriors
cf Ex. xxxu. 17, 18, I Sam. xvu. 52, 2 Ch. xiu. 15.
14. The Lord is again the speaker, as in u 9 ; but the thought of
V. 13 is continued.
holden my peace, i.e. abstained from action on Israel's behalf (cf
Ixii. 1, lxiv. 12, Ps. xxviu. 1, Hab. i. 13). The hng time probably
refers to the ExUe, the length of which (reaUy only 50 or 60-
years) the Lord in His sympathy magnifies (cf xl. 2); though some
think it describes the interval of more than 150 years that had elapsed
since the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib in 701 (cf hi. 4).
The LXX. and O.L. have I have holden my peace; shall I be still arid
refrain myself for ever ? (reading ofiviD for Q/iVP).
cry out. i.e. in distress for His people's state.
gasp ... pant. i.e. in the excitement of conflict (v. 13).
The anthropopathic language in this v. expresses crudely the truth
that in Divine, as in human, personality, feeling, as well as thought and
vrill, must be an element ; and is designed to represent the Lord's
sympathy with His people and His longing to help them.
15. / idll make waste. The country traversed by the Divine
warrior is thought of as blasted by His rage (cf xl. 24).
rivers. Probably the streams and canals of Babylonia.
islands. If the text is sound, the word must here be equivalent to
dry ground ; but a plausible conjecture is dry places (ni'V for D'!s<).
w. I. 18

274 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlil 17-19
blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know
not will I lead them : I will make darkness light before them,
and crooked places straight. These tMngs will I do, ^and I
wiU not forsake them. 17 They shaU be turned back, they
shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say
unto molten images, Ye are our gods.
18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.
19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger
that I send? who is blind as he that is ^at peace with ms, and
^ Ot, and will not forbear ^ Ot, made perfect Ot, recompensed
16. the blind, i.e. the exiles (cf v. 7), who, though possessed of
sight, could not, in their ignorance of the road, see to any purpose if
left to themselves.
darkness. A description of the desert where no path could be
traced ; cf Jer. ii. 6, 31, Job xxx. 3.
crooked places straight. Better, rugged ground a plateau, cf. xl. 4.
will not forsake them. Perhaps better, will not leave these things
undone (cf. Gen, xxiv. 27, Ruth ii. 20, Ezra ix. 10).
17. turned hack. i.e. put to shame (Ps. xxxv. 4, xl. 14, Jer.
xlvi. 5), in consequence of the inferiority of their deities to the Lord,
the champion of Israel.
18 — 25. A complaint over the insensibility which Israel has
hitherto shewn to the lessons of its experience.
The passage is a remonstrance to Israel for having failed to under
stand and profit by the educative process which the Lord had pursued
vrith it. It had not realized its vocation, or profited by the sufferings
it had incurred.
18. ye deaf . .ye blind. The terms do not here describe the solitude
and darkness of imprisonment (as in v. 7), but moral and spiritual
obtuseness (cf xliii. 8). Israel is exhorted to discern at last the
significance of what had befallen it.
19. hut my servant,., messenger. Israel had a mission to discharge
for the Lord, viz. to be His witness before the world (xUii. 10), but it
had been faithless to its duties and unresponsive to correction.
he that is at peace, etc. i.e. admitted to friendship with me
(cf xliii. 4). This, however, seems to require D^?5'D (Job v. 23) or
^ppW (Ps. vii. 4) for D?^ ; and the text, as pointed, perhaps means
(as in the mg.) he that is recompensed (ci. Prov. xi. 31), i.e. one whose
service has been fully requited and from whom faithfulness might
accordingly be expected. Sym. has 6 rcXetos (cf mg.). The LXX.,
which is briefer than the Heb., and which has my servants^ instead of
my servant, may have read the word as their rulers (Dv?'0 or Dn'3^0).
1 The Old Latin {ap. Cyprian) has servi Dei, probably implying the same reading.
In the Heb. text of Deutero-Isaiah, the plur. servants only occurs in liv. 17, but see
xliv. 26 (note).

XLIL 20-25] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 275
Wind as the Lord's servant? 20 Thou seest many things, but
thou observest not; his ears are open, but he heareth not.
21 It pleased the Lord, for his righteousness' sake, to ^ magnify
the law, and make it honourable. 22 But this is a people
robbed and spoUed ; they are all of them snared in holes, and
they are hid in prison houses : they are for a prey, and none
delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith. Restore. 23 Who is
there among you that will give ear to this? that will hearken
and hear for the time to come? 24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil,
and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord? he against whom
we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, neither
were they obedient unto his ^law. 25 Therefore he poured
1 Or, make the teaching great and glorious " Ot, teaching
blind as,,, servant. Probably an accidental error for chaf as the
Lord's servant (Sym. Kal ku^os ws 6 SoCXos Kvpwv). The v. interrupts
the direct address to Israel, and is regarded by Marti as a gloss.
20. many things, i.e. the wonderful experiences of Hebrew history,
the import of which had not been understood ; cf Deut. iv. 32, v. 26,
Ps. cv. 5.
his ears are open. Israel had faculties for receiving Divine instruc
tion (as imparted tlirough the prophets) but did not use them. For
the change of person cf xxii. 16 (though see note), Ui. 14.
21. for his righteousness' sake. i.e. in pursuance of a consistent
purpose (cf v. 6, xli. 2).
to magnify, ete. Better (cf mg.), to magnify and glorify the
instruction (i.e. the Divine self-revelation). The blessings attendant
upon a knowledge of the Lord Israel was designed to illustrate, and
thereby attract the heathen world to Him.
22. But this is, etc. The Lord's purpose had not been promoted
by Israel, which had been intractable and was now suffering the
penalties of disobedience. By holes are meant dungeons ; but this
description is rhetorical, for the exiles in general seem to have enjoyed
considerable liberty (cf Jer. xxix. 5 f ).
24. for a spoil. Duhm and others, in the interest of the paral
lelism, substitute to the spoihr (ntiwiph for the Heb. mg. <^P^v?).
did not the Lobd, etc. These words (to the end of the v.) in
which the people are abruptly introduced as speaking, and which
supply an unnecessary answer to the preceding rhetorical question,
are regarded by Duhm and Cheyne as an insertion. The syntax
presents some indication of a late origin. In place of we have sinned
(the vmter including himself among the erring people as in lix. 9,
Ixui. 7) the LXX. has they sinned, and preserves the 3rd plur. through
out V. 25.
25. Therefore he poured. Better, and poured, etc. (probably part
of the question in v. 24*).
18—2

276 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliil i, 2
upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle ; and
it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not ; and it burned
Mm, yet he laid it not to heart.
the strength ofhatth. Better, the viohnce of war, which is likened
to a fire (cf ix. 19, x. 16).
yet he knew not. The nation did not recognize, as it was meant to
do, that its calamities were a judgment upon it, and so the chastise
ment had not brought about the reformation desired.

Chapter XLIII.
The contents fall into four sections : (1) an assurance to Israel of the Lord's
purpose to redeem it (m. 1 — 7); (2) a re-assertion ofthe Lord's sole godhead by
the appeal to prophecy (vv. 8 — 13); (3) a declaration of Babylon's approaching
overthrow and of the exiles' safe passage to their homes (m. 14 — 21); (4) a
renewed expostulation with Israel for its sinfulness and ingratitude (w. 21 — 28).
XLIII. 1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee,
O Jacob, and he that formed thee, 0 Israel: Fear not, for I
have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thy name, thou art
mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I wUl be with
thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
XLIII. 1 — 7, The Lord will redeem Israel because of His love
for it, and will gather its dispersed members from all quarters of the
world. This opening section of the c is closely connected with the final
section of the preceding c (xiii. 18 — 25). Israel's obduracy (it is
implied) was not to be allowed permanently to frustrate the Lord's
designs. Israel had been created for the purpose of manifesting to
the world His glory, and the Lord would seek to bring about, by a
signal act of redemption, the conditions which were essential for the
adiievement of this end.
1. But now. The expression introduces a contrast or turning-
point; cf xliv. 1, xlvii. 8, xlix. 5.
that created. The term must refer, not to the primal creation of
mankind, but to the constitution of Israel as a nation. The fact that
the Lord was the controller of its fortunes was an assurance that its
calamities were not beyond His power to relieve.
called thee hy thy name. To be called by name was to be singled out
for some special honour, position, or function, see Ex. xxxi. 2, xxxiii.
12, 17, and cf (below) xiv. 3, 4. Thou art mine expresses the thought
of Ex. xix. 5, 6.
2. waters... fire. Figures for extreme dangers, as in Ps. xvui. 16,

XLIII. 3-7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 277
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned ;
neither shaU the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the Lord
thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy saviour; I have given
Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4 Since thou
hast been precious in my sight, ^and honourable, and I have
loved thee ; therefore will I give men for thee, and peoples for
thy life. 5 Fear not ; for I am with thee : I wiU bring thy seed
from the east, and gather thee from the west ; 6 I will say to
the north. Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring
my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth ;
7 every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created
for my glory; I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
^ Or, thou hast been honourable <&c.
xxxii. 6, xhi. 7, Ixvi. 12, Ixix. 1, 2, cxxiv. 4, Lam. iii. 54 : cf also
Dan. iu. 27.
3. Egypt as thy ransom, etc. Egjrpt and the adjoining countries
were regarded as exceptionally wealthy (xiv. 14), so that the fact that
these are named as Israel's ransom attests the high value placed upon
it by the Lord. But the thought prompting the utterance is probably
not (as some have explained) that an indemnity was due to (5yrus for
the loss involved in the emancipation of Israel, but that the conquer
ing power (Persia) set in motion to release Israel by overthrowing
Babylon would subjugate other nations also, which the Lord was ready
to sacrifice. The conquest of Egypt, contemplated by Cyrus (Hdt.
I. 153), was actually effected by his successor Cambyses (Hdt. iii. 1 f ).
Ethiopia. Heb. Gush (see on xi. 11).
Seba. i.e. Meroe, between the Blue and White Niles, near
Khartoum, though some place it on the W. coast of the Red Sea.
4. men. Literally, man, i.e. mankind at large (cf Jer. xxxii. 20).
If the text is sound, Israel to the Lord was worth more than the rest
of humanity put together. But the parallelism is somewhat improved
by Duhm's emendation lands (nilO"JK. for °"l,?).
5. from the east... west. After the Fall of Jerusalem in 587 only
a portion of its population was carried to Babylon ; others dispersed to
different parts of the world (see Jer. xliii. 7, xliv. 1, cf Is. xi. 11,
xlix. 12, Zech. viii. 7).
6. my sons.. -daughters. The terms accentuate the nearness and
deamess of Israel to the Lord (see on i. 2) : cf 2 Cor. vi. 18.
7. for my glory. Israel was to promote the Divine glory both by
the visible illustration which its deliverance would afford of God's
power and grace, and by the knowledge which it possessed of His laws
and which it was to be instrumental in diffusing : cf xiv. 14, 22 — 24.
/ have formed him, etc. The clause is part of the preceding relative
sentence, and so better, whom I have formed, yea, and made.

278 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliil 8-10
8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf
that have ears. 9 ^Let all the nations be gathered together,
and let the peoples be assembled : who among them can declare
this, and shew us former things? let them bring their witnesses,
that they may be justified: ^or let them hear, and say. It is
truth. 10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant
whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and
1 Or, Gather yourselves together, all ye nations ^ Or, and that they may hear
8 — 13. A renewal of the controversy with the idols, and a second
assertion of the Lord's sole godhead, as evinced by His predictive powers
which Israel could attest.
The section reproduces the trial scene of xU. 1 — 5 (7), 21 — 29; but
here the Lord's speech is, in the main, addressed to Israel, not to the
idols and their votaries.
8. Bring forth, i.e. produce my witnesses at the trial. The
rendering assumes a slight correction of the original, which has He
has brought forth.
the blind people, i.e. Israel (see xhi. 18 — 20). Though Israel
lacked spiritual insight enough to understand all that its experiences
were meant to teach it, it was capable of testifying whether it had
vritnessed the verification of the Lord's predictions or not, and so of
furnishing evidence as to the reality of the Lord's foreknowledge.
9. Let all, etc. Better (by a change of points in the second clause).
All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled.
among them. i.e. the idol-gods and the peoples who worship them.
this. Probably the prediction of Israel's restoration (vv. I — 7),
which the idols cannot parallel. By us are meant the Lord and His
people (xli. 22).
former things. Earlier predictions verified by the event (as in
xU. 22).
he justified, i.e. corroborated and proved correct in their contention
(cf xU. 26).
or let them hear, etc i.e. let them (the idols) listen to the evidence
produced by the Lord and acknowledge its cogency. But a slight
emendation (•IP^'^.V* for •IPIV!) gives a better text : (ht them hring their
witnesses) that they (the witnesses) may justify them, and may hear
and say (in regard to their claim), It is true (cf Job xxvii. 5).
10. Ye are my witnesses. The idols can produce no vritnesses in
support of their claim to prophetic powers, but the Lord can appeal to
Israel (xliv. 8).
and my servant. The words constitute a second predicate (not a
second subject) : " ye are my witnesses and ye are my servant, qualified
to render this and similar service." But Duhm and others would read
the plural (n?!?. for ''^?!^^ perhaps correctly ; cf on xliv. 26.
that ye may know. The 3rd pers. plur. might be expected (referring
to the heathen who are to be convinced), and Kittel and others would

XLin.ii-i4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 279
understand that I am he; before me there was no God formed,
neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord;
and beside me there is no saviour. 12 I have declared, and I
have saved, and I have shewed, and there was no strange god
among you : therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and
I am God. 13 Yea, ^since the day was I am he ; and there is
none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who
shaU ^let it?
14 Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel : For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring
^ Or, from this day forth I d:c. ^ Or, reverse
substitute it in tMs and the two foUowing verbs. But the 2nd pers.
may be defended on the ground that it is Israel whose doubts of the
Lord's power the debate is reaUy designed to remove.
11. / am the LoBD. i.e. the same God that under that name had
intervened in the early history of Israel (see Ex. iii. 14) : cf xxxvii. 20.
12. I have declared, etc. i.e. I have predicted beforehand provi
dential events in Israel's earlier history which came to pass as foretold.
/ have saved is perhaps an unerased scribal error ; cf xUv. 8.
no strange god. Literally, no stranger (see on xvii. 10). Though
many strange gods had been worshipped by Israel at different times
(cf xlviii. 5), none had shewed signs of inteUigence and activity such
as the Lord had manifested (cf Deut. xxxii. 12).
therefore ye, ete. Better, and ye are my witnesses (cf v. 10).
and I am God. These words should go with v. 13.
13. Yea, dnce, etc. The symmetry of the v. requires a parallel for
tMs clause; and Duhm is doubtless right in tiansferring here the
closing words of v. 12, and prefixing of\m (suggested by the LXX.).
The first half of the v. should then be rendered. From of old I am God;
yea, from this day forth (cf. Ezek. xlviii. 35) I am he.
none.,, deliver, etc. Perhaps better, as suggested by Haupt, nothing
can deliver more than my hand, ci. v. 11.
who shall let it? i.e. who can reverse it (xiv. 27, Job ix. 12, xi. 10,
xxui. 13)?
14 — 21. The Lord's resolve to destroy Babylon and to lead the
exiled Israelites home through the desert amid marvellous displays of
power. The section explains more explicitly than before how Israel's release
and return are to be accomplished.
14. For your sake. Though Israel's rescue was the immediate
reason for Babylon's overthrow, the ultimate motive for the Lord's
action in delivering Israel was the vindication of His own honour
(cf V. 21, xlviu. 11).
/ have sent. Gyms and his Perso-Median army are regarded as the
Lord's agents (cf xiii. 3).

280 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliil 15-19
down ^aU of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships
of their rejoicing. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the
Creator of Israel, your King. 16 Thus saith the Lord, which
maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17 ^ which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and
the power; they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are
extinct, they are quenched as *flax: 18 Remember ye not the
former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I
^ Or, as otherwise read, all their nobles, even <&c.
* Or, which.. .power: They shall lie dc. ' Or, a wick
I will bring down, etc. The text, if correct, must mean that the
Babylonians will be compelled to seek escape from the invaders (ad
vancing from the N.) by descending the Euphrates in their ships as
Merodach-baladan did when Babylon was attacked by Sennacherib^
The ships of their rejoicing is literally the ships of their ringing cry, the
cry being usually understood of the loud vaunts with which the Baby
lonians expressed their pride in their vessels ; but it perhaps denotes
the call by which the rowers were made to keep time (like the Greek
iceXeva-pui). The passage, however, is obscure, and probably corrupt.
For the first three words the Vulg. has detraxi vectes universes, whilst
for the last three the LXX. (A) has Kal XaXSaioi iv kXoiois Sed-^a-ovTai,
and a combination of these readings would produce the rendering,
I will bring down (i.e. overthrow) all thdr nohhs (literally bars, see on
XV. 5), and the Chaldeans shall be bound in fetters (reading cn^l? and
UpPi-V nipjp2 for D'nna and QOI"! ni*^???). Among conjectural emenda
tions of the two parts of the clause may be mentioned (1) / will make
all of them descend into hohs (i.e. dungeons, D*lin3 for cnns^ ef xiii. 22) ;
(2) as for the Chaldeans with sighings I will still thdr rejoicing (^n'J^§3
for ni'JM and inserting '^WV^X).
16. which maketh, etc. An allusion to the passage of the Red
Sea, the memory of which was calculated to inspire renewed confidence
in the Lord (cf Lsiu. 11—13).
17. which bringeth forth, etc Apparently a reminiscence of what
the Lord did to the host of Pharaoh, which was induced to pursue
Israel to its ovm destruction (see Ex. xiv. 4, and cf Ezek. xxxviii. 4, of
the army of Gog). But possibly the statement is general, and expresses
the Lord's control over all the agencies of war, which He both brings
into existence and annihilates at His pleasure (cf liv. 16, 17).
as flax. i.e. as a taper (xiii. 3).
18. Eememher ye not, etc. i.e. former providential deUverances (such
as the Exodus) will be dwarfed by the new marvel about to be wrought
(cf Jer. xvi. 14, 15, xxiu. 7, 8).
1 Sohrader, GOT. n. p. 36.
2 This word elsewhere denotes chains hung round the necks of camels as
ornaments (Jud. riii. 26).

XLIIL 2»-23] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 281
will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not
know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers
in the desert. 20 The beasts of the field shall honour me, the
jackals and the ostriches : because I give waters in the wilder
ness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my
chosen: 21 the people which I formed for myself, ^that they
might set forth my praise. 22 Yet thou hast not called upon
me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, 0 Israel.
23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt
offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices.
^ Or, they shall set forth
19. shall ye not know it ? Better, will ye not note it ? The people
are bidden to mark fresh signs of the unprecedented deliverance which
is on the point of resulting from (Ilyrus' successes.
20. The beasts of the field, etc. The waters created to supply the
needs of the returning Israelites wiU also refresh the wild animals, and
this relief vrill redound to the Divine glory. Jackals should be replaced
by wolves (cf on xiii. 22).
because I give, ete. This part of v. 20 and the whole of v. 21 are
omitted by Cheyne and others on the ground of the repetition of
V. 19^ and the reference to Israel in the 3rd pers. But repetitions
are in the manner of Deutero-Isaiah.
22 — 28. Israel's transgressions and indifference contrasted with
the Lord's forbearance and forgiveness.
The purport of this section is to accentuate the fact that Israel
owes its coming deliverance to God's free grace (v. 25), and not to any
merits of its own. In the exile, when some fruits of repentance might
have been expected from it, none were forthcoming ; neither by prayer
nor by sacrifice had Israel manifested devotion to the Lord.
22. Yet thou, etc. Better, Yet not upon me hast thou called, so that
thou didst weary thyself about me (for the construction cf xxix. 16,
Ps. xliv. 18, 19, Gen. xl. 15). But both the LXX. and Vulg. have a
negative before the second verb, so that the true text may be, and
about Tne thou hast not wearied thyself.
23. Thou hast not brought, etc. i.e. no merit could be claimed
hy Israel on the ground of its having offered numerous or costly
sacrifices, for in the land of its exile it had suspended its sacrifices
altogether. Such suspension, indeed, if judged by the provisions of
the Deuteronomic law, which limited sacrifice to a single Palestinian
sanctuary (Deut. xu. 13, 14), could not in strictness be a ground of
complaint. But the Deuteronomic law does not seem to have been
universaUy regarded as obUgatory by Jews in foreign lands, as is shewn
by the existence of an altar to the Lord at Yeb in Egypt (see on
xix. 19) ; and the prophet, Uke the Egyptian Jews, may have con
sidered that the Deuteronomic restriction was not binding under

282 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliil 24, 25
I have not made thee to serve with ^offerings, nor wearied thee
with frankincense. 24 Thou hast bought me no ^sweet cane
with money, neither hast thou * filled me with the fat of thy
sacrifices : but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou
hast wearied me with thine iniquities. 25 I, even I, am he that
blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake; and I will
^ Or, a meal offering ^ Or, calamus ^ Or, satiated
circumstances which the law in question did not originally con
template, and that consequently the neglect of sacrifice among the
Babylonian exiles was a sin of omission, even though the Lord was
not exacting.
offerings, i.e. cereal offerings (cf mg.), as contiasted with animal
sacrifices (cf Lxvi. 20, xix. 21, Am. v. 25).
frankincense. This under the Levitical law was generaUy an
accompaniment of other sacrifices (Lev. ii. 1 f , vi. 15, Num. v. 15).
24. sweet cane. A scented reed (Jer. vi. 20), said by Pliny
(H. N. xn. 48) to grow in Arabia, India, and Syria (though Jeremiah
(vi. 20) and Ezekiel (xxvii. 19) imply that it was not indigenous in
Palestine and Phoenicia). In the ritual directions of the Pentateuch
it is only mentioned as a constituent of the sacred anointing oU
(Ex. xxx. 23).
neither ,,, filled me. In the case of certain varieties of sacrifice the
original idea was that of affording material gratification to the deity
(cf. Bel and the Dragon v. 3, Hom. P. ix. 535, OioX 8atVw6' iKwropL^as) ;
and sensuous conceptions of sacrifice and its purpose sometimes pre
vailed in connection with the religion of Jehovah (see Gen. viii. 21 and
cf. Hom. P. I. 66, dpvtSv Kvio-r)^ aiyw Te,.,dvTLdcras), and rendered protests
necessary (see Ps. 1. 13). Here, however, language embodying such
conceptions is used without risk of misunderstanding. Instead of
neither hast thou filled me with the LXX. has neither have I desired.
the fat. This, in peace-offerings (which were for the most part
consumed by the priest or the worshippers), was appropriated to the
Lord ; see Lev. iii. 4, 10, and cf on xxxiv. 6.
made me to serve. The words are used for the sake of correspond
ence vrith V. 23, and must be understood generaUy of the Lord's
distress caused by Israel's sins.
25. I.,, am he that hhtteth out, etc. The Lord, Who was known to the
heathen only as the God of Israel, would be deemed by them inferior
to their own gods if Israel were permanently left in the power of its
foes (see Ui. 5, cf Ezek. xx. 9, 14, xxxvi. 21 — 23, Ps. cxv. 1, 2), whilst
His design to reveal Himself to all the world, for which Israel was to
be His instrument, equally required its release. As the nation did not
merit this, its rescue could only be an act of grace, following upon free
and spontaneous forgiveness (cf xlviii. 9, 11, Deut. xxxU. 26, 27,
Ps. xxiii. 3, cvi. 8. The LXX. (k, A) and O.L. omit the words /or
mine own sake, which may have been intioduced from xlviii. 9, 11.

XLIIL 26-xliv. 2] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 283
not remember thy sins. 26 Fut me in remembrance; let us
plead together : set thou forth thy cause, that thou mayest be
justified. 27 Thy first father sinned, and thine ^interpreters
have transgressed against me. 28 Therefore I ^will profane
the * princes of the sanctuary, and I *will make Jacob a ^ curse,
and Israel a reviling.
' Or, ambassadors " Or, have profaned ^ Or, holy princes
* Or, 'have made " Or, devoted thing
26. Put me, eto. i.e. remind me of any considerations in thy
favour which I have overlooked, and which render forgiveness superfluous.
set thou forth, etc. LiteraUy, tell up or recount any service that
can be set against thy demerits.
be justified. The verb is here used in a forensic sense — proved to be
in the right : cf v, 9, Gen. xxxviii. 26.
27. Thy first father, i.e. Jacob (cf Iviii. 14, Hos. xii. 2, 3): from its
earUest origin the nation had been a transgressor (see Gen. xxvii. 36).
But the LXX. has ot -ffarepes vp,wv irpMTot (meaning either the nation's
ancestors generally (cf Ixiii. 16) or its leaders).
thine interpreters, i.e. the professed expounders of the Divine wiU
(cf. Job xxxiii. 23), especiaUy the prophets : for the unfaithfulness of
such, see Jer. xxiii. 11 — 18, xxvi. 8 — 15, 1 Kgs. xxii. II, 12.
28. / will profane. Better (by a slight change of pointing),
/ have profaned consecrated princes (cf mg.), the reference being to
the humiliations undergone by the chief personages of Jerusalem at
its capture (2 Kgs. xxv. 18 — 21). To profane (see on xlvii. 6) is more
commonly used of a land or place (cf xxiii. 9) than of persons, but see
Ezek. xxviii. 16 Heb., Lam. ii. 2. The LXX., however, has And thy
princes profaned my holy things, continuing the description of Israel s
offences ; cf 2 Kgs. xxi. 3 — 5, 7, Ezek. viii. 7 — 17.
and I will make. Better (by a change of points), and I made. On
curse (mg. devoted thing, literaUy ban) see xxxiv. 5 and cf Mal. iv. 6.
Chapter XLIV. 1—23.
The contents of this section are: (1) an announcement of the growth and
expansion of Israel in the near fature (w. 1 — 5) ; (2) a renewed declaration of
the Lord's sole godhead, as erinced by His foreknowledge (vv. 6 — 8) ; (3) a
sarcastic description of the manufacture of an idol (w. 9 — 20); (4) an an
nouncement of pardon for Israel (w. 21 — 23).
XLIV. 1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel,
whom I have chosen : 2 thus saith the Lord that made thee, and
XLIV. 1 — 6. Israel in the future is destined to enjoy such
prosperity that aUens vriU seek to attach themselves to a people so
highly blessed.
This opening section connects closely with the conclusion of c. xliii..

284 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliv. 3-5
formed thee fi-om the womb, who wiU help thee : Fear not, 0
Jacob my servant; and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I wiU pour water upon ^ him that is thirsty, and streams
upon the dry ground : I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and
my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 and they shaU spring up
among the grass, as wiUows by the watercourses. 5 One shaU
say, I am the Lord's; and another shall ^call himself hy the
name of Jacob ; and another shall ^subscribe with Ms hand unto
the Lord, and ^surname himself by the name of IsraeL
' Or, the thirsty land ^ Or, proclaim the name
' Or, write on his hand. Unto the LoBO * Ot, give for a title the name of Israel
being intended as a contrast to it, just as xliii. 1 — 7 contrasts with
xiu. 18—25.
2. Jeshurun. A new name for Israel, appropriate to the new
future awaiting it (cf Ixu.. 2). The appellation, which occurs else
where only in Deut. xxxii. 15, xxxiii. 5, 26, seems to be connected with
the adjective ios^ar, "straight," "upright" (which is appUed to Israel
in Num. xxiu. 10, and in the title given to a record of Israelite
achievrtnents — the Book of Jashar — in Josh. x. 13, 2 Sam. i. 18), and is
rendered in the Vulg. here by rectissimus and in Aq., Th., Sym. by tvBv-
TttTos. It is perhaps meant to contrast pointedly with the name Jacob,
which carried with it associations of deceit (Gen. xxvii. 36, cf. Jer. ix.
4). The LXX. has o i/yaTTTj/ncVos 'la-pa-qX, a title which later was trans
ferred from the nation to the Messiah, see Eph. i. 9, Asc of Is. i. 4, 5,
iii. 13, iv. 3, etc ; cf also o ayairrjro's (Mk. i. II, ix. 7).
3. him that is thirsty. Better, that which is thirsty (cf mg.).
This passage does not refer to the assuaging of actual thirst (Uke xli.
17, 18), but is meant figuratively. Israel, in its desolate condition, is
compared to a parched land, and the restoration to it of God's favour is
likened to the rain which renews vegetation (cf Ps. Ixviii. 9).
my spirit. The Divine spirit is here regarded as the source not so
much of moral and spiritual life as of national revival and increase : cf
xxxii. 15, Ps. civ. 30, Ezek. xxxvii. 9 (mg.).
4. among the grass. Better (after the LXX.), like grass amidst
waters (P'!Q 1*35 for T??) : Israel's offspring are to be as numerous as the
blades of grass in well-irrigated meadows. For grass as a figure for
vigorous growth cf lxvi. 14, Job v. 25, Ps. Ixxii. 16.
willows. The Biblical willow is said to be a poplar — populus
Euphratica — common in Babylonia (Ps. cxxxvii. 2).
5. One shall say, etc. The persons represented as speaking are
foreigners who become Jewish proselytes, and help to sweU the nation's
numbers, being attracted by the prosperity and honour which are seen
to accrue to Israel under the blessing of the Lord : cf Iv. 5, Ivi. 6, 8,
Zech. viii. 23.
shall call himself The rendering tacitly assumes the emendation
'^1'?! for ''¦Ji?! (cf xlviii. 1) ; Sym. K\t)6ricmai..

XLIV. 6, 7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 285
6 Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his redeemer
the Lord of hosts : I am the first, and I am the last ; and beside
me there is no God. 7 ^And who, as I, shall call, and shall
declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the
ancient people? and the tMngs that are coming, and that shall
' Or, And who, as I, can proclaim? let him declare it dc.
shall subscribe, etc. The original admits of two explanations:
(1) shall write with his hand, (I am) the Lord's (Vulg. scribet manu
sua), i.e. shaU make a written declaration of his adhesion to tbe Lord
(cf. Neh. ix. 38) ; (2) shall write upon his hand, The Loid's (LXX. B,
cTTiypai/fct x"P' avTov, for the Construction cf. Ex. xxxi. 18, Ezek. ii. 10),
i.e. shall imprint marks upon his hand to indicate that he belongs to
the Lord. The latter explanation is the more probable, it being the
practice among the votaries of a divinity to tattoo consecration marks
upon their persons : see Hdt. U. 113, ¦^v oixeTj;? oreo) dvOpunruiv km-
PaXryrai ariypuiTa Ipa, eoivrov StSoils t<5 Oeia k.t.X., Luciau, de dea Syra, C.
59 (of those who were consecrated to the service of the Syrian goddess)
OTi^ovTai TravTcs, oi p.iv Is Kapirov^, ot Se Is av^ei'as. The practice was
analogous to that of imprinting on slaves some letter or other sign in
dicative of ownership (cf. Hdt. vn. 233, roiis TA-etJi/as avritov, KeXeva-avTo^
Eepf €0), loTi^ov o-Tty/tara j3a<nX->^'ia). Probably the " cuttings " attributed
to the priests of Baal in 1 Kgs. xviii. 28 were similar in character ; and
the heathen associations of such incisions led to their being eventually
prohibited among the Jews (Lev. xix. 28). Allusions to the custom
occur in Gal. vi. 17, Rev. vii. 3, xiii. 16, xiv. I, 9 : cf also Ezek.
ix. 4.
surname himself, i.e. caU himself " a son of Israel," or the like, as
a title of honour : cf. the use of the same verb in xiv. 4, Job xxxii. 21.
The rendering assumes the emendation ^33' or •^^.p'! for the received
i^PI The use, among European peoples, of Hebrew names like Joshua,
Samuel, John, ete., on account of their religious associations, stiU
realizes in a sense, the purport of the passage.
6 — 8. Predictions, which Israel can attest, prove that the Lord is
the only God.
The argument is the same in substance as that of xli. 21 — 24, xhi. 9,
xUii. 9—12.
7. And who, as I, etc. Better (as in the mg.). And who, as I, can
proclaim (i.e. predict).? ht him declare it and set it in order for me (i.e.
let him produce and arrange the evidence for his possession of prophetic
power) : cf xliii. 9. But the LXX. B has a preferable text : Who is
like me? Let him stand (inserting ""^l?!) and proclaim (i.e. speak out)
cmd declare it (i.e. his prediction) and set it in order for me.
since T appointed the ancient peoph. i.e. since I brought into
existence the past generations of mankind. If the text is sound, it
connects with the question who, as I, can proclaim? i.e. who can shew
foreknowledge, as I have done ever since the creation of the world?
But the dislocation of clauses wMch should be closely connected is very

286 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLiv.8-n
come to pass, let them ^declare. 8 Fear ye not, neither be
afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and shewed it?
and ye are my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there
is no Kock; I know not any. 9 They that fashion a graven
image are all of them ^vanity ; and their delectable things shaU
not profit: and their own witnesses see not, nor know; that
they may be ashamed. 10 Who hath fashioned a god, or
molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, ^aU his fellows shall be ashamed; and the workmen,
1 Or, declare unto them ^ Or, confusion ' Or, all that join themselves thereto
violent, and the sense is greatly improved by Oort's emendation. Who
hath announced from of old future things, and that which shall come to
pass ht them declare unto us (ni'ns oVyp r»pf n 'p for th\rDV 'p-ltrp
wriK) and "^ for io^): cf v. 8.
8. unto thee. Better (with the LXX.), unto you, in harmony with
the other plur. pronouns.
yea, there is no Eock. Duhm emends to, or is there any Eock?
(reading D^^ for PK)).
9 — ^20. An exposure of the powerlessness of idols manufactured
out of metal or timber by men whose own powers flag in the process of
making them.
These vv. (for wMch cf xl. 18 — 20) are regarded by Duhm, Cheyne,
and Marti as an insertion, partly on the grounds of their rhythm (they
read like prose) and partly because their spirit is thought to differ from
that of Deutero-Isaiah, since in tone they are sarcastic and polemical.
Verse 21 certainly connects better vrith vv. 6 — 8 than with the
intervening passage.
9. their dehctabh things, i.e. their idols ; cf the verb in i. 29 and
see Dan. xi. 37.
thdr own witnesses, etc. i.e. then votaries (xUii. 9) are spirituaUy
blind and unreflecting.
that they may be, ete. The consequence is expressed as a purpose
(cf vi. 10, xxviii. 13, xxx. 1).
10. Who hath fashioned, etc. i.e. who hath been so foolish as to
fashion, etc But the word rendered who may mean whoso (Ex. xxiv. 14),
and Duhm translates, Whoso hath fashioned (i.e. has purposed to
fashion) a god hath (only) molten a graven image, etc. (for the Heb.
construction cf 1 Kgs. viu. 31, 32, 2 Ch. vi. 22, 23).
11. all his fellows, etc. Better (cf mg.), all its adherents (its
company of worshippers, cf Hos. iv. 17) shall be brought to shame; and
the workmen, they are of men (i.e. of merely human descent and so
incapable of making anything divine). But the expression are of men
is rather unnatural in connection with workmen (who could not claim
to, be of any other origin), and there is some plausibility in Duhm's
emendation all his (i.e. the idol-maker's) spells (1'1?0. for I'lSD, cf xlvii.

XLIV. 12-14] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 287
they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them
stand up; they shaU fear, they shall be ashamed together.
12 The smith ^maketh an axe, and worketh in the coals, and
fasMoneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm :
yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no
water, and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretcheth out a line;
he marketh it out with ^a pencil; he shapeth it with planes,
and he marketh it out with the compasses, and shapeth it after
the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell
in the house. 14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the
1 Or, sharpeneth a tool " Or, red ochre
9, 12, Heb.) shall he brought to shame; and the enchantments (QT^Q from
^"T), cf iii. 3) are of men (i.e. of human, not superhuman, origin). If
the emendation be adopted, the spells and enchantments must be those
employed to conjure a spirit into the image when constructed.
ht them all. i.e. the makers of idols, who are ironicaUy exhorted to
combine for a united effort (cf xli. 6). A fresh v. should begin here.
12. The smith. Literally, The worker in iron. The words that
foUow, which describe the fabrication of a metal idol, are corrupt, and
have been emended in various ways. Some critics supply sharpeneth
(^0I) before axe, after the LXX., which has m^vve.v TtKrtov cri&rjpov. But
the LXX., which has obviously misunderstood the exT^iession worker in
iron, has probably got its verb by duplicating the last word ("^U.) of the
preceding sentence. Duhm omits axe as a mistaken gloss on the word
iron, and renders The smith worketh in the coals, reading ^0^1 for -'I'S-I.
But perhaps a better remedy is to omit (with the LXX.) in the coals,
and to render The smith worketh it (the image, v. 10) mth the axe,
reading ^J??* l^fiP? for 'I'S-! nyi^P. The iron image on which the
smith is engaged is the core of common metal which is afterwards
plated with gold (xl. 19, xli. 7).
yea, he is hungry. The idol god is the production of one who
Mmself grows faint in the work of making it.
13. The carpenter, ete. In vv. 13 — 17 is described the origin and
manufacture of a wooden idol.
stretcheth out a line. i.e. measures on the block of timber the
required size.
a pencil. Or, a stilus (Aq. rrapaypa<f>Cs).
he shapeth... compasses. These two clauses seem to be omitted by
the LXX., and needlessly duplicate the rest of the description (the
compasses serving the same purpose as the pencil).
the house. Better, a house, i.e. a temple or domestic shrine (cf
2 Kgs. xxiii. 7, Wisd. xiii. 15).
14. He heweth. The Heb. text is corrected after the LXX. and
Vulg. The trees named are Palestinian, and said not to be natives of

288 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliv. 15-19
holm tree and the oak, and strengtheneth for himself one
among the trees of the forest: he planteth ^a fir tree, and the
rain doth nourish it. 15 Then shaU it be for a man to burn;
and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself ; yea, he Mndleth
it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worsMppeth
it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
16 He burneth ^part thereof in the fire; with ^part thereof
he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he
warmeth himself, and saith. Aha, I am warm, I have seen the
fire : 17 and the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven
image: he falleth down unto it and worsMppeth, and prayeth
unto it, and saith. Deliver me ; for thou art my god. 18 They
know not, neither do they consider: for he hath *shut their
eyes, that they cannot see ; and their hearts, that they cannot
understand. 19 And none calleth to mind, neither is there
knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it
in the fire ; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof;
I have roasted flesh and eaten it : and shall I make the residue
thereof an abomination? shall I faU down to the stock of a tree?
1 Or, an ash ^ Or, the half ^ Heb. daubed.
Babylonia; but they may have been introduced from subjugated
territories. strengtheneth for himself. Better, securethfor himself (ci. xU. 10).
he planteth a fir tree. The LXX. has which (i.e. one of the tiees
previously mentioned) the Lord hath planted (reading '^ for 1"1K).
15. The spirit of the v. may be illustrated by Hor. Sat. i. viii. 1 f.
Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum.
Cum faber, incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum,
Maluit esse deum.
16. part... part. JAteTally, the half ..the half. If this reading is
correct the same half must be meant in both clauses, since mention is
made of a residue (v. 17) ; but probably the text should be corrected
to He burneth part thereof in the fire; and with the coals (or on the embers)
thereof, etc. (the emendation lyPI. for VVO finding some support in the
Syr. and in LXX. B) ; cf v. 19.
he eateth... satisfied. The LXX. favours the more natural order he
roasteth flesh, he eateth roast and is satisfied.
seen. i.e. felt (cf Eccles. v. 18).
18. he hath shut. Better, their eyes are shut (literally, besmeared
or plastered over, cf mg.).
19. an abomination. i.e. an idol (xli. 24, 1 Kgs. xiv. 24, 2 Kgs.
xvi. 3, xxi. 2, etc.).

XLIV.20-23] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 289
20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him
aside, that he cannot deUver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie
in my right hand?
21 Remember these tMngs, 0 Jacob; and Israel, for thou
art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O
Israel, ^thou shalt not be forgotten of me. 22 I have blotted
out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy
sins : return unto me ; for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O
ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it ; shout, ye lower parts of
1 Some ancient versions have, thou shouldest not forget me.
20. He feedeth, etc. Better, Him that takes pleasure in (nVT =
fiSI, cf Prov. XV. 14, Hos. xii. l) ashes (i.e. worships and trusts a
wooden god which fire can reduce to ashes) a decdved heart hath
turned adde (or, led astray), so that he cannot deliver, etc., i.e. so that,
in his time of need, he fails to obtain the deliverance prayed for
(v. 17) and does not reflect that what he relies upon is an unreality
(Jer. X. 14).
The vn-iter in his polemic obviously has in view only the attitude of
mind wMch considered idols to be the actual seats or embodiments of
divine powers ; he does not take into account the purely symbolic use
of images in connection with religion.
21 — 23. A re-statement of the Lord's forgiveness of Israel's
offences (see xliii. 25), and a brief thanksgiving at the prospect of
redemption. 21. these things. As the text stands, this must mean the worth
lessness of idol-gods ; but if vv, 9 — 20 are an insertion (see p. 286), it
wiU refer to the truths that the Lord is the sole source of prophecy and
the sole refuge in danger (v, 8).
for, etc. Israel's position as the Lord's Servant, whilst ensuring for
it great blessings (see clause b), involves Ukewise obligations of devotion
and gratitude. As thou art my servant recurs twice, Duhm, for the
first, would substitute thou art my witness ('1^ for '1?!^); cf xliii. 10.
thou,,, for gotten of me. The assurance is directed against sueh
fears as find expression in xl. 27, xlix. 14, 1. 1. But the construction
of the verb as a passive is very irregular, and the LXX. and Vulg. have
thou must not forget me (cf mg.) — 'iB'jiPl for '^B'3P).
22. as,,,cloiid, A figure of transitoriness, as in Hos. vi. 4, xiii. 3,
Job vii. 9, xxx. 15, Dem. de Cor, § 188, tov totc ry ttoXu Trepia-ravTa
KLvSvvov TrapeKdiiv lrrour](T€v tacrmp ve<^os.
return, etc. Deutero-Isaiah represents redemption as a motive for
conversion, not conversion as a condition of redemption.
23. Sing, etc. This brief thanksgiving is evoked from the prophet
by the prospect of rescue which the Divine forgiveness holds out. For
similar lyrical outbursts see xiii. 10 — 13, xiv. 8, 1. 9; and for the
assumed sympathy of nature with human fortunes see xlix. 13, Iv. 12.
w. I. 19

290 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xliv. 24-26
the earth ; break forth into singing, ye mountains, 0 forest, and
every tree therein : for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and wiU
glorify himself in Israel.
ye lower parts of the earth. i.e. the earth's abysses; LXX. 6iiJ.k\us.
Ttj's yiys.
will glorify himself. The change in the fortunes of Israel wiU be a
tribute to the perfections of the Lord Who brings it about : cf xlix. 3,
Ix. 21, Ixi. 3.
XLIV. 24— XLV. 26.
The subjects of this section are the Dirine commission and destined
achievements of the Persian Cyrus (xliv. 24 — xiv. 8), a justification of the
Dirine choice (xiv. 9 — 13), the influence which his success will exert on the
heathen world (xiv. 14 — 17), and a reiterated assertion of the Lord's sole
godhead as eridenced by His predictive power (xiv. 18 — 25).
24 Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed
thee from the womb : I am the Lord, that maketh aU things ; that
stretcheth forth the heavens alone ; that spreadeth abroad the
earth; ^who is with me? 25 that frustrateth the tokens of the
^Uars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men back
ward, and maketh their knowledge foolish : 26 that confirmeth
the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of Ms mes
sengers ; that saith of Jerusalem, She shaU be inhabited ; and
' Another reading is, by myself. ^ Or, boasters
24 — 28. The purpose of the Lord, Who alone knows the secrets of
the future, to repopulate and rebuild Jerusalem by the agency of
Cyrus. 24. who is with me ? Better, who was with me (as my counseUor,
xl. 13) ? The rhetorical question is equivalent to the nullus mecum of
the Vulg. The Heb. mg. has by myself.
25. the liars. Better (as in the mg.), the boasters (cf Jer. \. 36),
i.e. the pretentious Babylonian diviners (see on xlvii. 13) whose
tokens (i.e. the omens which they declared portended Babylon's success)
were stultified by the event.
turneth... backward, i.e. discomfits and baffles (Ps. xxxv. 4, xL 14).
The passage has probably infiuenced 1 Cor. i. 20.
26. his servant. If the text is sound, the word denotes collective
Israel which, as a people, was the channel through which the Lord's
designs were pre-announced. But the LXX. (A) has his servants, i.e.
the Hebrew prophets, a reading which is supported by his messengers in
the parallel clause, and is probably correct.
counsel. The word has the meaning oi prophecy as in xlvi. II.

XLIV. 27-XLV. i] THB BOOK OF ISAIAH 291
of the cities of Judah, They shaU be built, and I wiU raise up
the waste places thereof: 27 that saith to the deep, Be dry,
and I will dry up thy rivers: 28 that saith of ^ Cyrus, He is
my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying
of Jerusalem, She shall be built; ^and to the temple. Thy
foundation shall be laid.
XLV. 1 Thus saith the Lord to Ms anointed, to Cyrus,
1 Heb. Coresh. ^ Or, and the foundation of the temple shall be laid
and of the cities,., built. This clause spoils the symmetry of the
clauses, and should be omitted (with Kittel) \
27. that saith,,, Be dry. The expressions probably allude to the
Creation (see on 1. 2, U. 9, 10). To re-convert desolated Judsea into
a cultivated land was weU within the powers of Him Who could tum
the primal sea into dry ground.
/ will. , .rivers. Better, / dry up (or parch) thy rivers. The term
rivers in connection with the sea (cf Jon. ii. 3 (4), Heb.) recalls the
Homeric <oK€avoC pUOpa (P. xxni. 205).
28. my shepherd, i.e. the guardian of my people (cf the expres
sions in 2 Sam. v. 2, vii. 7, Mic. v. 4, Jer. iii. 15, Ezek. xxxvii. 24 and
the Homeric rroijxrfv XauSi'). Some critics would substitute my friend
QT), literaUy, my companion, cf 2 Sam. xv. 37, 1 Kgs. iv. 5), a term
wHch has a paraUel in Cyrus' statement (in one of his inscriptions)
that Merodach went by his side "as a friend and comrade"^. The
title here bestowed on Cyrus is doubtless based not on his character
(though this is praised by more than one Greek historian) but upon his
function as the destined deliverer of the Lord's people. The release of
a few Jewish captives, though unimportant at the time, was momentous
in its consequences, since it secured for the Hebrew religion opportunity
to develop and exert its influence upon the world, thereby preparing
the way for Christianity with its universal claims (cf xiv. 6, 22, 23).
even saying. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.), that saith (referring
to the Lord), reading 'V'^T^ for ibsV.
to the temph. Better, of the temph.
According to Jos. Ant. xl i. 2, it was the perusal of the prediction
contained in this v., or its parallel xiv. 13, that inspired Cyrus with a
desire to fulfil it (cf Ezra i. 2 = 2 Ch. xxxvi. 23).
XLV. 1 — 7. The Lord's promise to Cyrus of assured success in
the accomplishment of the purpose with which he is charged.
1. the Lobd. LXX. the Lord (i.e. Jehovah) the God.
his anointed. The Persian king Cyrus is designated by the same
title which was applied to the early kings of Israel (2 Sam. i. 14, 1 Sam.
xxiv. 6, xxvi. 9, etc.) as the Lord's consecrated representative to pro
tect His people (see 1 Sam. x. 1, cf Mic. v. 4), just as the Babylonian
1 At the end of the v. fhe word thereof refers to Jerusalem.
2 Sayce, HCM. p. 505, MoCurdy, HPM. iii. 411.
19—2

292 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xLV. 2-4
whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him,
and I will loose the loins of kings ; to open the doors before Mm,
and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and
make the rugged places plain : I will break in pieces the doors
of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron : 3 and I will give
thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places, that thou mayest know that I am the Lord, which call
thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my
servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy
Nebuchadrezzar, like David and other Israelites (xli. 8), is caUed the
Lord's servant (Jer. xxv. 9, xxvii. 6, xliii. 10). TMs is the only
instance where this particular title is applied to a foreign ruler ; but
parallel epithets bestowed upon Cyrus are my shepherd (xliv. 28), he
whom the Lord loveth (xlviii. 14 mg.), the man of my counsel (xlvi. 11).
whose right hamd, etc The relative clause (which extends to the
end of the v.) is a description of Cyrus, not part of the Lord's address
to him (which begins at v. 2). Cyrus, in his own inscription, represents
Merodach as similarly speaking of him as "the righteous king... whose
hand he (Merodach) held."
to subdue, ete. Better, subduing ,, .opening ; cf. li. 16.
hose. Better, ungird, i.e. disarm, the girdle sustaining a warrior's
weapons; cf I Kgs. xx. 11, Ps. xiv. 3, Jud. xvui. II, Job xii. 18.
the doors,,. the gates, i.e. of hostile fortresses, especiaUy those of
Babylon. 2. rugged places. Literally, puffed up (or swelling) places (see on
Ixiu. 1) ; cf Ov. Am. 11. xvi. 51, tumidi montes (Milton's "tumid bills").
But the LXX. has opr, (Dnn for Dn-nq).
break in pieces. In the event, Babylon surrendered to Cyrus with
out being stormed : see p. 97.
doors of brass. Cf Ps. cvii. 16. According to Hdt. 1. 179, Babylon
had 100 brass gates.
3. treasures of darkness, i.e. concealed treasures (Job in. 21,
Prov. u. 4, Jer. xU. 8). For Babylon's wealth see Jer. 1. 37, U. 13, Hab. u.
6, ^sch. Pers. 53 Ba/3vA.<uv -q iroXvxpva-o's, Xen. Cyr. v. ii. 8, vn. ii. II.
Of the wealth acquired by Cyrus in the course of his conquests PUny,
H. N. XXXIII. ii. 15, states. Jam Cyrus devicta Asia pondo xxxiv.
millia auri invenerat praeter vasa aurea, aurumque factum.
that... know, etc. It is probably assumed that Cyrus wUl recognize
that he owes his success to the God of Israel by learning that it had
been predicted by the prophets of Israel (cf Ezra i. 2). Cyrus, in Ms own
inscription, attributes his success to Merodach (cf on xli. 25).
4. For Jacob, etc. Though the movements of which (jyrus was
the centre were primarUy controlled by the Almighty in the interests of
Israel (xliii. 14), they were ultimately designed to promote the spiritual
welfare of mankind at large (vv. 6, 22, 23).

XLV. 5-8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 293
name : I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is none else ; beside me there is no
God : I wiU gird thee, though thou hast not known me : 6 that
they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the
west, that there is none beside me : I am the Lord, and there is
none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness; I make
peace, and create evil; I am the Lord, that doeth all these
things. 8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the sMes
surnamed thee. Better, given thee an honourable title. For titles
applied to Cyrus see v. I, xUv. 28.
5. I will gird thee. Better, /gr«rc? ^Aee, i.e. equip thee for success
ful war. As the Lord was the only God, the wonderful success of
Cyrus could only be explained by the Lord's direct influence upon his
fortunes, Uttle though Cyrus had realized it.
6. that they may, etc. A nation's good fortune redounded to the
reputation of its God, and Israel's restoration, vn'ought through Cyrus,
would lead to a recognition, by the heathen world, of the supremacy of
the Lord.
7. I form the light... darkness. This assertion of the comprehen
siveness of the Lord's creative and controlling power (see xxxi. 2,
Am. iii. 6, Lam. iii. 31, Ecclus. xi. 14) has been suspected of being
directed against the duaUsm that prevailed among the Persians, by
whom the realms of light and darkness were regarded as belonging re
spectively to Ormuzd and Ahriman. More Ukely, however, it has in
view not the special beliefs of the Persians (of whose religion Deutero-
Isaiah probably knew little) but the polytheism of the heathen world
in general, which regarded different things, events, and qualities as
under the charge of different gods. Among the Hebrews the opposite
tendency to regard the Lord as the primal source of all that happened
was so strong that in various passages of the O.T. He is even repre
sented as inspiring the evil acts of men (Ex. vii. 3, Jud. ix. 23, 1 Sam.
ii. 25, xix. 9, 2 Sam. xxiv. 1). EventuaUy, however, there was developed
among them a behef that evil, both moral and physical, was due to the
activity of a malignant, though subordinate. Personality (1 Kgs. xxii. 22,
Job i. 12, Zech. iii. 2, 1 Ch. xxi. 1)', who, at first described merely by
the title "the adversary" or "the Satan," finally came to be designated
"Satan" (as by a proper name).
peace... eml. i.e. prosperity and calamity.
8. A lyric evoked by the prospect of the coming felicity (ct
xiu. 10 f, xliv. 23).
Drop down, etc. The sky seems to be thought of as fructifying the
earth (cf Iv. 10, Hos. ii. 21).
^ In the last passage the writer deliberately ascribes to Satan what in 2 Sam.
zziv. 1 is attributed to the Lord.

294 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLV.9-11
pour down righteousness: let the earth open, that they may
^bring forth salvation, and let her cause righteousness to spring
up together ; I the Lord have created it.
9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd
among the potsherds of the earth ! ShaU the clay say to him
that fasMoneth it. What makest thou? or thy work. He hath
no hands? 10 Woe unto him that saith unto a father. What
begettest thou? or to a woman, With what travaUest thou?
11 Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons,
^ Or, be fruitful in salvation
righteousness, Heb. P"!?, i.e. the unseen Divine principle, which
brings about the triumph of the right (cf Ps. Ixxxv. 11).
that they may hring, etc. As the earth alone is the subject of the
next verb, the text is best emended to ht her be fruitful in salvation
(reading ^gri) for -n?.')).
righteousness. Heb. nijny, i.e. the visible realization of the right in
the success of Cyrus and its consequences.
9 — 13. A rebuke to men who cavil at the schemes of their Maker.
It is the Creator of the universe who has commissioned Cyrus to rebuUd
Jerusalem and restore its people.
The persons rebuked are those Israelites who chafed not only at the
delay in their rescue (xl. 27, xlvi. 12), hut also at the thought of their
deliverance being effected by a foreign conqueror instead of an IsraeUte
king (as suggested by Jer. xxx. 21).
9. Maker. In the Heb. the same word as potter (xxix. 16, bdv. 8).
potsherd. Better, a pot (a vessel, as in Prov. xxvi. 23, not a fragment
of one, as in xxx. 14). The thought that man was made from clay by
a Divine potter resembles that of Gen. ii. 7. According to Babylonian
beliefs (as preserved in Berossus) men were formed of earth mixed with
the blood of a deity : see DB. i. p. 504''.
thy work. Many critics adopt the correction his work, to suit the
next words ; but see below.
He hath no hands. Better (after the LXX.), Thou hast no hands
(i.e. power or capacity, .losh. viii. 20, Ps. Ixxvi. 5).
St Paul (in Rom. ix. 20) directs the same argument against men
who disputed God's rights or justice ; but here it is employed in answer
to those who questioned the vrisdom of God's methods.
10. a father.,, a woman, i.e. his father or his mother (so LXX.).
By Duhm and others the v. is regarded as a marginal citation, inappro
priate to the subject which it is designed to iUustrate, and injuring the
connection between w. 9 and 11.
11. Ask me. If the imperat. is correct, it must be understood
ironically; but many critics would substitute an indignant interrogation.
Will ye question me? ('^I?^?''!' for 'J'?^!?'), which harmonizes better with

XLV. 12-14] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 295
and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. 12 I
have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my
hands, have stretched out the heavens, and aU their host have
I commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and
I will make straight aU his ways: he shall build my city, and
he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith
the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and the
merchandise of EtMopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shaU come over unto thee, and they shall be thine ; they shall
go after thee; in chains they shaU come over: and they shall
the mood ofthe paraUel verb, which should be rendered, will ye command
me? the things that are to come. i.e. the approacMng deliverance of
Israel and the means for its achievement.
my sons. i.e. the Israelites. But the word is probably a mistaken
gloss (cf. xxix. 23) on the next clause : the work of the Lord's hands is
the scheme for Israel's deUverance.
12. / have made, ete. Criticism is presumptuous when the object
of it is the Creator of tbe universe.
all thdr host home I commanded, i.e. when by the Divine fiat they
came into existence.
13. / have... righteousness. Le. I have launched Mm (Cyrus) on a
career of success; cf. xli. 2. The tense is probably an historic perfect ;
some of Cyrus' successes were already achieved.
he shall build, eto. Cyrus rebuilt Jerusalem in the sense that he
restored to it its exUed population : the actual reconstruction of its ruined
walls was not accompUshed tiU the time of Nehemiah (444). The
foundation of the second Temple was probably laid by the Jews who,
with Cyrus' permission, returned under Zerubbabel, but it was not
completed tUl the reign of Darius Hystaspis (see p. Ixxvi).
not for... reward. The words accentuate the assertion that Cyrus
was inspired to release the Israelite exiles by a Divine impulse, and not
by ordinary human motives. In view of xliii. 3, they are perhaps to be
regarded as a later insertion.
14 — 17. A declaration that the wealthiest nations, taught by the
experiences of Israel, will confess that the true God is with it alone, and
so will become its dependents.
14. The lahour. Better, The produce (cf Jer. iu. 24). Egypt was
famous for its cereals, flax, and wine, Ethiopia for its gems (Job xxviii.
19). But the paraUeUsm favours Oort's emendation The labourers of
Egypt and the traffickers of Ethiopia (reading 'W* and 'l.^D for TT, and
inip). in chains. The chains are perhaps voluntarily assumed as a symbol
of vsdlUngness to serve Israel as slaves, provided they can share the

296 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xLV. 15-18
fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee,
saying, Surely God is in thee ; and there is none else, there is
no God. 15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God
of Israel, the Saviour. 16 They shall be ashamed, yea, con
founded, all of them : they shall go into confusion together that
are makers of idols. 17 But Israel shaU be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor
confounded world without end.
18 For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens ; he is
God; that formed the earth and made it; he established it, he
created it not ^a waste, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the
' Or, in vain
blessings bestowed by its God (cf Ix. 9 — II, Ixi. 5). Duhm tMnks
that the Sabeans are sent in chains by Cyrus, as captives taken in the
conquests predicted for him in xliii. 3.
The subordination of the Gentile world to the Jews, which occurs
elsewhere in Deutero-lsaiah's pictures of the future (see xlix. 22, 23), has
no place in the Servant Songs.
Surely God is in thee. Better, Surely (or Only) in thee is God. The
words are used by St Paul in 1 Cor. xiv. 25.
15. Verily thou art, etc. The language is stiU that of the heathen,
and since the preceding words are addressed to Israel, there is plausi
bility in the emendation. Verily with thee is a God that hideth himself;
the God of Israel is a Saviour (reading 'H^?^ for nns). They had never
suspected that the God of an insignificant people Uke Israel was an
incomparable Deliverer.
16. They shall, etc. The prophet's own utterance is here resumed.
all of them. The defective paralleUsm suggests that a word has been
lost : hence the first half of the v. should be corrected (after the LXX.)
to Ashamed a/nd confounded shall be all who have risen up against him
(rppip^p-Sa for V^n! D^.3) and together in clause b omitted.
17. with am everlasting salvation, i.e. the rescue from Babylon is
to inaugurate an era of happiness which wiU never be interrupted.
18 — 25. The Lord's predictions are made openly, and are verified
by the event, proving that He is the sole God and worthy of universal
worship and confidence.
The passage justifies the Lord's right to the homage of the heathen
(as described in the preceding w.) by a renewed appeal to the evidence
of His godhead afforded by His predictions (cf xli. 1 — 4, 21 — 29,
xliu. 9—13).
18. he is God. Better, he is the (true) God.
not a waste, i.e. to be no longer a waste (the condition in which it
was before creation. Gen. i. 2). The mention of the Lord's creative
work is meant to illustrate by a parallel the character of His prophetic
utterances. As He made the world for human habitation, so He

XLV. 19-2 1] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 297
Lord; and there is none else. 19 I have not spoken in secret,
in a place of the land of darkness ; I said not unto the seed of
Jacob, Seek ye me ^in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right. 20 Assemble yourselves and
come ; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations :
they have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven
image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21 Declare ye,
and ^bring it forth; yea, let them take counsel together: who
hath shewed tMs from ancient time? who hath declared it of
' Or, as in a waste ^ Or, bring them near
designs His prophecies for human enlightenment, that men may be
convinced by them and be attracted to Him.
19. not. . .in secret. The Lord's predictions were public and explicit
(cf Jer. ii. 31), so that men could judge of the correspondence of events
with them ; and in this respect they differed from many heathen
oracles wMch were often to be obtained only in out-of-the-way localities
and were ambiguous and enigmatic in character. Only a few years
before Deutero-Isaiah wrote, Croesus of Lydia had been misled by the
oracle of Delphi to undertake a war against the Persians which cost him
Ms kingdom (Hdt. i. 53, 54).
a. ..of darkness, i.e. (probably) the Underworld (cf Job x. 21),
oracles from which were obtained by necromancy (cf viii. 19, xxix. 4,
Ivii. 9, lxv. 4, 1 Sam. xxviii. 7). The superfluous word a place (of) is
omitted by Cheyne and Duhm.
Seek.,, in vain. It was not the custom of the Lord, as it was of the
heathen oracles, to invite men to consult Him (for this sense of seek ci.
Deut. iv. 29) and then afford them no real help. But perhaps better
(vrith the mg.). Seek ye me in a waste (the preposition of locality, 3,
being lost), i.e. consult me at a desert-oracle (like that of the Egyptian
Amun, the Amon of Jer. xlvi. 25, the Greek Zeus Ammon).
righteousness. The Lord's predictions and promises were true and
consistent vrith the facts : hence they did not require secrecy, as being
something that shunned the light. For righteousness in the sense of
what is true (LXX. dXijOeiav) ci. the meaning of righteous in xli. 26,
Prov. viii. 8 mg.
20. Assemble, etc. It is assumed that the success of C3t-us has
already been decisive, and the surviving heathens are again chal
lenged to shew that the idols have a faculty of prediction comparable
vrith that of the Lord, Whose foreknowledge has just been demonstrated.
that carry, i.e. in religious processions or as a palladium in
military campaigns (cf 2 Sam. v. 21).
21. bringit forth, i.e. produce your evidence, or plea; cf xli. 21,
22. But pemaps better, bring them (your idi0\&) forth.
this. i.e. Cyrus' success over Babylon, which is assumed to have
been achieved, and Israel's redemption which is thereby assured.
from ancient time... of old. Equivalent to "previously" (xliv. 8,

298 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLV. 22-24
old? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me;
a just God and a saviour ; there is none beside me. 22 Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth : for I am
God, and there is none else. 23 By myself have I sworn, ^the
word is gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall
not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue
shall swear. 24 Only in the Lord, ^ shall one say ^unto me, is
righteousness and strength: even to Mm shall men come, and
^ Or, righteousness is gone forth from my mouth, a word which shall not return
Or, the word is gone forth from, a mouth of righteousness, and shall not retum
^ Or, hath one said ' Or, of
xlviU. 3, xlvi. 10). The aUusion is probably to predictions lU^e those
of Jeremiah (xxx. 3 f , xxxi. 8) : cf on xiii. 9.
a just God, etc. Better, a God who is righteous (i.e. truthful or
faithful, cf Neh. ix. 8, 1 Joh. i. 9) amd a saviour there %s not hedde me.
22. Look unto me, etc. Better, Turn to me and be delivered (the
first imperative being a conditional sentence, of which the second ex
presses the consequences (cf xxxvi. 16, Jer. vi. 16, Am. v. 4, etc.)). The
passage is an anticipation of the spirit of the Gospel, though the salva
tion here offered is temporal security and well-being.
23. By myself. The oath of the Lord, Who swears by Himself
since He can swear by none greater (Heb. vi. 13), is "As I Uve"
(xlix. 18, Jer. xxii. 24).
the word, etc. Better (cf mg.), a word has gone forth from a
mouth of righteousness (i.e. a truthful mouth) and shall not return (i.e.
prove resultless, Iv. II).
unto me every knee, ete. i.e. to me all the world shaU render wor
ship and promise allegiance (for the sense of swear cf xix. 18, xlviii. 1,
note). The LXX. has every tongue shall swear (or confess) to God, and
the passage in this form is cited by St Paul in Kom. xiv. 11 (in con
nection with the accountability of all men to God at the last judgment).
The prediction is still in the course of being reaUzed by the extension
over the world of the Jewish faith as transformed by Christ (cf Phil. ii.
10). 24. Only in the LoBD, etc. Better, Only in (or through) the Lord,
saith one of me, are motorics (literally, righteousnesses, see on xli. 2 and
cf 1 Sam. xii. 7, Mic. vi. 5) and strength. The speaker must be one of
the surviving heathen. But the construction of the original is awkward,
and the text is possibly corrupt. Cheyne would read, Only through the
Lord hath Jacob (^PS-? for IPN 7) victories and strength : cf v. 25.
even to him, ..come. The result of coming to the Lord is left obscure,
and the verb rendered come is possibly a corruption of some expression
parallel to he ashamed (or be put to shame). Duhm would read, together
shall they perish (¦'n^Ni l'"!!;!! for K'nj Vij;) and be put to shame, even
all they who are incensed against him (cf xli. 11).

XLV. 25-XLVL i] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 299
all they that were incensed against Mm shall be ashamed.
25 In the Lord shaU aU the seed of Israel be justified, and shaU
glory.
25. shall... be justified. Better, shall be righted (Cheyne, shall
triumph), i.e. in their controversy with their oppressors (cf liv. 17).

Chapter XLVI.
The c. falls into two dirisions : (1) a taunt-song over the collapse of the
Babylonian dirinities before the advance of Cyrus (m. 1, 2); (2) a re-assertion
of the Lord's sole godhead (in contrast to the idols), and a renewed assurance
of His purpose to deliver His people (m. 3 — 13).
XLVI. 1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols
are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: the things that ye
XLVI. 1 — 2. Babylon's tutelary deities, so far from being able
to protect their votaries, cannot even preserve their own images.
The scene, which is described as though actually witnessed by a
spectator, is reaUy a prediction of what is expected to happen at the
capture of Babylon by Cyrus.
1. Bel. Babylonian Belu. The word is really a title (equivalent
to the Hebrew or Canaanite haal), but was appropriated, as a proper
name, to two gods, Bel, one of the triad of early Babylonian gods
(Ea, Bel, and Anu), and Bel Merodach (represented as the son of the
earUer Bel). The god here designated is the latter, who was associated
with the planet Jupiter (and hence was styled by the Romans Jupiter
Belus). He was the chief deity of the city of Babylon (Jer. 1. 2, li. 44),
where his principal temple stood on the site of the mound now called
Babil, on the left bank of the Euphrates, and his name entered into
the appellations of some of the Babylonian kings (e.g. Belshazzar).
Nebo. Babylonian Nabu. He was represented as the son and
prophet of Bel Merodach', and was associated with the planet Mercury
(though his functions corresponded to those of ApoUo rather than to
those of Hermes or Mercury, but cf Acts xiv. 12). The chief seat of
his worship was Borsippa, where the ruins of Birs Nimrtd, on the
right of the Euphrates, mark the site of his temple. He was probably
the patron divinity of the dynasty to which the Babylonian kings
Nebuchadrezzar, Nabunaid, and Nabopolassar belonged.
their idols. The poss. adj. refers to the Babylonians.
the beasts. The term, which usually denotes wild beasts, perhaps
here means elephants or camels as contrasted with the catth (oxen and
asses). the things.,, about. Both Merodach and Nebo are said to have
' Of. the Hebrew naU "prophet." One of Nebo's titles is "bearer of the
tablets of destiny of the gods" (Whitehouse, ad loc).

300 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlvi. 2-6
carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver
the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.
3 Hearken unto me, 0 house of Jacob, and all the remnant
of the house of Israel, which have been borne by me from the
belly, which have been carried from the womb : 4 and even to
old age I am he, and even to hoar hairs wUl I carry you : I have
made, and I wiU bear; yea, I wiU carry, and wiU deUver. 5 To
whom wiU ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me,
that we may be like? 6 Such as lavish gold out of the bag,
been carried through Babylon in solemn procession at the feast of
the New Year.
are made a had, etc. i.e. for the purpose of being tiansported to
a place of safety by their worshippers, just as Merodach-baladan when
retiring before Sennacherib shipped them on board vessels (Schrader,
COT. IL p. 36).
2. they could not deliver, etc. The writer, for his own purpose,
distinguishes momentarily between the idol-gods and their images. The
in-dwelling divinities could not prevent the idols, which were being
conveyed away by their votaries, from being overtaken and captured ;
and with them they passed into the power ofthe enemy (cf Jer. xliii. 12,
xlviu. 7, xUx. 3, Hos. x. 5, 6, Dan. xi. 8'). When Babylon was actuaUy
surrendered to Cyrus, the anticipations of the prophet here expressed
were not realized ; for instead of carrying off the images of the Baby
lonian gods the Persian king restored to various cities such of their
idols as the last Babylonian king had taken from them.
3 — 13. The contrast presented by the Lord, Israel's God.
3. home,,, carried. The verbs come from the same roots as those
used in v. 1 (made a had, a burden) and are meant to contiast the
Lord, Who supports His people (cf Deut. i. 31, Hos. xi. 3), with the
idols who have to be supported by theirs.
4. even to old age. Whereas a parent's care for his son ceases
when he is grown up, the Lord's care for Israel wiU never end (cf
Ps. kxi. 18).
/ am he. The phrase is virtually equivalent to / am the same (see
on xli. 4).
I home made. The verb is rather inappropriate in tMs connection,
and some critics would replace it by / have carried the burden (^FIPOJJ
for »nw). 6 — 8. This passage, which contains a renewed description of the
manufacture of an idol, is thought by Duhm and others to be a later
(post-exilic) insertion, like xliv. 9 — 20 : the connection of v. 6 with v. 5
^ Similarly the Ark of the Lord was carried away by the Philistines after the
hattle of Ebenezer (1 Sam. iv. 11).

XLVi.7-ri] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 301
and weigh silver in the balance, they hire a goldsmith, and he
maketh it a god; they fall down, yea, they worship. 7 They
bear Mm upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in
Ms place, and he standeth ; from his place shaU he not remove :
yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save
Mm out of Ms trouble.
8 Remember this, and ^shew yourselves men : bring it again
to mmd, 0 ye transgressors. 9 Remember the former things
of old: ^for I am God, and there is none else; / a/m God, and
there is none like me ; 10 declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying,
My counsel shall stand, and I will do aU my pleasure : 11 calling
^ Or, standfast ^ Or, that
is awkward (though cf xl. 18, 19), and v. 9 stands in unnatural
sequence to v. 8. See also on v. 8.
6. Su^h as lavish gold, etc. The gold and silver are not the wages
of the workmen, but the precious metals with which the image (made
of cheaper materials, xliv. 12) is to be plated (xl. 19), and which are
supplied by the persons who order the idols to be constructed. At
Babylon, according to Herodotus (i. 183), there was a golden statue of
Bel wMch, together with a table and throne of gold, weighed 800 talents.
7. They hear, etc The image, though believed to be a god, is of
itself incapable of movement (cf Jer. x. 5).
8. this. i.e. the folly of idolatry.
shew yourselves men. The verb (Wf'Nl^n) from its context, must
convey an exhortation to have done vrith superstitious foUies, but its
etymology is obscure and it has been variously rendered : (l) be men
(not cMldren) in intellect (cf Eph. iv. 14) ; (2) be firm (instead of
vacUlating between the worship of the Lord and of idols) ; (3) flush
vrith shame. Among conjectural emendations are be ashamed (¦ItJ'^aiprij
cf. Vulg. confundamini), own yourselves guilty ('O^Xipn)^ and shew
yourselves intelligent (•li^iaipn after the Syriac).
ye transgressors. Or, ye rebels. The expression, in view of the
preceding context, must imply that those addressed had been guilty
of idolatry; and such a charge seems more applicable to the Jevrish
community in post-exilic times (see Ivii. 3 f , lxv. 1 f, lxvi. 17 f ) than
at the close of the Exile. See on xlviii. 1 f.
9. Eememher the former, etc. A reiterated appeal to instances of
fulfilled predictions as a proof of the Lord's sole godhead (cf xUv. 6 — 8).
for. Better (as in the mg.), that.
10. declaring, etc. i.e. foreteUing the issue of an enterprise from
its very inception ; cf. xli. 26.
My counsel, i.e. the design of restoring the Jewish exiles to their
homes and rebuUding Jerusalem (see xiv. 13, xUv. 26, 28).

302 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlvli2,i3
a ravenous bird from the east, the man of ^my counsel from
a far country ; yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass ;
I have purposed, I wiU also do it. 12 Hearken unto me, ye
stouthearted, that are far from righteousness : 13 I bring near
my righteousness, it shall not be far off, salvation shaU not
tarry; and I wiU ^place salvation in Zion for Israel my
glory. ' Another reading is, his.
' Or, give salvation in Zion, and my glory unto Israel
11. a ravenous bird. Cyrus is so designated in consequence of
the celerity of his conquests (cf xU. 3). Nebuchadrezzar is simUarly
compared to an eagle in Ezek. xvii. 3, 7, Jer. xUx. 22.
the man of my counsel, i.e. the agent who is acquainted with, and
executes, my design.
12. ye stouthearted. If the text is sound, the expression must be
equivalent to obstinate in disbelief; ci. Sym. o-icAijpoKapStoi. But
elsewhere it means resolute or courageous (Ps. Ixxvi. 5) ; and the
reading of the LXX., which has down-hearted (literally, perishing or
lost in heart, ''l?i< for 'T???) is preferable.
that are far from, etc. i.e. who in their thoughts regard as remote
the prospect of the triumph which is to vindicate them (Uv. 17).
13. / hring near my righteousness, etc. i.e. the triumph and
deliverance which the Lord had promised are on the eve of being
realized (li. 5, 6, 8).
Israel my glory. Israel is so entitled because it was through the
approacMng transformation of the nation's fortunes that the Lord's
glory was to be manifested to the heathen who had hitherto been
unacquainted with Him (cf xliv. 23, xlix. 3). But Sym. has Scoo-cu iv
26(uv a-wTijpiov Kal t<3 'lo-pa'^X S6$av, and possibly the rendering should
be, I appdnt deliverance in Zion and my glory for Israel (cf mg.).

Chapter XLVII.
This c. consists of a taunting song of triumph over the approaching fall of
Babylon, put into the mouth of the Lord (see w. 3, 4 and note). The c. is
linked by its subject-matter with the preceding, the writei-'s thoughts passing
from the gods of Babylon to the city itself, which they are powerless to defend.
The tone resembles that of xiv. 4 — 21 ; cf. also Ezek. xxri. (on Tyre) and
xxxii. (on Egypt). The picture of Babylon's humiliation presents an impressive
contrast to that of Zion's exaltation in the adjoining cc. (xlix., L, liv.). The
pride and cruelty of Israel's oppressor in the sixth century b.c. led St John to
use the name of Babylon to designate Rome, the persecutor of the Christian
Church in the first century a.d. (see Rev. xvii., xriii.).

XLvn. 1-4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 303
XLVII. 1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin
daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O
daughter of the Chaldeans : for thou shalt no more be caUed
tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal:
remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass
through the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea,
thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and will
^accept no man. 4 Our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is Ms
1 Or, make truce with Heb. meeJ.
XLVII. 1 — 7. Babylon must exchange her queenly position for
the greatest degradation because of her abuse of power.
1. Come down, etc. The city is personified as a queen who has to
descend from her throne to take up the duties of the meanest slave.
dt,,.dust. A posture of distress and humiliation (iii. 26, Jer.
xiii. 18, xiv. 2, Lam. ii. 10, Ezek. xxvi. 16, Job ii. 8, 13).
daughter of Babylon. The genitive is appositional (cf on i. 8). The
epithet virgin is conventional, and does not describe Babylon as a
Mtherto inviolate fortress, for the city on repeated occasions in her
earUer history had undergone capture.
Chaldeans. Babylon at this time was ruled by a Chaldean dynasty
which came from Southern Babylonia (see p. Ui).
tender and delicate. For the luxury of Babylon cf xiii. 19,
xiv. 11, xxi. 5, Jer. li. 39.
2. millstones. The grinding of corn was the occupation of female
slaves, see Ex. xi. 5, Job xxxi. 10, Matt. xxiv. 41; cf Hom. Od. xx.
105, yvvq...dXiTpl<;, VU. 104. The mUlstoue here meant consisted of
two circular stones, the lower having in its upper surface a metal pin
fixed, round which the upper stone was made to revolve by a handle.
thy veil. A veU was ordinarily used by ladies of rank to protect
their faces from the heat or the gaze of the insolent : cf iii. 19,
Cant. iv. 1, 3, vi. 7.
strip off, etc. The captive, deported into a foreign land, has to
replace the teaUing robes of a lady (cf iii. 22) by the shorter skirts of
a menial, and to ford the streams that cross the line of march.
3. Thy nakedness, etc. The words are usually employed of
outrage (iii. 17, Jer. xiu. 22, 26, Ezek. xxiu. 10, 29) ; cf Nah. iu. 5,
Lam. i. 8. By Duhm and others the clause (dovm to seen) is rejected
as a gloss for metrical reasons.
/ v)ill take, etc. The speaker is the Lord (see on v. 4).
will accept no man. LiteraUy, will meet no man (in a gracious
spirit), i.e. wiU spare none (cf lxiv. 5). But the text should probably
be corrected, by the omission of man (see on v. 4) and a change of
points, to / will not let myself he intreated (I'J?^ *<'), i.e. I vrill be
inexorable in the infliction of vengeance. Gratz and others substitute
I will not refrain (IJ"!?^ **', cf Ezek. xxiv. 14).

304 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLVIL5-8
name, the Holy One of Israel. 5 Sit thou sUent, and get thee
into darkness, 0 daughter of the Chaldeans : for thou shalt no
more be called The lady of kingdoms. 6 I was wroth with my
people, I profaned mine inheritance, and gave them into thine
hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the aged hast
thou very heavily laid thy yoke. 7 And thou saidst, I shaU be
a lady for ever : so that thou didst not lay these things to thy
heart, neither didst remember the latter end thereof.
8 Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures,
that Mwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and
there is none else beside me ; I shall not sit as a widow, neither
' Or, sittest securely
4. Our redeemer, eto. Better (after the LXX. A) — the verse being
connected with the preceding — saith (reading 1D¥ for ^1^, v. 3) our
redeemer, whose name is the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel.
5. Sit thou silent, etc. The splendour and society of her court
must be exchanged for the gloom and soUtude of captivity (for the
sense of darkness see xiii. 7, xlix. 9).
The lady of kingdoms, i.e. the suzerain of numerous subject-states
(cf xiu. 19).
6. I profaned. To profane is to "make common," the opposite
of sanctify (i.e. set apart) ; cf xliii. 28. The Lord had set apart Israel
for Himself, and so long as it was faithful to its obligations, it was
safe from aggression (cf Jer. ii. 3). But when the nation disregarded
its duties, its privileges were cancelled and the land became "profane,"
at the mercy of any assailant (cf Jer. 1. 7, 11, xii. 7, 8). The Baby
lonians, in the pursuit of their own aims, had been, like the Assyrians
(x. 6), the unconscious agents of the Divine indignation, but they had
used their power harshly (see xiv. 3, li. 14, Jer. xxix. 22, Lam. iv. 16,
V. 12) and borne themselves arrogantly, and had thereby provoked
the Divine resentment (cf Zech. i. 15). But see on xUi. 22.
7. And thou saidst, etc. Better, And thou saidst, I shall be for
ever, a lady eternally : thou didst not, etc. (the word rendered so that
being really a noun (used in ix. 6)). The passage has suggested
Rev. xviii. 7.
these things, viz. that Israel had been placed in her hands by the
Lord for a special purpose and that the period of her control was
defined. 8 — 15. Babylon's confidence in the infiuence of her enchantments
to preserve her will only betray her.
8. I am. Similar language, only appropriate to God (see xiv. 5, 6,
18, 20, xlvi. 9), is attributed to Nineveh (Zeph. ii. 15) and to Tyre
(Ezek. xxviii. 2).
as a widow. The figure of a virgin (v. 1) is dropped, now that a
different idea has to be expressed. By Babylon's predicted vridowhood

XLVIL 9-1 1] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 305
shall I know the loss of cMldren : 9 but these two tMngs shall come
to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of cMldren, and widow
hood: in their full measure shall they come upon thee, ^despite
of the multitude of thy sorceries, and the great abundance of
tMne enchantments. 10 For thou hast trusted in thy wicked
ness ; thou hast said. None seeth me ; thy wisdom and thy
knowledge, it hath perverted thee : and thou hast said in thine
heart, I am, and there is none else beside me. 11 Therefore
shaU evU come upon thee ; thou shalt not know ^the dawning
thereof: and miscMef shall fall upon thee ; thou shalt not be
able to put it away : and desolation shaU come upon thee suddenly,
' Or, amidst " Or, how to charm it away
is perhaps meant her loss of the protection beUeved to be afforded her
by her tutelary god, who is thought of as her husband, just as Jehovah
is described as the Husband of Israel (\. 1, Ixii. 4). The hss of children
denotes the destiuction of her population (U. 18, liv. 1, Lam. i. 1,
Bar. iv. 12).
9. in their full measure. The LXX. and Syr. have suddenly (DSns
for DBfl?). thine enchantments, ete. Babylonia and Egypt were the two countiies
of antiquity where magic was cMefiy prevalent (Dan. i. 20, u. 27,
Ex. vu. 11, 22, viii. 7) ; and it was especially from Babylonia that
magical practices extended to Israel and the adjoining countries. The
enchantments axe supposed to have consisted in the tying of magic
knots (cf Verg. E. vm. 77, 78), the sorceries in concocting a magic
potion (cf Hom. Od. x. 234—6)'.
10. None seeth. i.e. to caU her to account (Ezek. viii. 12, ix. 9,
Ps. X. 11, xciv. 7).
thy loisdom, etc. The writer probably has in mind astrological and
magical lore. Cuneiform texts are fuU of formulae for working and
counterworking speUs (see Hastings, DB. ni. p. 208).
11. thou shalt.. .the dawning thereof, i.e. thou shalt be ignorant of
the time and direction of its approach : cf Vulg. nescies ortum dus.
But the construction of the paraUel clause is in favour of taking the
last word as the infinitive of a verb and rendering, as in the mg.,
{thou shalt not know how) to charm it away.
to put it away. LiteraUy, to propitiate it (cf the Latin expiare
prodigia), i.e. to avert it by propitiatory offerings. Diodorus Siculus
(n. 29) states : " The Chaldeans are devoted to divination, and predict
future occurrences, of which they seek to avert tbe unfavourable and
to promote the favourable by means of purifications or sacrifices or
speUs." 1 See Lex. .. nin and V\^^.
w. I. 20

306 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlvil n-14
which thou knowest not. 12 Stand now with thine enchant
ments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou
hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to
profit, if so be thou mayest ^prevail. 13 Thou art wearied in
the multitude of thy counsels : let now the ^astrologers, the
stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee
from the things that shall come upon thee. 14 Behold, they
shall be as stubble; the fire shaU bum them; they shaU not
1 Or, strike terror ^ Heb. dividers of the heavens,
which thou knowest not. i.e. unawares (cf Ps. xxxv. 8, Heb.). But
possibly after thou knowest not (how) an infinitive has been lost (e.g. to
charm away, i^l|D, parallel with to put away in the preceding clause).
12. Stand, etc i.e. persist with (Eccles. viii. 3). Compare the
ironical address of Elijah to the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs. xviu. 27).
prevail. Better (with the mg. ), strike terror (into thine adversaries) :
cf Ps. X. 18.
13. thy counsels, i.e. the various secular policies advocated by
her statesmen to meet the crisis that confronted her. But possibly
counsels should be emended (with Marti) to counsellors (\*Vi|* for 1!DS^)
which forms a better parallel to the terms that foUow in the next clause.
ht now the astrohgers, etc. Better (if the text is correct), ht them
stand up now to save thee, the astrologers, the stargazers, and those
who every month make known from what quarter things (i.e. calamities)
shall come upon thee. But 'pidhaMj from what quarter ("'?'^P) should
be emended to what things C^f^X after the LXX. The term rendered
astrohgers is Uterally dividers of the heavens, i.e. those who divided
the sky into sections, or its stars into groups (such as the signs of the
Zodiac, which, with several other consteUations, like Orion and the
Great Bear, were known and named in Babylonia from very early
times). The Babylonians observed the heavens, and registered the
movements of the sun, moon, and planets tMough them, not merely
from an interest in astronomical science but for astrological purposes,
Diodorus Siculus (u. 30) stating, " Of the stars they make protracted
observations, and being of aU people the most accurately acquainted
with the motions and infiuence of each, they foretell to men many of
the events that are about to happen." Monthly calendars were
prepared in which were indicated the conjunctions of the heavenly
bodies which foreboded favourable or unfavourable occurrences on
particular days; and Babylonian astrology became so famous that
ChaMoei became amongst the Romans a synonym for all diviners who
told fortunes by the stars _ (see Juv. Sat. vl 553, x. 94; cf also
Hor. Od. 1. xi. 2, Babyhnios.,.numeros).
14. they shall be as stubbh, etc. The astrologers, so far from
helping their countrymen, wiU be unable to save themselves. Fot fire
as a figure for a consuming judgment cf i. 31, xxx. 30.

XLVIL is] the book of ISAIAH 307
deUver themselves from the power of the flame : it shaU not be
a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before. 15 Thus shall the
things be unto thee wherein thou hast laboured: they that
have trafficked with thee from thy youth shall wander every
one to ^Ms quarter; there shaU be none to save thee.
1 Or, his own way
it shall not be a coal, etc. An ironical litotes, suggestive of the
real magnitude of the fire which wiU be kindled for Babylon, cf
Ezek. xxiv. 9, 10. This clause is rejected by many recent critics
as a prosaic addition.
15. they that have trafficked. Babylon's commerce was famous
(see Ezek. xvii. 4). But the context (see vv. 12, 13) seems to require
a reference not to trade but to astrology or sorcery, and Duhm,
foUowed by Marti and Kittel, proposes. Thus shall they be with whom
thau hast laboured from thy youth, even thy workers of charms (IK'Ka for
"^m, and "^^Mp for Diqb).
to his quarter. Better, to the quarter over against him, i.e. wiU
seek to escape by the nearest road.

Chapter XLVIIL
This c. may be dirided into four sections: (1) a complaint of Israel's
insincerity and idolatry (ve. 1—11); (2) a renewed declaration of Babylon's
imminent overthrow by Cyrus (vv. 12—16); (3) a lament over Israel's dis
obedience and its consequences (w. 17 — 19); (4) an exhortation to the exiles
to depart from Babylon (w. 20 — 22).
The contents of the c. are, for the most part, a reproduction of subjects
already treated; but the repetition of them here is accompanied by bitter
reflections upon the religious condition of the people addressed, which are
difficult to reconcile with the general tenor of Deutero-lsaiah's writings and
the circumstances of the times immediately preceding the Retum. A re-
proaehful tone, indeed, is not entirely absent from the preceding cc, in
which it is complained that the exiled people had failed to profit by their
chastisement (xhi 25), had wearied the Lord with their sins (xliii. 24), and
had cariUed at His plan for their redemption (xiv. 9). But here in ». 5 a
charge of actual idolatry is advanced, the Lord's prediction of the future
being represented as designed to prevent the causation of events from being
ascribed by Israel to its idols; whilst vv. 18, 19 are marked by a tone of
depression which is unnatural on the eve of the deliverance from captivity. (See
also on V, 9.) It is no doubt possible that some of the exiles were attracted by
the Babylonian worship, and that the charge of idolatry brought by the prophet
can be thus accounted for. But the peculiarities of the passage are so numerous
and remarkable that they seem to justify the hypothesis of interpolation, and
Duhm, Cheyne and Marti hold that the original prophecy has been modified
20—2

308 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xLViiLi-4
by a post-exilic editor who by insertions has sought to convert it into a rebuke
of his own idolatrous contemporaries (see Ivii. 5f, lxv. 3, Ixri. 17). The
inserted passages are thought to be vv, 1 (except the first clause), 2, 4, 5\ 7"
(lest thou... knew them), 8\ 9, 10, 11 (for how... profaned), 17 — 19.
XLVIII. 1 Hear ye this, 0 house of Jacob, which are
called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the
waters of Judah; wMch swear by the name of the Lord, and
make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in
righteousness. 2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and
stay themselves upon the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is
his name. 3 I have declared the former tMngs from of old;
yea, they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them:
suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. 4 Because I knew
that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy
XLVIII. 1 — 11. A rebuke of Israel for its disbeUef and
idolatrous tendencies, which the Lord has sought to overcome by
the display of His predictive power.
1. this. i.e. the declaration that begins with v. 3.
which are calhd. Better, which call themselves (cf v. 2).
are come forth out of the waters, etc. The metaphor of a, fountain
is similarly used of an ancestor in Ps. Ixviii. 26, Deut. xxxiii. 28. But
some critics would substitute which come forth from the howek of Judah
OKJpP for *??P, cf Gen. xv. 4, 2 Sam. vu. 12), and the LXX. has merely
ot i^ 'louSa ii^iXOovTfs. Reference to Judah by name in cc. xl. — ^Lsvi.
only recurs again in lxv. 9.
swear by. To swear by the name of the Lord was a token of
allegiance, as implying faith in His existence and His power to avenge
perjury; cf 1 Sam. xx. 42, Jer. xii. 16, Deut. vi. 13, x. 20.
make mention of. i.e. participate in the worship and praise of the
Lord; cf xxvi. 13, Lsiu. 7, Ps. xx. 7, Ex. xxiu. 13, Josh, xxiii. 7.
in truth,,, in righteousness, i.e. in sincerity; cf Zech. viii. 8.
2. For. This refers back to the beginning oi v. 1, and explains
why the prophet describes those whom he addresses as the house of
Jacob. they call. ,.city. The description is perhaps rather more appropriate
to actual residents in Jerusalem than to Jewish exiles in a foreign
land. The phrase the holy dty (Jerusalem is stiU called El Kuds,
"the Holy") recurs in Ui. I, but is commonest in late writings Uke
Nehemiah (xi. 1, 18) and Daniel (ix. 24) : cf Matt. iv. 5, xxvu. 53.
stay themselves, etc. i.e. profess reliance upon the Lord.
3. the former things, i.e. past events which the Lord had correctly
predicted (as in xiii. 9, xliv. 8, xlvi. 10).
4. thy neck, etc. The figure, perhaps taken from a stubborn ox,
occurs in Ex. xxxii. 9, Deut. ix. 6, 13, xxxi. 27.

XLVIIL s-8] the book of ISAIAH 309
brow brass ; 5 therefore I have declared it to thee from of old ;
before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest
say. Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my
molten image, hath commanded them. 6 Thou hast heard it;
behold all tMs; and ye, will ye not declare it? ^I have shewed
thee new things from this time, even hidden things, which thou
hast not known. 7 They are created now, and not from of old ;
and before this day thou heardest them not ; lest thou shouldest
say. Behold, I knew them. 8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea,
thou knewest not ; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened :
^ Or, I shew
5. therefore I have declared. Literally, and I declared it, the
sentence (if v. 4 is an insertion) connecting naturaUy with v. 3. The
writer has in view the prevalence of prophecy throughout Israel's
Mstory, not any particular prediction.
hst thou shouldest, etc. Elsewhere in these cc. Israel is the witness
of the Lord's prophetic powers in His controversy with the heathen
(see xUii. 10, 12, xliv. 8), but here it is represented as the unbeliever
whom predictions are designed to convince.
commanded them. i.e. called into existence the events in question
(ef. xiv. 12, xxxiv. 16, Ps. xxxiii. 9, cxlviii. 5).
6. behold all this. i.e. observe that all has come to pass as
predicted. But probably the imperative should be replaced by the
perfect, and thou hast seen all this (after the Syriac).
will ye not declare it ? i.e. wUl ye not acknowledge it (cf iii. 9,
Ps. xxxviii. 18) ? But the change to the plural is abrupt, and Duhm
would substitute wilt thou not bear witness to it (T'V)?...nPiK for DJD^...
ITilR) ?
/ ha/ve shewed. Better (as in the mg.), / shew, the new things
being the advance of Cyrus to the assault of Babylon, which the Lord
now proceeds to predict (v, 14) ; cf xiii. 9.
hidden things. Literally, things reserved (in the Divine purposes).
7. They are created now, etc. i.e. the events which are now
predicted (see v. 6) are quite new and unprecedented ; cf xliii. 18, 19.
before this day. Perhaps better (after the LXK.), formerly (Q*^S?
for Di'-*.?9^).
hst thou shouldest, eto. This clause gives a different turn to the
natural sense of vv. ff', 7", and implies that Cyrus' overthrow of
Babylon had not been foretold earlier lest familiarity with the ex
pectation of it should lead Israel to say, when it came to pass, that
it only accorded with their own calculations.
8. thine ear was not opened. Probably the first half of this v.,
like vv. 6\ 7*, only means that Israel had hitherto received no Divine
announcements respecting Cyrus. The punishment of Babylon and
the termination of Israel's exile had indeed been predicted by Jeremiah

310 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [XLVIIL9-13
for I knew that thou didst deal very treacherously, and wast
caUed a transgressor from the womb. 9 For my name's sake
will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee,
that I cut thee not off. 10 Behold, I have refined thee, but
not as silver; I have ^chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11 For mine own sake, for mine own sake, will I do it; for how
should my name be profaned ? and my glory will I not give to
another. 12 Hearken unto me, 0 Jacob, and Israel my called : I am
he; I am the first, I also am the last. 13 Yea, mine hand hath
1 Or, tried
(xxv. 12, xxix. 10, cf Hab. ii. 8) ; but the agency destined to bring
these results about had not previously been indicated. The LXX. has
the active verb, thine ear I did not open, ci. 1. 5.
for 1 knew that, etc. The second half of the v. (wMch is simUar in
tone to w. 5*", 1") implies that revelations about Cyrus had been inten
tionally withheld : had the Divine purpose been disclosed sooner,
the faithless people would not have been impressed in the manner
desired. amd wast called, etc. i.e. thou wast (see on i. 26) a tiansgressor
(or rebel) from thy earliest origin as a people (cf xliii. 27).
9. will I defer, etc. The language here used is rather unnatural
if addressed to the exiles who had aheady undergone captivity for
half a century.
will I refrain for thee. Literally, will muzzle (my anger) for thee.
Duhm conjectures will I have pity on thee (T/2^ D-ins for 'n?"DonK).
10. not as silver, i.e. not with such drastic treatment as sUver
receives (see Ps. xii. 6) : for the construction (? where ? might be
expected) cf Ezek. xx. 41. But the original is ambiguous, and though
the Vulg. explains it as above, Cheyne takes it to mean fiot unth
(sterling) diver as a product, i.e. the desired result had not accrued
from Israel's chastisement. For the figure cf. i. 22, 25, Ezek. xxii.
18—22, Zech. xiu. 9, Mal. ui. 3.
chosen. Better (as in the mg.), tried, an Aramaic sense of the verb.
in the furnace. Similarly the bondage in Egypt is termed an iron
furnace (Deut. iv. 20, 1 Kgs. viii. 51, Jer. xi. 4). For of affliction
Cheyne substitutes in vain (D|n for 'JV) after Klostermann.
11. For mine own sake, etc Duhm gets rid of the duplication by
reading For my name's sake, which supplies the missing subject in the
next clause. The Lord's motive in redeeming Israel, in spite of its
shortcomings, was to prevent His power from being disparaged by the
heathen in consequence of the protracted captivity of His people (see
on xliii. 25, and cf xxxvii. 35, 2 Kgs. xx. 6). For a further motive, to
which the one here mentioned was subordinate, see xiv. 22.

XLVIIL 14-17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 311
laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread
out the heavens : when I call unto them, they stand up together.
14 Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; which among them
hath declared these things? ^The Lord hath loved him: he
shall perform Ms pleasure on Babylon, and Ms arm shall he on
the Chaldeans. 15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called
him : I have brought him, and he shaU make his way prosperous.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye tMs ; from the beginning I
have not spoken in secret ; from the time that it was, there am
I : and now the Lord God hath sent me, and his spirit. 17 Thus
^ Or, He whom the 'Lord loveth shall <&c.
12 — 16. A renewed declaration of the Lord's sole godhead and of
His purpose to destroy Babylon by the agency of Cyrus.
The section reproduces the substance of xliii. 9 — 12, xliv. 6 — 8.
13. spread out. LiteraUy, spanned out (the cognate substantive
signifying a "span" or "hand-breadth," Ex. xxxv. 35, xxxvii. 12,
Ps. XXXIY 5).
they stand up. i.e. Uke servante obeying their master's directions
(cf Ps. xxxiii. 9, Heb.).
14. Assembh, ete. The command is addressed to the IsraeUtes
(cf V. 15).
among them. i.e. among the heathen gods, cf xU. 26. Some MSS.
have among you, which is supported by the Syr.
The Lobd hath loved, ete. Better (with Sym. followed by the mg.),
He whom the Lobd loveth (i.e. Cjrrus) shall perform his pleasure on
Babylon, amd shall manifest his arm (i.e. execute His judgment) on
the Chaldeans. The Lord's arm is His power to chastise or defend
(xl. 10, U. 5, 9, Ui. 10). But the zeugma is rather violent, and
Duhm is perhaps right in emending the concluding words after the
LXX. and reading (shall perform his pleasure on Babylon) and on the
seed ofthe Chaldeans (yit?-l for iViT-l).
15. he shall make, ete. Better (with the LXX. and Syr.), I have
made his way prosperous.
16. from the beginning, ete. i.e. from the very inception of Cyrus'
enterprise against Babylon (to wMch the pronoun it in the next clause
refers) the Lord's activity had been manifested in it. But instead of
there am I should perhaps be substituted / have declared it ('RJ'P?'" for
'3K DE*) ; cf xliv. 8.
and now,,, spirit, i.e. the Lord hath sent me, endowed with His
spirit (the substantive spirit being, Uke the pronoun me, the object of
the verb, though the Vulg. takes it as the subject, et nunc Dominus
Deus misit me, et spiritus dus). The clause is a parenthetic insertion,
perhaps proceeding from the post-exilic interpolator, who claims to
have a commission to address his contemporaries (cf Ixi. 1).

312 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlviil is-jo
saith the Lord, thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel : I am the
Lord thy God, wMch teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee
by the way that thou shouldest go. 18 ^Oh that thou hadst
hearkened to my commandments ! then had thy peace been as a
river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: 19 thy
seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels
like ^the grains thereof: his name should not be cut ofi^ nor
destroyed from before me.
20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans ; with
' Or, Oh that thou wouldest hearken,,. then should thy peace be <6c.
" Or, that of the bowels thereof
17 — 19. A lament over Israel's past indifference to the Lord's
instruction, and the prosperity which in consequence it has foregone.
This passage is probably an interpolation. The hopelessness which
marks the retrospect which it contains seems alien to the spirit of
Deutero-Isaiah writing at a time when the past was on the point of
being retrieved ; and the section separates passages wMch naturaUy
cohere, for the exultant tone of vv. 20 f would be more in place if it
followed immediately upon the announcement (w. 14 — 16) that the
Lord had directed Cyrus' movements (see further on v. 19).
17. which teacheth thee. The conception of the Lord as a teacher
appears in Jer. xxxii. 33, Ps. Ixxi. 17, perhaps cf also Is. xxx. 20.
to profit. Better, to thy profit.
18. Oh that thou hadst, etc. For a like lament over misused
opportunities cf Luke xix. 42.
thy peace, etc. Israel's prosperity (liv. 13, lxvi. 12) would then have
been as ample and as constant as the waters of a broad and unfaiUng
river like the Euphrates.
thy righteousness, i.e. the external success which was evidence of
right relations with the Almighty (cf liv. 17, Ixi. 11, Jer. li. 10).
19. like the grains thereof. Cf Vulg. ut lapilli dus. The LXX.
has cos 6 xovs T17S yrj^ (cf. Gcu. xUi. 16), whence some critics would
read like the dust Ct'J'I).
his name should not, etc. Better, his (LXX. thy) name would not he
cut off. Por the phraseology cf xiv. 22. When the passage was
written Israel was clearly reduced in numbers almost to extinction ;
and the language seems more appropriate to the century that foUowed
the Return when the population in Palestine was scanty (see Neh. vii. 4,
cf xxvi. 18) than to the time immediately preceding the Return when
hopes were entertained that the numbers of the Jewish nation would
be greatly increased.
from before me. i.e. out of the Lord's land (cf 2 Kgs. xxiv. 20).
20 — 21. An exhortation to the people to depart from the land of
their captivity.
It is assumed that Babylon is already captured (see w. 14, 15) and

XLVIIL 31,22] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 313
a voice of singing declare ye, tell tMs, utter it even to the end
of the earth : say ye. The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts :
he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them : he clave
the rock also, and the waters gushed out. 22 There is no peace,
saith the Lord, unto the wicked.
the way opened for the return of Israel to its home. The passage
should probably foUow on v. 16.
20. flee. The expression must here denote an eager, not a
terrified, departure (see Iii. 12).
21. And they thirsted not, etc. The past tenses are prophetic
perfects, and the homeward journey is regarded as already accom
plished. The exiles are represented to have been as miraculously
refreshed as were their ancestors in the wilderness after the Exodus
from Egypt (Ex. xvii. 6, Num. xx. 11, Ps. cv. 41).
22. There is no peace, etc The generalization, which recurs in
Ivii. 21, and here does not harmonize with its immediate context, is
probably an insertion proceeding from the post-exilic writer who
intioduced the interpolations in vv. 1 — 11, 17 — 19; though some
critics have regarded it as an editorial addition designed to mark,
in conjunction with Ivii. 21, the division of cc. xl. — lxvi. into three
sections when the vsritings of Deutero-Isaiah and Trito-Isaiah had
become united and were believed to be the work of one hand.

Secoot) Collection. Chapters XLIX. — LV.
In this group of cc. a change is observable in the character of the contents of
Deutero-lsaiah's work. There is no longer any insistence upon the unique god
head of the Lord and the unreality of idols, or any appeal to the evidence of
prophecy ; and there is no further mention of Cyrus as the Lord's agent for
Babylon's overthrow. The writer's thoughts are in a measure transferred from
the exiles in Babylon to the desolated Jerusalem and the prospect of its restora
tion to its former populous and prosperous condition. This suggests that some
interval separated the composition of this part of the book from the preceding:
and certain critics have thought that some, if not all, of the co. in this group
were composed in Palestine shortly after the first body of exiles had returned
thither, whilst Cheyne dates them about 432 1. But though several passages
at first sight seem to favour this riew and to promise expansion to a sparse
population already settled on its native soil (xlix. 19, liv. 2, 3), others imply
that the destruction of the oppressor and the relief of the oppressed are still
in the future (xlix. 26, li. 14, hi. 4, 5, 11, liv. 8, 14, Iv. 12), and the general tenor
of this part of the book points to its having been written, like the foregoing,
at Babylon (Iii. 5)^ before its capture and the release of the exiles.
1 The place of their composition he considers to be Babylon (see SBOT. p. 126).
^ But the authenticity of thia v. is doubtful.

314 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xtix. 1-3

Chapter XLIX. 1—6.
This section contains the second of the "Servant Songs," which, like the
first, is written in quatrains (six). Though the address, of which it consists,
begins abruptly (cf I. 4), the Servant ia manifestly the speaker (ve. 3, 5, 6), and
is conceived to be explaining to the nation his vocation, his sense of past
failure, and his confidence of eventual success. He is expressly identified with
Israel (v, 3), and is depicted (as in xiii. 1 f ) as being commissioned by the Lord
to enlighten the heathen world. In both passages his function resembles that
of a prophet, but whereas in xiii. 1 — 4 stress is laid upon his gentleness and
conciliatoriness of bearing, here the impressive and penetrating quality of his
speech is emphasized. Here, too, for the first time it is implied that his
success is preceded by a period of failure and attendant depression.
XLIX. 1 Listen, 0 isles, unto me ; and hearken, ye peoples,
from far: the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the
bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name : 2 and
he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of
his hand hath he hid me; and he hath made me a polished
shaft, in his quiver hath he kept me close : 3 and he said unto
me. Thou art my servant; Israel, in whom I wiU be glorified.
XIiIX. 1. Listen, 0 ishs. Those who are addressed are the
distant Gentile peoples ofthe West (see on xi. 11), whose conversion to
the Lord the Servant is designed to bring about (cf xiii. 1—6).
the Lobd hath called, etc. The phraseology is the same as that
employed of the actual Israel in xli. 9, xlviii. 12; cf also xUv. 2, 24,
xlvi. 3. The words from the womb may be understood of the earUest
origin of the nation in the Call of Abraham (cf U. 2).
made mention of my name. i.e. given me a name which indicates
my function and importance, viz. the title of Jehovah's Servant.
2. he hath made my mouth, ete. Israel, being destined to be the
Lord's agent for the conversion of the world (cf li. 16), is represented
as equipped with incisive powers of speech. For the comparison cf
Ps. Ivu. 4, Heb. iv. 12, Eph. vi. 17, Rev. i. 16, and the similar figures in
Jer. xxiu. 29, Eccles. xu. II ; cf also EupoUs ap. Diod. Sic. xn. 40 (of
Pericles), kou. /xovo^ twv p-qroputv to Kevrpov cyKarcXiTre tois aKpoiopievoK.
in the shadow, etc Cf U. 16. During the pre-exiUc period Israel's
function as the instructor of the nations in the knowledge of the Lord
was confined to the influence of isolated prophets with individuals (see
2 Kgs. V. 17), and during the exile was in abeyance altogether.
3. Israel. The name is omitted by one Heb. MS., but is repre
sented in the various versions. It is possible that the word is a
vocative (as the LXX. takes it) — Thou art my servant, 0 Israel, ete. ;
but it is more Ukely a second predicate, aUuding perhaps to the

XLIX. 4, 5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 315
4 But I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength
for nought and vanity: yet surely my judgement is with the
Lord, and my recompence with my God. 5 And now saith the
Lord that formed me from the womb to be Ms servant, to bring
Jacob again to Mm, ^and that Israel be gathered unto him:
1 Another reading is, but Israel is not gathered, yet shall I be d:c.
etymology of Israel (" God strives " or "perseveres," see Gen. xxxii. 28) :
it is a people in and through whom (as its name declares) God is
active. in whom I will he glorified. Cf xliv. 23. Both the retrieval of
Israel's fortunes (described in v. 5), and the diffusion by Israel of a
knowledge of the Lord among the Gi-entiles (v. 6), would redound to the
Lord's glory.
TMs V. is too short for the third quatrain ; and since in v. 5 the last
two lines (enclosed in the R.V. vrithin a parenthesis) are redundant,
Duhm tiansposes them hither. If thus transferred, they should be
tianslated (pointing "l??^}) : and I became honourable in the eyes of the
Lord (cf xUii. 4), and my God became my strength.
4. / have laboured in vain. The religious influence upon mankind,
which Israel in some measure could exert when an independent nation,
seemed to be ended by the Exile, and its mission in the world to be
consequently fruitless.
my judgement, i.e. the decision in its favour (evinced by a turn in
its fortunes) which Israel, as the representative, in a heathen world, of
the true religion, might expect (cf xl. 27). The people, here and in
1. 7, are described as preserving faith and hope (contrast xlix. 14,
xl. 27).
5. And now, etc. The rendering of the R.V. implies that among
the functions of the Servant is the restoration of Israel, and so assumes
a distinction between the two (cf xiii. 6, 7). But nothing is said in the
preceding or subsequent Songs of any such duty : hence better, But now
(xliii. 1, xliv. 1) the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant
is minded (Uterally, saith, ci. Ex. ii. 14, 1 Sam. xxx. 6, 1 Kgs. v. 5) to
hring Jacob again to himself (i.e. restore it to its own land, v. 6, cf Jer.
1. 19, Ezek. xxxix. 27) amd that Israel should be gathered unto him.
and that Israel, etc. In the original there are variant readings (as
in ix. 3, Ixiii. 9). The Heb. text has a negative (>«^) before the verb,
wMch is supported by Th., Sym., and the Vulg. ; if this is correct, the
meaning must be and that Israel he not taken away (for the significa
tion of the verb see xvi. 10, Ivii. 1, Hos. iv. 3, Ezek. xxxiv. 29, mg.,
and for the combination of sjmonymous positive and negative ex
pressions cf xiv. 1). The Heb. mg. (foUowed by the R. V.), substitutes
a pronoun, to him or to himself (y), which is confirmed by Aq. The
general sense of the passage is the same with either reading. The
LXX. omite both the negative and the pronoun, and reads IwaxOr)-
aojjxu.

316 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlix. 6
(for I am honourable in the eyes of the Lord, and my God is
become my strength:) 6 yea, he saith. It is too Ught a tMng
that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel : I will also give
thee for a light to the Gentiles, ^that thou mayest be my
salvation unto the end of the earth.
' Or, that my salvation may be
for I am honourahh, etc. See on v. 3 (where the ckuse may have
been accidentally omitted and re-inserted from the margin in a wrong
position). 6. yea, he saith, etc. The R.V. again distinguishes between the
Servant and Israel; hence better (beginning a new sentence and inserting
'h with the LXX.), And he saith to me. It is too light a thing for thy
being my servant (i.e. it is incommensurate with the importance and
dignity of such a relation) that I should (only) raise up (or re-establish)
the tribes of Jacob, and restore (from Babylon) the preserved of Israel.
The infinitives D''!??^ and 3^?? form the subject of the verb ?k!? (cf
2 Kgs. XX. 10), and of these infinitives the Lord is the subject (as He
is of the following verb give). The words rendered for thy being my
servant (^3V ' ^'?1''^'P) spoil the metre of the sixth quatrain and should
probably be omitted.
tlie tribes. Israel, though now consisting of little more than a single
tribe, is thought of in its ideal completeness (cf Ezek. xlvii. 13 f.
Matt. xix. 28). _
the preserved, i.e. those who had survived in exile the destiuction
of the state. But the LXX. implies the dispersed of Israel.
I will also give thee, etc Better, wherefore (1 Sam. vi. 5) / wiU
give thee for a light, etc. ; cf xiii. 6, li. 4, Luke ii. 32.
that thou, etc. So the LXX. and Vulg., but perhaps better (as in
the mg.), that my salvation may be, etc.; cf xiv. 22. The Lord's
speech in this v, implies that the significance of Israel's position as His
Servant could not be exhausted by its redemption from exUe; that
favoured relationship was not one of privilege only, procuring for it
succour in its need (see xli. 8 — 20, etc.), but of responsible ministry
likewise, the purpose of its vocation being to illuminate the darkness of
the heathen world with a knowledge of the true God and of His saving
power. The passage was cited by St Paul and Barnabas in their address at
Pisidian Antioch (Acts xiii. 47), when the Jews opposed their preaching
and the Apostles in consequence turned to the Gentiles'.
1 By the Apostles the Servant was probably identified with the Messiah : cf.
Luke ii. 12.

xlix. 7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 317

XLIX. 7— L. 3.
The main tenor of the prophecy is here resumed, and there follows a series
of addresses giring assurance to the exiled people that its release is at hand
(xlix. 7 — 13), and to disconsolate Zion that the Lord's love for her has not
failed (xlix. 14 — 21) and that her children shall be restored to her (xHx. 22—
26), and aflSrming that there is nothing to justify the unresponsiveness with
which the Lord's appeals are received (1. 1 — 3).
7 Thus saith the Lord, the redeemer of Israel, and his Holy
One, to him whom man despiseth, to Mm whom the nation
abhorreth, to a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shaU worship; because of the Lord that
is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee.
7 — 13. A confirmation, by the Lord, of the promise of Israel's high
destiny, and an assurance to it of approacMng emancipation and a safe
passage through the wilderness to its home.
This section reproduces the main idea of the preceding Song, as
xhi. 5 — 7 does that of xiii. 1 — 4, but the writer quickly passes from
the thought of Israel's ultimate mission in the world to that of its
immediate release and journey home. It probably proceeds from
Deutero-Isaiah, whose interest largely centres in tbe prospect of the
exUes' deliverance (xl. 9 — 11, xiu. 7, xliv. 26, li. 3, 14, lu. 1, 7, 9); but
Cheyne regards it (Uke xiii. 5 — 7) as a link composed by an editor who
inserted the Songs in Deutero-lsaiah's work.
7. the redeemer, ete. The same combination of titles as in xU. 14,
xliu. 14, xlvii. 4, etc.
whom man despiseth. LiteraUy, despised of soul, which has been
variously explained to mean (I) despised in regard to his soul (i.e.
deemed unworthy to Uve, cf Iiii. 7, 8) ; (2) despised from the soul (i.e.
heartily despised, cf Ps. xvii. 9); (3) despised of persons (soul being
equivalent to souls or persons, as in Gen. xii. 5, Ezek. xxvii. 13). The
paraUelism favours the last : cf. li. 7.
whom the nation, etc. Better, whom nations abhor (Uterally, abhorred
of a nation), the sing, being used, as in Iv. 5, of nations coUectively, cf
the use of ^V in xl. 7, xin. 5 and perhaps Ps. xxii. 6, Ixu. 8 : LXX.
TOV fiSeX.v(T<T6iJ.evov vtto t<5v iOvwv.
rulers, i.e. Israel's heathen oppressors (cf xiv. 5).
shall see. The sight that is to be seen is the wonderful release and
restoration of Israel, previously the object of iU-treatment and
contempt. arise, etc. i.e. in order to shew respect (cf Lat. assurgo), see v. 23,
Ui. 15, Ix. 14, Gen. xix. 1, Lev. xix. 32, Job xxix. 8.
worship, i.e. render homage (as in Gen. xxxiii. 6, Ex. xviii. 7,
2 Sam. ix. 8).
because ofthe Lobd. i.e. in consequence of the Lord's faithfulness

318 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlix. 8-13
8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I answered
thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee : and I wUl
preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to
^raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages ;
9 saying to them that are bound. Go forth ; to them that are in
darkness. Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and
on all bare heights shall be their pasture. 10 They shall not
hunger nor thirst ; neither shall the ^heat nor sun smite them :
for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the
springs of water shall he guide them. 1 1 And I wUl make all
my mountains a way, and my high ways shall be exalted.
12 Lo, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north
and from the west ; and these from the land of Sinim. 13 Sing,
1 Or, establish the earth ' Or, mirage See eh. xxxv. 7.
to the nation of His choice (Deut. vii. 9) and His transcendent power ;
xiv. 14, Iv. 5; cf hi. 10.
This V. seems to shew the infiuence of hi. 15, and confirms the view
that Deutero-Isaiah was acquainted with the Servant Songs, and
incorporated them in his own work.
8. In an acceptahh time, etc. Literally, In a time of favour, i.e.
a time when the Lord was graciously disposed towards His people, cf
Ixi. 2, Ps. Ixix. 13. The passage is quoted by St Paul in 2 Cor. vi. 2.
for a covenant, etc. Better, for a covenant of peoph (or peoples,
LXX. iOvwv). The phrase is repeated from xUi. 6 (see note).
to raise up. Better, raising up, , .making them inherit, the infinitives
being used gerundiaUy (Uke saying, v. 9) : cf xiv. 1. The subject is
the Lord, cf xliv. 26.
9. them that,,, darkness, i.e. the captive exiles, who are now con
fined in dungeons (xUi. 7), but are to be brought into the Ught.
in the ways. Better (with the LXX.), in edl ways, i.e. wherever they
go. The train of emancipated slaves, returning tMough the desert, is
compared to a carefully-tended fiock (as in xl. 11), which is suppUed
with pasturage even in the most barren spots.
10. the heat. Perhaps, in strictness, the hot air that rises from the
ground. The LXX. has KavtrtDv, hot wind or drocco, cf Jonah iv. 8
(LXX.). The words are quoted in Rev. vii. 16.
shall lead them. i.e. under sheltering trees. The v. has suggested
Rev. vii. 16, 17.
11. all my,,, high ways. i.e. the Mils and roads of Palestine
(xiv. 25) traversed in the last stages of the joumey. But the LXX.
and Syr. preferably have all mountains and all high ways (cf xl. 4).
shall he exalted, i.e. raised above the surrounding level for the
sake of security (cf xxxv. 9).
12. the land of Sinim. The region meant must be in the remote

XLIX. I4-I8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 319
O heavens ; and be joyful, O earth ; and break forth into singing,
O mountains : for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will
have compassion upon Ms affUcted.
14 But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord
hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ?
yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. 16 Behold, I
have graven thee upon the palms of my hands ; thy walls are
continuaUy before me. 17 ^Thy children make haste; thy
destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth
of thee. 18 Lift up tMne eyes round about, and behold: aU
these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live,
saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as
with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride.
1 According to some ancient authorities, Thy builders.
east or south (cf Vulg., de terra australi); and the most plausible
identification is Syene (Seveneh), the mod. Assouan in the south of Egypt
(Ezek. xxix. 10, xxx. 6), where recent discoveries prove a Jevrish colony
to have been in existence in the latter part of the sixth century b.c.
(see on xix. 18, 19), whilst in Egypt generally there were Jewish
refugees shortly after the faU of Jerusalem in 587 (Jer. xiii. 14, xliv.).
Much less probable suggestions are (1) the country ofthe Sinites (Gen. x.
17), a place near Arka, 80 m. N. of Zidon (excluded by its position and
unimportance); (2) Sin (or Pelusium) in the extreme N.E. of Egypt
(too near) ; (3) CMna, caUed in Arabic and Syriac Tsin, after a dynasty
reigning there in the tMrd century B.C. (too distant, and the appeUation
too recent); (4) Schina, a region near the Hindoo Koosh mountains.
The LXX. has €k y^s Hepo-cov (probably meaning Elam).
13. Sing, etc. The concluding lyric resembles xliv. 23.
14 — 21. An address to Zion, affirming the Lord's • affection for
her, and declaring that she is again to possess a numerous population.
14. But Zion said, etc. Cf the similar lament of the exiled
people (xl. 27).
15. yea, these may forget, etc i.e. even if these should forget.
16. / have graven thee, etc. The Lord is represented anthropo-
morphically as acting after the custom described in xUv. 5, and as
having graven on His hands a plan of Jerusalem in its perfection (cf.
Ex. xxv. 40, 1 Ch. xxvui. 11, 19), which is a continual incentive to
Him to repair its ruins.
17. Thy children. Perhaps better (with one Heb. codex and Vulg.,
supported by the LXX.), Thy builders, which affords a better antithesis
to thy destroyers : ci. on Ixii. 5.
18. thou shalt surely, ete. For the comparison of the city's popu
lation to a bride's jewels of Zech. ix. 16.

320 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [xlix. 19-2,
19 For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places and thy land
that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait
for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be
far away. 20 The children of thy bereavement shall yet say
in thine ears. The place is too strait for me : give place to me
that I may dwell. 21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who
hath ^begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my
children, and am ^solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro?
and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone;
these, where were they?
22 Thus saith the Lord GoD, Behold, I wiU Uft up mine
hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples : and
they shaU bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters
' Or, borne ^ Or, barren
19. For, as for thy waste, etc. The Heb. seems to be incomplete,
the natural rendering of the text being. For thy waste and thy desolate
places and thy land that hath been destroyed. . .For now thou shalt be too
strait, etc. Probably some words have been lost.
too strait, i.e. by reason of the dense population, cf Uv. 2,
Zech. ii. 4.
they that swalhwed, etc. The figure (for ravage and destiuction)
recurs in Hab. i. 13, Lam. ii. 16.
20. The,,. bereavement, i.e. the numbers added to the Jewish
community in course of the Exile.
21. Who hath begotten, etc. Better as in the mg. (though the verb
is masc). Who hath borne me these. Jerusalem (personified as a woman
separated from her husband (1. 1, liv. 4 — 6) and bereaved of her sons),
after having seen her children taken away to die, receives back others
who, though legally hers, are not her own offspring ; and she seeks to
know by whom (i.e. by what land) they have been borne to her, as
children were borne to Leah and Rachel by their handmaids Bilhah and
Zilpah (Gen. xxx. 1 f ) or to Sarah by Hagar (Gen. xvi. 1 f ).
solitary. Better (as in the mg.), barren (Job iii. 7).
an exih, and wandering. Better, exiled and banished. But the
expressions introduce a thought inconsistent with the preceding (since
it is to the population, not the land, that the terms are reaUy appUc
able), and are omitted by the LXX. : they are probably an insertion.
where were they? i.e. in what foreign land have they been resident
this long while ? But many scholars render, what manner of children
(cf Jud. viii. 18) are these? i.e. are they reaUy mine?
22 — 26. Zion's exiles are to be brought back with tender care hy
the peoples amongst whom they have been scattered.
22. I will... hand, A gesture conveying a summons (as in xiii. 2).
ensign. Used as a signal, as in v. 26, xi. 12, xiii. 2, xviii. 3, bdi. 10.

XLIX. 23-26] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 321
shall be carried upon their shoulders. 23 And Mngs shall be
thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers : they
shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick
the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord,
and they that wait for me shall not be ashamed. 24 Shall the
prey be taken from the mighty, or ^the lawful captives be
deUvered? 25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of
the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible
shall be deUvered : for I wUl contend with him that contendeth
with thee, and I will save thy chUdren. 26 And I wUl feed
them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shaU
be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine : and all
flesh shaU know that I the Lord am thy saviour, and thy
redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
' Heb. the captives of the just. Or, as read by the Vulg. and Syr., the captives
of the terrible
23. And kings, ete. The exiles who retumed to Jerusalem vrith
Ezra received much assistance from tbe Persian king Artaxerxes (Ezra
vu. 21 f ), and materials for building the waUs were supplied to Nehemiah
by the same sovereign (Neh. ii. 8).
24. Shall the prey, ete. The question (like that in v. 15) is
rhetorical, and put (see on v. 25), as well as answered, by the Lord, the
impUcation of the question and reply being that mighty men can
ordinarUy retain hold of anytMng that they have acquired, but even if
such are sometimes despoiled (cf. Luke xi. 21, 22), yet the Lord (Who
is mightier than the mighty) is able to defend against all antagonists
those whom He has in His keeping.
the lawful captives. Strictly, the captives of a righteous one (cf mg.),
i.e. (as the paraUelism shews), the captives of a victor; cf. the meaning
of righteousness (i.e. victory) in xli. 2. But the Vulg. and Syr. suggest
that the text should be corrected to shall the captives of the terrible
(r*lV for P''^¥) be delivered? cf v. 25.
25. But thus saith, ete. Better, For thus saith the Lobd. The
words should be transferred to the beginmng of v, 24.
Even the captives, etc. The statement is equivalent to a condition :
Should even the captives of the mighty be taken away (cf v. 16).
for I will contend, etc. Better, yet with him that contendeth with
thee I will (successfully) contend. The LXX. has yet thy cause I will
(successfully) />fea<^ (ytT'\ for '^I?'!'.): cf Ps. xUii. 1.
26. And I will feed, ete. Zion's oppressors, the Babylonians
(xlvii. 6), wiU be destroyed by mutual slaughter. The conception
resembles the representation of the Divine judgment upon the Gentile
world in Ezek. xxxviii. 21, Hag. ii. 22, Zech. xiv. 13, xi. 9.
all flesh shall know, etc. The salvation resulting to Zion from the
w. I. 21

322 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [l.i,^
L. 1 Thus saith the Lord, Where is the biU of your
mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? or
which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold,
for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was
your mother put away. 2 Wherefore, when I came, was there
no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand
shortened at all, that it cannot redeem ? or have I no power to
deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the
rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no
overthrow of its enemies will reveal to the world the Lord's abiUty to
save His people and all who turn to Him (see xiv. 21).
II. 1 — 3. An address to Zion's exiled people, who are backward in
welcoming the Lord's promises through the belief that the tie between
their mother-country and the Lord has been irretrievably severed, to
assure them that there is no valid obstacle to their redemption.
1. Where is the hill, etc. The questions are rhetorical, expecting
negative answers. If a woman received from her husband a bUl of
divorcement, she might marry again, and then could never afterwards
be taken back (Deut. xxiv. 1 — 4) ; but the equivalent of such a bar te
reconciliation was non-existent between the Lord and Zion (regarded as
the Lord's vrife, cf Hos. ii. 16, 19), who had been only temporarily put
away (liv. 6), for ber Divine husband had not renounced His right to
her. Again, children who were sold by their father to discharge debts
which he could not pay (Ex. xxi. 7, 2 Kgs. iv. 1, Neh. v. 5, Matt, xviii.
25) were permanently lost to Mm ; but no indebtedness had forced the
Lord to sell Israel, the children of Himself and Zion, into the hands of
a creditor; cf Ui. 3.
Behold, for your iniquities, etc The separation of Zion from the
Lord and the bondage of her people were due to the sins of the latter;
and these the Lord, of His grace, could cancel.
2. when I came, etc. When the Lord had made their deliverance
possible by launching (]yrus upon his mission of liberation and had an
nounced their approaching emancipation (xl. 3 f ), there was no response.
Is my hand, etc. To meet another fear, viz. that Israel's deliverance
is impossible not through some irreversible law but through the Lord's
deficient power (cf Ux. 1, Num. xi. 23), appeal is made to past marvels
wrought by the Lord in the sphere of physical nature, with wMch the
nation was familiar, like the wonders that occurred at the Exodus and
the passage of the Jordan (Ex. xiv. 21, Josh. ui. 16), or like instances
of protracted drought, such as that described in 1 Kgs. xvii. (cf
Ps. cvii. 33, Nah. i. 4).
stinketh... dieth. The sequence of the verbs is unnatural. Instead
of stinketh the LXX. has drieth up (B'S*!? for K'S^Pi), but tMs verb is
unusual in connection with fish, and Duhm and Kittel supply a word
before the second verb and read, and thdr monsters (i^fipn?, i.e.
hippopotami) die for thirst.

L.3,4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 323
water, and dieth for thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with black
ness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
3. / clothe the heavens, etc. The expressions in this v. are probably
metaphors for the darkening of the sky with storm clouds (cf 1 Kgs.
xviu. 45), though there may be a reference to the plague of darkness in
Egypt (Ex. X. 21).
sackchth. Tms, when made of hair, was dark in colour (Rev.
vi. 12).
TMs section ends abruptly, and the proper conclusion seems to
have been lost.

L. 4—9.
This section constitutes the third of the " Servant Songs," and consists of
three quatrains, though the structure is disguised by repetitions in vv. 4, 5.
It consists of a soliloquy by the Servant himself about his experiences in the
past and his hopes for the fature. In it, as in the preceding Songs, he appears
invested with the character of a prophet or teacher (cf v. 4 with xiii. 3,
xUx. 2) ; and is described as receiving docilely from the Lord constant instruc
tion for his work, and as undergoing hostile persecution which he endures with
patience, looking to the Lord for his ultimate vindication.
4 The Lord GoD hath given me the tongue of ^them that
are taught, that I should know how ^to sustain with words him
that is weary : he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth
^ Or, disciples ^ Or, to speak a word in season to him dc.
4. the tongue, etc. Israel, destined to discharge in the world the
function of a teacher, is represented as equipped with a trained faculty
of speech : cf xlix. 2.
to sustain. The precise sense of the verb is doubtful, but Aq. has
vTToa-Trjpia-ai and the Vulg. sustentare. Suggested emendations are
(a) to answer (^"^^VT) ; (b) to revive (nvon ?) ; (c) to feed, figuratively
(nil?1?, cf Prov. X. 21). The LXX. has (to know) how to speak (a word)
in due season (ill ™T) and omits (to) him that is weary : cf mg.
with words. LiteraUy, (with) a word. Possibly a genitive of
quality has been lost (e.g. of comfort, ci. Zech. i. 13, Heb.).
him... weary, i.e. the heathen who are dissatisfied with the foUies
and immoralities of idol-worship, and desire knowledge of some better
faith. Cf Matt. xi. 28.
he wakeneth, etc. i.e. he imparts his revelations insistently and
continuously (cf Jer. vii. 13, rising up early and speaking). This clause
has undergone duplication, and should probably be reduced to in the
morning he wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught.
21—2

324 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [L.6-9
mine ear to hear as Hhey that are taught. 5 The Lord God
hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebeUious, neither tumed
away backward. 6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face
from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord God will help me;
therefore have I not been confounded : therefore have I set my
face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8 He
is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us
stand up together : who is mine adversary? let Mm come near
to me. 9 Behold, the Lord God wiU help me ; who is he that
' Or, disciples
5. The Lord. . . mine ear. This clause, which needlessly repeate v, 4\
is best omitted.
and I. . .backward. Contrast xiii. 24 and Jonah i. 3 (where Jonah
t3rpifies collective Israel). TMs half of v. 5 should be included in v. 4,
where it forms the last line of the first quatrain.
6. / gave my back, etc. The connection seems to imply that
Israel's sufferings had been the result of loyalty to its God. The
maltreatment which it sustained at the hands of its heathen enemies
(cf Ps. cxxix. 3) was not in strictness religious persecution; but in the
ancient Semitic world the conflict of nations was also a confiict of
religions, and Israel as the votary and apostle of the Lord could regard
its sufferings as, in a sense, martjnrdom : cf. Ps. xliv. 22, xxu. 7, 9.
For the forms of insult here described see Deut. xxv. 9, Neh. xiii. 25,
Job xxx. 10, Matt. xxvi. 67, xxvii. 30, Hor. Sat. i. iii. 133, vellumt tibi
barbam lascivi pueri.
7. For the Lord GoD. Better, But the Lord Jehovah (a,nd so in
V. 9). have I not been, eta. Better, have I not let myself he confounded.
like a flint. A figure for unflinching endurance, as in Ezek. iii. 9 ;
cf also the figure in Jer. i. 18. Israel did not, through persecution,
deny or suppress the truth which was entrusted to it.
Verses 6, 7 constitute the second quatrain.
8. that justifieth, etc The expressions justify, contend, adver
sary (literally, master of a suit), and condemn are forensic (see Deut.
xxv. 1, Job X. 2, Ex. xxiv. 14 Heb.). As calamity was ordinarily held
to be proof of guilt (cf Job iv. 7, Joh. ix. 2), it seemed open to any of
the heathen to condemn Israel on the evidence of its past and present mis
fortunes, i.e. to adjudge its cause, its religious faith, to be wrong. But
Israel is confident that the Lord by His deliverance of it, which is near
at hand (cf li. 5), will justify it, i.e. prove it to be in the right
(cf xlix. 4), and so challenges any to bring a suit and obtain a verdict
against it at the bar of ultimate experience (cf liv. 17). Part of v. 8
is quoted by St Paul of the justification of (Christians in Rom. viu. 33.
let him come near. i.e. to judgment, cf xli. 1.

L. io,ii] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 325
shaU condemn me? behold, they all shall wax old as a garment;
the moth shall eat them up.
9. they all shall wax old. Israel's oppressors, whose prosperity
seemed for the time to put them in the right, will eventually decay and
perish. For the figure of a moth-eaten garment cf li. 6, 8, Hos. v. 12,
Ps. xxxix. 11, cii. 26, Job xiii. 28.
L. 10, 11.
Tills passage can scarcely be a continuation of the preceding speech (for in
it the Servant is spoken of in the 3rd pers.) though it obriously has it in riew.
It differs, however, from the passages (xiii. 5 — 7, xlix. 7 — 12) which comment
upon the two earlier Songs as being, not an expansion of the theme of the
preceding Song, but a hortatory address commending the teaching of the
Servant to the pious in distress, and concluding with a menace to a body
of adversaries. The two parties whose conditions and ultimate fates are
contrasted resemble those alluded to in parts of Trito-Isaiah cc. Ivi. — IxvL
(e.g. Irii., lxv., Ixri., cf also Mal. iii. 16 — iv. 3), namely those who in the post-
exihc community were faithful to the Law, and those who were faithless and
contaminated with heathen superstitions. The latter were in the majority and
persecuted the former (Ixri. 5) ; and similar persecution seems to be implied
here, where the doom in store for the persecutors (v, 11) is suggestive of what
is described in Ixri. 24. Hence the section is probably (like cc. Iri. — Isri.) of
post-exilic (flifth century) date, inserted by a later writer seeking to direct the
pious section of his contemporaries to the utterances of the Servant (as pre
served in Deutero-Isaiah) for the encouragement of their faith.
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth
the voice of his servant? ^he that walketh in darkness, and hath
no Ught, let Mm trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon
Ms God. 11 Behold, aU ye that kindle a fire, that gird your-
^ Or, though he walketh
10. Who is among you, etc. Better (with Duhm and Marti, foUowing
in part the LXX. and Syr.), Whoso (see on xliv. 10) among you feareth
the Lobd, ht him hearken (p'Q^\ for i^Pt^) to the voice of his servant.
darkness. The darkness in which those that fear the Lord walk can
only be distress, not spiritual ignorance ; see viii. 22, and cf the figure
expressive of the relief promised in Mal. iv. 2.
trust in the name, etc. Cf Ps. xxxiii. 21. The nams of the Lord,
as an object of trust, denotes those aspects of the Divine Personality
and character which had been revealed in the experience of the nation
(Ps. xxii. 22).
11. Behold, all ye, etc. For the tone of the address cf Ivii. 3.
The fire and firebrands kindled by those who are here denounced re
present their evU devices and machinations (cf Ps. Ivii. 4, lxiv. 3)
against the pious section of their countrymen : cf lxvi. 5.

326 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lli,2
selves about with firebrands : walk ye in the flame of your fire,
and among the brands that ye have Mndled. TMs shall ye have
of mine hand ; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
that gird yourselves, etc. i.e. that arm yourselves with lighted fire
brands (Prov. xxvi. 18) or perhaps fiery darts (Eph. vi. 16) as offensive
weapons (cf Verg. A. ix. 74:,fadhuspubes accingitur atris). But some
critics would substitute, who set firebrands alight (*T^P for ''1f>?P).
The expressions are figurative.
walk ye in the flame, etc. Better, walk ye into the flame. _ Their devices
for the injury of the pious will prove their own destruction. For the
sentiment cf Ps. vii. 15, 16.
This shall ye ham, etc The words are those of the Lord.
ye shall lie down in sorrow. Perhaps better, ye shall lie down in a
place of pain. The verb lie down probably refers to death; but in
death they vrill not rest in a peaceful grave (Uke the righteous, lyii. 2),
but in a place of torment, exposed (presumably) to horrors similar to
those described in lxvi. 24.

Chapter LL 1 — 16.
This section is an exhortation to the exiles, depressed about the prospects
of their relief, to direct their thoughts to the Lord and the proof He has given
in the past of His ability to bless and magnify His people. It continues the
general tenor of the prophecy, which was interrupted by the third "Servant
Song" (L 4—9).
LI. 1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness,
ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye were
hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. 2 Look
unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you : for
LI. 1 — 3. An appeal to the exiles to draw hope from the histoiy
of their ancestor Abraham, whose single household the Lord had multi
plied into a numerous people.
1. that follow.,, righteousness, i.e. desire the vindication of Israel
which would be evidenced by the triumphant reconstitution of its
national existence. The sense of righteousness here approximates to
that which it has in xli. 2, viz. success (of the right cause) : cf ot. 5, 6.
seek the Lobd. i.e. long for the Divine intervention in their
fortunes. the rock, etc. The comparison of the ancestor of Israel to a quarry
and the members of it to stones hewn from a quarry is akin to the
frequent use of a house in the sense of a family.
the hole of the pit. The second substantive is generaUy regarded as
a gloss on the first, which is a rare word.

LL3-6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 327
when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made
Mm many. 3 For the Lord hath comforted Zion: he hath
comforted aU her waste places, and hath made her wilderness
Uke Eden, and her desert Uke the garden of the Lord ; joy and
gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of
melody. 4 Attend unto me, 0 my people; and give ear unto me, O
my nation : for a law shall go forth from me, and I will make
my judgement to rest for a light of the peoples. 5 My right
eousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms
shaU judge the peoples; the isles shall wait for me, and on
mine arm shall they trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
2. when... hut one. i.e. when he was the head of but a single
family; cf Ezek. xxxiii. 24, Mal. ii. 15, Heb. xi. 12, and see Gen. xii.
2, xxii. 17.
3. For the LoBD, etc. The metrical stiucture of the passage
suggeste the loss of a Une, to which For relates.
her wilderness. Part of Judah was naturally barren ; see Josh. xv.
61, Jud. i. 16.
her desert, i.e. the steppe-Uke country in S. Judah (Ezek. xlvii. 8,
1 Sam. xxiii. 24). In the age of felicity about to dawn even the un
fertile districts are to become MgMy fruitful; cf xxxv. I, xxxii. 15.
For the comparison to the garden of the Lobd see Gen. xiii. 10, Ezek.
xxxvi. 35.
4 — 6. It is the Lord's purpose to extend the knowledge of HimseK
among the nations, and by the deUverance of Israel to shew Himself as
a Universal Judge commanding the confidence of all.
The passage recalls the " Servant Songs " in xhi. 1 — 4, xlix. 1 — 6,
the ideas of which Deutero-Isaiah reproduces in his ovm way (cf on
xiii. 5 — 9). What in the Songs is effected through the agency of the
Servant is here ascribed to the Lord Himself ,
4. 0 my peoph... 0 my nation. The word nation ('^''f) is else
where applied to Israel only in Gen. xxv. 23 ; and hence some critics,
foUowing a few MSS. and the Syr., would substitute 0 peoples,., 0
nations. iBut these are referred to in the 3rd pers. at the end of the
v., and Israel is clearly addressed in v. 6.
a law. Better, instruetion or direction (ii. 3, xiii. 4, 21).
my judgement. Better, my ordinance (xiii. 1, Iviii. 2). The LXX.
divides w. 4 and 5 differently ; and the last clause of v. 4 and the first
of V. 5 should perhaps be rendered, and my ordinance (shaU go forth)
as a light of the peoples. Suddenly my righteousness (i.e. my redress of
Israel's wrongs) drot/weth near (or, suddenly I bring near my righteous
ness), reading a^.S l'3'i? or i^PS Vfm for ani? : V^p^.
5. on mine... trust. Better, yb»- wjiwe arw (i.e. my active interven
tion) shall they hope (ci. xiv. 22 — 24). The rescue of Israel from ite

328 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LL7-9
and look upon the earth beneath : for the heavens shall vanish
away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment,
and they that dweU therein shall die ^in like manner : but my
salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be
abolished. 7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people
in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men,
neither be ye dismayed at their reviUngs. 8 For the moth shaU
eat them up Uke a garment, and the worm shaU eat them Uke
wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation
unto all generations.
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, 0 arm of the Lord ; awake,
' Or, perhaps, like gnats
oppressors would lead the nations to look to the Lord for deUverance
from injustice and tyranny everywhere.
6. the heavens, etc. i.e. even if the heavens (regarded as a sohd
firmament) and the earth, wMch are typical of all that is steadfast and
permanent (cf Gen. viii. 22, Ps. cxlviii. 4 — 6), should change and pass
away, the Divine scheme for the redress and deUverance of Israel wUl
remain unalterable: cf liv. 10, Matt. v. 18.
smoke,,, garment. Cited as examples of transient and perishable
things. The first simile occurs in Hos. xiii. 3, Ps. Ixviii. 2 ; the second
seems to be borrowed from the third "Servant Song" (L 9), cf also Ps.
cii. 26. The word rendered vanish means literaUy to he torn to tatters
(by the wind).
in like manner. Literally, like so (l?"i'3?), possibly accompanied and
interpreted by a contemptuous gesture (LXX. wa-rrep ravra, Vulg. , sicut
haec). But the phrase in the original may easily be a corruption of
like gnats (O'l'S'ltil) ; see mg. and cf the comparison like grasshoppers
in xl. 22. '
he abolished. The LXX. and Vulg. have (preferably) shall not fail
(or cease) (reading ^'^HW for nnPi).
7 — 8. Israel has no reason to be dejected in consequence of its
humiliation, for aU who afflict it are transient.
7. righteousness. The term (as the parallelism shews) here denotes
the religious basis of the people's hope of redemption. Israel alone of
the nations possessed a knowledge of the Lord and His requirements
(cf Deut. iv. 8), however imperfectly it had satisfied them, and it is
described in language probably derived from Jer. xxxi. 33.
the reproach of men. i.e. the scorn which Israel, in consequence of
its national disasters, had to endure from the heathen who occasioned
or vritnessed them : cf Uii. 3.
8. the worm. i.e. the grub of the clothes-moth.
9 — 11. An appeal to the Lord to exert Himself mightUy in the

XI.10-I2] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 329
as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Art thou
not it that cut ^Rahab in pieces, that pierced the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which dried up the sea, the waters of the
great deep; that made the depths of the sea a way for the
redeemed to pass over? 11 "And the ransomed of the Lord
shaU retum, and come with singing unto Zion ; and everlasting
joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and
joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that
^ See ch. xxx. 7. ^ See oh. xxxv. 10.
interests of His people, just as He had displayed His might at the
creation of the world and at the Exodus.
The appeal may proceed either from the prophet or from a celestial
spirit interested in Jerusalem's fortunes (cf Ixii. 6, 7 and xl. 3).
9. put on strength. For the metaphor cf xi. 5, Ui. 1, lix. 17, Ps.
xciii. 1, Hom. P. xrx. 36, Svo-eo S" ciXki^v.
as in the days of old. i.e. as in the primaeval age of the world.
that cut Eahah, etc. Eahah ("boisterousness") must be a designa
tion of the dragon (in the foUovring clause). Under the figure of such a
monster Semitic mythology symbolized the chaotic deep (Heb. Tehom,
Bab. Tidmat) wMch was overcome by the Divine Creator of the cosmos
Smongst the Hebrews Jehovah, amongst the Babylonians Marduk or
erocfiich), cf on xxvii. 1. By the drying up (in part) ofthe formless
deep, the earth emerged ; and this process is here represented as the
cutting and piercing of the dragon Rahab. Allusions to such a confiict
occur in xxvii. 1, Job xxvi. 12, 13, ix. 13, Am. vii. 4, ix. 3, and
perhaps in Ps. Ixxiv. 15, Ixxxix. 10, civ. 7. Instead of cut.,, in pieces
should perhaps be substituted smote (nvnen for naVDsn)^ after the
Vulg. percussit; ci. Job xxvi. 12.
10. that made the depths, etc. The Lord's power to control the
deep, wMch was displayed at the Creation, was manifested again on the
occasion ofthe Exodus, to wMch the vnriter's thoughts are perhaps carried
by the fact that the name Eahah was also an appellation of Egjrpt (see
on xxx. 7).
11. And the ransomed, ete. The v. is all but identical with xxxv.
10, whence it has been probably quoted by a reader, and has intruded
from the margin into the text.
12 — 16. The Lord's expostulation with Israel for its fear of its
oppressors, who are perishable men, and its forgetfulness of the Lord,
the Creator of the universe.
The section seems to be, not an answer to the appeal in vv. 9 — II,
but a continuation of vv. 7, 8.
12. that comforteth you. Better (with the LXX. and Sym.), that
comforteth thee.
who art thou. i.e. art thou so helpless that, etc.

330 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ll 13-16
thou art afraid of man that shall die, and of the son of man
which shall be made as grass; 13 and hast forgotten the Lord
thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the founda
tions of the earth ; and fearest continually all the day because
ofthe fury of the oppressor, ^when he maketh ready to destroy?
and where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 ^The captive exile
shall speedily be loosed ; and he shall not die amd go down into
the pit, neither shall Ms bread fail. 15 For I am the Lord thy
God, which ^stirreth up the sea, that the waves thereof roar:
the Lord of hosts is his name. 16 And I have put my words in
thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand,
that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the
earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
' Or, as though he made ready ' Or, He that is bent down
' Or, stilleth the sea, when the waves thereof roar
made as grass. Literally, given up (to destruction) as grass, ci.
xl. 6, Ps. xxxvii. 2, xc. 5, ciii. 15.
13. hast forgotten the LoBD, etc. It is not the Lord that has for
gotten Israel (as Israel represented, xlix. 14).
that stretched forth, etc. The Lord's power to create the universe
is a warranty for His power to save His people : cf xl. 22, xUi. 5, xlui.
1, xliv. 24, xiv. 12.
maketh ready, i.e. his arrows (Ps. xxi. 12, vii. 12, xi. 2).
and where, eto. The writer projects his thoughte into the future,
when Babylon, the oppressing power (xlvii. 6), is no more. For similar
rhetorical questions cf. xxxiii. 18, Jer. ii. 28, xxxvii. 19.
14. The captive exile. Better, The crouching prisoner, who is in
danger of starvation.
the pit. i.e. Sheol (as in Job xxxiii. 24, Ps. xvi. 10).
15. which stirreth, ete. Cf Jer. xxxi. 35. The Lord's power over
the forces of nature (cf vv. 9, 10, 13) attests His abiUty to conteol
human fortunes.
16. I have put my words, etc. i.e. I have entrusted thee (Israel,
V. 13) with My revelation : cf xiii. 19, and the passages in the "Servant
Songs," xlix. 2, 1. 4, 5.
have covered thee. The Exile veiled for a time from the notice of the
world Israel's favoured position. The passage shews the infiuence of the
second " Servant Song " (xlix. 2).
that I may plant. In no other passage are the heavens regarded
as a tree (as was the case among the Scandinavians), and the verb plant
(^p), rendered in LXX. by loTqcra, though sometimes used in the sense
oifix (e.g. a tent or a nail, see Dan. xi. 45, Eccles. xii. 11), is probably
a scribal error for stretch out (Hiop?) which is read by the Syriac ; cf
xl. 22, xiii. 5. If the infinitives are taken in a final sense, the

LLi7,i8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 331
heavens and the earth must be understood to mean the new heavens
and the new earth contemplated in lxv. 17, lxvi. 22. But the absence
of the qualifying epithet seems fatal to this view ; and probably the
infinitives are gerundial, and the reference is to the original creation.
The passage is best rendered, stretching out the heavens and laying tke
foundations of the earth and saying unto Zion, Thou art my people.
The Lord's creation of the world and His choice of Israel to be His
people are brought together (as in xiii. 5 — 7) in order to produce in
the desponding nation confidence that its redemption, since it is under
taken by the Author of the universe, cannot but be certain. Zion is
used where Israel might be expected.
By Duhm and Chejme vv. 15 and 16 are regarded as interpolations :
part of V. 15 coincides with Jer. xxxi. 35, whilst part of v. 16 seems to
be imitated from xUx. 2, lix. 21, and the real meaning of the latter v. is
extiemely obscure. But possibly the passage (as Whitehouse suggests)
is mutUated.
LL 17— LII. 12.
In this poem the writer's thoughts pass from the exiled people to Jerusalem.
The city, overthrown and prostrated by its conquerors, is likened to a woman
lying in a state of insensibility produced by the Dirine wrath, which is figured
as a potent draught which she has been made to drink. From this condition
she is bidden to arise, and is assured that the draught which she has drained
vrill be given to her enemies ; whilst she is to exchange the tokens of her
degradation for festal attire. The section concludes with a description of
the joy attending the return of the Lord to Jerusalem, and a command to the
exiles to depart from Babylon.
17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk
at the hand of the Lord the cup of Ms fury ; thou hast drunken
the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. 18 There is
17 — 23. An exhortation to down-tiodden Jerusalem to arise, and a
lament over her pitiable state.
17. Awake. Bettev, Arouse thee. Theappealto Jerusalem (Ui. I)
corresponds to the appeal made to the Lord in w. 9 — 11.
which hast drunk, eto. The comparison of human destiny to a
draught from a cup fiUed with wine that either cheers or bevrilders
occurs in xxix. 9, Jer. xiii. 13, xxv. 15, xlix. 12, li. 7, Hab. ii. 16, Ezek.
xxiu. 32—34, Lam. iv. 21, Obad. v. 16, Ps. xi. 6, xvi. 5, Ixxv. 8, etc
Cf also Matt. xx. 22, xxvi. 39, 42, Mk. xiv. 36, Rev. xiv. 10, xvii. 2, 4,
Hom. P. XXIV. 527, Soioi yap T€ iri^oi KaraKeiarai ev Aios ovSei Stapotv
ola SiSojcri KaKiSv, erepos Se edmv.
the howl of the cup of. Probably here and in v. 22 cup should be
omitted (with the Vulg.) as a gloss upon howl (which is a rare word).
The howl of staggering (i.e. a bowl that causes staggering, cf Ps. cxvi.
13) is a figure for the shock of a great catastrophe (Ps. Ix. 3).
18. There is none, etc. This v., in which Jerusalem is referred to
in the 3rd pers., and which suggests that her sons had deserted her

332 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [ll 19-13
none to gmde her among all the sons whom she hath brought
forth ; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of aU
the sons that she hath brought up. 19 These two things are
befaUen thee ; who shaU bemoan thee? desolation and destruc
tion, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort thee?
20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the top of aU the streets,
as an antelope in a net; they are full of the ftiry of the Lord,
the rebuke of thy God. 21 Therefore hear now this, thou
afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: 22 thus saith thy
Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his
people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of
staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my fury ; thou shalt
no more drink it again : 23 and I will put it into the hand of
them that afflict thee ; which have said to thy soul. Bow down,
that we may go over : and thou hast laid thy back as the ground,
and as the street, to them that go over.
(contrast v. 20, where they are represented as suffering, like Jerusalem
herself, from the Lord's fury), is rejected by Duhm and other critics.
19. These two things. Strictly, two pairs of tMngs, (1) the desola
tion of the land and destruction of the city; (2) the starvation and
the slaughter of the population.
how shall I comfort thee ? Better (with the LXX., Vulg. , and Syriac),
who will comfort thee? Both this and the preceding question imply that
Jerusalem has none to condole with, or pity, her. _
20. have fainted. Literally, are covered, their senses being (as it
were) muffled and stupefied (Am. viii. 13, Jonah iv. 8).
as an antehpe in a net. i.e. helpless and incapable of movement.
The animal supposed to be meant by antelope is oryx heatrix.
21. Therefore, The inferential particle introduces a contrast, as in
xxx. 18 (but see note).
but not with wine. A qualification, to safeguard the metaphor from
being misunderstood ; cf xxix. 9, xlvii. 14, xlviii. 10, ^sch. Eum. 860,
aoivois e/A/xavcts dvpiiip.aa'i.
22. thy Lord the LoBD. Better, thy Lord Jehovah (cf xlix. 14).
23. and I will put it, etc. The respective fortunes of Israel and
its oppressors are to be reversed; cf xlix. 26. To the words of them
that afflict thee the LXX. supplies a paraUel clause, amd of them that
oppress thee.
which have said to thy soul. Equivalent to which have said to thee
(see xliii. 4, Ps. iii. 2, xi. I). For similar humiliations inflicted upon
vanquished enemies see Josh. x. 24, Ps. ex. 1, cxxix. 3. Qi. also AureUus
Victorinus, Epit. Hist. Eom. c. 32, Quamdiu vixit Eex (SapoTces) dus
provindae (i.e. Parthia), incurvato eo (i.e. the captive Emperor Valerian),
pedem cervicibus eius imponens, equum conscendere solitus est.

LIL I-s] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 333
LII. 1 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, 0 Zion ; put on
thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city : for hence
forth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and
the unclean. 2 Shake thyself from the dust ; arise, sit thee
down, O Jerusalem : ^ loose thyself from the bands of thy neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye were sold for nought ; and ye
1 Another reading is, the bands of thy neck are loosed.
LII. 1 — 2. A direction to Zion to exchange her degraded con
dition (see li. 17 f) for the position and apparel appropriate to her
rightful dignity.
The summons to Zion to rise from her humiliation and resume her
splendid attire is in pointed antithesis to the command to Babylon
(c. xlvii.) to lay aside the state of a queen and assume that of a slave.
1. Awake. Better, Arise (another form of the verb used in li. 17).
put on, etc. The imperatives bidding the city be strong and free
are equivalent to declarations (cf xlvii. 1) that she will shortly become
such through the help of the Lord and His agent Cyrus. For the
metephor see on li. 9.
thy beautiful garments. Ordinary ceremonial sanctification involved
the wearing of fresMy-washed garments (Ex. xix. 14), the Hebrew
priests were attired in a special dress " for glory and for beauty "
(Ex. xxviii. 40), and special vestments were worn by the worshippers
of Baal (2 Kgs. x. 22). Similarly Zion, when purified from the
presence of the unclean, must wear appropriate robes.
the uncircumcised, etc. i.e. the Babylonians. Circumcision was a
religious obligation for the Jews ; and the presence in Jerusalem (the
holy city, ci. xlviii. 2) of uncircumcised conquerors was a desecration
(cf Ezek. xliv. 9, Ps. Ixxix. 1, Lam. i. 10). The passage has influenced
Rev. xxi. 2, 10.
2. sit thee down. i.e. on the throne she formerly occupied as a
lady. This command and the next stand in an unnatural order :
hence many critics would substitute (arise) 0 captive Jerusalem
(<^t-^P for '??^), which corresponds better to the parallel clause.
loose thyself. This is the reading of the Heb. mg. (supported by
the LXX., Aq., Sym., Th., Vulg.) : the Heb. text has (the bands of thy
neck) are hosed (or have hosed themselves).
3 — 6. When Israel was sold to its enemies, the Lord received no
equivalent, and so there was notMng to prevent Him from reclaiming
His people.
These vv. are regarded by Cheyne and others as a late insertion.
They lack the poetic rhythm ofthe preceding and following paragraphs;
they are not (like vv. 1, 2, 7—9) an address to Zion but a soUloquy
respecting the past fortunes of Israel ; and the representation that
Israel's captivity was gratuitous (v. 5) conflicts with the statements

334 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LIL4-6
shaU be redeemed without money. 4 For thus saith the Lord
God, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn
there : and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 Now
therefore, what do I here, saith the Lord, seeing that my people
is taken away for nought ? they that rule over them do howl,
saith the Lord, and my name continually aU the day is blas
phemed. 6 Therefore my people shaU know my name : therefore
they shaU Mow in that day that I am he that doth speak;
behold, ^it is I. ' Or, here I am
(xUi. 24, xUii. 27, 28, 1. 1) that it was caused by its sins. StiU, see
notes on ¦««. 3 — 5.
3. sold for nought. The Lord had surrendered Israel to Babylon
for chastisement under no compulsion ; and therefore could at His
discretion resume possession of it (cf 1. 1).
4. My peoph went down, etc. The relation of Israel to Babylon is
illustrated by parallels in the past. Egypt had obtained its mastery
over the Israelites by taking advantage of their having settled within
its borders, and had no right to enslave them.
the Assyrian. Assyria, though the Lord's agent for the chastise
ment of His people (x. 5, 6), had itself no claims entitling it to oppress
them. Hence the Lord had been free to effect their deUverance when
they had been sufficiently corrected. Instead of without cause the
LXX. has with viohnce (D!?n? for DS^?j.
5. Now. The word contrasts with the previous instence a situa
tion really worse.
what do I here. i.e. what am I about (Cheyne, what have_ I
recdved) here in Babylon, aUowing Israel to be detained in captivity
by a people that have no rights over it?
do howl. The expression describes the vrild shouts of exultation
with wMch the Babylonian rulers of Israel praise their gods for their
seeming triumph over the Lord. Some critics have proposed the
emendation do boast (•vfnili* for ¦'i?''?*n'.) ; but cf Lucan, Phars. vi. 261,
Icetis ululare triumphis.
my name, etc. Israel's captive condition was explained by its
conquerors as due to the powerlessness of its god Jehovah, whose
character was thus brought into contempt amongst the heathen, and
even liable to be misjudged by Israel : cf. xxxvi. 7, xxxvii. 4, 10,
xlviu. 11, Ezek. xxxvi. 20, Ps. Lxxiv. 10, 18. The LXX. has For your
sakes my name is continually blasphemed among the Gentiles ; and in
this form the passage is referred to by St Paul (Rom. ii. 24).
6. my people shall know, etc. Better (omitting with the LXX. and
Vulg. the second t?<). Therefore my peoph shall know my name in that
day that I am he that doth speak ; behold, it is I. In the decisive day
of the Lord's judgment upon Babylon, the coincidence of the event

LIL7-I0] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 335
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth
good tidings of good, that pubUsheth salvation ; that saith unto
Zion, Thy God reigneth ! 8 The voice of thy watchmen ! they
Uft up the voice, together do they sing ; for they shall see, eye
to eye, ^when the Lord returneth to Zion. 9 Break forth into
joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem : for the Lord
hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the
nations ; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of
1 Or, how
with His prediction of it would convince Israel of His true nature and
that He was the Author of their rescue.
7 — 12. Reflections on the glad tidings, soon to reach Zion, of the
Lord's retum to her at the head of His redeemed people. These w.,
in wMch rhythm is again resumed, are probably a continuation of
vv. 1, 2.
7. How beautiful... the feet, ete. i.e. how welcome is the ap
proach, ete. The prophet, transported in thought to Jerusalem, sees,
on the hiUs E. of the city (cf xl. 9), the messenger who is hasting
to convey to Ms countrymen tidings of the nearness of the returning
train. The opening words of the v. recur in Nah. i. 15, and are
quoted in Rom. x. 15.
peace,., salvation, i.e. prosperity (xxxu. 17, xlviii. 18, 22, lxvi. 12)
and deliverance (Ux. 11, Ixii. 1).
Thy God reigneth. i.e. He visibly asserts His sovereign power ;
cf xl. 10, xxiv. 23, Ps. xlvii. 8, xciii. 1, xcvii. 1.
8. The voice, etc. Better, Hark ! thy watchmen. But the
emendation All thy watchmen lift up the voice ("-'I for ?ip) is plausible.
These, posted on the waUs of Jerusalem, and prepared by the messenger
for the approach of the exiles, acclaim them as soon as they are
descried. they shall see, eye to eye, etc. i.e. they shall see the Lord, when He
returns to Zion, face to face. The expression is a vivid anthropo
morphism (cf Num. xiv. 14, xii. 8, Ex. xxxiii. II, Jer. xxxii. 4,
xxxiv. 3), the Lord's return to close intimacy with His people
denoting the renewal of His favour (cf Ixiii. 17, Ps. Ixxx. 14, Jer.
xii. 15, Zech. i. 3).
10. hath made bare, etc. The Lord is anthropomorphically con
ceived as throwing back from His shoulder His mantle and exposing
His arm (xl. 10, li. 9, ete.) for action, after the manner of warriors
(cf Statius, Theb. I. 413, erectus uterque exsertare humeros, nudamque
lacessere pugnam, Arrian, Alex. v. 18, Se^toi/ S>pi.ov yvpi.vov €)(<ov iv rrj p-dxy).
The Lord's arm is holy as He Himself is the Holy One.
all the ends, etc The rescue of Israel wiU manifest before mankind

336 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lil n, i^
our God. 11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence,,
touch no unclean thing ; go ye out of the midst of her ; be ye
clean, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For ye shaU
not go out in haste, neither shaU ye go by flight : for the
Lord will go before you ; and the God of Israel will be your
rearward. at large the Lord's power to deliver ; cf xviii. 3, Ezek. xxxix. 21,
Ps. xcviii. 3.
11. Depart, ete. The address to the exiles in Babylon comes
from Jerusalem (where the prophet in thought is, v. 7) : hence the
use oi from thence, ci. xlviu. 20. The passage is imiteted in Rev.
xviii. 2, 4, 2 Cor. vi. 17 (in connection with the Apostle's counsel
not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers).
touch no unclean, etc. All ceremonial impurity must be avoided
since the exiles are going up to the Holy City.
be ye clean. Better, purify yourselves, since the Lord Himself is to
be present on the march.
the vessels ofthe Lobd. i.e. the vessels of the Temple, wMch had
been carried away by Nebuchadrezzar (2 Kgs. xxiv. 13, xxv. 14,
Dan. V. 2), and which would again be needed when the Temple was
rebuilt; cf the prediction in Jer. xxvii. 21, 22 and see Ezra i. 7. By
some the pMase is translated the armour of the LoBD, in keeping with
the conception of the Lord as a Warrior (v. 10) ; but though warriors
had to be ceremoniaUy holy (1 Sam. xxi. 5), the rendering is here less
appropriate than that of the text.
12. not... in haste. Contrast the conditions of the flight from
Egypt (Ex. xii. 39, Deut. xvi. 3). The Lord, as their vanguard and
rearguard (Ivui. 8), will ensure their security.

LII. 13— LIIL 12.
This section forms the last of the four "Servant Songs," and was probably,
like the others, written in quatrains, apparently fifteen in number, though two
of them seem mutilated (see on Iii. 14, Iiii. 11). It exhibits in effective
contrast the past and future of Israel, the Lord's Servant, describmg its
afflictions and their purpose, and predicting its final exaltation. The Song
reproduces and develops some ideas respecting the Servant that occur in the
prerious Songs ; but it contains certain others that are peculiar to itself. In
the preceding poems Israel has been depicted as intended by God to be a
source of spiritual illumination to the Gentiles (xhi. 1—6, xlix. 6, 8), as haring
undergone in the past great maltreatment (L 6), and as haring nevertheless
retained a confident faith in the Lord as its eventual Vindicator (xUx. 4,
1. 7—9). But here two new features are introduced : (1) Israel's sufferings
(represented as caused not only by its foes (as in 1. 6) but also by the risitation
of God) are described as haring culminated in its extinction, from which state
it is declared that it will be revived by the Lord, and raised to extraordinary

LIL 13-15] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 337
honour; (2) its exaltation is represented as conrincing the heathen that its
sufferings were undeserved and ricarious, and designed to atone for their own
offences. 13 Behold, my servant shall ^deal wisely, he shall be exalted
and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Like as many were
astonied at thee, (his visage was so marred ^more than any man,
and Ms form more than the sons of men,) 15 so shaU he ^sprinkle
^ Or, prosper * Or, from that of man, and his form from that of the sons of m,en
' Or, startle
13 — 15. An announcement, by the Lord, of Israel's approaching
exaltation, wMch, by contrast with its previous degradation, will excite
the greater astonishment.
13. Behold, ete. The Lord caUs the attention of the world to
Israel's destiny.
shall deal wisely. If tMs rendering is correct (LXX. o-uriyo-tj,
Vulg. intelliget, ci. Ps. ii. 10, xiv. 2, xciv. 8), it must refer to the
Servant's comprehension of, and submission to, the Lord's wiU (cf
Uii. 11). But a better paraUel to the verbs in the next clause is
afforded by the mg. shall prosper (cf Josh. i. 7, 1 Sam. xviii. 5,
Jer. X. 21)^
14. many. The reference is to the heathen peoples, as the
paraUeUsm in v. 15 shews; cf also xlix. 7 (note).
astonied at thee. Better (with the Syr.), astonied (or appalled) at
him, i.e. at his exceptional disfigurement. The same expression is
used in Lev. xxvi. 32, Jer. xviii. 16, xix. 8, Ezek. xxvi. 16, 1 Kgs. ix. 8
of the surprise occasioned by the desolation and degradation of Israel,
of wMch the Servant's condition here described is a symbol.
his visage was so, ete. Better, for (reading '? for 15) marred was
his aspect from a man's and his form from that of the sons of men
(ci. mg.). But since the words in the parenthesis spoU the corre
spondence between like as and so in vv. 14 and 15, they are possibly
misplaced and should be transferred (as suggested by Marti) to the
end of Uii. 2, though this removal leaves the quatrain short by a single
Une. Marti fiUs the gap with and princes shuddered at him (ci.
Ezek. xxxu. 10).
15. shall he sprinkh. This rendering (which is supported by the
Vulg. asperget, as weU as by Th. and Aq. pavTia-ti) must, if reteined, be
understood figuratively in the sense shall purify, viz. by his life-blood
(cf the usage in Lev. xiv. 6, 7). But the construction here is not that
ordinarily employed with the verb sprinkh (see Ixiii. 3 and Lev. xvi. 19,
Num. xix. 18 where the literal translation is sprinkle (or spirt) liquid
upon an object, not besprinkh an object with liquid), and the rendering
is against the parallelism. Hence (if the text is sound) the best trans
lation is that of the mg. so shall he startle (i.e. surprise) many nations.
1 Budde emends the passage to, Behold my servant Israel (?N1B'^ for 7*3!5'')
shall be exalted, etc.
w. I. 22

338 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LnLi,*
many nations ; kings shall shut their mouths ^at him : for
that which had not been told them shall they see ; and that
which they had not heard shall they ^understand.
LIII. 1 Who hath believed *our report? and to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed ? 2 For he grew up before
^ Or, because of ^ Or, consider ' Or, that which we have heard
But the LXX. has Oavpida-ovTai eOvr) iroXka irr aura), whence MoOre
would substitute many nations shall tremhh (•1'^- for ^IX, cf xiv. 9,
Jer. xxxiii. 9), and Cheyne, shall make obeisance (¦lini!'^.'') '.
shall shut their mouths at him. Better, shall shut thdr mouths
because of him, i.e. shall be awed into silence at the wonderful change
in his condition (cf Job xxix. 9, xl. 4, Mic. Arii. 16).
for that which had not, etc. In the marveUous restoration of the
despised and stricken Israel they will vritness something unprecedented
in previous history.
understand. Better (as in the mg.), consider or observe (as in
xliii. 18, Job xxxvii. 14). The second half of the v. is quoted by
St Paul (Rom. xv. 21) of the diffusion of a knowledge of Christ among
the heathen.
LIII. 1 — 3. The heathen's surprise at the unprecedented glory
of a people whose condition had previously been so repulsive.
1. Who hath believed, etc Better, Who could have (Gen. xxi. 7)
believed that which we have heard, cmd to whom could the arm of ihe
Lord have been reveahd? The speech in vv. 1 — 6 is uttered by the
Gentile peoples musing upon the transformation assumed to have
occurred in the Servant's fortunes, for (a) Gentile kings and nations
are the subjects of the preceding sentence (Ui. IS*"), (6) the v. is an
expression of just such astonishment as Ui. 15 asserts that the heathen
will experience. The questions are rhetorical, expecting a negative
answer (cf xl. 13), and imply the incredible character of the event
they have witnessed.
our report, i.e. that which has been reported to us (cf mg.), not,
that which we have reported to others. The inconsistency with the
concluding words of Ui. 15 is only superficial : what has recently come
to the knowledge of the Gentiles (viz. the exaltation of the Servant
(Israel)) is something with which previously they had had no ac
quaintance. to whom hath the arm, etc. i.e. who could have divined such a
signal manifestation of the Lord's power (Ps. Ixxi. 18 mg.) as that
which has been witnessed in the release and restoration of Israel?
Verse 1 is quoted by St John and St Paul in connection with the
Jews' disbeUef in our Lord (Joh. xii. 38, Rom. x. 16, where our report
is taken in the sense of "that which we have reported").
2. For he grew up. Literally, And ke (i.e. the Servant) grew up.
1 The parallel clause is in favour of making many nations the subject of the
verb.

LIIL 3, 4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 339
him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : he
hath no form nor comeliness ; ^and when we see him, there is
no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and
^rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
*grief : and *as one from whom men hide their face he was
despised, and we esteemed Mm not.
4 Surely he hath borne our ^griefe, and carried our sorrows :
' Or, that we should look upon him ; nor beauty t&c, ^ Or, forsaken
* Heb. sickness. * Or, he hid as it were hia face from us ^ Heb. sicknesses.
The stetement is reaUy explanatory of the heathen's misapprehension
about the Servant, but it is couched in the form of a narrative.
before him. i.e. before the Lord (cf Gen. xvii. 18, Hos. vi. 2), the
expression emphasizing the fact that what befell the Servant was with
the cognizance and by the wiU of the Lord. But many critics emend
to before us (i.e. the Servant's contemporaries, who were thus eye-
vritnesses of Ms contemptible stete), reading -l^'JEi? for I'J??.
as a tender plant. Literally, as a sucker, springing from the stock
of a tree (Job xiv. 7).
a root. i.e. a sprout from a root (cf xi. 10). The comparison of
Israel to a plant occurs in xxvii. 6, Ps. Ixxx. 8 f ; and the description
of it as growing in unfavourable ground has in view its troubled
existence before and during the Exile.
he hath no, ete. So the Vulg., but better (with Sym.), he hath no
form nor comeliness that we should hok upon him (with satisfaction) and
no (pleasing) aspect that we should desire him : cf Ui. 14. Possibly the
words within the parenthesis in Ui. 14, where they are redundant,
should be transferred here, where a couplet is needed to complete the
fourth quatrain.
3. rejected of men. Better, forsaken hy men, but more literaUy,
ceasing from men, i.e. shunned by, and shunning, human society :
cf xlix. 7. Israel, in its forlorn condition, was an object of contempt
to foreign peoples.
a man of sorrows, ete. Better, a man of pains and familiar with

as one from whom men hide their face. i.e. either because Ms
condition made Mm a repulsive and painful spectecle, or for fear lest
his gaze, if met, would conteminate (cf Job xix. 13 — 19, xxx. 10,
Ps. xxxi. 11, a fear to mine acquaintance, and Cic. pro Clu, § 193, nemo
inventus est qui non contagionem aspectus fugeret),
we esteemed him not. Better, we held him of no account, treated
him as on the verge of extinction and altogether negligible (cf xxxiii. 8).
4 — 6. Israel's sufferings, in the light of its subsequent exaltation,
are seen to have been occasioned not by offences of its own but by
those of others, and to have served for the expiation of the latter.
4. Surely.,, sorrows. Better, Surely,,, our sicknesses,., our pains.
The first thought of those who witnessed Israel's calamities was that
22—2

340 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [Lin.5,6
yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon Mm ;
and with his stripes we are healed. 6 AJl we Uke sheep have
gone astray; we have tumed every one to Ms own way; and
the Lord hath ^laid on him the iniquity of us aU.
' Heb. made to light.
they were the penalty of its sins (see Jer. 1. 7, and cf Job xi. 6) ; but
the marks of unexampled favour which it received subsequently from
God rendered this conclusion impossible, and constrained them to
recogmze that what Israel had suffered was the retribution wMch was
due for their own sins, and which it had endured in their stead
(see on v. 6).
borne, i.e. experienced or undergone (as in Lam. v. 7). The v. is
cited in Matt. viii. 17, where borne is interpreted to mean "taken
away\" stricken. The term, though denoting chastisement in general
(Ps. Ixxiii. 5), is speciaUy suggestive of a person suffering from leprosy
(wMch was termed a stroke or plague. Lev. xiii. 3, cf 2 Kgs. xv. 5),
and the Vulg. renders it by leprosum. Leprosy is represented more
than once in the O.T. as a penalty for grievous sin. Num. xii. 10,
2 Kgs. V. 27.
smitten of God. i.e. On account of his supposed wickedness ; cf
1 Kgs. xiv. 15, 1 Ch. xxi. 7.
5. wounded for, ete. Better, pierced because of .,, crushed because
of, ete. There is a transition from the figure of a sick or leprous man
to that of one who is severely hurt. But Aq. has /SejST/Xm/ieVos,
dishonoured (reading -vrn? for ??np).
the chastisement of our peace, i.e. the chastisement which procured
our welfare (cf Prov. xv. 33, instruction of wisdom).
stripes. Better, bruises (as in i. 6).
6. gone astray, i.e. from the Lord's ways (Ixiii. 17, xhi. 24,
Ivi. II). For the figure of straying sheep cf Ps. cxix. 176, Matt.
ix. 36, X. 6, Luke xv. 4.
the iniquity. Better, the penalty (ci. v. 18, xl. 2). The heathen's
reflection that Israel's sufferings were not the penalty for its own sins,
but theirs, was an inference from the change in its fortunes, which
shewed that it must be a worshipper of the true God, and that they
were votaries of false gods. The fact that, in spite of this, Israel had
been so sorely afflicted required an explanation, and obteined one in
the thought that Israel's punishment was vicarious, and atoned for
their own offences.

' The Evangelist quotes the v. in connection with our Lord's works of healing.

LIIL 7, 8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 341
7 He was oppressed, yet he humbled Mmself and opened not
his mouth ; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep
that before her shearers is dumb ; yea, he opened not his mouth.
8 ^By oppression and judgement he was taken away ; ^and as
for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut
' Or, From " Or, and his life who shall recount ? for he was cut off d:e.
7 — 9. A recital of Israel's patience under iU-usage, Ms violent
end, and his ignominious burial.
From V. 7 to v. 12 the speaker is the Lord, as in Ui. 13 — 15
(see on v. 8).
7. He was oppressed. Better, He was treated harshly (cf Ex. iii. 7,
Job iii. 18). The figure under which Israel's affliction is represented
again changes, and Israel is now depicted as a man who is iU-used by
his feUow-men.
yet he humbled himself. Better, yet he submitted himself, aUowed
Mmself to be maltreated without resistence.
opened not his mouth, i.e. in protest or complaint, cf Ps. xxxviii. 14,
xxxix. 9.
as a lamb. The comparison is the original of the figure of the
Lamb of God in the N.T. (Joh. i. 29, 36, Rev. v. 6, xiii. 8).
yea, he opened, etc. Probably an accidental repetition of the same
words in the earUer part of the verse.
The language is rhetorical and not meant to be understood literally
any more than Jeremiah's in Jer. xi. 19 (when compared with xi. 20 f ).
8. By oppression, etc. The original is ambiguous and admits of
more than one construction and translation : — (1) In consequence of
oppression and judgment (i.e. an oppressive judgment) he was taken
away (from life, or to execution, Prov. xxiv. 11) ; (2) Without hindrance
and without judgment he was taken away (i.e. he was put to death
vrithout any interfering to secure Mm a fair trial) ; (3) as in the mg..
From oppression and judgment he was taken away (i.e. to God, when
death released him), but this does not harmonize well with the spirit
of the rest of the v. (see clause "). The LXX. has. In his humiliation
( = by oppression) his judgment (or right) was taken away.
as for his generation. The meaning and construction of the word
is doubtful, and the passage has been variously rendered : — (1) as for
(or among') his contemporaries, who reflected that he was, etc. (for the
sense of li"' cf Jer. ii. 31) ; (2) on his (innocent) life who reflated? for
he was, ete. (but this sense of li'' is very questionable); (3) on his
dwelling-place (either his home, vacant by death, or his grave) wAo
reflected? for he was, etc. (for this translation of li'' cf xxxviii. 12
and the cognate verb in Ps. Ixxxiv. 10). Cheyne would substitute
on his fate who reflected ? (reading isi'' for iiii). The question implies
that no one concerned himself about Ms undeserved death.
Verses 7, 8 formed the passage which the eunuch of queen Candace
was reading when he encountered Philip the Deacon (Acts viii. 32, 33).

342 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LIIL9
off out of the land of the living ? for the transgression of my ^
people ^was he stricken. 9 And they made his grave with the'
wicked, and with the rich in his ^death ; ^although he had done!
no violence, neither was any deceit in Ms mouth.
' Or, to whom the stroke was due
^ Heb. deaths. See Ezek. xxviii. 8, 10. ^ Or, because
my peoph. It has been supposed by some that the Gentile speakers
use the expression each of his own countrymen ; but since elsewhere in
this c they use the 1st plur. (we, us, our) the sing, my, here and in
*). II and Ui. 13, probably marks the Lord as the speaker (in spite of
the reference to Him in v. 10). Though the phrase my people is
nowhere else in the O.T. applied by the Lord to the Gentiles as a
whole, it is applied by Him to Egypt in xix. 25 ; and in a writer like
the author of the Songs, who gives such prominence to the fact that
the Lord sought the conversion of the Gentiles, it cannot be deemed
unnatural. Many critics, however, would emend it, and among
suggested corrections are peophs (D'SJ? for 'I'I?) and for our transgres
sions (-IJW^P for ¦''31? l'?'|P), the latter assuming that the heathen are
the speakers ; but for the best (if any is wanted) see next note.
was he stricken. The text, if correct, is preferably rendered as in
the mg. (of my people) to whom the stroke was due. But the LXX. has
rix^'n "s Bdvarov, and Giesebrecht emends the last clause of v. 8 to for
their transgression was he stricken to death (reading n.)K)? yilT, Qi'^'Sp
for io^ ^l\ ^m WW).
The passage was probably in the mind of St Paul when he wrote
1 Cor. XV. 3 (Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures).
9. And they made, etc. It was inferred from his afflictions that he
was a great sinner (cf Luke xiii. 2, 4, Joh. ix. 2), and he was conse
quently buried amongst criminals.
the wicked... tke rich. If the text is sound, the two epithets must
be regarded as a hendiadys for the wicked rich, the possession of
great wealth being popularly associated with dishonest practices (cf
the parallelism of the prince and the wicked in Job xxi. 28). But the
use of the sing, by the side of the plur. raises suspicion (though see
X. 4, Ivii. 1) ; and a plausible emendation is Cheyne's the edl doers
(yy ^B*'? for T'E'l?). The current association of this passage with the
burial of our Lord in the tomb of Joseph, the rich man of Arimathaea,
who was a good man and a righteous (Luke xxiii. 50) seems un
justifiable. in his death. The Heb. is literally in his deaths (cf Ezek.
xxviii. 8, 10), and is irregular in form. The LXX. seems to have
had in his death ; but the parallelism favours the emendation his
burial mound (inoa, cf Ezek. xliii. 7 Heb.) or, his house of death
(inita n''3).
The death and burial of the Servant represents the extinction of
Israel's independence : cf Ezek. xxxvii. 12.

LiiLio] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 343
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Mm; he hath ^put him
to grief: ^when thou shalt make his soul ^an offering for sin,
1 Heb. made him sick. ^ Or, when his soul shall make an offering
s Heb. a guilt offering.
although he had done, etc. In point of reUgion and morality Israel,
notwithstanding its shorteomings, was superior to contemporary peoples,
and could be plausibly described (at least by another writer than
Deutero-Isaiah) as being, in comparison with the heathen powers
that crushed it, a righteous nation. A similar judgment is expressed
in xxvi. 2, Num. xxiii. 21, Hab. i. 13, Ps. xliv. 17, 18. The descrip
tion is appUed to our Lord in 1 Pet. ii. 22 — 24.
10 — 12. The effect and recompense of Israel's sufferings.
In these tMee vv. the metiical structure is not so easily traced
as in the earlier part of the poem, and the text seems more than
ordinarily uncertain.
10. Yet it pleased, etc. The writer returns to the figure of a man
stricken by a painful malady (vv. 4, 5). The Lord's sacrifice of Israel
for the sake of the heathen, as here represented, contrasts with
Deutero-lsaiah's description of the Lord's sacrifice of heathen nations
in the interest of Israel (xliii. 3, 4).
to bruise... grief. Better, to crush him; he hath subjected him to
dckness. But the two clauses should probably be combined and the
second emended after the Vulg., yielding the rendering, to crush him
with dckness (vH? for V.O!]!). Chejme proposes to crush and to dis
honour him (reading '^f^). But the LXX. has to cleanse him from
sickness (reading, vHP and regarding i**?"^ as the Aramaic equivalent
of the Hebrew inisj)'. This makes the account of the Servant's change
of fortune begin at the beginning of the new stanza (the twelfth).
when thou shalt make, ete. If the text is correct, the passage is
best rendered when Ms soul (i.e. his life) makes (or shall make) a
guilt offering. But the Heb. should probably be emended (after the
Vulg.) to when he makes (or shall make) his soul a guilt offering
(reading DTJ for C^J?"). In view of Israel's extinction already
accompUshed, the hypothetical form of the statement here is strange.
The idea behind the guilt offering was that of satisfaction for the
infiingement of the rights of another (as illustrated by the Philistines'
offering of certain gold objects to the Lord for the detention of the
Ark (1 Sam. vi.), and by the material compensation which was pre
scribed by the Levitical law in cases of unwitting trespass, when
material loss had been caused (see Lev. v. 14 f , vi. 1 f , vii. 7,
xix. 20—22, Num. v. 5—8, cf. also 2 Kgs. xii. 16)). But whilst
satisfaction for comparatively light offences against the Lord might
be rendered by material offerings or the sacrifice of animal victims,
^ Duhm proposes -inSt: for the conatruotion ef. xiii. 21.
' A similar emendation is necessary in Ps. xlix. 19.

344 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [liilh
he shall see his seed, he shaU prolong his days, and the pleasure
of the Lord shaU prosper in Ms hand. 11 ^He shaU see of the
travail of Ms soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shaU
my righteous servant ^justify many: and he shaU bear their
1 Or, He shall see and be satisfied with the travail die. " Or, make many righteous
amends for the more grievous sins could only be made by the sacrifice
of a human life, though not necessarily that of the actual offender
(see 2 Sam. xxi. 1 — 14^). It is in accord with tMs principle that the
infringement of the Divine laws by the heathen world is here regarded
as compensated for by the sacrifice of Israel's national existence. But
Israel's death is not merely the substitution of one life for another :
the innocence and submissiveness of the sufferer exert a moral
influence upon those for whom he suffers, moving them to repentence
and confession of their offences.
he shall see, etc. The Servant, after acMeving the purpose to wMch
his sufferings and death are directed, is to be restored to Ufe and
recompensed with a numerous progeny. The renewal of Ms life
describes the revival, after the ExUe, of Israel's national existence
grhich is similarly represented as restoration to life from the dead in
OS. vi. 1, 2, xiii. 14, Ezek. xxxvii., see also pp. 170, 171). The promise
of seed (commonly regarded as the reward of piety, Deut. vi. 3, Job
xiii. 12, 13) accords vrith the prediction of Israel's future increase in
xlix. 18, xliv. 3 — 5, etc.
the pleasure of the Lobd. i.e. the duty (interrupted by Ms death
and resumed after his revival) of instructing the Gentiles (xUi. 1 — 4,
xUx. 6).
11. He shall see, etc The Heb. text seems defective and a
correction suggested by the LXX. yields the rendering Because of
the travail of his soul ke shall see light (i.e. prosperity, Ps. cxii. 4,
xcvii. II) and he satisfied, A more extensive reconstruction, supported
by the LXX., is He (the Lord) unll deliver from travail his soul, and
will make him see light and satisfy him (reading liX -in??"!! i^^'BJ 'PV?? '''^-
ya'B'ii). The first half of this v. seems to be aU that remains of the
thirteenth quatrain : the second half belongs to the fourteenth.
Ms knowledge, i.e. of the Lord and His requiremente (cf ii. 3).
Israel's religious worship was inteUigent', whereas the heathen, at best,
worshipped in ignorance (cf Acte xvii. 23).
shall my righteous, etc. Better, shall my servant (omitting righteous,
which is irregular in grammar, as a dittograph) make many righteous
(ci. Dan. xii. 3) by becoming their instructor in the Divine ordinances
(see xiii. 1—4, xlix. 6)'.
' Cf. Mic. vi. 7, 2 Maco. vii. 38, Mk. x. 45. 2 Cf. Joh. iv. 22.
' The title the Righteous one, as applied to the Messiah (Enoch xxxviii. 2, iiii. 6),
waa perhapa derived from this v.: cf. the expressions used of our Lord in Aots iii. 14,
vii. 62, xxii. 14.

LIIL 12] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 345
iniquities. 12 Therefore wiU I divide him a portion with the
great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong ; because he
poured out Ms soul unto death, and was numbered with the
transgressors : yet he bare the sin of many, and ^made inter
cession for the transgressors. ' Or, maketh
shall hear thdr iniquities. Better, shall hear (or bears) their
penalty (v. 6). The clause re-asserts the vicarious character of the
Servant's previous sufferings.
12. will I divide, etc. The LXX. has he shall recdve a portion.
Although Israel had perished as a nation, its individual members still
Uved, and so could receive the recompense which the Lord had in
reserve for it. The language here used is figurative and perhaps
proverbial (cf Prov. xvi. 19), and is borrowed from the practice of
a victorious king who distributes among his deserving warriors a share
of the spoUs of tbe campaign. The Servant who was once counted
among malefactors is to be placed on a level with conquerors (cf Ui. 15).
he poured out his soul. i.e. his life-blood (Gen. ix. 4, Lev. xvii. 11).
and was numbered. Better, and ht himself he numbered. The
words were appUed by our Lord to Himself when predicting His arrest
(Luke xxii. 37, cf xxiii. 33).
tke dn. Better, the puniskment (see on v. 18). Cf Heb. ix. 28.
made intercesdon. Better, interposed (lix. 16) by becoming a
substitute for the sinful nations in the expiation of their sins.
Additional Note on The Servant op the Lord.
If the four "Servant Songs" were, beyond any reasonable doubt, an organic
part of the prophecy contained in cc. xl — Iv., there would be the strongest
presumption that in them the Servant has the same denotation as in the rest
of these cc, and designates the historic Israel. A change of meaning, without
any overt indication of such being intended, would be almost incredible if all
portions of the prophecy proceeded from a single author. But as there is
ground for thinking that the Songs are of independent origin and have been
incorporated in it by Deutero-Isaiah from another source, room is left for the
possibihty that the Servant in them has a different denotation from that which
it has in the remainder of cc. xl — Iv. A number of reasons, however, combine
in favour of the conclusion that the Servant in the Songs, as elsewhere in the
prophecy, really designates the collective people of Israel, whose destiny as the
religious teacher of mankind, whose past humiliation and national extinction by
the Exile, and whose approaching restoration to national life and influence
by the redemption from Babylon are in them allegorically described^ Ac
cording to this riew (which involves a departure from the ordinary rendering
' Thia was the judgment of Eabbi Joaeph Qara, of Eabbi Abraham ibn Ezra,
and of David Kimhi (see Driver and Neubauer, The Jewish Interpreters on Isaiah Uii.,
Tranalations, pp. 41, 44, 49).

346 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
of xlix. 5, 6, where in the KV. a distinction is drawn between the Servant and
Israel) those by whom the Servant is maltreated and misjudged (xlix. 6,
Iiii. 2, 3), for whose sins he, by his undeserved death, makes atonement
(Iiii. 4 — 9), and whom the Lord describes as His people (Iiii. 8), are the
heathen. The chief reasons for such a view are the facts (a) that the Servant
is expressly identifled with Israel in xlix. 3, (h) that in the flrst Song (xUL 1 — 4)
the heathen and no others are represented as the sphere of his actirity, and
that in the second Song (xlix. 1 f ) he addresses the heathen alone, (c) that the
description, in the fourth Song, of the Servant's afflictions is too fluctuating to
be understood literally of the experience of an indiridual sufferer, and that the
account of his return to life, after being put to death, is too obscure to be
interpreted of a literal resurrection, (d) that the impression produced upon
kings and peoples by his exaltation (Iii. 15), if interpreted otherwise than of a
literal resurrection, is an effect too great to be caused by a rerival, in a
figurative sense, of any collective body except the whole nation. Many
scholars, however, have found it so difllcult to believe that the obedient,
patient, and innocent Servant, as described in L 5, 6, Uii. 7, 9, can be the
collective nation, or that those for whose sins he suffers can be the heathen,
that recourse has been had to various altemative riews, which agree in
discriminating between Israel and the Servant, and in representing the
Servant as mediating by his death for Israel in the mass, and as being the
agent of Israel's restoration (xlix. 6, 8 R.V., cf. xiii. 7) as well as of the
enlightenment of the Gentiles, but which differ as to the person or class of
persons designated by the Servant. The latter has been considered to denote
(i) the ideal Israel, (ii) some group of persons within Israel, (iii) an indiridual
Israelite ; but each of these identifications is open to serious objection.
(i) The view that the Servant is a personification of the ideal Israel (or the
Genius of Israel^ i.e. what the nation, in the counsels of God, was intended to
be) can account for the application to him of the name Israel (xlix. 3) and for
the ascription to him of very different qualities from those marking the actual
nation ; but it is confronted with the difficulty that such an abstract ideal cannot
be inteUigibly regarded as (a) undergoing the experience of suffering, (6) dying
ricariously for the real Israel, (c) haring a posterity (Iiii. 10), (d) being the
efficient agent of the return of the Israelite exiles or of the conversion of the
Gentile world ''.
(ii) The explanation that the Servant personifies an undefined pious
minority within Israel (spiritual Israel) or a particular class of godly
Israelites (such as the prophets), by whom the degradation involved in the
ExUe would be felt most acutely, avoids, by giving a concrete significance to
the figure, some of the difficulties attending the preceding view. It supposes
that the pious exiles incurred scorn and persecution not only from the heathen
1 The term used by Cheyne.
2 Skinner (Isaiah, ii. pp. xxxiv, 88, 236) argues that the ideal larael can reason
ably be represented as experiencing diaappointment and calamity because these were
undergone by those righteous members of the actual nation who approximated to
the ideal and in a measure reached it, and that the ideal larael can be credited with
the restoration to Palestine of the actual nation because it waa for the saie of that
ideal that the Lord brought the restoration to pass (the motive influencing the
Lord being represented as the agent which Ee employed).

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 347
around, but also from their degenerate fellow-countrymen, who adopted
the habits and practices of their Babylonian conquerors, and that their death
expiated the sins both of their own race and of the Gentile peoples. But it is
confronted by certain difficulties of its own, for (a) when all were expiating
their sins by exile the exceptional suffering of some could scarcely be credited
with having an atoning value for the offences of the rest, (b) the faithful
minority can never have been really reduced to extinction, (c) a subsequent
increase of it in magnitude and infiuence (represented by the renewed life of
the Servant) would not astonish the world.
(iii) The riew that the Servant is an individual person who, by his
exemplary character, undeserved calamities and violent death, produced
such an impression upon his contemporaries that they expected him to rise
from the dead and convert the Gentiles to the Lord is open to objection on
general grounds, apart from special difficulties attaching to particular identifi
cations, (a) The word Israel in xhx. 3 is inapplicable to an indiridual and has
to be omitted as a mistaken gloss, (6) the role of bringing the heathen world
to a knowledge of the Lord exceeds the capacity of any single person, (c) the
prediction of a literal resurrection might be expected to be made in more
unmistakable terms than those employed in Iiii. 10 — 12. Among the historical
personages with whom the Servant has been identified are : (1) Zerubbabel',
who is described as the Lord's servant in Hag. ii. 23, and who led the exiles
back to Palestine in 537 ; (2) Jehoiachin^ who, after long imprisonment, was
set at liberty and teeated with distinction by Eril-merodach (2 Kgs. xxv. 27, 28) ;
(3) some unnamed teacher of the Law^ who, though disflgured by leprosy and
despised and persecuted by his generation, yet exercised so deep an influence
upon his adherents that when he was put to death they cherished about him
expectations similar to those entertained about Elijah (MaL iv. 5) or Jeremiah
(Matt. xvi. 14); (4) our Lord*, whose Passion, Death, and Resurrection are in
the N.T. brought into relation vrith the account of the Servant (see Joh. i. 29,
Luke xxii 37, Acts viii. 32, 33) ^ The objections to each of these conjectures
are grave. (1 and 2) The predominant traits in the portraiture of the Servant
(xiii. I — 4, xhx. 2, 1 4) are not those of a king or national leader, like Jehoiachin
or Zerubbabel, but of a prophet, and for the riolent death of either Zerubbabel
or Jehoiachin there is no eridence. (3) History is altogether silent concerning
the existence of a religious teacher so remarkable that when he was put to
death his resurrection was anticipated. (4) Although the account of the
Servant affords an iUustrative parallel to the history of our Lord narrated
in the N.T., it cannot be directly predictive of it, inasmuch as the sufferings
and death of the Servant are regarded by the vmter as already past (xUx. 4,
L 6, Ui. 14, Uu. 2 — 9), and it is only his restoration and exaltation that are
thought of as stiU in the fature (1. 9, Ui. 15, Uii. 10 — 12).
' Suggested by SeUin. 2 A later suggestion of Sellin's.
' The suggestion of Duhm.
' The riew of the Fathers of the Christian Church. The Servant of Iii. 13—15
and of Iiii. 4 ia identifled with the Measiah iu the Targum of Jonathan and the
Babylonian Talmud, see Driver and Neubauer, op. cit. pp. 5, 7.
* Add Mk. ix. 12, Luke xxiv. 26, 46, Acts iii. 18, xxvi. 23, Heb. ix. 28.

348 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [liv. i-j

Chapter LIV.
In this c. the tenor and spirit of the main prophecy are resumed (cf.
vv. 1— ID with xUx. 18—20). It falls into two sections: (1) an assurance
to Jerusalem of re-union with the Lord, and of the restoration and increase
of her population (vv. 1 — 10) ; (2) the recompense, material and spiritual, which
the Lord wiU render her for her past afilictions (w. II — 17).
LIV. 1 Sing, 0 barren, thou that didst not bear ; break
forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with
child : for more are the children of the desolate than the cMldren
of the married wife, saith the Lord. 2 Enlarge the place of thy
tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations;
spare not : lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. 3 For
thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left ; and
thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities
LIV. 1 — 10. Jerusalem (li. 17, Ui. 1), addressed as a woman
separated from her husband (the Lord), is assured that her chUdren
(i.e. her people) are to be restored to her and to become more numerous
than ever, and that she is to be re-united to her Divine Husband.
1. barren. The word is used here, not in the sense of one that
has never yet had offspring (as in 1 Sam. ii. 5), but of one who has
been bereaved of her children and separated from her husband (cf
xlix. 21, L 1).
for more are, etc. The comparison is between the present and
future condition of Jerusalem herself; though she is now desolate, her
population is soon to exceed that which she had before the ExUe.
The passage is quoted by St Paul in Gal. iv. 27, who appUes the child
less wife to Sarah (representing the "Jerusalem" of the CMistian
promises) and the fruitful wife to Hagar (representing the "Jerusalem"
of the Jevrish law).
2. Enlarge, etc. To accommodate the increased numbers, the
borders of the land wiU have to be extended (cf xUx. 19 — 21), just
as a tent which has to shelter a larger number of occupants has to be
enlarged. For the figure of a tent cf xxxiii. 20, Jer. x. 20, and for the
prediction of increased population cf Jer. xxxi. 38 — 40.
ht tkem stretch forth. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.), stretch
forth thy curtains (i.e. the canvas or hangings forming the tent-
covering, cf Jer. iv. 20, xlix. 29, Hab. iii. 7).
3. For thou shalt, ete. Before this clause another has faUen out,
since the parallelism of the v. is incomplete.
on the right hand, etc. i.e. southward and northward (cf on ix. 12).
shall possess, etc. Por tbe predicted dispossession of the neighbour
ing nations by the exiles after their return cf xi. 14, Am. ix. 12,
Jer. xlix. 2.

LIV. 4-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 349
to be inhabited. 4 Fear not ; for thou shalt not be ashamed :
neither be thou confounded ; for thou shalt not be put to shame :
for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and the reproach
of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. 5 For thy
Maker is thine husband ; the Lord of hosts is his name : and
the Holy One of Israel is thy redeemer ; the God of the whole
earth shall he be called. 6 For the Lord hath called thee as a
wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when
she is cast off, saith thy God. 7 For a small moment have I
forsaken thee ; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 8 ^In
overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment ; but
with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the
Lord thy redeemer. 9 ^For this is as the waters of Noah unto
^ Or, In a little wrath
^ Or, according to some ancient authorities. This is unto me as the days of
Noah, when I sware <&c.
4. the shame of thy youth, i.e. the bondage in Egypt ; see Jer. ii.
2, Hos. u. 15.
tke [reproack of thy widowkood. i.e. the ExUe, widowhood being
used irregularly of the state of a woman put away by her husband (1. 1).
During the Exile the Lord did not dweU in His land.
5. thy Maker, ete. Better, tky husband is thy Maker. Israel need
have no fear about her future if she reflects that her Husband and near
kinsman (see on xU. 14) possesses, as Lobd of hosts, boundless supra
mundane resources and, as God of the whoh earth, universal terrestrial
sway. 6. hath called, etc. Better, hath recalled thee as a wife outcast, and
downcast in spirit (there being an assonance in the original).
a wife of youth,, when she is cast off, etc. Perhaps better, and a
wife of youth— can she he (permanently) cast off? (for the form of the
question cf 2 Kgs. xviii. 34 and perhaps Ps. cxviii. 10). The passage
brings into relief the ethical spirit wMch the Hebrew prophets imported
into the Semitic conception of a marriage union existing between a land
and ite god, a conception which, among many of the surrounding
nations, led under the cover of religion to gross immorality.
7. For a small moment. The period of the Exile, which really
lasted 50 years, and is represented as a long time in xiii. 14, is here
rhetorically described as insignificant beside the mercy with which
Israel's scattered members will be gathered in : cf Zech. i. 15, Ps.
xxx. 5.
9. this is as the waters of Noah. i.e. the recent judgment (the
Exile) wiU as little recur as the Deluge (with aUusion to the promise in
Gen. viii. 21, ix. 11). But some Heb. MSS., Aq., Sym., Theod., Vulg.
and the Syriac have this (occasion) is unto me like tke days of Noah ('P!?
for 'P ^1).

350 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [uv. 10-13
me : for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no
more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be
wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10 For the mountains shaU
depart, and the hills be removed ; but my kindness shall not
depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed,
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
11 0 thou affiicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
behold, I will set thy stones in ^fair colours, and lay thy founda
tions with sapphires. 12 And I will make thy ^pinnacles of
rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and aU thy border of
pleasant stones. 13 And all thy children shaU be *taught of
' Or, antimony See 1 Chr. xxix. 2. ^ Or, windows ' Or, disciples
as I have sworn. The Divine oath at the time aUuded to is not
specially mentioned in Gen. viii. 21 (JE), but is regarded as implied in
the promise therein expressed (just as the promise of 2 Sam. vii. 16 is
described as an oath in Ps. Ixxxix. 35, 36).
rebuke thee. i.e. foil and frustrate thy undertakings (cf xvii. 13).
10. For the mountains shall, etc. Better, Though (Jer. iv. 30, xhx.
16) the mountains should, etc. A second interruption of God's mercy
to Israel is even more impossible than the removal of the unchangeable
mounteins : cf the paraUel arguments in li. 6, Jer. xxxi. 35, 36, xxxiii.
20—26, Ps. xxxvi. 6, xlvi. 2, 3.
my covenant of peace, i.e. my covenant of favour and firiendsHp (cf
Ezek. xxxiv. 25, xxxvii. 26, Mal. ii. 5, and the expression man of my
peace for an intimate friend in Ps. xli. 9).
11 — 17. The future splendour and security of Jerusalem and the
enlightenment and prosperity of her inhabitents.
11. in fair colours. The Heb. word ordinarUy means antimony,
a dark pigment (reaUy a salt of antimony) used by women to edge their
eyes with, in order to shew up their brightness (2 Kgs. ix. 30, Jer. iv.
30, Ezek. xxiii. 40); and if the text is sound, the meaning here must be
that the lustrous stones of which the waUs of Jerusalem are to be built
will be set in dark cement, to display their splendour to advantage (cf
1 Ch. xxix. 2). But the paraUelism suggests that a gem is meant, and
some would substitute witk carbuncles (or emeralds, cf Ezek. xxvii. 16),
reading, with the LXX., ^233 for ^-laa.
12. rubies... carbunchs, The LXK. ha,s jasper... stones of crystal,
Sym. ckahedony,,, engraved stones.
tky border. This, from the context, seems to mean, not thy
territory (Num. xxxv. 26), but thy boundary wall (LXX. tov Trept/SoXdv
<rov). Verses 11, 12 are imitated in Tob. xiu. 16, 19, Bev. xxi. 18 —
21. 13. all thy children shall, ete. i.e. aU the population wiU be in
structed and inspired by the Lord, instead of being dependent upon
human teachers. Such a condition would be a fulfilment of Moses'

LIV. 14-17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 351
the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14 In
righteousness shalt thou be established : ^thou shalt be far from
oppression, for thou shalt not fear ; and from terror, for it shaU
not come near thee. 15 Behold, they may ^gather together,
but not by me : whosoever shall ^gather together against thee
^shaU fall because of thee. 16 Behold, I have created the smith
that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for
*Ms work ; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper ; and every
1 Or, be thou far ^ Or, stir up strife
' Or, shall fall away to thee * Or, its
vrish in Num. xi. 29 (of Is. xliv. 3, lix. 21, Joel u. 28, 29, Jer. xxxi. 34),
and the passage is quoted by our Lord in regard to the Divine infiuence
that brought men to Him (Joh. vi. 45). But the recurrence of tky
children in the next clause gives plausibility to the emendation tky
builders skall he taught, etc. (cf xlix. 16, 17), i.e. the reconstruction of
the city wiU be divinely directed; cf Ex. xxxi. 3f (of the tabernacle),
1 Ch. xxviii. 19 (of the temple).
14. In righteousness. Better, In triumph, the term righteousness
describing the redress wMch righted her wrongs and which was never
to be impaired ; cf v. 17, xiv. 8, li. 6, 8. The clause should be included
in V. 13.
thou shalt he far, etc. Better (as in the mg.), be thou far (in thought)
from oppression, for thou needst not fear it, and from destruction (Prov.
xxi. 15), for it, etc.
15. Behold, they may gather, ete. Better, iy(Jer. iii. 1, 2 Ch. vii.
13) they gather (or perhaps, with the mg., stir up strife, cf Ps. cxi. 2,
mg.), it is not by me. Hostile combinations against Jerusalem, which
on previous occasions had been used as agencies for its chastisement
(see vu. 18, 20, x. 5, v. 26, ix. 12, 1 Kgs. xi. 14, 23, Jer. xxi. 4,
Am. ii. 5), would not again be instigated or countenanced by the Lord,
and if initiated would be foiled.
fall because of thee. Perhaps better, fall (or stumbh) over thee, i.e.
shatter themselves against thee, if they come into collision with thee ;
cf the figure in viii. 14, 15, xxxi. '3.
By Duhm and Cheyne the v. is rejected on grounds of diction.
16. / have created, etc. The invention of metel-working and the
earliest use of metal implements were often, in antiquity, ascribed to
human heroes (Gen. iv. 22) ; but both the smith who makes, and the
warrior (the waster) who uses, them are really created by, and under the
control of the Lord (cf Jer. xxii. 7), so that no assault upon Jerusalem
can be successful without His sanction.
for Ms work. i.e. as his work. The precise sense of the Heb., how
ever, is doubtful, and another plausible rendering is according to Ms
working (his function or craft).

352 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH i [lv. i, ^
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt
condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and
^their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.
' Or, their righteousness is of me
17. every tongue. Not only brute violence hut malicious accusa
tions shall be powerless to hurt Jerusalem : cf xli. 11, xlix. 25.
thou shalt condemn, i.e. shalt prove, by the issue of events of which
the Lord is the arbiter, to be in the wrong. National experiences are
thought of under the figure of a judicial process, cf xlix. 4, 1. 8.
their righteousness, i.e. the happy conditions that vindicate them
(cf V. 14).

Chapter LV.
This c. stands in close connection vrith the preceding. To the description
of the future glory of Jemsalem the exiles, or some of them, appear to have
shewn indifference, being absorbed in the occupations and interests of Babylon
(cf Jer. xxix. 5, 6), and growing insensible to the claims of spiritual reUgion.
Accordingly, there is addressed to them an eamest appeal to consider what
they are foregoing. The contents of the c. may be dirided into two parts :
(1) an invitation to the exiles to accept what the Lord has in store for them
(vv. 1 — 5) ; (2) a caution against neglecting the opportunity, or judging the
Lord's plans by human Umitations (vv. 6 — 13).
LV. 1 Ho, every one that tMrsteth, come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come,
buy wine and mUk without money and without price. 2 Where-
LV. 1 — 5. An exhortetion to the exUed people to take advantage
of the blessings, freely provided and permanently satisfying, wMch the
Lord offers them.
1. Ho, every one, etc. The benefits attending participation in the
restored Jerusalem and the renewal of relations with the Lord are
symbolized by articles of food (waters, unne, milk) that are proffered
gratuitously. Spiritual sustenance is expressed by simUar metaphors
in xii. 3, Prov. ix. 1 f , Ecclus. xv. 3, Matt. xi. 28—30, Joh. iv. 10, vi.
35, vii. 37 — 39, Rev. xxi. 6, xxii. 17, 1 Pet. ii. 2. For thirst as
figurative of Mgher needs see xli. 17, xliv. 3, Ps. xiu. 2, kiii. I.
he that hath no money. In the East water had frequently to be pur
chased (cf Num. XX. 19), and water-sellers are familiar figures in the
towns to-day. But the paralleUsm and the recurrence of money in the
latter half of the v. have suggested the correction bread for money; and
if certain obvious duplicates are omitted, the latter part of the v. wUl
run : and ke that hath no bread, come ye ; yea, buy and eat corn without
money and (get) wine and milk without price.

LV.3,4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 353
fore do ye ^ spend money for that which is not bread? and your
^labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto
me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight
itself in fatness. 3 IncUne your ear, and come unto me ; hear,
and your soul shall Uve: and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have
given him for a witness to the peoples, a ^leader and commander
1 Heb. weigh. ' Or, earnings s Qj.^ prince
2. that which is not bread. What the people could obtain in
Babylon was merely material provision that left their spiritual nature
sterved, and for such provision they had to labour ; whereas the Lord
was wiMng and able to satisfy permanently all their wants, and that
vrithout cost ; cf Joh. iv. 10, vi. 27.
your labour. Or (as in the mg.), your earnings (ci. xiv. 14, Deut.
xxviii. 33).
your soul. In Heb. psychology the soul was the seat of sensuous
enjoyment, and often equivalent to appetite (ci. xxix. 8, v. 14, Heb.,
Prov. xxiii. 2 Heb.).
fatness. A figure for prosperity and weU-being (see xxv. 6, Jer.
xxxi. 14, Ps. xxxvi. 8, Ixiii. 5).
3. your soul. Here used of the seat of life (Gen. xii. 13, 1 Sam.
i. 26). covenant. The term in this connection describes not so much a
mutual engagement between the Lord and Israel as a gracious promise
on the part of the Almighty (see vv. 6, 7, and cf liv. 10, Ezek. xxxiv.
25). the sure mercies of David. The promise given to David was that
the Davidic Kingdom should be permanent (2 Sam. vii. 13 — 16, xxiii.
5, cf Ps. xviii. 50, Ixxxix. 28 — 36, Jer. xxxiii. 21, 22); and this is to
be renewed, though in another and higher sense, with the exiled people.
The passage is cited by St Paul in connection with our Lord's resurrection
(Acte xiii. 34).
4. I have given Mm. Better, I have appointed him. The pronoun
refers to David, but to David as represented by, and perpetuated in, the
people (cf Hab. iii. 13, where the title thine andnted is applied to the
coUective nation), amongst whom, indeed, there survived a lineal de
scendant of David's line in the person of Zerubbabel (around whom
great hopes subsequently gathered, see Hag. ii. 23, Zech. iii. 8, iv. 7 —
10, vi. 12). As David, by his conquests over the neighbouring peoples
(cf Ps. xviii. 43), had been a witness and iUustration of the Lord's
power, so Israel, by its restoration to its own land, would attest His
power stiU more signaUy, and thereby bring mankind to a knowledge of,
and faith in. Him.
peophs... peoples. Better (with the O.L. and Vulg.), peophs...
nations.

W.I.

23

354 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LV.5-10
to the peoples. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou
knowest not, and a nation that knew not thee shall run unto
thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of
Israel ; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him
while he is near : 7 let the wicked forsake Ms way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts : and let Mm return unto the
Lord, and he wUl have mercy upon Mm ; and to our God, for
he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways Mgher
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For
as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and re
turneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
5. thou shalt call, etc. i.e. Israel, by its. exceptional experiences
and the evidence it supplied of the Lord's supremacy over human
fortunes, is destined to receive the homage of the heathen, who wiU
seek to attach themselves, as servants, to the favoured people of so
potent a Deity (cf xiv. 14, xlix. 7).
a nation, i.e. nations in general : cf xlix. 7 (note).
6 — 13. The Lord's appeal to the people not to defer a response to
His summons and to abandon their cavUs at His scheme of redemption.
6. wMh ke may be found. Better, wMh he allows himself to he
found (cf Jer. xxix. 14), i.e. wMlst the opportunity of release from
captivity (afforded by Cyrus' success) is present (cf xUx. 8).
7. ht the wicked, ete. If this v. is to be harmonized with ite con
text, the wicked and unrighteous must be those who fooUshly judge the
Lord by their own limited human standards (see v. 8), and who conse
quently misjudge and mistrust Him (cf xl. 27, xlvi. 8, 12). By
Cheyne and others, who understand the terms in a more general sense,
and take the v. to insist upon the moral change wMch usuaUy conditions
God's favour, it is rejected as an insertion. The promise of Israel's
deUverance from Babylon was unconditioned (xliv. 22).
8. my tkougkts, ete. i.e. the Lord's scheme for Israel's rescue and
restoration. 9. For as tke heavens, etc. Cf the simUar paraUel dravm in
Ps. cin. 11.
10. For as the rain, etc. The Lord's utterance of His wiU respect
ing Israel is as Uttle liable to be resultless as the rain and snow that
hy His mandate (Ps. cxlviii. 8) faU on and fertUize the soU.
returneth not, etc. i.e. does not fail to produce its natural effect
upon the earth. The actual return to heaven of the rain in the form
of vapour, if known to the vyriter (cf Job xxxvi. 27), would be irrelevant
to his argument.

LV.ii-rs] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 355
forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the
eater; 11 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth : it shaU not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
that wMch I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I
sent it. 12 For ye shaU go out with joy, and be led forth with
peace : the mountains and the MUs shall break forth before you
into singing, and aU the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead
of the brier shaU come up the myrtle tree : and it shall be to
the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be
cut off.
11. my word, ete. For the conception of the Divine word as a
quasi-personified agency, ef xiv. 23 and see on ix. 8.
12. For ye shall go, etc. i.e. from Babylon.
led forth, i.e. by the Lord (xl. 10, xlviu. 21, Ui. 12).
tke mountains, ete. For parallel descriptions of the sympathy of
inanimate nature vrith Israel in its happy fortunes see xliv. 23, xlix. 13,
Ui. 9. Cf Ps. xcviii. 8, Verg. E. v. 62, Ipd laetitia voces ad sidera
iactant Intonsi montes, etc.
13. Instead of, etc. The treeless waste, where nothing but desert
plante grow, will be changed into a park.
fir tree. So Aq. and Vulg., but the LXX. has cypress.
for a name, etc. The transformation of the desert is designed to
be a permanent memorial of what the Lord had done for His people.
Sign has the sense of memorial or monument in Josh. iv. 6, Num. xvi.
38, and name perhaps has a similar meaning in Ivi. 5, Gen. xi. 4,
2 Sam. vui. 13.

23—2

PAET IIL TRITO-ISAIAH. CHAPTERS LVL— LXVI.
Chapter LVL 1—8.
This section has in riew circumstances which can only have existed after
the Exile. Not only is reference made to Jews who have already been
restored to their ovm land (v. 8), but it is also impUed that the Temple is
erected (vv. 5, 7), and a Jewish community established in the enjoyment of
religious pririleges. The oracle which the section contains is designed to
encourage two classes of persons who apprehended exclusion, viz. foreign
proselytes who had been attracted to Israel in accordance with the predictions
of Deutero-Isaiah (xliv. 5, xiv. 14, 23,1, lv. 5, cf also xiv. 1), and Jews who had
been emasculated and made eunuchs at the Persian court or elsewhere. The
fears of these two classes no doubt increased as the Temple system became
regularized and the rules governing it grew more stringent.
LVI. 1 Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgement, and do
righteousness : for my salvation is near to come, and my
righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man that doeth
this, and the son of man that holdeth fast by it ; that keepeth
the sabbath from profaning it, and keepeth his hand from doing
LVI. 1 — 8. An exhortation to the observance of the Sabbath and
other reUgious duties, which is foUowed by a promise to the foreign re
sidents and the Jewish eunuchs that, if they faithfuUy discharge these
requirements, they will be accepted by the Lord.
1. judgement... rigkteousness. Better, the ordinance... right conduct.
The words are respectively used in the sense of the injunctions
(ceremonial as well as moral) of religion, and conduct in conformity
with the same (cf Ivui. 2, Ezek. xvui. 5 mg., Ps. cvi. 3).
my salvation.,, my righteousness, i.e. the Lord's deUverance and
vindication of His people; cf xlvi. 13, U. 5, 6f A motive for the
observance of the duties prescribed is drawn from the nearness of the
promised redress of Israel's wrongs (cf U. 5). The triumph announced
as close at hand by Deutero-Isaiah had not been fully reaUzed by the
return under Zerubbabel, and its completion was an object of hope not
only in the last quarter of the sixth century (Zech. i. 17, ii. 4, 10), but
even in the middle of the fifth (Mal. iv. 1, 2).
2. the sabbath. Though the Sabbath was an early institution in
Israel (see on i. 13), the observance of it became of greater importence
after the loss of Jewish independence, and it was urgently insisted upon,
both during the Exile (though not by Deutero-Isaiah) and in post-exiUc

LVL 3, 4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 357
any evil. 3 Neither let the stranger, that hath joined himself
to the Lord, speak, saying. The Lord wiU surely separate me
from Ms people : neither let the eunuch say. Behold, I am a dry
tree. 4 For thus saith the Lord of the eunuchs that keep my
sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast by
times, as a feature of distinction between the Jewish community and
their neighbours (Jer. xvii. 21, 22, Ezek. xx. 12, 20, xxii. 8, 26, Neh.
xui. 15). The difference of attitude towards the Sabbath in pre-exilic
and post-exilic times may be iUustrated by 2 Kgs. xi. 1 — 16, as com
pared vrith 1 Mace. ii. 32—38.
from profaning it. The term is similarly used in connection vrith
the Sabbath in Ex. xxxi. 14 (P), Ezek. xx. 13, xxu. 8, Neh. xiu. 17, 18.
3. the stranger, i.e. one who is not a Jew. The particular term
here used recurs in Ix. 10, Ixi. 5, Ixii. 8, and in Gen. xvii. 12, 27, Ex.
xii. 43, Lev. xxii. 25 (aU P), Ps. xviii. 44, 45, Neh. ix. 2, Ezek. xliv. 7, 9.
Though in early times many foreigners seem to have been incorporated
in Israel (e.g. Uriah the Hittite, Araunah the Jebusite), yet inter
course vrith foreign nations was discountenanced by the prophets of the
eighth century (cf Is. ii. 6), and intermarriage with them is condemned
in Ex. xxxiv. 16 (cf Jud. xiv. 3, 1 Kgs. xi. 1, 2). By the law of
Deuteronomy Egyptians were not admitted as proselytes until the third
generation, and the admission of Ammonites and Moabites was pro-
Mbited altogether (Deut. xxiii. 3 — 8, xxiii. 1). Nehemiah's attitude
towards foreigners was exclusive (Neh. ix. 2, xiii. 1 — 3) : marriage
aMances with Gentiles were forbidden (Neh. x. 30, xiii. 23 — 27), and
possibly proselytes, whose adhesion was anticipated by Deutero-Isaiah
(xUv. 5), were admitted only on harsh conditions. But the writer of
this passage displays greater tolerance, and abrogates by an oracle
certain restrictions of the Deuteronomic Code. A similar tolerant
spirit seems to have marked the author of the book of Ruth. Cf also
the attitude of the early Christian Church (Acts x. and xv.).
separate. A technical expression for the severance of Israel from
the heathen (Ezra vi. 21, ix. 1, x. 11, Neh. ix. 2, x. 28, xiii. 3, Lev.
XX. 24).
the eunuch. For Israelite eunuchs cf. xxxix. 7, Jer. xxxiv. 19,
Dan. i. 3. By the Deuteronomic law persons who were emasculated
were excluded from the assembly of the Lord (Deut. xxiii. 1). For
the admission of eunuchs into the early Christian Church see Acts viii.
26—40. a dry tree. The complaint is prompted by religious feeUng. In the
absence of a behef in personal immortelity, a Jew's hope for the future
at this time centred in the continuous existence of the community (the
Lord's people), in which he, in a sense, participated through his de
scendants; but of this hope the eunuch, by his childlessness, was
deprived. 4. of the eunuchs. Better (beginning the speech). As for the eunuchs.
my sabbaths. The precise phrase recurs elsewhere only in Ezekiel

358 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lvl 5-7
my covenant : 5 Unto them will I give in mine house and witMn
my walls a ^memorial and a name ^better than of sons and of
daughters ; I will give ^them an everlasting name, that shaU
not be cut off. 6 Also the strangers, that join themselves to
the Lord, to minister unto him, and to love the name of the
Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath
from profaning it, and holdeth fast by my covenant ; 7 even
them wiU I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful
1 Or, place Heb. hand. ^ Or, better than sons and daughters ^ Heb. him.
(xx. 12, 13, xxii. 8, etc.) and in the Priestly Code (Ex xxxi. 13,
Lev. xix. 3, 30, etc.).
my covenant, i.e. (probably) the covenant whose provisions are
comprised in Deut. (see xxix. I, 9), for the pMaseology of the c. is
markedly Deuteronomic (Int. p. Ixxi).
5. a memorial. Literally, a hand, probably a piUar^ (see 1 Sam.
XV. 12) upon which was inscribed the person's name as a full member
of the community. Those who by reason of their physical condition
could have no hope of offspring to perpetuate their name (cf lxvi. 22)
are promised in the Lord's house a monument more lasting (because
sharing the permanence of the Temple) than descendants (the Une of
whom might become extinct). Similarly it was a piUar which the
cMldless Absalom set up in the king's dale to preserve his memory
(2 Sam. xviu. 18).
tkem. The Heb. has him, which must be taken distiibutively, but
the LXX., Syr. and Vulg. have the plural.
6. thatjmn themsehes, etc. i.e. become proselytes (xiv. 1, Jer. 1. 5,
Zech. ii. II). Those who submitted to circumcision and undertook
to fulfil all the requirements of the law (cf Gal. v. 3) were afterwards
called " proselytes of righteousness," in contrast to " proselytes of the
gate," who were foreigners merely sojourning on Israelite soil
to minister unto Mm. The word, in connection vrith the Deity, is
elsewhere used exclusively of the service of officiating ministers (XeiToup-
yfiv, cf. Ixi. 6), but here it must be equivalent to "worship"; cf
Ezek. XX. 32 (of idolatrous worship). The LXX. has SouXeweiv avra.
the name of the Lobd. i.e. His revealed Personality and character,
which is represented as the object of knowledge (Ui. 6), trust (1. 10) and
fear (lix. 19, Ps. Ixi. 5, Mal. iv. 2), as well as of love (Ps. v. II).
7. my holy mountain, i.e. the Temple hill (xxvii. 13, cf lxv. 11,
kvi. 20, Joel u. 1, iii. 17, Ezek. xx. 40, Zeph. iii. 11, Obad. v. 16, Ps. ii.
6, iii. 4, xlviii. 1).
make, , -joyful, i.e. empower them to " rejoice before the Lord " (the
technical phrase for participation in the Jewish festivals held at the
central sanctuary, Deut. xii. 7, 12, 18).
' Marti mentions that a hand is often represented on Phoenician and Funic
monumental stones.

LVL 8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 359
in my house of prayer ; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
shall be accepted upon mine altar : for mine house shall be
caUed an house of prayer for all peoples. 8 The Lord God
which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather
others to him, ^beside Ms own that are gathered.
¦* Heb. to his gathered ones.
my house of prayer. Cf 1 Kgs. vui. 29, 38, 41 — 43. The interrup
tion of the sacrificial system during the Exile had made prayer almost
the only possible act of worship (Dan. vi. 10), and when sacrifice was
restored, it reteined a conspicuous place beside it.
shall be calhd, etc. i.e. shaU become (Iviii. 12) a sanctuary for aU
mankind. Gentiles as well as Jews (cf Ps. xxii. 27, lxv. 2, Ixxxvi. 9) to
worsMp in, conditionaUy upon their observance of the Jewish law. The
passage was cited by our Lord on the occasion of His cleansing the
Temple (Mk. xi. 17, Matt. xxi. 13, Luke xix. 46)\ In place of this
ideal of worsMp (of wMch the Temple at Jerusalem was the scene) a
very different one was substituted by Christ (see Joh. iv. 21).
8. Tke Lord... saith, etc. Exclusion of devout foreigners would
be contrary to the Lord's wiU, for He W^ho had gathered Israel's dispersed
(the words imply that a return of Jewish exiles had aheady occurred)
designed to add to them adherents from the heathen.
others. The object of the verb is not expressed in the original; but
that the omission is correctly supplied by the R.V. appears from the
context, the others being foreigners who are to become worshippers of
the Lord. For similar predictions of the adhesion of strangers to the
Lord's people cf Zeph. ui. 10^ Ezek. xlvii. 22, Zech. n. 11, viii. 22, Ps.
xlvii. 9 ; see also Joh. x. 16.

LVI. 9— LVII. 21.
This section, which is quite detached from the preceding, consists of (I) a
complaint of the existence of grave disorders and flagrant idolatry within the
Jewish community (Iri. 9 — Ivii. 13*), (2) a promise of relief to the humbled and
penitent (Irii 13'' — 21). The nature of the charges made seems incompatible
with an exilic date, for (a) the prevalence of disorder is attributed to the self-
seeking and indifference of responsible Jewish authorities (Ivi. 10, 11), and
(6) the seats of the idolatrous practices (Irii. 5^7) are Palestinian and not
Babylonian. The social abuses resemble those described in cc Iriii., lix., and
the idolatry is similar to that denounced in lxv. 1 — 7, Ixri. 1 — 4, 17; so that
the section is doubtless contemporaneous with the cc. that follow, and Uke
them belongs to the post-exilic period: cf Mal. iii. 5, ii. 11, Neh. v. 2 — 5, Ezra
ix. I, 2.

' In Matthew and Luke the concluding words for all peoples are omitted.
' See Driver, Minor Prophets, n. (Cent. Bible), p. 135.

360 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LVLg-r,
9 AU ye beasts of the field, ^come to devour, yea, all ye
beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind, they are aU
without knowledge ; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark ;
dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, the dogs are
greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds
that cannot understand : they have aU turned to their own way,
each one to his gain, ^from every quarter. 12 Come ye, say
^ Or, come ye to devour all the beasts in the forest ^ Or, one and all
LVI. 9 — LVII. 2. An indignant protest against the apathy in
Mgh quarters which is unconcerned at the violent deaths of the godly.
9. All ye beasts, ete. The metephorsthat follow (w. 10, 11) make
it clear that the term beasts is not to be taken literaUy (cf 2 Kgs.
xvii. 25) but figuratively, and stands for hostile powers wMch the Lord
was wont to use as agents for the chastisement of His people's offences
(Jer. xii. 7, 9, Ezek. xxxiv. 5, 8). Although in the sixth century
Palestine was a part of the Persian empire, the Jewish community there
was constantly exposed to aggression (cf Zech. viii. 10, Neh. iv. 8 f ).
10. His watchmen. Israel is likened to a flock whose religious
guardians, especiaUy the prophets (Ezek. iii. 17, xxxiii. 7), are com
pared to watchdogs that are mute, drowsy, and greedy, and do not
sound an alarm when it runs into danger. The possessive adjective His
must refer to Israel, but as Israel is not previously mentioned, the text
should perhaps be corrected (as by Duhm and Cheyne) to My watch
men CSV for iax or vav).
they are all without knowledge. Perhaps better (after LXX. A),
they all know not kow to give heed (inserting P??); cf v. 11. What
the guardians of the flock fail to observe are the disorders described in
Ivii. 1 — 13, which are calculated to call down vengeance from the Lord.
dreaming. In the Heb. (Q'tn) there is a play upon the word for
seers (D^tn).
11. greedy. Cf the charge of venality brought by Nehemiah
against the prophet Shemaiah (Neh. vi. 12).
and tkese are skepkerds. There is some awkwardness in designating
as shepherds the religious leaders who have just been described under
the figure of sheep-dogs, and DiUmann is probably right in dividing the
words differently (Cl'in DDl for CV'l nan) and rendering, and these,
the shepherds, cannot understand, the term shepherds denoting the civil
rulers of the community (Jer. ii. 8 mg., ui. 15, xxiu. 1 f , Ezek. xxxiv.
2 f) ; cf. the Homeric Troi/ici/es A.a<ov.
turned to their own way. i.e. neglected their charge and pursued
their own interest (cf Iviu. 13). The nobles and rulers of Nehemiah's
time were open to the accusation of usurious and oppressive conduct ;
see Neh. v. 7.
from every quarter. Better, one and all, without exception (cf Gen.
xix. 4, xlvii. 2, Heb., Ezek. xxxiu. 2). The word is absent from the LXX.

LViLi-s] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 361
they, I wiU fetch wine, and we will fiU ourselves with strong
drink ; and to-morrow shaU be as this day, a day great beyond
measure. LVII. 1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to
heart ; and ^merciful men are taken away, none considering that
the righteous is taken away ^from the evil to come. 2 He
entereth into peace; they rest in their beds, each one that
walketh ^in Ms uprightness.
3 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed
' Or, godly 2 Or, through wickedness ^ Or, straight before him
12. / will fetch, etc. The Vulg. and Syr. have we will fetch. For
habits of intemperance among the Jews see v. 11, 22, xxviii. 7, Mic.
ii. 11. great, i.e. attended with success or happiness : cf Hos. i. II.
LVII. 1. no man layeth it, etc. i.e. no man is apprehensive
that the death of the righteous tMough the machinations of their
enemies vriU occasion Divine resentment.
merciful men. Better, godly (or pious) men (cf Ps. xii. 1), i.e.
those who were zealous for the law and the worship of the Lord, as
contiasted with the idolaters described later. The Heb. word is the
original of the term Hasideans in 1 Mac. ii. 42 \
none considering that tke rigkteous, etc. Better (with the LXX.,
to secure the balance of the clauses), and none regardeth, for tke
rigkteous, etc.
is taken away, etc. Better, is carried off_ (by a violent death, cf
1 Sam. XV. 6 Heb., Ezek. xxxiv. 29, Jer. viii. 13) in consequence of
(Ezek. xiv. 15) the wickedness (of the time).
2. He entereth into peace. The clause should be included in v. 1
and rendered entering into peace, i.e. descending to the grave. That
the cheerless conditions believed to subsist in the lower world (Eccles.
ix. 5) should be thus described (cf Job iii. 13) is grimly suggestive of
the intolerable evils prevalent in the Jewish community (cf Eccles. iv.
1. 2). thdr beds. i.e. their graves; cf Ezek. xxxii. 25, 2 Ch. xvi. 14.
The same expression occurs in the inscription of Eshmunazar (" that
he opens not this bed "), and in an inscription from Kition (Cooke,
N. Sem. Insc. pp. 30, 61).
3 — 13*. An indictment of an idolatrous section of the community.
The part of the population against whom the invective is directed is
probably that which had not been deported by Nebuchadrezzar (2 Kgs.
xxv. 12), and which, mingling vrith the settlers introduced into N. Israel
by Sargon (2 Kgs. xvii. 24) and the heathen peoples to the south and
1 The word properly signifies kindly : on the transition of meaning see Driver,
Parallel Psalter, p. 443.

362 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lvii.-i,s
of the adulterer and the whore. 4 Against whom do ye sport
yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out
the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of false
hood, 5 ye that inflame yourselves ^among the oaks, under every
green tree ; that slay the chUdren in the vaUeys, under the clefts
1 Or, with idols
east\ had adopted or revived degraded Canaamte rites. That the
worship here described was not undiluted idolatry, but rather a syncre
tistic reUgion, in wMch the worship of idols was combined with that of
the Lord (cf 2 Kgs. xvu. 24—41, Ezra iv. 2) is suggested by v. 12 (see
note). Four different classes of false gods (whose respective powers were
local, cf I Kgs. XX. 23) are referred to : — (1) gods ofthe torrent valleys
(v. 6), (2) gods of the MUs Oo. 7), (3) tutelary gods of the house (v. 8),
(4) gods of foreign sMines (vv. 9, 10).
3. draw near. i.e. to hear your accusation and sentence : cf
xxxiv. I.
of the sorceress... adulterer, etc. The expressions aUude partly
to the mixed origin (half Hebrew and half foreign) and partly to
the heathenish and immoral rites (Jer. ii. 20, Ezek. xvi. 15, 32) of
those who are denounced. The Heb. for sorceress is the fem. of the
word rendered soothsayer in ii. 6 (see note). In place of adulterer
should perhaps be substituted adulteress (reading with Klostermann
nm nsNji? for n3tn5 iiKjp).
4. Against whom, etc. The insolence of their conduct towards
the Lord is compared to the most insulting gestures. By some the
offensive gestures mentioned (for which cf Ps. xxii. 13, xxxv. 21,
Livy VII. 10, Galium... linguam etiam ah irrisu exserentem) are inter
preted literally, and regarded as directed against the pious section of
the people : cf lxvi. 5, Neh. iv. 1, 2.
children of transgression. Cf 2 Sam. iii. 34 (cMldren of iniquity).
Num. xvii. 10 (cMldren of rebellion).
a seed of falsehood, i.e. a generation faitMess and disloyal to their
God (cf V. II, Ixiu. 8).
5. ye that inflame, etc. More literaUy, they that inflame, ete. (an
aUusion to the sensuous incitements of the worship described). Duhm
and Cheyne, in consequence of the departure from the direct address
and a change of rhythm, regard the v. as a marginal citation.
the oaks. Better, the terebinths ; for tree-worship see on i. 29. The
form of the word, however, is irregular, resembling the plur. of God (Et), .
and the LXX. has to, eiScoXa, Vulg. in diis.
slay the children, i.e. in sacrifice : cf lxvi. 3. The practice pre
vailed among several Semitic peoples, e.g. the Moabites (2 Kgs. iii. 27), the
Canaanites (Deut. xii. 31), and the Carthaginians, who were Phoenician
^ In the time of Nehemiah conspicuous figures in the Jewish community were
Tobiab the Ammonite and Geahem (or Gaahmu) the Arabian,

LVII. 6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 363
of the rocks? 6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is thy
portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured
a drink offering, thou hast offered ^an oblation. Shall I be
' Or, a meal offering
colonists (Diod. Sic. xx. 14). At Gezer (which at the Conquest
remained Canaanite, Jud. i. 29) the bones of children, apparently
sacrificed, have been found in the course of recent excavations. The
narrative of Abraham's offering of Isaac suggeste that the rite had
once been customary among the ancestors of Israel in connection with
the worship of the Lord, but became discontinued in consequence of
the development of Mgher ideas of the Divine requirements^, though
Jephthah's sacrifice of his daughter (Jud. xi. 31, 39) seems to have
been an instence of it. Later, however, under heathen influence it was
renewed by several of the Israelite kings (cf Jer. vii. 31, xix. 5, Mic. vi.
7, Ezek. xvi. 20, xxiii. 39) ; and it prevaUed amongst the half-pagan
population of Samaria and Judsea after the overthrow of the Ephraimite
kingdom (2 Kgs. xvii. 31) as well as among the post-exilic Jews. The
tradition of Iphigema's sacrifice points to the usage having once existed
likewise in Greece ; whilst at Rome after Cannse men and women were
sacrificed by being buried alive (Livy, xxn. 57), and the annual throwing
of puj^pets into the Tiber was perhaps the imitation of a primitive rite
in wmch human beings were originally the victims (see W. W. Fowler,
Eoman Festivals, p. 112 f )". Whether the practice of making children
"pass through the fire" (Deut. xviii. 10, 2 Kgs. xvi. 3, xxi. 6, xxiii.
10, etc.) was reaUy sacrificial is doubtful : tbe context of certain of the
passages cited suggests that it was a method of augury (see Driver
on Deut. xviii. 10).
valhys. i.e. (dry) torrent beds, or wddies.
under the chfts. Better (with the LXX.), in the midst ofthe clefts.
6. the smooth stones. Probably water-worn boulders which were
regarded as sacred stones (Jer. ii. 27, iii. 9). The image of the Paphian
Venus was a conical pUlar (Tac. Hist. n. 3) ; and unwrought stones
are used as objects of worship by many uncivilized races of the present
day (see Tylor, Primitive Culture, n. p. 160 f). For the early use of
piUars in connection vrith the worship of the Lord see on xix. 19.
Duhm, however, here takes the expression smooth figuratively, and
renders, among the deceivers (i.e. the false gods) of the valley (ci. Ezek.
xU. 24 Heb.).
is thy portion, i.e. thou hast taken such blocks of stone as the
controllers of thy fortunes (cf 2 Sam. xx. 1), instead of the Lord
(Josh. xxii. 25, Jer. x. 16, Ps. xvi. 5, etc.). There is a play in the
original upon the words smooth (stones) a,na portion.
drink offering. The materials might be oil (Gen. xxxv. 14, Mic.
vi. 7), blood (Ps. xvi. 4), or wine (Bel and the Dragon, v. 3).
1 Cf . Driver, Gen. p. 221 f.
^ Human beinga were alao sacrificed both in Gaul and in this country by the
Druids, see CsBsar, B.G. vi. 16, Tac. Ann. xiv. 30.

364 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LVIL7-9
appeased for these things? 7 Upon a high and lofty mountain
hast thou set thy bed: thither also wentest thou up to offer
sacrifice. 8 And behind the doors and the posts hast thou set
up thy memorial : for thou hast discovered thyself to another
than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and
made thee a covenant with them ; thou lovedst their bed where
thou sawest it. 9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment,
oblation. Better, meal offering, cf. xliii. 23, lxvi. 3, Jer. xvii.
26, etc.
7. Upon a kigk... mountain. The reason for choosing MUs as
sanctuaries (cf xv. 2, lxv. 7, 1 Kgs. xi. 7, 2 Kgs. xvi. 4, Hos. iv. 13,
Jer. ii. 20, etc.) is probably to be found in the atmospheric phenomena
of which they are often the scene. Jehovah, Who was thought in early
times to manifest Himself especiaUy in storm and fire (Ughtning), had
sanctuaries at Horeb and Carmel as well as at Zion.
tky bed. Idolatry is regarded as unfaithfulness to the marriage tie
(Hos. iv. 15, Jer. ii. 33, iii. 2, Ezek. xvi. 25, etc.).
8. And behind tke doors. Besides the worship rendered to the gods
of the valleys and hiUs, veneration was paid to household deities whose
emblems were placed behind the doors, extending protection to the
house and all who entered it. For surviving traces of the importence
which the door and door-posts once had for the reUgion of Israel see
Ex. xii. 7, xxi. 6, Deut. vi. 9. The nature of the memorial, or emblem,
here referred to can only be conjectured : the root of the word rendered
memorial is identical with one meaning mah, and some scholars com
pare Ezek. xvi. 17 mg.
discovered. Better, uncovered ; cf Ezek. xxiii. 18.
to another than me. Literally, away from me ; but Duhm emends
the text to by reason of it (W^'O for ^^ND).
made thee a covenant. The original is obscure, as the word for
covenant is omitted, and the grammar and construction are irregular.
The R.V. is in agreement with Theod. (SteSov o-eavrij) and the Vulg. ;
but Duhm and other critics adopt the emendation thou didst buy for
thyself (some) of those whose bed tkou lovedst (*"!'?!?1 for "n^?fl!!); cf
Ezek. xvi. 34, Hos. iii. 2.
wkere tkou sawest it. LiteraUy, tkou sawest a kand. The word hand
has been variously explained to mean " a beckoning hand " (inviting
approach), " an (idolatrous) monument " (cf on Ivi. 5), and " a place "
(cf Syr.), or to be a euphemism.
9. And thou wentest to the king. Better, And tkou wentest to
Melech, a common title (equivalent to king) of many deities (see viii.
21, xxx. 33, Zeph. i. 5, Am. v. 26 and the names Adrammehch (i.e.
Adar Melech) and Anammehch (i.e. Anu Melech)), and applied also
to Jehovah Himself The general context, the mention of ointment
and perfumes, and the allusion to hell (Sheol) make it probable that the
passage refers not to political embassies (as in Hos. xii. 1) but to re-

LVIL 10-12] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 365
and didst increase thy perftimes, and didst send thine am
bassadors far off, and didst debase thyself even unto ^heU.
10 Thou wast wearied with the length of thy way ; yet saidst
thou not. There is no hope: thou didst find ^a quickening of
thy strength; therefore thou wast not ^faint. 11 And of whom
hast thou been afraid and in fear, that thou liest, and hast not
remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my
peace even of long time, and thou fearest me not? 12 I will
^ Heb. Sheol. 2 Heb. the life of thine hand. ' Heb. sick.
ligious pilgrimages for the purpose of consulting or propitiating the
deity of some foreign shrine (cf 2 Kgs. viii. 8, Ezek. xxiii. 16, 40).
Possibly the Melech meant is the god of Ammon, with whom the title
was especially associated^ : in Nehemiah's time Tobiab the Ammonite
was an influential personage (Neh. u. 10, iv. 3, 7, xui. 4). The Vulg.
has ornasti te regi, and Sym. iK0(rfjL.r]6rj^ t<3 ySao-iXei eV iXalm ; and hence
Cheyne and others read, thou didst anoint thyself for Mehch (*3Dni
for'TFl5). ointment... perfumes. These were used in religious rites (see Gen.
xxviii. 18, Ex. xxx. 25, Ezek. xvi. 18, xxvii. 41). Pausanias relates
(x. 24) that a small stone in the temple at Delphi had oil poured on it
daily, and the practice of smearing sacred stones with grease prevails
in Madagascar and elsewhere at the present day (see Frazer, Paus. l.c),
didst debase, etc. More literaUy, didst make deep (thy sending)
unto Skeol. The expression implies that among the sanctuaries to
which deputations were sent were some which claimed to be oracles of
the dead or of the gods of the infernal world, such as the Egyptian deity
Osiris. Among the " abominations " enumerated in Ezra ix. 1 are those
of Egypt. 10. the lengtk of thy way. i.e. the long journey undertaken to the
distant sanctuary : even the weariness attending this did not reduce
the infatuated pUgrim to despair.
tkou didst... strength LiteraUy, thou didst find the life (or revival)
of thy kand : for hand with the meaning of strength cf Josh. viii. 20,
Ps. Ixxvi. 5.
11. And of whom, etc. Nonentities were feared and the Omni
potent ignored.
that thou liest. i.e. that thou art faitMess (v. 4).
have not I held, etc. Possibly the sentence should be differently
divided : Is it not so? I held my peace (i.e. did not interfere to punish
thy idolatries) even of hng time, and (so) tkou fearest me not ; ci, Ps. 1.
21. In place of even of hng time Cheyne, Duhm and Marti (guided
by the LXX. and Vulg. and probably Aq. and Sym.) would read and
hid mine eyes Qrs?, Q'^I!P-1 for D^JfO-l).
1 See 1 Kgs. xi. 7 where Melech is vocalised Molech, receiving the vowels of the
Heb. word bosheth (shame) aa a mark of contempt.

366 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lvil 13-15
declare thy righteousness ; and as for thy works, they shall not
profit thee. 13 When thou criest, let ^them which thou hast
gathered deliver thee; but the wind shaU take them, a breath
shall carry them aU away : but he that putteth his trust in me
shaU possess the land, and shaU inherit my holy mountain.
14 And ^he shaU say. Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way,
take up the stumbUngblock out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith the Mgh and lofty One that inhabiteth
1 Or, thy rabble of idols = Or, it shall be said
12. thy righteousness. The expression is ironical : thy righteous
ness is a caricature of true righteousness (lxiv. 6), which the Lord wUl
expose. Probably the idolaters combined with their idolatrous rites the
worship of the Lord, and so were self-satisfied as to their relations with
the latter (cf. Ezra iv. 2). LXX. A has my rigkteousness, i.e. as mani
fested in judgment.
thy works. Possibly the idols which they had made (cf xli. 29),
though the LXX. (to. KaKo. a-ov) takes the word to mean conduct.
shall not profit. The pMase is often used of idols (xliv. 10, Jer. u.
8, Hah ii. 18).
13. tkem wMck tkou hast gathered. The original is a noun wMch
only occurs here, and apparently refers to the collection of various
deities (Cheyne, "thy medley of gods") to wMch devotion was paid.
Weir would read tky abominations C^IlV-lp^S* for ^;V-13p).
the wind shall take, etc. Cf xli. 16. The idols are themselves
perishable, and so can afford no security to their voteries.
13t> — 21. A message of comfort for the distressed, to whom, though
their sufferings have not been undeserved, the Lord, in response to
their penitence, promises relief
This section is regarded by Cheyne and others as quite distinct from
the preceding part of the c. But though there is a change of rhythm,
it seems to refer to the same two classes, the godly, who though not
blameless, are penitent (cf the confession in Ux. 12), and the incor
rigibly wicked ; and the severance of it from the foregoing appears
unnecessary. 13^ my holy mountain, i.e. the mountainous land of Judah (cf
xi. 9, lxv. 25) which was the possession of the Lord (1 Sam. xxvi. 19).
14. And he shall say. The speaker must be the Lord (note my
peoph), and the Vulg. has I will say (IP^I for IP^.I).
Cast ye up. i.e. a Mghway. The opening address is probably an
imitation of that in xl. 3 ; but here refers not to the removal of
obstacles from the path of returning exiles, but to the removal of
offences that retard the return of prosperity .- cf the appUcation of the
same original in Mk. i. 3, Joh. i. 23.
15. that inhabiteth eternity. Or, that dwelhth (or abideth) for
ever, i.e. who is eternaUy unchangeable.

LViLi6-i8] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 367
eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the Mgh and holy
place, with Mm also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither wiU
I be always wroth : for the spirit should ^fail before me, and
the souls which I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his
covetousness was I wroth and smote him, I hid my face and was
wroth: and he went on ^frowardly in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen Ms ways, and wiU heal Mm : I will lead him also,
^ Or, faint away '^ Heb. tuming away.
wkose name is Holy. Cf. xl. 25. The term, originally used by the
Semitic peoples of aU Divine beings (see on i. 4 and p. xxxiv), is here
appropriated, as a personal appeUation, to the Lord as in reality the
only God.
/ dwell in the high, etc. Perhaps better, / dwell on high as Holy
One. The vrriter shews the influence of Is. vi. 1, 3 : cf also lxvi. 1.
with him ako, etc. Better, yet witk Mm who is crushed and abased
in spirit. The previous title, expressive of the Lord's exalted dignity,
accentuates the graciousness of His bearing to the afflicted and humbled
(cf Ps. cxxxvui. 6, cxiii. 5, 6, xxxiv. 18). These last terms describe
both the distressed condition of the pious section of the Jewish com
munity in the fifth century (cf Ixi. 1, 2, lxvi. 2) and their attitude of
humUity consequent upon a sense of their national sins (cf the prayer
of Nehemiah, Neh. i.).
16. contend, i.e. afflict or punish ; cf xxvii. 8. The motive here
assigned for the Lord's mercy is neither that the punishment due to
Israel has been exhausted, nor that further chastisement of it would
bring His name into contempt among the heathen (motives which
appear in Deutero-Isaiah, see xl. 2, xlviii. 11), but that human frailty
cannot support the Divine resentment beyond a certein limit : the
nation, if further punished, was in danger of being extinguished
altogether. Human weakness is similarly represented as appealing
to Divine compassion in Ps. Ixxviii. 38, 39, ciii. 9 — 14.
souls. LiteraUy, breaths (ci. xiii. 5, Gen. ii. 7).
17. For the iniquity of his covetousness. Perhaps better. For tke
iniquity of his unjust gain (cf Ivi. 11, Ezek. xxxiii. 21, Jer. xxii. 17).
But the Lxx. implies. Because of his guilt (I was wroth) for a moment
(m Mm for wva im) ; cf liv. 7 f
/ hid my face and was wroth. Better, hiding my face in wrath
(reading ^ifi^l for ^^P^)). The expression here describes God's with
drawal of His favour, as in viii. 17, lxiv. 7, Jer. xxxiii. 5, Ezek. xxxix.
23 : contrast Num. vi. 26.
18. / have seen his ways. As the vv. are at present divided the
meaning must be " I have seen vrith compassion his unhappy condition "
(for ways in this sense cf xl. 27). But possibly Duhm is right in

368 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lvil 19-21
and ^restore comforts unto Mm and to his mourners. 19 I
create the fruit of the Ups : Peace, peace, to him that is far off
and to him that is near, saith the Loed; and I wiU heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea ; for it cannot rest,
and its waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked. ' Heb. recompense.
attaching these words to v. 17, and explaining the sense to be " I have
noticed and punished Ms perverse conduct." The clause is completed
by adding saith the LoBD (from v. 19).
and will heal Or (if Duhm's view of the foregoing clause be
adopted). Yet I will heal. For the figurative use of the term cf xix. 22,
Uii. 5, Hos. vi. 1, vii. 1, xiv. 4, Jer. in. 22.
/ will lead him. Better (with Klostermann), / unll give Mm rest
(•1^^^?^51 for tnnm, cf xiv. 3).
restore.,, his mourners. Better (transferring and to his mourners to
the next v.), I will requite Mm witk comforts.
19. I create, etc. Better (prefixing the last words of v. 18), And
for his mourners (Ixi. 2, lxvi. 10) / will create (by sending them
prosperity) tke fruit of tke lips (i.e. thanksgiving, cf Hos. xiv. 2 LXX.,
Heb. xiii. 15).
Peace, peace, i.e. perfect peace (or prosperity, xxvi. 3, Zech. viii.
10 — 12). The word is a second object after create.
him.., far off,,, near. i.e. those Jews who are still in exile (cf Zech.
vi. 15) and those who have already returned to Jerusalem (see Ivi. 8) :
cf Dan. ix. 7. The words are applied by St Paul to the Gentiles and
the Jews respectively (Eph. ii. 17).
and I will heal Mm. These words, which occur also in v. 18, should
be omitted here. For the preceding saitk the Lobd see on v. 18.
20. the wicked, i.e. the disloyal and paganised faction.
21. There is no peace, etc. Cf lix. 8, Jer. vi. 14. Thev. is found
also in xlviii. 22 (with the substitution of the LoBD for my God) to
which place it has probably been transferred from here.

Chapter LVIIL
This and the following c. are both rebukes of national sins, evoked by the
people's plea that the Lord disregarded their prayers and religious observances.
Chapter Mil. is directed against insincere formalism, as exhibited by those who
mortified themselves by fasts but put no curb on their rapacity or their
inhumanity. Pasting, as an expression of public or private sorrow which
might propitiate the Deity, was a familiar custom in Israel at all times (see
Jud. XX. 26, 1 Sam. vii. 6, 2 Sam. xii. 16, 1 Kgs. xxi. 12, Jer. xxxri. 9); but it
was not until after the destruction of Jerusalem that a system of fasts (held in
the 4th, 5th, 7th and 10th months, apparently on the anniversaries of certain

LVIIL l-s] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 369
disasters that had occurred during the last siege of the capital) began to be
observed (Zech. rii. 3 — 5, riii. 19). Some other features in the c, harmonizing
with a post-exilic date, are noticed in the commentary.
The c. consists of two parts ; (I) a comparison between the false conception
of fasting and the true (vv. 1 — 12); (2) an appendix enforcing the duty of
Sabbath observance (vv. 13, 14).
IiVIII. 1 Cry ^ aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a
trumpet, and declare unto my people their transgression, and to
the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and
delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness,
and forsook not the ^ordinance of their God, they ask of me
righteous ordinances, they delight to draw near unto God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?
wherefore have we aflSicted our soul, and thou takest no know
ledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find yoiir own
1 Heb. with the throat. '' Or, judgement
1 — 12. Not bodily prostiations and flesMy austerities but acts of
unselfishness and humanity are the essential conditions of obtaining
Divine favour.
1. Cry ahud. LiteraUy, Cry (or CaU) with the throat (as opposed
to the lips only); cf Ps. cxlix. 6 mg. and contrast 1 Sam. i. 13.
declare, ete. The language is ahnost identical with that of Mic.
iii. 8, whence it has perhaps been borrowed.
2. Yet they seek me. Better, Yet it is me that they seek (the pronoun
being emphatic). The people, though breaking the Lord's moral laws,
yet sought His presence in formal acts of homage. The verb seek is
used of consulting God tMough either priest or prophet (cf xxxi. 1,
Ezek. XX. 3).
my ways. The word, used of God's requirements generally (ii. 3,
xiii. 24, cf xlviii. 17), must here refer in particular to the ceremonial
law. ihey ask of me. i.e. ask from the priests or prophets information
respecting doubtful points of ritual observance (see Zech. vii. 3).
to draw near. i.e. in sacrifice and acts of worship (cf xxix. 13,
1 Kgs. xviii. 36, Lev. xvi. 1, Ps. Ixxiii. 28, Zeph. iii. 2).
3. and thou seest not. It had been hoped that in consequence of
their scrupulous religious observances the depressing conditions
under which they had suffered since the Retum (Hag. i. 6, Mal. iii. II)
would be reUeved and their fasts tumed into cheerful feasts (Zech.
viii. 19); cf the similar complaint in Mal. iii. 14.
afflicted our soul. i.e. practised abstinence and self-mortification
(see Lev. xvi. 29, xxiii. 27 — 32, Num. xxix. 7, Ps. xxxv. 13).
ye... pleasure, ete. Better, ye find opportunity for your own business
(v. 13), and all yowr labourers ye drive. The Lord's answer to their
appeal is that their acts of self-denial are purely external, and that
w. I. 24

370 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LVIIL+-7
pleasure, and ^ exact aU your labours. 4 Behold, ye fast for
strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness :
^ye fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on
high. 5 Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a
man to afflict his soul ? Is it to bow down his head as a rush,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wUt thou caU
this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord ? 6 Is not this
the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free,
and that ye break every yoke ? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to
^ Or, oppress all your labourers
" Ot, ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make Sc.
their fast-days do not interfere vrith their interests, or bring relief
to their workmen. The labourers were perhaps debtors who had
become slaves to their creditors (cf Neh. v. 5): the Vulg., following
Theod. and Sym., explains the final clause to mean omnes debitores
vestros repetitis.
4. Behold, ye fast, etc. Their fasts exert no influence upon their
characters, but only afford more leisure for altercation and violence.
to smite tmth the fist, etc. The LXX. has to smite with the fist the
poor man (reading ^ for ^W^.
ye fast not this day, etc. Better (as in the mg.), ye shall not fast as
ye do this day so as to make, etc. In order that their prayers might
be heard, the character of their fasts would need to change.
5. Is such the fast, etc. i.e. do ye think that mechamcal genu
flexions and uncomfortable postures (cf Esth. iv. 3) can of themselves
give any satisfaction to the Lord ? Ci. Zech. vii. 5 and the attitude of
Isaiah to empty ritual in i. 11, xxix. 13; and for our Lord's teacMng
see Matt. v. 6, vi. 16 f
to afflict Ms soul. See on v. 3. The denial, here implied, that
fasting has any intrinsic religious value does not affect the question
of its usefulness as a means of self-discipline.
6. Is not this the fast, etc. The true fast has for its sphere the
field of social duty and consists in abstinence from oppressing the
weak and in the provision of reUef for the destitute : cf xxxii. 6,
Ezek. xvui. 7 — 9, Zech. viu. 16, 17, Job xxxi. 13, 14.
the bonds of wickedness, i.e. bonds unjustly or unmercifuUy
imposed. the hands of the yoke. In strictness, the thongs wMch fastened
the yoke (or yoke bar) to the neck (cf Jer. ii. 20, xxvii. 2), but here
used of any oppressive imposition. Cheyne (to improve the paralleUsm)
substitutes bands of viohnce (DOn for HDiD).
the oppressed. Probably debtors in bondage to their creditors
(cf Neh. V. 5).
that ye break. Better (vrith the LXX. and Vulg.), that thou break.

LVIIL 8-io] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 371
the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to
thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him;
and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh ? 8 Then
shaU thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall
spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before
thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. 9 Then
shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer ; thou shalt cry, and
he shaU say. Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of
thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking
wickedly; 10 and if thou ^draw out thy soul to the hungry, and
' Or, bestow on the hungry that which thy soul desireth
7. deal thy bread. Cf. Ezek. xviii. 7 and the conduct of Nehemiah
(Neh V. 17).
that are cast out. The Heb. term (which recurs in Lam. i. 7, iii. 19)
is probably an abstract noun (" homelessness ") used as a concrete for
homehss ; cf. LXX. aa-reyov;. Some critics would read vagrants
(nnn for Dn-nP); cf Vulg. vagos.
naked, i.e. half-clad (the term having the same qualified sense as
in XX. 2 ; cf yv/xvd? in James ii. 15, 16).
hide not tky self ...flesh, i.e. do not become inaccessible to thy
kinsmen or feUow-countiymen (cf Gen. xxxvii. 27, Neh. v. 5). The
spirit of the passage is not as comprehensive as that of Matt.
xxv. 35—40.
8. Then shall thy light, etc. Pity for fellow-sufferers will evoke
the Lord's pity, and accelerate the desired return of felicity (cf Matt.
V. 7). For light in this sense cf v. 10, ix. 2, Ix. 1, 3, Lam. iii. 2.
thy healing. Strictly, the growth of fresh skin on a raw wound : for
the figure cf Jer. viii. 22, xxx. 17, Neh. iv. 7 mg.
thy righteousness, i.e. the extemal conditions that vindicate Israel
before the world (as in liv. 17, lix. 9, Ixii. 1). Possibly, however, it is
a designation ofthe Author of those happy conditions, the Lord Himself:
cf the pMase thy salvation in Ixii. 11. The phraseology is imitated
from Ui. 12, but language which there refers to the Lord's visible
presence with His people on the march from Babylon is here used to
describe His abiding protection of them (cf Lx. 1, 2).
9. Then shalt thou call, etc. i.e. when thou shalt call, the Lord
vriU answer. There wUl then be no further occasion for the complaint
of u 3 : cf xxx. 19, lxv. 24.
tke putting fortk, ete. An offensive way of shevring contempt; cf
Prov. vi. 13, Juvenal X. 53, Mandaret htqueum meddumque ostenderet
umguem, Plant. Ps, iv. vii. 43, in kunc intrude digitum.
speaking wickedly. The phrase is probably to be understood of
false accusations.
10. tky soul. If the reading is retained, thy soul (i.e. thy appetite,
cf Ivi. 11 Heb.) must be equivalent to " the object of thy appetite " i.e.
24—2

372 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lviil n-ij
satisfy the afflicted soul ; then shall thy light rise in darkness,
and thine obscurity be as the noonday: 11 and the Lord shaU
gmde thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in ^dry places, and
make strong thy bones ; and thou shalt be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12 And they
that shall be of thee shaU build the old waste places : thou shalt
raise up the foundations of many generations ; and thou shalt
be caUed The repairer of the breach. The restorer of paths to
dwell in. 13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from
1 Or, drought
food. But the text should probably be corrected with some Heb. MSS.
and the Syr. to thy bread, for which soul seems to have been substituted
by accident from the next clause : the LXX. combines the two readings,
TOI' aprov arov Ik i/'wX'7S oov.
darkness... obscurity. Metaphors for distress (as in viii. 22, lix. 9).
11. skall guide. Cf. Ivii. 18. The language, which recalls the
promise of relief on the march through the desert (xU. 17, xlui. 20,
xlviii. 21, xlix. 10), is here used to describe preservation from error and
privations generally.
and make strong tky bones. The verb means Uterally to equip, and
Duhm, after Seeker, would substitute and will renew thy strength
(^'yni ^p!?vv for r^'Di ^*noyi'),_ cf xi. 31.
like a watered garden, etc. Figures for conditions of uninterrupted
well-being : cf xliv. 4, Jer. xxxi. 12, and the similar comparison in
Ps. i. 3.
12. they that,,, thee. For the promise cf xliv. 26, xUi. 14,
liv. II, Ixi. 4. The construction of the original is peculiar (though
cf Ps. Lxvui. 26) : Weir and Cheyne substitute tky sons shall build, ete.
(^'33 -wa-l for 1l?P W3.1).
the foundations of many, etc. i.e. foundations that had lain exposed
for many generations : cf Ixi. 4. The expression is more appropriate
to the fifth century than to the exilic, or early post-exUic, period.
skalt be calhd. i.e. shalt become; cf Ivi. 7. The shattered waUs
were first restored in the time of Nehemiah (Neh. u.— iv.), circ. 445 b.c.
paths to dwell in. Literally, paths for dwelling, contributing to
render the land habitable. But Oort and others would read ruins (to
a condition fit) for dwelling (niv»n;i for nu'n;)^ i.e. thou shalt rebuild
the dismantled city.
13—14. A promise of future prosperity and triumph, conditional
upon the maintenance of the sanctity of the Sabbath. These vv. are
thought by Koppe and Cheyne to be a supplement to the preceding,
adding to the exhortation to works of mercy the injunction conteined
in Ivi. 2, and somewhat later in date. In Nehemiah's time, regulations
were enforced to prevent the profanation of the Sabbath (Neh. xiu. 15);
and Cheyne conjecturaUy dates the passage shortly after 432.

LVIIH4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 373
doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a
deUght, and the holy of the Lord honourable ; and shalt honour
^it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure,
nor speaking thine own words : 14 then shalt thou deUght thyself
in the Lord ; and I wiU make thee to ride upon the high places
of the earth ; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob
thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
^ Or, him
13. If tkou turn away, etc. The Sabbath is compared to holy
ground (cf Ex. iii. 5). The paramount thought in the writer's mind
is its sacredness to the Lord ; and it is remarkable that in spite of the
ethical spirit animating vv. 1 — 12, the humanitarian aspect of it (cf
Deut. V. 14) should here be ignored. At the present time, though the
restrictions of the Jewish Sabbath are not binding upon any but Jews,
the observance of a weekly day of rest is eminently desirable in the
interest of the labouring classes, and the Lord's Day has for Christians
obUgations of its own.
tky pleasure. Better, thy budness (cf v. 3), a sense of the word
common in Eccles. (iii. 1, 17, viii. 6), cf also Prov. xxxi. 13 mg.
tke koly of the Lobd. The Heb. makes this (like the sabbath, for
which it is a synonym) the object after call, but the LXX. and Theod.
treat it as a secondary predicate (Uke delight) and read and call the
sabbath a delight and holy umto thy God (omitting honourahh). Duhm
emends the text to (and call) the new moon of the Lord a desirable
thing (reading '\mO:.v}jh for naaD-B'np'?).
nor speaking,,, words. Probably a warning (like the h&tin favete
Unguis) against idle utterances (cf Prov. x. 19) that might desecrate
the sanctity of the day. The LXX. has ov8e XaXija-eLs Xoyov iv 6pyy.
14. delight thyself in tke LoBD. i.e. in the prosperity which He
bestows ; cf lv. 2, Job xxii. 26.
to ride upon the Mgh places, etc. Cf Deut. xxxii. 13, xxxiii. 29,
Ps. xviii. 33, Hab. iii. 19. The reward of Sabbath keeping is to be
territorial dominion and the recovery of the heritage promised to
Israel's ancestor Jacob (Gen. xxvii. 27 — 29, xxviii. 13 f , etc.); cf lxv. 9.

Chapter LIX.
This c, with the preceding, is a denunciation of the sins of the community,
and an answer to its plea that the Lord is indiflFerent to its appeals. It pre
sumes that the vmter's countrymen constitute an organized community, for the
people addressed obviously enjoy some measure of independence and are
responsible for the miscarriage of justice (v. 14). The offences denounced are
more openly flagrant than those mentioned in the prerious c, and there is a
more acute sense of the national suffering, which is acknowledged to be

374 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lix. 1-5
deserved (v. 12). But from the oppression and humiUation endured it is
predicted that reUef will be brought by the interposition of the Lord, Who
will deliver His people without any human help.
The unity of the c. is open to suspicion. It probably contains more than
one interpolation; and the difference between the flrst part (ve, 1 — IS"), in
which the erils deplored are chiefly intemal, and the second part (ve, \5^ i), in
which the erils from which deliverance is predicted are principaUy external,
is such that it has been conjectured that the c. is a combination of two
separate incomplete poems which have been united together by an editor.
LIX. 1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it
cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 but
your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with
iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth
wickedness. 4 None ^sueth in righteousness, and none pleadeth
in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive
mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch ^basilisks' eggs,
^ Heb. calleth. " Or, adders'
1 — 8. The Lord's delay in succouring His people is due not to
His powerlessness or indifference, but to the people's grievous sins.
1. the LoBD's kand, etc. Better, tke Lobds kand is not too short to
save (or help), or his ear too dull to hear. For shortened (or short) ci. 1. 2,
Num. xi. 23, and for dull (UteraUy heavy) of the ear cf vi. 10,
Zech. vii. II mg.
2. your sins have hid, etc. i.e. have occasioned God to vrithdraw
His regard and favour (cf i. 15, viii. 17, Ivii. 17, Jer. xxxiii. 5, Lam. iii.
44, etc.). The Heb., instead of Ms face, has (the) Face, which seems to
be used as a substitute for the Divine appeUation: cf the Name in
Lev. xxiv. 11, 16. But the reading is perhaps a textual error: the
LXX. (A) has to Trpooioirov airov, the Vulg. faciem dus.
3. ^our hands, etc. The people are addressed collectively, without
discrimination of the righteous and unrighteous sections in it.
4. sueth. Literally, calleth, the object being either the defendant
who is cited, or the judge who is appealed to. Suits (it is implied)
are brought, not to redress a wrong but from motives of malice (like
the Latin calumnia), and those who bring them use sophistry in the
conduct of them ; cf xxix. 21.
vanity. Better, falsity (literally, wasteness or chaos, cf xiv. 19).
they conceive miscMef, etc. The phrase recurs in Job xv. 35 : cf
also Ps. vii. 14.
5—8. This extended description of evildoers in the 3rd pers.
(vv. 2, 3 on the contrary have the 2nd pers.) resembles in style the
book of Proverbs (see on vv. 7, 8), and since v. 9 connects as easily vrith

LIX. 6-9] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 375
and weave the spider's web : he that eateth of their eggs dieth,
and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6 Their
webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover them
selves with their works : their works are works of iniquity, and
the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed innocent blood : their thoughts are
thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their
^paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no
^judgement in their goings : they have made them crooked paths;
whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace. 9 Therefore is
judgement far from us, neither doth righteousness overtake us :
we look for Ught, but behold darkness ; for brightness, but we
1 Or, high ways '^ Or, right
V. 4 as with v. 8, and the confession in vv. 13, 14 reverts to w. 3, 4 and
appears to ignore w. 5 — 8, the passage has been suspected, not without
some reason, to be an interpolation.
5. basilisks' eggs., .the spider's web. i.e. their schemes are fatal to
others (whether they seek to profit by them or to suppress them) and
useless to themselves. For the basilisk see on xi. 8.
6. their works. There is probably a transition in the meaning
from " products " in the first half of the v. (cf v. 5) to " actions " in the
second. 7. Their feet, etc. Cf Prov. i. 16, xxiv. 2. Part of tMs v, and the
foUowing is quoted by St Paul in Rom. iii. 14 — 17 together vrith
passages from Pss. xiv., v., cxi., and x. : and in the LXX. (A) of Ps. xiv.
the w. from Pss. v., cxi., x. and Isaiah have been inserted, whence
they have been introduced into the P. B. Psalter.
desolation and destruction. There is an aUiteration in the original
(13^5 i^\ as in U. 19, Ix. 18, Jer. xlvui. 3.
8. The way of peace, i.e. the conduct that brings peace (or
security): cf the way of life (Prov. vi. 23), tke way of death (Jer.
xxi. 8), ete.
there is no judgement. Better, there is no justice (v. 14) in tkdr
tracks (i.e. course of life, Prov. iv. 26, v. 21).
doth not know peaoe. i.e. has no experience of happiness.
9 — 15*. The prophet, who in vv. 1 — 4 denounces the iniquities of
Ms countrymen, here unites himself to them in a confession of the sins
that have caused the postponement of their deliverance.
9. judgement, i.e. the nation's vindication before the world (its
right, xl. 27), which is deferred by reason of the injustice that prevails
in Israel itself. The term has the same sense in w. II, 15.
righteousness, i.e. the redress of the nation's wrongs (equivalent to
the salvation oiv. 11) : cf Ixii. 1, 2, and perhaps Iviii. 8.
light... darkness. Metaphors for the longed-for felicity and the
present distress (as in 1. 10, Iviii. 8, 10).

376 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lix. 10-15
walk in obscurity. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, yea,
we grope as they that have no eyes: we stumble at noonday
as in the twilight; ^ among them that are lusty we are as dead
men. 11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves:
we look for judgement, but there is none; for salvation, but it
is far off from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied
before thee, and our sins testify against us : for our trans
gressions are with us, and as for our iniqmties, we know them :
13 in transgressing and denying the Lord, and turning away
from following our God, speaMng oppression and revolt, con
ceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 And
judgement is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth
afar off : for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot
enter. 15 Yea, truth is lacMng; and he that departeth from
^ Or, we are in dark places like the dead
10. We grope. An expression of helplessness : cf Deut. xxviu. 29,
Zeph. i. 17.
at noonday, i.e. at a time when relief might be fuUy expected,
their calamitous condition is unredressed.
among... lusty, i.e. surrounded by peoples who are vigorous and
prosperous (cf x. 16, Ps. Ixxviii. 31). But the Vulg. has in caliginosis;
and hence Cheyne conjectures we dwell in the darkness like the dead
(D'ns? D'SB^HDI n.B'j)), cf Lam. in. 6.
11. We roar, etc. The growUng of wild beasts was regarded, like
the cooing of doves (for which see xxxviii. 14, Nah. ii. 7, Ezek. vii. 16),
as a plaintive sound, and the verbs here used are employed indiscrimin
ately of both beasts of prey and doves, see xxxi. 4, Ezek. vii. 16 :
cf the use in Latin of gemo and circumgemo to describe the growUng of
Uons and bears (Lucr. ni. 297, Hor. Epod. xvi. 51).
12. are with us. i.e. are realized by us.
13. denying the LoBD. The expression (cf Jer. v. 12) is perhaps
to be understood of the practical denial of His authority tMough the
moral offences described in vv. 3 f (cf Ivii. 1, 2) rather than tMough
overt apostasy.
oppression. Some critics would substitute perverseness (B'lW for P^V).
14. judgement,., righteousness, i.e. justice (cf v, 8) and rectitude.
The passage has in view the conduct of trials : the quaUties of justice
and rectitude, truth and uprightness, are personified, and are represented
as excluded from, or unable to reach, the tribunals where they ought
to be present— a figurative way of saying that the tribunals are corrupt.
the street. Literally, the broad place, an open space before the
city gates (2 Ch. xxxu. 6, Neh. vui. 1) where the elders and other
persons of authority sat and judged : cf Jer. v. 1, Zech. viii. 16,
.Job xxix. 7.

Lix.i6,i7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 377
evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it dis
pleased him that there was no judgement. 16 And he saw that
there was no man, and wondered that there was ^no intercessor :
therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; and his
righteousness, it upheld him. 17 And he put on righteousness
^ Or, none to interpose
15. maketk,,.prey. i.e. is victimised without redress by those
who are more unscrupulous.
IS*" — 20. An announcement that the Lord will intervene in His
own person to bring retribution upon His enemies.
The central thought of this passage seems to be not the punishment
of the evildoers vrithin Israel (though see v. 20), but the overthrow
of Israel's external oppressors (see on v. 19) ; and this gives plausibility
to Chejme's view that these vv. cannot originally have been the sequel
to the foregoing.
15*". and tke LoBD saw it. The writer, in vv. 16, 17, projects
Mmself into the future, and relates what is to be as though it had
aheady happened. The prophetic perfects are replaced by the future
in vv. 18 f
tkat tkere was no judgement. The defective balance of the clauses
pomts to the loss of a verb, and Marti supplies, and ke was angry that
there was no judgment. Here the word judgment means (not civic
justice as in vv. 8, 14, but) the vindication of Israel (as in v. 9).
16. no intercessor. Better, none to interpose. The verb, though
identical vrith that used in Uii. 12, here has a different sense and
means one who intervenes actively to aid (LXX. o avTiXr^^op-tvo^).
The trouble from wMch a deliverer was needed to liberate Israel is
explained by many critics to be the internal disorders described in
vv. 1 — 15*, which was in some degree eventually remedied by Nehemiah
(who, when this was written, had not yet appeared) ; but the paraUel
of Ixiii. 5 is strongly in favour of understanding the trouble to be
mainly the extemal oppression by foreign foes. The passage implies
that there was no human champion to rescue Israel from Persia as
(>yrus had rescued it from Babylon.
his own arm. God's only, but sufficient, allies are His own
resources (cf Ixiu. 5, li. 9, Ui. 10, xlviii. 14).
brought salvation unto him. Better, wrought Mm deliverance.
his righteousness, i.e. His successfulness. But the similar passage
Ixiii. 5 has his fury, and righteousness may have been accidentally
substituted for it from the next v.
17. And he put on, etc. The Lord is regarded as a warrior (as in
xiii. 13, xlix. 24 f, Ui. 10, cf Ex. xv. 3, Deut. xxxii. 41), and His
attributes are described as constituting His armour and His clothing ;
cf xi. 5, Ixi. 10, Ps. Ixxi. 13, cix. 18, Job xl. 10, "Wisd. v. 17—23
(probably based on tMs passage), Eph. vi. 14 — 17, Hom. II. xx. 381,
et/*€V0s akK-qv.
righteousness, i.e. success, or victory (as in xli. 2).

378 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lix. 18,19
as a ^breastplate, and ^an helmet of salvation upon his head;
and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad
with zeal as a cloke. 18 According to their ^ deeds, accordingly
he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies;
to the ^islands he will repay recompence. 19 So shall they
fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from
the rising of the sun: *for he shall come as ®a rusMng stream,
^ Or, coat of mail ^ Or, salvation for an helmet
^ Heb. recompences. ' Or, coastlands
° Or, when the adversary shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall
lift up a standard against him * Heb. a stream pent in.
an helmet of salvation. Or, a helmet of deliverance. The pMase is
the original of 1 Thess. v. 8.
for clothing. This word, which is superfiuous, is omitted by the
LXX. and Vulg.
zeal. i.e. martial ardour (cf ix. 7, xiii. 13, Ixiii. 15).
chke. An outer garment worn over the tunic (1 Sam. xviii. 4,
xxiv. 4).
18. According to,,. accordingly. The repetition is awkward, and
some, for the second, would substitute recompense or thdr deeds^ (he
unll repay), reading >10|l for ?!?? ; cf iii. 11, lxvi. 6.
recompence to Ms enemies. The LXX., wMch abbreviates the v.,
probably read disgrace to his enemies (n»?? for '•I'SI).
to the islands. Better, to tke coastlands (xl. 15, xiii. 4, U. 5, Ix. 9).
The Persian empire in the fifth century extended to the Mediterranean
seaboard. The clause disturbs the balance of the v. and, being omitted
by the LXX., is probably an insertion.
19. So shall they fear. Only the overthrow of Israel's external
oppressors (not the punishment of internal disorders) could inspfre the
universal awe of the Lord which is here contemplated ; cf Ps. cii. 15.
But instead of fear some MSS. have see. The name of the LoBD
designates the manifestation of His personal presence (cf xxx. 27),
conceived here as accompanied by some visible supernatural brightness
(Ms glory, cf iv. 5, lxvi. 18, 19).
for he shall come, etc. Perhaps better, for it (i.e. the name of the
Lord) skall come as a rusking (or pent-in) river which a wind (or blast)
of the Lobd driveth. The Lord, coming in person to execute judgment,
is compared to a stream rendered impetuous (cf LXX. /3taios) by being
confined within a narrow channel and driven forward by the wind;
cf the similar figure in xxx. 27, 28. Another possible rendering
(supported by the Syr.) is, for as a river the enemy shall come, whom
the blast of tke Lobd skall drive away, a hostile invasion being simUarly
likened to an overfiowing river in viu. 7. But this translation impUes

1 The Heb. term is used both for fair or foul dealing and for the requital of
such : see 1 Sam. xxiv. 17.

Lix.2o,2,] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 379
wMch the breath of the Lord driveth. 20 And a redeemer
shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression
in Jacob, saith the Lord. 21 And as for me, this is my covenant
with them, saith the Lord : my spirit that is upon thee, and my
words wMch I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of
thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the
mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and
for ever.
that the heathen foe is conceived as not merely oppressing but actively
assaUing Israel (like Gog and Magog in Ezek. xxxviii. 9) — a conception
wMch is favoured by nothing else in the passage.
20. And a redeemer, etc. Better, And as a redeemer skall ke (the
Lord) come to 2^on. For redeemer see p. 263.
and unto them tkat turn, etc. The expression implies that there is
evil within Zion, as well as oppression without ; but the vmter seems
here to take a less gloomy view of the moral condition of the community
than is expressed in vv. 1 — 15% and to assume that reforms are in
progress. The text, however, is uncertain, for the LXX., foUowed in
Rom. xi. 26, has. And there shall come for the sake of (Rom. out of,
cf. lxvi. 6) Zion tke redeemer and shall turn away transgression from
Jacob, reading in the last clause 3p.i^?p jl^S 3*B'ni for ^pm W^ '}f)K
21. And as for me, etc. When the deliverance and purification of
Israel have been accomplished, the Lord will preserve it against relapse
(cf liv. 13). The opening words have some resemblance to Gen. ix. 9,
xvii. 4 (P).
my spirit. This becomes a source of instruction tMough inspired
leaders (Ixiii. 11, Neh. ix. 20).
The V. is awkwardly constructed, there being an abrupt change
from the 3rd pers. plur. to the 2nd sing. ; and its connection with
the preceding is very loose. By Cheyne and others it is considered to
be a late insertion, and the conclusion seems plausible.

Chapters LX. — LXII.
These three cc. constitute a smaU group, describing the coming felicity of
Zion, which are marked by a uniform tone of sympathy for the tribulation that
she has imdergone, and of enthusiasm for the compensation which is to be made
to her. They must have been produced under approximately the same con
ditions and about the same time. That they were composed after the return
from the Exile in 537 appears from the mention in Ix. 7, 13, Ixii. 9 of the altar
and temple (the latter of which needed to be beautified, not erected) and of the
courts of the sanctuary, and from the allusion (in Ixii. 8, 9) to raids upon harvest
fields and rineyards of which those whom the writer addresses are in occupa
tion. They shew traces of having been written under the influence of the

380 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lx. 1-4
prophecies of Deutero-Isaiah and bear a close resemblance, in particular, to
cc. Uv. and lv. (cf lx. 3, Ixii. 2 with lv. 5 ; lx. 5f, 10, Ixi. 6 with liv. 3 ; Ixii. 5
with Uv. 4, 5 ; Ixi. 8 with liv. 10, lv. 3 ; lx. 21 with liv. 13): cf. also lx. 4 with
xUx. 18, 22, Ixi. 1 with xUi. 1. The anticipations of Deutero-Isaiah respecting
the glory of Jerusalem after the Retum from Babylon had not been fulfilled ;
and the writer of these cc, living in the fifth century, aims at comforting his
depressed countrymen with predictions framed on the model of his predecessor
of the ExUe. The post-exilic Jerusalem for long suffered from paucity of
inhabitants and the lack of defensive walls; and hence the prophet announces
the retum in large numbers of those Jews who were stiU in exile, and the re
building of the city's ramparts. The cc. would be in more natural sequence if
arranged in the order Ixi., Ixii., lx.

Chapter LX.
This c, though closely connected vrith cc. bd., Ixii. in contents and tone, is
complete in itself It consists of an address to Zion from the Lord, Who is
indicated as the speaker in vv. 7, 10, 13, 15, etc.
LX. 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory
of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, darkness shaU
cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples : but the Lord
shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And nations shall come to thy light, and Mngs to the bright
ness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes roimd about, and see :
they all gather themselves together, they come to thee : thy sons
LX. 1 — 4. Jerusalem is soon to be iUumined by the glory of
the Divine presence, and to attract to herself the heathen nations, who
will bring with them her scattered people.
1. Arise. The afflicted Jerusalem (the name is inserted in the
LXX. and Vulg.) is regarded as enveloped in gloom and prostrate on
the ground (cf U. 17, Iii. 2).
shine. The imperative is equivalent to a future : Jerusalem wiU
shortly be illumined by the light of which the Lord is the source, in
accord with the promises in Iviii. 8, 10.
is come... is risen. The tenses are prophetic perfects : the moment
of her transformation is still future (Iviii. 8, 10) but is close at hand.
3. And nations shall, etc. The thought is a reproduction of
xlix. 22, 23, and has influenced Rev. xxi. 24.
thy rising. Jerusalem is thought of as having become herself a
luminary. 4. tkey all. The pronouns refer not to the preceding subject but
to thy sons and thy daughters; ci. xlix. 18. The post-exilic community
in Jerusalem was scanty in numbers (Neh. vii. 4) and many Jews
were still in exile (see on Ixi. 1).

LX.s-7] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 381
shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be ^carried in the
arms. 5 Then thou shalt see and ^be lightened, and thine heart
shaU tremble and be enlarged ; because the abundance of the
sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall
come unto thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee,
the 'dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; they all shall come
from Sheba : they shall bring gold and frauMncense, and shall
^proclaim the praises of the Lord. 7 All the flocks of Kedar
shaU be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth
' Heb. nursed upon the side. ' See Ps. xxxiv. 5.
' Or, young camels * Heb. bring good tidings of the praises.
carried in the arms. More literaUy, nursed on the side (cf lxvi. 12),
a figure for the tender solicitude with which the exiles will be brought
back by the nations : cf xUx. 22, Num. xi. 12.
5 — 9. The wealth of the nations, conveyed by sea and land, shall
be transported to the city to enrich her citizens and to enhance the
digmty of the Temple worsMp.
5. skalt see. What will be seen is explained in the second half
of the verse.
he lightened. Better, be radiant, i.e. thy face shall Ught up with
joy (Ps. xxxiv. 5).
tremhh and be enlarged, i.e. throb with delight (Jer. xxxiii. 9,
Hos. iu. 5) and expand with a sense of reUef (Ps. cxix. 32, xxv. 17 mg.).
the abundance of the sea. i.e. the rich merchandise carried on the
sea (Deut. xxxiu. 19, cf Hag. u. 7, Zech. xiv. 14) from the Phoenician
colonies and other places on the Mediterranean (W. of Palestine).
6. The multitude of camels, etc. i.e. caravans bringing the products
of the lands on the E. and S. of Palestine.
Midian. A Bedouin tribe, rich in camels, dweUing in the Sinaitic
and Syrian deserts (Ex. ii. 16, Gen. xxv. 2, xxxvU. 28, Jud. vi. 3,
vii. 12) ; see Driver, Gen. p. 240.
Ephah. A tribe akin to Midian (Gen. xxv. 4).
th^ all, etc. Better, all from Sheba skall come. Sheba (distinct
from Seba, xlui. 3) was part of S. Arabia (the mod. Yemen). For
the products here associated with these regions cf 1 Kgs. x. 2,
Ezek. xxvii. 22, Ps. Ixxii. 15, Jer. vi. 20, Verg. G. n. 117, solis
est turea virga Sahaeis. The present passage is recaUed by the
narrative of the Magi (Matt. u. 1 — II).
shall proclaim the praises, etc. More Uterally, shall bring good
tidings of the LOBD'S praiseworthy deeds (Ixiii. 7, Ex. xv. II, Ps.
Ixxviii. 4, cf Latin laudes).
7. Kedar,,, Nebaioth, These (mentioned together by Phny) were
pastoral tribes of N. Arabia, represented as sons of Ishmael (Gen.
xxv. 13). Kedar is mentioned in xxi. 16, xlU. 11, Jer. U. 10, Ezek.
xxvu. 21, Ps. cxx. 5, etc. The people of Nebaioth (the Nabatseans)

382 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lx.8-io
shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance
on mine altar, and I wiU ^glorify ^the house of my glory.
8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their
windows ? 9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of
Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their
gold with them, for the name of the Lord thy God, and for the
Holy One of Israel, because he hath 'glorified thee. 10 And
^ Or, beautify ^ Or, my beautiful house ^ Or, beautified
formed a powerful kingdom in the second century B.C. (1 Mac. v. 25,
ix. 35). Sheep and cattle were imported from Arabia and the
countries E. of Jordan at all periods of Hebrew history (see 2 Kgs.
iu. 4, 2 Ch. xvii. 11).
shall minister unto thee. i.e. shaU serve thy needs in providing
victims for thy sacrifices (cf v. 10, Ivi. 6). But the LXX. has ^iovalv
a-oi, and Klostermann reads, shall eagerly seek thee (^3-1"inK'* for 'q.5-in']E'|).
they skall come up, etc. i.e. shall be offered upon my altar and be
received favourably as tokens of homage from the tribes wMch provide
them. The view that the victims are thought of as mounting the
altar spontaneously (see W. R. Smith, Eel. Sem. p. 309) is improbable;
but amongst the Romans the struggles of a victim to escape were
accounted an omen of evil (Livy, xxi. 63).
/ will glorify, etc. Better, / will bea/utify my beautiful house.
But the LXX. has my house of prayer (Ivi. 7) shall he beautify (n'3
iNBi •'Hfisri for "iKss *ri")KSR n»3).
8. these. The prophet, reverting in thought from the E. to the
W. (v. 5), sees in vision a dense cloud of ships laden with Jewish
exiles, hasting to Palestine like homing doves (cf Ps. lv. 6, Hos. xi. II).
For a cloud as a simile for vast numbers cf Ezek. xxxviii. 16, Hom.
P. rv. 274, ap.a re vei^os ehrero ire^iSv, Verg. G. IV. 60 (of bcCs),
obscuramque traki vento mirabere nubem. The comparison to doves is
designed to illustrate the speed of the vessels (cf Soph. O.C. I08I, ilB'
aeXkaia. raxuppoiOTO'S TreXeia^. . .KVpaaipLi tcSvS' dywvwv),
their windows, i.e. their latticed dovecotes.
9. Surely the ishs skall wait, etc. i.e. the distant westem peoples
shaU await my signal to bring my people home. But the connection
with the foUowing clause is improved, and point is given to the word
first, by the emendation. Surely vessels shall he gathered for me (0"^
¦lll^: for -Vlp.; D*!N).
thdr silver, etc. That the Jews of the captivity accumulated
wealth in the lands of their exile is probable from the fact that
comparatively few of them returned to Palestine when the oppor
tunity was offered : see p. Ixxv.
for tke name of tke LoBD, etc. Better, to (the place of) the name
of the Lobd (xviii. 7, cf Jer. ui. 17), and to tke Holy One of Israel,
because he hath beautified thee.

lx. 11-13] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 383
strangers shaU build up thy waUs, and their kings shall minister
unto thee : for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have
I had mercy on thee. 11 Thy gates also shaU be open con
tinuaUy; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may
bring unto thee the wealth of the nations, and their kings led
with them. 12 For that nation and kingdom that will not serve
thee shaU perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
13 The glory of Lebanon shaU come unto thee, the fir tree, Hhe
pme, and the box tree together ; to beautify the place of my
sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
1 See oh. xli. 19.
10—14. The city is to be rebuilt and beautified by its former
enemies. 10. tky walb. The walls of Jerusalem were stUl in a state of ruin
when Nehemiah reached the city in 445 (Neh. ii. 13). It is not quite
clear whether the foreigners are here regarded as personally labouring
upon their reconstruction (cf xiv. 2, Ixi. 5) or as merely furnishing
money and materials. The rebuilding was eventuaUy undertaken by
Nehemiah, who received help from the Persian king Artaxerxes
(Neh. U. 7—8).
11. Thy gates. The city, though provided with the means of
defence, vrill be the object, not of the neighbouring peoples' hostility,
but of theu emulous devotion, and her gates will have to stand open
not only by day but also by night in order to admit the offerings they
hring. The thought is reproduced in Rev. xxi. 25.
tkdr kings led. The expression suggests that the kings are led by
force (cf xiv. 14, though see note) ; but this seems alien to the context
(see V. 3). Probably a letter in the original word has been mis
placed, and the participle should be active — tkdr kings leading tkem
(n^im for D^J-inj).
12. For tkat nation, etc. The ceaseless supply of treasures is here
accounted for by the apprehensions of those who withhold them (cf
Zech. xiv. 17 — 19). But the v. disturbs the natural sequence oivv. II
and 13, and is not in harmony with the spirit oi v. 3 ; and being un-
metrical, is regarded by Cheyne and others as an interpolation based
on Zech. /. c.
13. Tke glory of Lebanon. Perhaps a designation of the cedar
(xxxv. 2). The second temple, aheady built but comparatively mean
and insignificant (Hag. ii. 3, 7), is to be adomed (like the first, 1 Kgs.
V. 8 f ) with the choicest timber.
tke fir tree, etc. Or, tke cypress, the plane, and the sherbin-tree, see
on xli. 19.
place of my feet. Synonymous with the preceding place of my
sanctuary, i.e. the Temple (Ezek. xliii. 7, Ps. xcix. 5, cxxxii. 7, Lam.
ii. 1). The clause is omitted by the LXX.

384 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lx. .4-17
14 And the sons of them that aflBicted thee shall come bending
unto thee ; and aU they that despised thee shaU bow themselves
down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee The city
of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 Whereas
thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed
through thee, I wUl make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of
many generations. 16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the
nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt
know that I the Lord am thy saviour, and thy redeemer, the
Mighty One of Jacob. 17 For brass I will bring gold, and for
iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron :
I will also make thy officers peace, and ^tMne exactors right-
1 Or, thy taskmasters
14. the sons of them that afflicted, ete. Equivalent to they tkat
afflicted (for the form of the expression cf i. 4).
shall bow,,, feet. The passage seems to have influenced Rev. iii. 9.
Zion of the Holy One. The phrase only occurs here.
15 — 18. Zion, instead of being shunned and shamed, wUl be admired
and frequented, adorned with the costliest materials, and endowed with
internal order and external security.
15. so that no man, ete. The words imply the absence of tiaffic ;
and are consistent with the conditions prevailing afber, as weU as during,
the Exile : cf Neh. u. 17.
a joy, etc. i.e. a place to which people vriU delight to resort, cf
lxv. 18, Lam. ii. 15, Ps. xlviii. 2.
16. Thou shalt also suok, etc. A variation of xUx. 23, and inter
preted in the LXX. by ttXovtov jSao-tXewv (pdyetrai.
thou skalt know, etc. The change in Israel's fortunes vrill convince
the people that the Lord has been active in their behalf. The clause,
slightly varied, is repeated from xlix. 26.
17. For brass, etc. In the reconstruction of the city, ordinary
building materials are to be replaced by others more valuable, recaUing
the splendour of Solomon (1 Kgs. x. 21, 27), and in marked contiast te
the replacing of precious metals by others less precious on the occasions
when foreign invaders had to be bought off (1 Kgs. xiv. 26 f). The
substitution of brass for wood is (superficiaUy at least) inconsistent with
the provision of valuable timber in v, 13, and Duhm and Cheyne on
metrical grounds omit the words and for wood brass, and for stones
iron, I will also make, etc. i.e. I will render thy governors peaceful and
righteous. But this, though supported by the LXX. and Vulg., is weak,
and a preferable rendering is, / will appdnt Peace as thy magistracy
and Eigkteousness as thy ruhr (Zech. x. 4 mg.), i.e. peace and rectitude
(personified like the abstractions in lix. 14) wiU replace rapacious heathen
as the government of the city.

LX.18-..] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 385
eousness. 18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land,
desolation nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt
call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 19 The sun shaU
be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the
moon give light unto thee : but the Lord shall be unto thee an
everlastmg Ught, and thy God thy ^ glory. 20 Thy sun shall no
more go down, neither shaU thy moon withdraw itself : for the
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourn
ing shaU be ended. 21 Thy people also shaU be all righteous,
they shall inherit the land for ever ; the branch of my planting,
the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. 22 The little
one shaU become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation :
I the Lord will hasten it in its time.
^ Or, beauty
18. Salvation... Praise. The names given to the walls and gates
(vv. 10, 11) express their characteristics : the former will ensure for the
city perfect safety, whilst the latter will become renowned in consequence
of being the resort of so many nations.
19 — 22. The Lord wiU be ever-present in the city, and its people
wUl be permanently free from sorrow and sin.
19. Tke sun, etc. In consequence of the presence of the Lord,
symbolized by a supernatural light (iv. 5, xxx. 26, Ezek. xliii. 2), the
luminaries of the day and night will be superseded ; cf xxiv. 23. The
passage has suggested Rev. xxi. 23, xxii. 5.
21. skall he all rigkteous. Moral imperfections and deficiencies will
have no place in the redeemed community (cf iv. 3, xxvi. 2, liv. 13,
Zeph. iii. 13, Jer. xxxi. 33, xxxii. 39, Ezek. xi. 19, xxxvi. 26) ; and the
absence of these will preclude any future forfeiture of the land for sin,
so that the people vrill remain in undisturbed occupation of it (cf Ivii.
13, lxv. 9).
the branch. Better, tke scion, cf xi. 1. The coUective people are
thought of as a sapling which the Lord has planted in the soil of His
holy land : cf Ixi. 3, Num. xxiv. 6, Ps. Ixxx. 8. Cheyne would emend
the text to tke scion of the Lord's planting, the work of his hands, that
he may he ghrifhd (reading nin* yap for 'P^P or il'^0 and I*'!* (with
the LXX.) for n:).
22. The little one, ete. i.e. the least of the Judsean households.
A thousand was a subdivision (perhaps originaUy miUtary, Ex. xviii. 21,
Josh. xxii. 21) of a tribe (Jud. vi. 15 mg., Mic. v. 2), consisting of a
group of families (cf 1 Sam. x. 19, 21).
in its time. i.e. in the due time of its fulfilment ; cf xiii. 22.

W.I.

25

386 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxl

Chapter LXI.
Chapter Ixi. is closely connected with c. Ixu., and the theme of both is similar
to that of c. lx. The subject of c. Ixi. is a message of comfort from the Lord
to Israel in distress, announcing release for its members stiU in exile, the re
building of its mined capital, and compensation for the indignities of the
past. LXI. 1 The spirit of the Lord GoD is upon me; because
the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
^meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and Hhe opemng of the prison
^ Or, poor ^ Or, opening of the eyes
LXI. 1. The spirit, etc. The speaker is the prophet, not (as
has been thought by some critics) the Servant of the Lord, for he is not
commissioned to address the Gentiles (who, on the contrary, must be
the objects of the predicted vengeance, v. 2), and he is not a teacher of
religion but a herald of approaching redemption to Israelite exUes.
The passage, however, reproduces some of the expressions of the
"Servant Songs."
the Lord GoD. Better, the Lord Jehovah (as in 1. 4).
is upon me. The prophet, for the discharge of Ms function, is
endowed with the spirit of the Lord, as in xlviii. 16 : cf. xM. 1, Mic. M.
8, Num. xxiv. 2.
because.. .anointed. Physical anointing as a symbol of consecration
to high office was practised among the Hebrews in connection vrith
kings (1 Sam. ix. 16, xvi. 3, 1 Kgs. i. 45, etc.), priests (Ex. xxviii. 41,
xxix. 7, cf Lev. vi. 22), and prophets (I Kgs. xix. 16). The practice
was perhaps totemistic in origin, its purpose being to impart certein
desirable virtues by contact with the fat of an animal which was
regarded as divine. The fat, especially the kidney fat (xxxiv. 6), was
doubtless believed to be the seat of valuable qualities, if not, Uke the
blood, of life itself Here the expression is used figuratively of the
unction of the spirit (cf Acts x. 38, I Joh. ii. 20), and, mstead of
explaining, merely repeats the preceding clause.
to preack good tidings. In the original the same word as to tell, or
bring, good tidings (xl. 9, Iii. 7). Here the tidings are brought by an
individual prophet, not by a band of messengers (as in ll.c).
the meek. The word here describes not a disposition ("submissive")
but a condition, "poor," "distressed^" : cf xxix. 19, xxxii. 7, Am. ii. 7.
The LXX. has tttcoxois, probably reading ^^'.^V. for D')^^. The people
designated are the distressed Jews. For the metephor bind up ci. i. 6,
iii. 7 (mg.), xxx. 26, Ezek. xxxiv. 4, 16.
to proclaim liberty, etc. That many Jews remained in exile afber
537 is clear from Zech. ii. 7 and the return of a considerable body with
1 Cf. Driver, Parallel Psalter, p. 445 (humble).

LXL 2, 3] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 387
• to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim ^the acceptable year of
the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God ; to comfort all
that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to
give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they
might be caUed trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
^ Or, the year of the LoBirs good pleasure
Ezra in the reign of Artaxerxes (Ezra viii. 1 f ). The phraseology is the
same as that used in connection with the Sabbatical year, when bond
men were released and alienated property recovered, see Lev. xxv. 10,
40, Jer. xxxiv. 8 f , Ezek. xlvi. 17.
the opening. The verb in the original is exclusively used of opening
the eyes or ears (xxxv. 5, xiii. 7, 20), and the text should perhaps be
emended (with the LXX.) to tke opening of tke eyes to the blind (Q''"?''!?'?
for Q''>lD.'f?) : cf xUi. 7. But the passage (like xiii. 7) has in view the
restoration, not of sight to the actually blind, but of light to those who
are immured in dungeons.
2. the acceptable year. Literally, a year of the LoBD'S favour, ci.
xUx. 8. There is no significance in the distinction between " the year
of favour" and "the day of vengeance" (xxxiv. 8, Ixiii. 4, Jer. xlvi. 10),
both being merely rhetorical expressions : cf Jer. li. 6. Those upon whom
the vengeance is to fall are the heathen oppressors of Israel. Verses 1, 2
(vrith the omission of the day of vengeance, etc.), were applied by our
Lord to Himself at the outset of His ministry at Nazareth (Luke
iv. 18—21).
to comfort... mourn, i.e. the afflicted Jews; cf Ivii. 18. This clause
should be transferred to the beginning of v. 3.
3. to appoint... in Zion. The clause is a superfluous variant of
the adjoining words, and should probably be omitted.
a garlamd. Better, a turban (or headtire). The wearing of this,
as being an article of dignified or festal attire, is contrasted with
casting askes on the head or sitting in them, acts which betokened grief
(Iviii. 5, 2 Sam. xiii. 19, Ezek. xxvii. 30, Jer. vi. 26, Job xhi. 6, Dan.
ix. 3). There is an assonance in the original between 1?<? and "^S??.
oil of joy. Anointing with oil was an accompaniment of festivals or
a mark of honour (Ps. xxui. 5, xiv. 7, Matt. vi. 17, Luke vii. 46), whilst
the omission of it was a sign of sorrow (2 Sam. xiv. 2).
tke garment of praise. A metaphor for the acquisition of renown ;
cf Ps. cix. 18, and the expressions in v. 10, Ux. 17, Ps. cxxxu. 9, 16,
Zech. iu. 4. The parallelism of the clauses is improved by the
tiansposition (favoured by many critics) of the word garment, so that
the passage may run, tke dl of joy for the garment of mourning (ci.
2 Sam. xiv. 2), praise for the spirit of keavimess. The last phrase is
Uterally, a dimly-burning or flickering spirit ; cf xiii. 3, Ezek. xxi. 7.
trees of righteousness. LiteraUy, terebinths of rigkteousness ; the
thought of the righteousness of the restored Jews (lx. 21) is combined
25—2

388 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxl 4-7
that he might be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old
wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shaU
repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your fiocks, and aUens
shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But ye shaU
be named the priests of the Lord: men shall call you the
mimsters of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and Hn their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 For your
shame ye shall have double ; and for confusion they shaU
' Or, to their glory shall ye succeed
with the metephor of the branck into a somewhat unnatural figure.'
Terebinths are sturdy and imposing trees, and so are used as symbols
of endurance, cf i. 29 : for other comparisons to trees see Ps. i. 3,
xcii. 12, Jer. xvii. 8. The LXX. has yeveaX Stxatoo-wr;?, wMch favours
the suggested emendation, ckildren of righteousness (*!?- for 7*??):
contrast Ivii. 4.
tke planting of tke LoBD, etc. Repeated from lx. 21.
4. they shall build. A repetition of former promises (see xlix. 8,
IviU. 12, lx. 10).
5. strangers skall stand, etc. The long-prevaUing relations of Jew
and Gentile are to be reversed (cf lx. 10, xiv. 2) ; foreign peoples wUl
stand as servants awaiting their masters' orders (cf 1 Kgs. i. 2, 2 Kgs.
V. 25). 6. tke priests of tke LoBD. Israel collectively is to occupy in
relation to the nations the position of priests in regard to the laity
(cf Zech. viii. 23), and to teach them how to worsMp the Lord (cf.
2 Kgs. xvii. 27, 28). Hence it is to be supported by them (cf lx 10,
lxvi. 12, Hag. ii. 7) as the Aaronic priests and the Levites Uved by the
tithes and offerings of their countrymen. The conception of Israel as
the priestly nation recalls Ex. xix. 6, and is reproduced in the
apostolic conception of the CMistian Church (1 Pet. ii. 9).
ministers. The word is used of priestly duties in Deut. x. 8,
xvii. 12, I Ch. xxui. 13 ; cf Joel i. 9, ii. 17, Jer. xxxui. 21 : LXX.
XevTovpyoi 6eov.
• in tkeir glory skall ye boost yourselves. The meaning of the verb is
a little doubtful. The rendering of the text is supported by the LXX.
(6avfi.aa-6i]a-ea-6i) and the Vulg. (superbietis), cf Ps. xciv. 4'. But many
translate, witk their glory (i.e. their riches, x. 3, lxvi. 11, 12) ye skaU
make exchange (i.e. exchange for their riches your present poverty), or
to tkeir glory (or riches) ye skall succeed. Cheyne proposes witk tkeir
glory ye skall adorn yourselves (•Ti'^Dipfl for ¦1"isi]|in)j and tMnks that the
LXX. implies this reading.
7. For yowr shame, etc. The general sense of the passage is that
1 The Heb. here has •IIBNn;, not -nB^n;.

LXLS-io] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 389
rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shaU
possess double : everlasting joy shaU be unto them. 8 For I
the Lord love judgement, I hate robbery ^vrith iniquity; and
I will give them their recompence in truth, and I wiU make an
everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be
known among the nations, and their oflFspring among the peoples :
all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed
which the Lord hath blessed.
10 I wUl greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful
in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salva-
1 Or, for (or with) a bumt offering
the Jews are to be indemnified twofold for the suff'ering and shame
which they have undergone (cf Zech. ix. 12, Job xhi. 10). But the
text seems to be corrupt, since (a) the preposition for prefixed by the
R.V. to confusion is absent in the Heb. ; (h) therefore in the second half
of the v., introducing the requitel, should foUow immediately the
description of the wrong for which requital is due. A. plausible
emendation produces the rendering Because their shame (Di?B'3 ^3 nnFi)
was douhh and they possessed C'^l^ for -I^IJ) confusion as tkeir portion ^,
tkerefore in thdr land tkey skall possess douhh : cf xl. 2.
in tkeir land. The twofold compensation is to be made them by
a doubling of their former territory; cf liv. 3.
8. robbery witk iniquity, i.e. unjust robbery. The expression
describes the injustice done when the possessions of the offending
Jevrish nation were appropriated by the heathen agents of God's
chastisement beyond what its offences called for (cf Zech. i. 15). The
translation implies a necessary correction ('^7!!l'3, supported by some
MSS. and by the LXX. and Syr.) : the Heb. text (followed by the Vulg.),
has robbery with a burnt offering ('^/iJ'?), which is only appropriate
to the conduct of hypocritical Jews (such as those depicted in c. Iviii.,
cf i. 13, 14), not to that of tyrannical heathen.
in truth, i.e. faithfully : cf x. 20, xxxviii. 3.
an everlasting covenant. The word covenant here has the meaning
of a promise (as in Num. xxv. 13), not a stipulation. The past
chastisement is never to be repeated, or the Divine mercy withdrawn,
cf lv. 3.
9. known, i.e. renowned, cf Prov. xxxi. 23.
all that see tkem. The visible increase in their numbers will attest
the fact that the Divine favour attends them (cf lx. 22, lxv. 23).
10. I will greatly rejdice, etc. The speaker is Israel or Jerusalem,
expressing gratitude for the promised felicity, which is assumed to be
already secured (cf xii. 1, 2). The v. in its present position is isolated,
' Many critics prefer Klostennaun's emendation and confusion and spitting were
their portion (reading plj for -Uhj) : cf. 1. 6.

390 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxl n-Lxn. i
tion, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom ^decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride
adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth
forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are
sown in it to spring forth ; so the Lord GrOD wiU cause righteous
ness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
' Heb. decketh as a priest.
and interrupts the connection between vv. 9 and 11 : it is apparently a
misplaced fragment.
salvation... righteousness, i.e. deliverance and vindication (as in
Ux. 9, 11).
decketh Mmself, etc. Literally, priests it witk a turban. Although
priests wore headtires (Ex. xxix. 9, xxxix. 28, Jos. Ant. iil vii. 3), the
verb, wMch elsewhere means " to perform priestly functions," seems
inappropriate, and hence many critics would substitute settetk upright
(on Ms head) a turban (reading PPJ for 10?)); cf Cant. iii. 11.
as a bride. The figure is imitated in Rev. xxi. 2.
11. For as the earth, etc. This v. continues, not v. 10 but v. 9,
which it iUustrates.
rigkteousness and praise. Better, redress (or triumpk, ci. xiv. 8,
lix. 9) and (consequent) renown.

Chapter LXII.
The subject of this c, like that of the two preceding, is the fature glory of
Zion and the restoration of its exiled citizens. It is dirided into three sections
by a change of metre at v. 4 and by a change from a£Srmation to exhortation at
V. 10. LXII. 1 For Zion's sake wiU I not hold my peace, and for
Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth
1 — 3. The Lord's resolve to vindicate Zion before the world. The
speaker niay possibly be the prophet (as in Ixi. 1), declaring that he
will not intermit his intercessions with the Lord on behalf of the
people (cf the pleading of Daniel (Dan. ix.), Habakkuk (Hab. i. 2 f ),
Moses (Ex. xxxii. 31) and Elijah (1 Kgs. xvui. 36 f )) ; but is more
probably the Lord (cf Ixi. 8) Who expresses His determination no
longer to refrain from actively intervening to promote Zion's cause.
The reference to the Lord in the 3rd pers. (vv. 2—5) is not a fatel
objection to tMs view (cf vv. 6—9, and lx. 19, 20), wMch is supported
by the reading of the LXX. in the second clause, rj SiKaioavvr) fji,ov...T6
croiTrjpLov juou.
l._ kold my peace . . . rest. Both verbs are u sed to describe the Lord's
inaction in respect of punishing or redressing wrong ; for the first see

LxiLi-5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 391
as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. 2 And
the nations shaU see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory :
and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of
the Lord shaU name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty
in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy
God. 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken ; neither shaU
thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be caUed
^Hephzi-bah, and thy land ^Beulah: for the Lord dehghteth in
thee, and thy land shaU be married. 5 For as a young man
marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and *as the
1 That is. My delight is in her. " That is. Married.
* Heb. with the joy of the bridegroom.
xhi. 14, Ivii. 11, Lxiv. 12, lxv. 6, and for the second see xviu. 4, Ps.
Ixxxiii. 1.
her righteousness,,. her salvation, i.e. the vindication of her right by
deliverance from her enemies (as in Ixi. 10, liv. 17, Iviii. 8).
lamp. Better, torch (Gen. xv. 17, cf Zech. xii. 6).
2. see thy righteousness, i.e. witness thy triumph ; cf lx. 3.
a new name. Such is necessary to express the approaching change
in her condition and her relation to God (cf lxv. 15). The name is
obviously not one of tbe commonplace appeUations in v. 4, but a title
only known to the Lord (cf Rev. u. 17), similar to The Lobd is owr
righteousness (Jer. xxxiii. 16). The second half of the v., however,
disturbs the symmetry of the parallelism which marks the surrounding
vv., and is regarded by Duhm and others as an interpolation, designed
to prevent the title (Hephzi-bah) in v. 4 from being mistaken for the
city's real name in the future.
3. in the hand. It is described as carried in the hand (and not
bome on the head) because it is regarded less as an ornament than as
an object of great value.
4 — 5. A promise of the renewal of the Lord's former relations to
Zion. The Lord is still the speaker, to whom the first person in the com
pound name Hepkzi-hah relates.
4. Forsaken,,, Desolate, i.e. no longer abandoned or repudiated
by the Lord, her Husband; cf xlix. 14, liv. I, 6. The Hebrew of
Forsaken (Azubah) occurs as an actual feminine name (I Kgs. xxii. 42) \
Hepkd~hak...Beulak. The names mean respectively my delight is
in her (cf. Mal. iii. 12) and married (cf. liv. I, Deut. xxii. 22). Tbe
first occurs as the appeUation of a woman in 2 Kgs. xxi. I, but both
are here descriptive titles expressing the city's changed estate.
shall he married, i.e. shaU again be united, after separation, cf liv. 5.
5. thy sons. As the land was considered to be the wife, not of its
1 The words shall.,, any more be termed in the original are unmetrical, and
should be omitted as a superfluous expansion.

392 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxil6-8
bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shaU thy God rejoice
over thee.
6 I have set watchmen upon thy waUs, 0 Jerusalem ; they
shaU never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the
Lord's remembrancers, Hake ye no rest, 7 and give him no ^rest,
tiU he estabUsh, and tiU he make Jerusalem a praise in the
earth. 8 The Lord hath sworn by Ms right hand, and by the
arm of his strength. Surely I wiU no more give thy corn to be
meat for thine enemies ; and strangers shall not drink thy ^wine,
^ Or, keep not silence ^ Heb. silence. ^ Or, vintage
people (who were thought of as its children— xlix. 20, 22), but of its God
(the Lord, liv. 5), the text should probably be corrected to thy Builder
('!I?33i for 1:^3), cf Uv. 11, Ps. cxlvii. 2. There is the same confusion
in xlix. 17.
6—9. The Lord's assurance that He will not aUow His promise to
Zion to be forgotten by Him.
6. / have set, etc. The speaker is again the Lord.
watchmen. Literally, guardians (as in xxi. 11), i.e. angeUc ministers
whose duty it is to watch over the welfare of Jerusalem and who are
charged to keep constantly before the Lord His resolution about her
(just as Xerxes directed an attendant to bid him when at dinner to
remember the Athenians, see Hdt. v. 105) : cf Zech. i. 12.
upon thy walls. Better, over thy walls, which are not yet rebuilt
(Ixi. 4).
remembrancers. The same term as that used of the recorders of the
Jewish kings (see on xxxvi. 3).
7. give him no rest. The writer must have lived at a time when
the predicted amelioration in the condition of Zion lagged behind the
natural expectations of its people.
a praise, i.e. an object of praise; cf lx. 15, Ixi. 11, Jer. xiii. 11,
xxxiii. 9.
8. sworn by Ms right kand. The Lord's right hand and arm
(xlviii. 14, Ps. XX. 6, xcviii. 1) are the symbols of His power to fulfil
His oath.
no more give tky corn, etc. The city, being unwalled, was exposed
to the depredations of marauders, amongst whom the Edomites are
perhaps to be included (cf Mal. i. 2 — 5). Possibly too, there may
be an allusion to the requisitions of the Persian governors (Neh. v. 15).
In the future the fruits of the people's labour are not to be thus appro
priated by others : cf lxv. 21, 22.
tky wine. Strictly, tky must, the new wine stiU in the vats or troughs
(Prov. iii. 10, Mic. vi. 15 Heb., Joel ii. 24).

1 The plural may be a plural of dignity.

LxiLg-ii] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 393
for the which thou hast laboured : 9 but they that have garnered
it shall eat it, and praise the Lord ; and they that have gathered
it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.
10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way
of the people; cast up, cast up the high way; gather out the
stones; Uft up an ensign Hor the peoples. 11 Behold, the
Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth. Say ye to the
daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his
^ Or, over
9. tke courts of my sanctuary. Better, my holy courts. Offerings
of the produce of the fields and vineyards afforded materials for festal
meals on the occasion of the three great festivals of the agricultural
year, wMch, since the promulgation of the Deuteronomic law, were
required to be held at the central sanctuary (Deut. xii. 17, 18, xiv.
23, xvi. 5 — 17, cf also xv. 20). The second Temple had more than
one court (see Neh. xiii. 7, 1 Mac. iv. 38, 48), whereas the first had
only one (see on i. 12).
10 — 12. Directions to expedite and announce the return of the
scattered Israelites to Jerusalem.
This section has been modelled upon passages in Deutero-Isaiah, but
the writer seems to have varied in certein particulars from Ms original,
though a want of explicitness renders Ms real meaning somewhat
doubtful. 10. Go through, etc. The speaker is probably the Lord, Who here
addresses, not the personified Jerusalem, but its inhabitants, and directs
them to pass tMough the city gates to prepare the way for their fellow
countrymen who are about to return with Himself accompanying them.
The passage reproduces the idea of xl. 3, but those who are here charged
with the work of preparation are human, and not superhuman, beings.
cast up. The expression repeats Ivii. 14, but is here used in a
literal sense.
lift up an ensign for tke peophs. Better, lift up an ensign above the
peoples. The language is based on that of xlix. 22 (cf xi. 12) ; but
whereas there it is the Lord Himself who raises the ensign as a signal
to the heathen to gather the Jews who are among them, here the raising
of it is committed to others, perhaps celestial spirits.
11. Behold.,, of tke earth. This clause should be attached to v, 10
(being parallel to lift up an endgnfor (or above) the peoples), and should
be followed by a fuU stop. The tenor of the proclamation (which is
left to be understood) is presumably that the time has come for His
people's fuU redemption (cf xviii. 3).
Say ye. All who are interested in Zion's fortunes are bidden to
announce to her the Lord's approach : cf xl. 9.
tky salvation. The abstract is perhaps equivalent to tky Saviour
(LXX. tSou o-oi o a-iiirrjp TrapayCverai, Vulg. salvator tuus venit) : cf Ps.
xxvii. 1.

394 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxil 12-Lxin. i
reward is with him, and his ^recompence before him. 12 And
they shall caU them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord:
and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken.
1 Or, work
Ms reward. The Lord's rescued people are His prize of war : cf
xl. 10. 12. Tke holy people. They are so caUed because they are the
privUeged people of a mighty God (cf bri. 6, Ixiii. 18, Ex. xix. 6,
Ezra ix. 2, Dan. xii. 7).
Sought out, etc. Contrast lx. 15. The names here bestowed on
Jerusalem are the reverse of the epithets applied to her in v. 4 (Forsaken)
and Jer. xxx. 17 (Zion whom no man seeketh after) : ci. the similarly
reversed appeUations in Hos. i. 6, 9, ii. 23.

Chapter LXHI. 1—6.
This section is an independent poem, but it stands in close connection with
the preceding cc, depicting, as the counterpart of Israel's redemption, the
infliction of vengeance upon its foes (see v, 4, and cf Ixi. 2). The Lord is
represented as returning from Edom where He has overthrown, single-handed,
the enemies of His people. The rictory which is the subject of the writer's
thoughts is really in the future, but is described as already achieved (the past
tenses being perfects of certainty). The passage bears a close resemblance in
tone to lix. 15''— 20.
Though the scene of the conflict is Edom, the enemies destroyed by the
Dirine champion are the nations in general (v, 6), the oppressors and molesters
of IsraeL The mention of Edom as the battle-field, however, shews that the
Edomites are specially included among the peoples destroyed (cf xjcxiv. 5 — 17),
the reason for the prominence given to them being the resentment which was
originally provoked by their maUcious satisfaction at the capture of Jerusalem
(see on xxxiv. 5 — 17), and which was probably aggravated by subsequent raids
and seizure of territory after the Return (cf Zech. rii. 7, MaL i. 2 — 6). So far
as the prophecy of vengeance for such wrongs had a fulfilment, it obtained it in
the successes achieved over Edom by the Maccabees (1 Mac. v. 3, Jos. Ant.
xm. ix. I).
LXHI. 1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with ^dyed
garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel,
^ Or, crimsoned
LXHI. 1. Who is this, etc. The passage tekes the form of a
dramatic dialogue, and is conceived somewhat in the spirit of Greek
tragedy. The slaughter of Israel's enemies is assumed to have occurred,
and a Warrior appears, returning from the direction of Edom vrith bloodr
stained raiment, Who, in response to the enquiries of a second dramatis
persona, recounts what has happened. The Warrior is the Lord

LXiii.^] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 395
marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in
righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wlierefore art thou red in thine
apparel, and thy garments Uke Mm that treadeth in the winefat ?
(cf Ux. 15, 16), and His interlocutor an interested spectator (possibly
the prophet). The dramatic character of the section finds parallels in
c. xl. ; cf also Ps. xxiv. 7 — 10, Cant. ui. 6 — 10, vi. 1—3.
Edom... Bozrah. See on xxxiv. 6. The fact that the objects of
the Divine wrath are the nations in general (v. 6) has led some critics
to seek to get rid of these two proper names by the conjectural emen
dations D'5?'? (cf V. 2) and ipp (supported by the LXX., Ik Bdo-op),
Who is this that cometk reddened, vAtk garments more crimsoned (see
below) than a grape-gatherer's? But the parallel of c. xxxiv., where
Edom is similarly the centre of a universal judgment, sufiiciently
defends the reference to it here ; whilst the proposed emendation of
grape-gatherer (or vintager) in place of Bozrah is unsuitable to the
context, for the grape-gatherer was not identical with the treader of
the wine-press {v. 3).
dyed. Better, crimsoned (literally, sharpened, the like transition of
sense appearing in the Greek phrase o^vcjieyyrj p6Sa). The colour meant
is not the scarlet associated in ancient as weU as in modern times with
soldiers (Nah. u. 3, Jud. viii. 26), but the stain of blood : of
Rev. xix. 13.
glorious. The epithet probably refers to the splendour of the
warrior's martial appearance (LXX. copaios, Aq. StairpcTrujv, Sym.
cuirpe-mjs, Vulg. formosus) ; but some, thinking it unsuitable in view of
the stains of gore, teke it to mean (with apparel) puffed out by the
wind (the word being used of mountains in xiv. 2).
marching. This is a correction ("^V^, after Sym. /Satvwv and the
Vulg. gradiens, cf Jud. v. 4) of the Heb., which has bending (f'V.'^).
The latter, if retained, must mean bending to and fro, i.e. swaggering.
I that speak, etc. The Warrior does not give His name but
describes His attributes, which easily lead to His recognition.
in righteousness, i.e. (if the text is sound) in truth (cf xiv. 19),
promises and tMeats being both faithfully carried out. But the LXX.
omits the preposition, and the true reading and rendering may be, I that
declare (i.e. give assurance of) redress (of wrong). Duhm and others
emend the text to, / that am glorified by redress (of vrrong) Cn? or
Tjna for 131P).
mighty to save. S3rm. and the Vulg. imply a champion to save
(reading 3^ for 3^).
2. The questioner of v. 1 resumes his interrogation.
Wherefore art thou red, etc. More literally. Wherefore is there red
on thine apparel ? but the LXX. has Wherefore is tkine apparel red ?
(reading 1^-13^ for W'^^'f?), which is preferable. There is a play
upon the meaning of Edom, as in Gen. xxv. 30.
vdnefat. Better, winepress. For the practice of treading the
press cf xvi. 10, Neh. xiii. 15.

396 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [Lxni.s-e
3 I have trodden the winepress alone ; and of the peoples there
was no man with me: yea, I Hrod them in mine anger, and
trampled them in my fury; and their ^lifeblood ^is sprinMed
upon my garments, and I *have stained aU my raiment. 4 For
the day of vengeance ^was in mine heart, and ^the year of my
redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and there was none to
help ; and I wondered that there was none to uphold : therefore
mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fiiry, it
upheld me. 6 And '^I trod down the peoples in mine anger,
and ^made them drunk in my fury, and I ^poured out their
lifeblood on the earth.
^ Or, will tread... and trample ^ Or, strength ^ Or, shall be
* Or, will stain ^ Ot, is ^ Or, my year of redemption
' Or, I will tread. ..and make. ..and I will pour out
8 Or, according to another reading, brake them in pieces
' Or, brought down their strength to the earth
3. / have trodden. The Lord repUes. The metaphor of the
preceding question is maintained: for the comparison of a crusMng
slaughter to the treading of grapes cf Lam. i. 15, Joel iii. 13,
Rev. xix. 15, xiv. 19. The word rendered winepress in this v. is
properly "the wine trough" (Hag. ii. 16).
alone. Cf lix. 16. On the occasion when this passage was written
there was no prospect of any human champion appearing to deUver
Israel from its oppressors (see v. 5), as Cyrus intervened in 538.
yea, I trod. The past tense is a tacit but necessary correction
(after the LXX.) of the Heb., which has, I will tread. The word
rendered lifehhod seems to mean, in strictness, juice.
4. was in mine heart. Better, is in my keart (which, m Heb., was
the seat of purpose, cf Jud. v. 15, 2 Ch. xii. 14).
the year of my redeemed. Better (with the LXX. and Vulg.), my
year of redemption (the original being an abstract noun, not a
participle). 5. brought salvation. Better, wrought deliverance (as in lix. 16).
6. made them drunk. Those who have been rendered prostrate and
helpless are compared to drunkards, as in xxix. 9, li. 21. The text is
supported by Th., Sym., and the Vulg., but some Heb. MSS. (sup
ported by the Syr.) have, shattered them (f^')W^\ for D'lSB'Nj): cf Lam.
i. 15.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 397
LXIII. 7— LXIV. 12.
This section is a prayer on behalf of the people, in depression and distress,
for a renewal of the Dirine mercies that had once been shewn to them, and for
the deliverance of Zion from ite desolate condition, which the national offences
have merited.
The historical allusions in the section both differ from those in the preceding
cc, and cohere imperfectly with one another, (a) Jerusalem and the neigh
bouring district are devastated (lxiv. 10); (b) the Temple, described as our
holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised thee, has been burnt
(Ixiii 18, lxiv. 11); (c) the writer is penetrated with a sense of national guilt
(Ixiii. 17, lxiv. 6 — 7). These aUusions appear most intelligible on the assump
tion that the author wrote shortly after the Return to Palestine, that the
devastation lamented had been wrought by Nebuchadrezzar in 587, that the
ruined Temple referred to is the Temple of Solomon, and that a sense of
the national sins was revived by the sight of its desolation. The newly-restored
community at this time suffered much distress from drought and bad harvests,
which must have increased the general despondency (Hag. i. 6 — 11) and
aecoimts for the plaintive tone of the writer. If the riew here taken of the
situation implied in the passage is correct, the date of composition will be
some year between the Return from Babylon in 537 and the reconstruction of
the Temple in 520 and the author another than and prior to Trito-Isaiah. This
conclusion is confirmed by certain phraseological parallels furnished by the
prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (see notes on Ixiii. 11, lxiv. 6, 10). A
serious objectionj however, is presented to it by the declaration that the people
had possessed the desecrated sanctuary but a little while (Ixiii 18), which is an
unnatural description of the 350 years that elapsed between the building of the
First Temple in the reign of Solomon and its destruction in 587. But the
text of Ixiii 18 may be in error (see note); and on the whole the conclusion
advocated is attended by fewer difficulties than any of the alternatives that
have been proposed.
Three other dates have been supported by various critics : (1) Sellin favours
a date earlier than Trito-Isaiah's but later than the one here given, and has
suggested some period after, but not long after, 520 (514 — 500), when it is
supposed that the Temple erected by Zerubbabel was destroyed by the enemies
of the Jews (though there is no eridence to support the supposition beyond the
fact that the reconstruction of it about that time was temporarily frustrated
(Ezra iv. 1—5)) ; (2) Duhm assigns the passage to Trito-Isaiah himself, holding
that the Second Temple, though built, was still so poor and mean (Hag. ii 3)
that it could be ignored and the site of the First Temple regarded as still
desolate; (3) Cheyne advocates a date later than Trito-Isaiah, viz. the reign of
Artaxerxes Ochus (358—337), when it is thought (chiefly on the ground of the
transportetion of part of the population of Judsea to Hyrcania and Babylonia)
that there was a Jewish rebellion, during the suppression of which Jerusalem
was ravaged and the Second Temple burned.
The section seems best divided into two parts between Ixiii 14 and Ixiii. 15,
where there appears to be a change of metre : but some critics place the dirision
between Ixiii. 16 and Ixiii 17.

398 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LXIIL7-9
7 I will make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord,
and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath
bestowed on us ; and the great goodness toward the house of
Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies,
and according to the multitude of Ms lovingkindnesses. 8 For
he said, Surely, they are my people, chUdren that wiU not deal
falsely: so he was their saviour. 9 ^In aU their affliction he
was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in
Ms love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them,
1 Another reading is, In all their adversity he was no adversary.
7 — 14. A commemoration of the Lord's past mercies to Israel (in
spite of its wajrwardness), preliminary to an appeal for a renewal of them
(cf Pss. Ixxiv., cvi.).
7. / will make, etc. The speaker associates himself with the
people for whom he pleads ; cf Ux. 9.
lovingkindnesses. The same word as that rendered by sure mercies
in lv. 3 : cf Ps. Ixxxix. 1.
the praises. Better, tke praise-worthy deeds : ci. lx. 6, Ps. cvi. 2.
according to all, etc. Perhaps better (partly after the LXX.),
according to all tkat the LoBD katk wrougkt for us, the LoBD great in
goodness (3-113 3") for 3-1D ail.) toward tke house of Israel^ — (even all) that
he katk wrought for us (•1^?PI for Q?P|i) according to his mercies, ete.
8. For he said. LiteraUy, And he said, connected with, and iUustia-
tive of, ke bestowed (or wrougkt, v. 7).
deal falsely, i.e. be faithless : cf. xxx. 9, lix. 13.
9. In all tkeir affliction, etc. i.e. in their calamities He was
grieved for them ; cf Jud. x. 16, Ps. cvi. 44. This rendering foUows
the Heb. mg. (which has i? i?, the order of the two words being rather
unnatural). The Heb. text (which has i-f ^7) jrields the rendering. In
all tkeir affliction ke was no adversary, i.e. in aU their troubles He
befriended them. But the true text is probably preserved m the LXX
which connects the opemng words with the preceding v. 8 and renders
(so ke was their saviour) in (or out of) all tkeir affliction. 9. It was no
messenger (I'V ^) or angel C^^fP) but kis own self (Heb. kis face)
that saved them. The Lord's Face or Presence (see Ex. xxxiu. 14, cf
also Deut. iv. 37) seems to be equivalent to tke angel in wkom was the
Lobds name (Ex. xxiii. 21) ; and the import of the passage is that it
was by this angel who manifested the Lord's PersonaUty and potency
in an exceptional degree, and not by an ordinary angel, that the early
deliverances of Israel had been wrought. Whitehouse emends the
passage still further, and reteining the received division of the verses
1 The words toward the house of Israel are omitted by Duhm as disturbing the
metre, which seema to be elegiac.

LXiiLio,ii] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 399
and carried them aU the days of old. 10 But they rebelled, and
grieved his holy spirit: therefore he was turned to be their
enemy, and himself fought against them. 11 ^Then he re
membered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where
is he that brought them up out of the sea with the ^shepherds
^ Or, Then his people remembered the ancient days of Moses dc.
^ Another reading is, shepherd.
proposes. From all afflictions tke angel of his presence saved them
(DUWn VJI ^N^p nhv-^ap)'. The "angel of the Presence" was
probably in early times associated with the Ark.
10. they rebelled. The pronoun is emphatic, "they on their part."
For Ulustrations of the statements made see Num. xx. 1 — 13, Ps.
Ixxviii. 17, 40, cvi. 33 ; cf Acts vii. 51.
his holy spirit. The epithet, which is peculiarly frequent in this
section, is equivalent to divine. God's spirit in the O.T. is most
commonly represented as a Divme quahty which, when imparted to
men, becomes in them the source of various endowments, physical and
artistic as weU as intellectual and moral (Ex. xxxv. 31, Jud. xiv. 6,
Ps. li. 13), and in particular confers the gift of prophecy (Num. xi. 25).
But here it seems to be regarded as a distinct entity accompanjdng and
guiding the nation (see w. 11, 14), and Uable to be grieved by their
perversity (cf Eph. iv. 30 and Acts vii. 51).
fought against them. i.e. through the agency of foreign nations (cf
Jud. iii. 8, iv. 2, etc., 2 Kgs. xvii. 20, Is. x. 5, 6, Jer. xxi. 5).
11. Then he remembered, etc. The rendering follows the Vulg. in
taking the pronoun he to designate the Lord ; but a preferable transla
tion of the Heb. text is, Then his people remembered the ancient days of
Moses (cf U. 9, Jer. ii. 6, Deut. xxxii. 7)^ The LXX., however, simply
has. And he (i.e. Israel) remembered the days of old ; and the words
Moses and his peoph are probably glosses on shepherd and flock (see
below). Cheyne adds tke years of many generations (cf Deut. xxxii. 7)
for the sake of the metre.
Where is ke, ete. The text must refer to the rescue of Israel from
the Red Sea at the Exodus (Ex. xiv., xv.), the shepherds being Moses
and Aaron (Ps. Ixxvii. 20, Num. xxxiii. I, Mic. vi. 4). But the Heb.
is ungrammatical and anticipates v. 12; and LXX. B is probably right
in reading. Where is ke tkat brougkt up ('1??!P0 for Ci.?t!^n) from the sea
tke shepherd of his flock ? the allusion being to the rescue of Moses,
when an infant, from the Nile (Ex. ii.), which suits the sequence of
events better. For the sea as a description of the Nile cf xviii. 2,
xix. 5.
1 This emendation, however, disturbs the metrical structure which prevails in
the rest of tbe passage.
2 The construction seems defensible by xxxii. 13, but genuine parallels are rare
(aee Davidson, Heb, Syntax, § 28, Rem. 3).

400 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxiil i2-r6
of his flock? where is he that put Ms holy spirit in the midst of
them? 12 that caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand
of Moses? that divided the water before them, to make himself
an everlasting name ? 13 that led them through the depths, as
an horse in the wilderness, that they stumbled not ? 14 As the
cattle that go down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord caused
them to rest : so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a
glorious name. 15 Look down from heaven, and behold fi-om
the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory : where is thy
zeal and thy mighty acts? the yearning of thy bowels and thy
compassions are restrained toward me. 16 For thou art our
in the midst of them. i.e. within Israel (cf Hag. ii. 5, Neh. ix. 20).
But the Heb. has within him, and if the reading of the LXX. in the
previous clause be adopted, the pronoun wiU refer to Moses (cf Num.
xi. 17). 12. his glorious arm. The Lord's arm, the symbol of His power,
which enabled Moses to perform wonders and to divide the Red Sea
(Ex. iv. 17, xiv. 16 — 21), is personified.
13, 14. These vv. should be closely connected ; and if a clause is
transposed and a verb in v. 14 emended after the LXX. (-is™!? for
laniJljl) they will run : that made tkem go through the depths as a horse
in the wilderness (or prairie), as the cattle tkat descend into the valley,
so that they stumbled not, the spirit of the LoBD leading them, ete. Both
similes iUustrate the security with which Israel was guided tMough the
deep bed of the Red Sea : cf. Ps. cvi. 9.
15 — IjXIV. 12. The retrospect of the past here passes into a
prayer to the Lord to regard the sad conditions of the present, and to
intervene by a theophany ; and the prayer is foUowed by a confession
of sin, and a renewed description of the nation's distress.
15. from heaven. It is implied that the Lord had withdrawn Himself
into His heavenly abode (Ivii. 15, 1 Kgs. viii. 43), indifferent to His
people's distress (cf Ps. Ixxx. 14).
the habitation, etc. Better, thy holy and glorious (or beautiful)
habitation. thy mighty acts. Better (vrith the LXX. and Vulg.), thy might
Cin"!i3ii for 'in'-i-iaji).
tke yearning, etc. Better, the stirring (literaUy sounding) of tky
pity; ci. xvi. II, Jer. xxxi. 20.
are restrained toward me. The Ist pers. sing, is inappropriate;
and as the next v. implies a preceding appeal, Chejme places the note
of interrogation after compassions and emends are restrained toward me
to Eefrain not tky self (p^^^'Pi i?N for -Ip^Ni;!!! ''bs of lxiv. 12), connecting
the clause with u 16.
16. thou art our father, i.e. of the coUective people, Israel having
been constituted the Lord's son and first-born by the event (the Exodus)

LXiiL 17-19] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 401
father, though Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not
acknowledge us: thou, 0 Lord, art our father; our redeemer
fi-om everlasting is thy name. 17 0 Lord, why dost thou make
us to err from thy ways, and hardenest our heart from thy fear ?
Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
18 Thy holy people possessed it but a little while: our adver
saries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19 We are become as
which had founded it as a nation (Ex. iv. 22, Hos. xi. 1, Deut.
xxxii. 6).
though Abraham, etc. Better, for Abraham knoweth us not (i.e.
is not concerned for us, cf. Hos. xiii. 5, Ps. xxxi. 7, cxliv. 3, Ruth
U. 19). The passage seems to refer to some popular expectation of
sympathy and assistance from the deceased ancestors of the nation
(cf Jer. xxxi. 15) which had been disappointed; and suggests that the
people were now in Palestine where the burial places of the patriarchs
existed 17. 0 Lobd, why, etc. In view of the protracted misery of the
people, which seemed to imply a continuance in sin which no chastise
ment avaUed to cure, the prophet seeks to lighten their responsibility
by pleading that the Lord had rendered them obdurate (as He did
Pharaoh, Ex. vii. 3, etc.). They were what God had made them
(cf lxiv. 8), and it was by Him that their hearts were so swayed that
the punishment wMch ought to correct their transgressions was turned
into a reason for persistence in them (cf Ivii. 17, lxiv. 7, and see
Rom. ix 18).
hardenest... fear. Better, hardenest our heart so tkat we fear tkee
not (i.e. fail in our reUgious duties).
Eeturn. i.e. assume a difi'erent attitude towards us : cf Ps. xc. 13,
Ixxx. 14. It is from a display of spontaneous goodness on the part of
the Lord that the prophet hopes for a moral conversion in his fellow
countrymen. 18. Thy holy peoph, etc. If the text is sound, the people are
described as holy, not in virtue of moral blamelessness (to which they
could lay no claim), but because they were the Lord's. But the Heb.
is defective, for the verb possessed has either no object, or else (if thy
peoph be taken for such, as by the Vulg.) no subject. The LXX. seems
to have read. We have possessed hut a litth wkih thy holy mountain
(cf Ivi. 7, Ivii. 13, lxv. II, lxvi. 20). But the expression but a litth
whih (l^V^/') is inappropriate to describe an occupation of mount Zion
lasting some centuries (if, as appears probable, the reference is to the
period between David's time and the Babylonian captivity) ; and there
is much plausibility in the emendation (based chiefly on a different
division of the letters of the original). Why have wicked, men made litth
of (or, marched over) thy holy place, and our adversaries trodden etc. ?
(reading iri5 ^'m ("-i!V) -nJlV ne^).
19. We are become, ete. i.e. there is notMng in Israel s condition
w I. 26

402 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxiv. 1-4
they over whom thou never barest rule ; as they that were not
caUed by thy name. LXIV. 1 Oh that thou wouldest rend
the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains
might ^flow down at thy presence ; 2 as when fire Mndleth the
brushwood, cmd the fire causeth the waters to boil : to make thy
name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble
at thy presence ! 3 When thou didst terrible things which we
looked not for, thou eamest down, the mountains flowed down
at thy presence. 4 For from of old men have not heard, nor
perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye ^seen a God beside
1 Or, quake [Ch. lxiv. 1 in Heb.] " Or, seen, 0 God, beside thee, one which dc.
to distinguish it from those nations that have never had the Lord for
their sovereign, or been called His people (cf Deut. xxviii. 10, Jer.
xiv. 9).
IiXIV. 1. Oh tkat tkou, etc. The Lord is desired to come to His
people's help with the awe-inspiring accompaniments of a theophany.
The imagery of the description of the desired theophany resembles that
of Ex. xix. 16—18, Jud. v. 4, 5, Hab. iu. 3f, Mic. i. 3, 4, Ps. xviu. 9,
1. 3, cxhv. 5. The Heb. has perfect tenses — would tkat thou hadst rent...
hadst come down.,,kad jlowed — expressing a wish that the longed-for
event had already taken place.
flow. So the LXX. (TaKifo-oi/Tat) and the Vulg. (defluerent), but better,
quake, sway up and down (Jud. v. 5); cf Verg. A. vi. 255 — 8'.
2. as when fire. God is entreated to descend in such might that
nature itself will be able to resist Him as little as wood or water can
resist the action of fire.
to make thy name known, i.e. to acquaint Thy enemies vrith Thy
true character and power : cf Ux. 19.
3. Wken thou dAdst, etc. The first part of the ¦!;. should be attached
to the preceding sentence : — (that the nations may tremhh at tky presence)
¦wkih thou doest terrihh things which we looked not for (i.e. tMngs
exceeding our utmost expectations). The expression terribh things
recalls the wonders vreought in Egypt (Deut. x. 21, Ps. cvi. 22, 2 Sam.
vu. 23).
thou eamest down, etc. The conclusion of this v., which in the
original reproduces the conclusion oi v. 1, is probably an accidental
repetition of it, and should be omitted.
4. For from of old... heard. Better (connecting with terrihh
tkings wMck we looked not for, v. 3), and of which from of old men ham
not heard.
rwr perceived, etc. A new sentence should begin here. The text
is in some confusion, and versions of it diff'ering from the Hebrew
' Sub pedibus mugire solum et iuga coepta moveri...
Adventante dea.

LXIV. s, 6] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 403
thee, which worketh for him that waiteth for him. 5 Thou
^meetest Mm that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those
that remember thee in thy ways : behold, thou wast wroth, and
we sinned : ^in them have we been of long time, and shall we be
saved ? 6 For we are aU become as one that is unclean, and all
our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do
fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
^ Or, sparest
^ Or, in those is continuance, and we shall be saved The text is probably corrupt.
appear both in the LXX. and in the citation of the passage in 1 Cor.
ii. 9. A plausible reconstruction, based on these, is. Ear hath not
percdved, neitker hath the eye seen a God hedde thee, who worketh for
them that wait for Mm (reading It.N 'l^*.'.??? and 'snp? for •1^\f5?0 and
nsnp^). 5. Thou meetest, etc. Better (inserting -iS with Gratz, cf v. 1),
Oh tkat thou wouldst meet, i.e. in a kindly spirit (cf xlvii. 3, Gen.
xxxii. 1).
him that rejmceth and worketh, etc. i.e. him that cheerfuUy worketh
righteousness (i.e. acts uprightly). But the LXX. has only them tkat
work rigkteousness, and the plur. suits best the next clause.
tkose that,.. in tky ways. The LXX. impUes those that remember
tky ways, i.e. thy requirements (xiii. 24, Ixiii. 17).
behold, thou wast, etc. The severity of the punishment which God
inflicted in His anger drove them in desperation to still greater
extremes of wickedness ; of Ivii. 17, Ixiii. 17.
in them, etc. The sentence is manifestly defective, for there is no
substentive to which the pronoun can refer, and the latter requires a
verb. The LXX. has only Sta, toSto iirXavrjOrfixiv (perhaps preserving
aright the final verb). Of emendations the two most plausible are :
(I) (thou wast wroth,.,) against tke edl doers and we transgressed
(TJ&^i\ D^l.rpn?) ; (2) (tkou wast wroth...) at our evil deeds, and we
became guilty (Vf)}\ "'.K^l!0?). _
6. as one that is unchan. i.e. as one ceremonially impure, and
so unfit to approach God. The same represeutetion of the people as
unclean occurs in Hag. ii. 13, 14.
owr righteousnesses, i.e. the best that the righteous among us can
do is bad.
a polluted garment. The original expression commonly denotes
what for Hebrews was the extremity of uncleanness ; cf xxx. 22.
fade as a leaf. i.e. our moral vigour and extemal well-being alike
decay; cf lix. 10. The rendering implies a correction ofthe text.
our iniquities, etc. i.e. our sins, with their ineviteble consequences,
are our destruction. For the figure of the wind cf xl. 24, xli. 16,
Ivii. 13, Job xxvii. 21, xxx. 22.
26—2

404 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxiv. 7-"
7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth
up Mmself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from
us, and %ast ^consumed us by means of our iniquities. 8 But
now, 0 Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou
our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 9 Be not
wroth very sore, 0 Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever:
behold, look, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 10 Thy
holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wUdemess,
Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and our beautiful house,
where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire ; and all our
pleasant things are laid waste. 12 WUt thou refrain thyself for
* According to some ancient versions, hast delivered us into the power of.
" Heb. melted.
7. there is none, etc. All moral and religious efibrt is paralysed.
hast consumed us. Literally, hast melted us. For the thought cf
Ezek. xxiv. 23, xxxui. 10, Lev. xxvi. 39. But the causal sense of the
verb is unusual, and the LXX. and Syr. imply the reading, thou hast
consigned us into the power (literaUy, tke kand) of our iniquities
(«3jpril for •IJJ-lo^l).
8. tkou art our fatker. An appeal both to the Lord's affection
(Ixiii. 16) and to His creative power. For the figure of the potter cf
xxix. 16, xiv. 9, Job x. 9, Jer. xviii. 4, 6.
tke work of thy hand. Cf Lx. 21. What the Lord had made He
would surely not allow to perish.
9. neither remember... for ever. The distress prevailing after the
Retum, following upon the afliction of the Exile, seemed to imply that
the Lord's resentment was perpetual.
10. Thy koly cities, i.e. the country towns of the holy land (Zech.
ii. 12), destroyed by the Babylonians and not yet rebuUt (Zech. i. 12).
The clause Zion is become a wilderness is probably inserted as a
correction by one concerned for the honour of Jerusalem ; and the
LXX. and Vulg. have substituted thy holy dty Zion.
a desolation. The LXX. has a curse (as in Jer. xxiv. 9, xxv. 18,
xliv. 8, 12), rnhp}^ for npp?^.
11. Our holy .. .house. The reference seems to be to Solomon's
Temple, destroyed by the Babylonians in 587. The expression appears
incompatible with the supposition that the passage, like the rest of
cc. Ivi. — lxvi., belongs to the fifth century (when Zerubbabel's Temple
was in existence) ; and points to its having been composed at an early
date after the Retum in 537. For the alternative view that the
Second Temple was destroyed by Artaxerxes Ochus and that the
passage alludes to this (a view which implies for the passage a date
in the fourth century) the evidence adduced is scanty.
our pleasant tkings. The phrase may denote either the valuable
contents ofthe Temple (2 Ch. xxxvi. 19, Lam. i. 10, Ezek. xxiv. 21, 25),

LXIV. 12] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 405
these things, 0 Lord ? wUt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us
very sore ?
or (as the verb laid waste suggests) neighbouring localities, Uke
Bethlehem and Hebron, which were the objects of Jewish pride.
12. for these things. Better, in spite of tkese tkings (ci. v. 25, ix. 12,
Ivii. 6).
kold tky peace, i.e. abstain from intervening to avenge such
wrongs (xhi. 14, Ixii. 1).

Chapters LXV., LXVI.
These two cc. are united by numerous common features (cf Lxv. 3, 4 with
Ixri. 17, Isv. 12» with Ixri. 16, lxv. 12'' with Ixri. 4), and reflect similar conditions.
They differ, both in spirit and in the situation impUed, from the section (Ixiii. 7 —
lxiv. 12) immediately preceding, and agree with the earlier cc. in implying the
restoration ofthe Temple (see Ixri. 6, cf lxv. 11). They resemble most nearly
Iri. 9 — Irii. 21, for like these they assume the existence within the Jewish
community of two antagonistic parties, both of Hebrew descent (Ixri. 5), of
which one was addicted to heathen rites and other forbidden religious practices
(lxv. 3, 4, 11, Ixri. 3, 17), which they would not abandon for the purer worship of
the Temple (lxv. 11), whilst the other consisted of devout servants of the Lord.
In consequence of this religious strife, the idolatrous faction had excluded from
social intercourse, and assailed with insults, the pious minority (lxvi. 5) ; and
the purpose of the writer is to comfort those who have been faithful to the Lord
with the assurance that the Dirine blessing awaits them, whilst destruction is
in store for their enemies.
The aUusions to contemporary conditions which the cc. contain make it
probable that they were composed at the same time as cc. Iri.— Ixiii. 6. The
position differs from that described in Ezra iv. 1 — 5 (last half of the sixth century)
and accords with the situation which is likely to have prevailed in the first
half of the following century. The friendly attitude which the " adversaries " of
Zerubbabel and his companions had manifested by their desire in 536 to join
in re-erecting the Temple, has here given place to hostility; and the change is
the natural sequel of the refusal with which their request was met. The
supposition that the pious minority were willing to extend religious privileges
to their neighbours, if the latter discontinued their idolatrous rites, will explain
the language of appeal in lxv. 1, 2 ; but such conditions would no doubt be
rejected, and the rupture would develop into the bitter feud here depicted.
Chapter LXV.
This c. falls into three dirisions : (1) the Lord's complaint of the rejection of
His overtures by a body of people who] practise impure rites (vv. 1—7); (2) a
comparison of the destinies in store for the faithful and the disloyal (m. 8—16) ;
(3) a detailed description of the happiness which is to reward the pious
(ve. 17—25).

406 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxv. 1-4
LXV. 1 I lam inquired of by them that asked not /or me ;
I ^am found of them that sought me not: I said. Behold me,
behold me, unto a nation Hhat was not caUed by my name. 2 I
have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebeUious people,
which walketh in a way that is not good, after their own
thoughts ; 3 a people that provoketh me to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense upon bricks ; 4 which
1 Or, was inquired of ^ Ot, was found
' Or, as otherwise read, tha,t hath not called upon
LXV. 1—7. The abandonment of the Lord for superstitious
practices, and the retribution awaiting the people that are guilty of it.
1. Iam inquired of, etc. Better (with LXX., Vulg., and O.L.), I ham
submitted myself to he inquired of (Ezek. xxxvi. 31) by them that ham
not asked me, I have submitted myself to be found (lv. 6) by tkem that
have not sought me: I have said. Behold me, behold me, to a nation that
has not calhd upon my name (reading in the last clause ''^i^ for ^')\>).
The sense of v. 1 is really the same with that of v. 2, and the same
body of persons is kept in view throughout the section (w. 1 — 7).
They are men of Israelite stock who have preferred to cleave to
idolatrous usages than to embrace the ofi'ers of participation in a purer
worship which are extended to them (see v. 12).
2. / have spread out my hands, i.e. in an attitude of entreaty
(Prov. i. 24 ; cf on i. 15).
a rebellious people. The LXX. has Xaov drraOovvra kol avTiKiyovra,
and is followed by St Paul in Rom. x. 21.
a way that is not good. The expression (which is a litotes, as in
Ezek. xxxvi. 31) refers to rites of worship of an idolatrous character
(cf Am. viii. 14).
Verses 1, 2 are applied by St Paul (Rom. x. 20, 21) to distinct
classes of people — v, 1 to the heathen, who, standing in a less privileged
position than the Jews, had responded to the Lord's overtures, and
V. 2 to the Jews who had refused to listen to them.
3. tkat provoketh me to my face. The Lord is thought of as
present in a peculiar degree in His own sanctuary near wMch the
idolatrous acts complained of were committed.
in gardens, i.e. places where tree-worship could be practised,
cf i. 29, Ivu. 5, lxvi. 17.
burning incense. Better, making sacrifices to smoke (and so in
V. 7), the reference being to animal sacrifices (see on i. 13) and not to
the off"ering of frankincense or other spices.
upon bricks. The import of the charge is obscure. There is no
evidence that bricks (which were only sun-dried earth) were a prohibited
material for altars (see Ex. xx. 24) ; and hence some suppose the
reference to be to sacrifices offered to the host of heaven on the tiles
of houses (Jer. xix. 13, Zeph. i. 5, cf 2 Kgs. xxiii. 12). But Marti is
perhaps right in proposing to point the word differently and to render.

lxv. 4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 407
^sit among the graves, and lodge in the ^secret places; which
eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their
1 Or, dwell " Or, vaults
beside the white poplars^. In classical mythology the white poplar
(dxfpioii, Hom. II. XIII. 389) was associated with the infernal world,
being represented as brought by Heracles from Acheron, a river both
in Thesprotia and in Hades (Paus. v. xiv. 2), and similar associations
may have atteched to it among the Semitic races.
4. which dt,., graves, i.e. for the purpose of necromancy (cf
viii. 19, xxix. 4). Oracles from the dead (who were credited with
possessing knowledge not enjoyed by the Uving) were supposed to be
conveyed in dreams to persons who passed the night in burial places, and
the LXX. here adds Sta ivvirvia. The practice prevailed among the
Greeks and Romans as well as among the Semites, cf Lycophron 1050,
Sopats Se pL-qXuyv TupiPov iyKOip.iap.ivoi'i \ )(pi^<Tei KaO' vttvov rrao-L vr)p.ipTrj
ffxxTLv, Verg. A. vn. 88 — 91, (Sacerdos) Pellibus incuhuit stratis som-
nosque petimt ; Multa modis simulacra videt volitantia miris, Et varias
audit voces.,, atque imis Acheronta adfatur Avernis, Hor. Sat. i. viii.
23 — 29. Probably the soul of a dead man was thought to haunt his
tomb : cf the belief implied in Eur. Hel. 962, <3 yipov, o% oikeis tovI^
Xatvov Ta.<jiov.
in the secret places. The LXX. explains these to be caves ^, the
Vulg. the shrines of idols : but they are perhaps rather places of
observation. eat swine's fhsk. i.e. at sacrificial meals; cf lxvi. 17. The fiesh
of animals that were ordinarily avoided as food was occasionally eaten
as a means of communion with supernatural powers, the animals being
totems, and the consumption of them as a religious act enabling
those who partook of them to share in the qualities of the divine
ancestor wMch the totem animal represented. For the existence of
Totemism among the ancestors of the Hebrews some evidence is
famished by the prevalence in Israel of personal names signifying
various animals, e.g. Cahh (dog), Eachel (ewe), Eglah (heifer),
Shaphan (coney), Achhor (mouse), Huldah (weasel), Laish (lion),
Hezir (swine), such names being probably at first clan-names'-
Among many nations the swine had a sacred character (cf. Ar. Ack.
764, xoipov^, , ./xvo-TtKos) ; and the Egyptians, who considered it an
impure ammal, and avoided touching it even with their clothes,
sacrificed it to the Moon and to "Dionysus," and on such occasions
^ For the sense of the preposition cf. Gen. xxiv. 30.
* This recalls the cave, or chasm, of Trophonius at Lebadea, where oraclea were
obtained by those who descended into it (Paus. ix. 39). Abraham was buried in a
cave (Gen. xxv. 9).
' The conclusion that totemism once prevailed among the Hebrews is based on
the coincidence of the occurrence amongst them of names derived from animals
with the practice of abstaining from the use of such animals as ordinary food ; but
the proof is confessedly incomplete (see Barton, Semitic Origins, pp. 35, 36).

408 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxv. 5-7
vessels; 5 which say. Stand by thyself, come not near to me,
for I am holier than thou : these are a smoke in my nose, a fire
that burneth aU the day. 6 Behold, it is written before me : I
will not keep sUence, but ydll recompense, yea, I wUl recompense
into their bosom, 7 your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your
fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense
upon the mountains, and ^blasphemed me upon the MUs:
therefore will I ^first measure their work mto their bosom.
' Or, defied ^ Or, measure their former work
ate the flesh (Hdt. 11. 47). Among the Greeks it was offered in
sacrifice by the Argives and Cyprians (W. R. Smith, Eel. of the Sem.
p. 291). The heathen associations connected with this animal con
stituted perhaps one of the reasons for the prohibition of it as food by
the Jewish law (Lev. xi. 7, Deut. xiv. 8), and rendered it an object of
abhorrence to pious Jews (cf 2 Mac. vi. 18).
broth. This is the rendering of the Heb. mg. (supported by the
LXX. and Vulg.) : the Heb. text has pieces. The broth probably
formed a medium for sacramental participation in the fiesh of the
totem animals from which it was made.
5. / am holier, ete. Better (with a change of pointing), else
I sanctify tkee (y^f'^\> for ^'W^IP). The words are a warmng
addressed by one who is consecrated by communion vrith a divinity
(perhaps through eating certain meats, cf v. 4) to bystanders to avoid
touching him, and so partaking of the " holiness " (regarded as a
quasi-physical property) with which he is charged, and which would
render any unconsecrated person to whom it was communicated in
capable for a time of secular occupations (cf. Ezek. xliv. 19, xlvi. 20).
a smoke, ,,a fire. i.e. a cause of fiery anger (cf. Deut. xxxii. 22,
Jer. xvii. 4), which was thought to manifest itself in the nose (cf
Ps. xviii. 8, and the Latin nasus proflat iras).
6. it is written. A figure of speech implying that the off'ences
described will not be allowed to pass out of mind : cf Mal. iu. 16,
Dan. vii. 10, and see Esther vi. I f
yea, I.., bosom. The loose bosom of the Eastern dress served as a
receptacle (Ruth iii. 15). The clause needlessly duplicates the pre
ceding verb, and has perhaps been accidentelly transposed from v. 7
(see note).
7. your own iniquities. The LXX. and Syr. have (preferably)
their iniquities and those of their forefathers.
upon tke mountains. Worship at " the high places '' was forbidden
by the Deuteronomic law. Though the worsMp in such localities was
no doubt ordinarily offered to Jehovah, it was very liable to be
contaminated with the nature-worship of the Canaanites ; so that
besides the moral corruption that often accompamed it (Hos. iv. 13),
it frequently became open apostasy, cf Ivii. 7 and Ezek. vi. 13.
therefore will I first measure, etc. It has been suggested that the

Lxv.8-ro] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 409
8 Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the
cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it: so
will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
9 And I wiU bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah
an inheritor of my mountains : and my chosen shall inherit it,
and my servants shall dwell there. 10 And Sharon shall be a
^fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie
' Or, pasture
words yea I will recompense in v. 6 belong here ; if inserted, the clause
vriU mn, therefore will I first measure their work, and then recompense
(or requite) it into their bosom (cf Jer. xxxii. 18, Ps. Ixxix. 12). The
Lxx. omits first.
8 — 16. The Lord's loyal servants are to be preserved and blest, and
those who forsake Him are to be consigned to shame and destruction.
8. As the new wine, etc. The coUective people is compared to a
cluster of grapes of which the greater part is so rotten that it is only
the presence in the bunch of a few berries fuU of juice (representing
the godly minority) that prevents the whole from being destroyed
(cf Gen. xviii. 23 — 33). The term new wine (or must) is here applied
to the juice still in the grapes.
Destroy it not. From the fact that these words are used in the
titles of several Psalms apparently to denote the air to which the psalms
(Pss. Ivii., Iviii., lix., Ixxv.) were sung, they are supposed to have formed
part of a vintage song\
a bhsdng. i.e. the wine-juice, regarded as a source of blessing:
cf Jud. ix. 13.
9. I will hring forth, etc. When the corrupt elements have been
destroyed, the faithful wiU become the sole possessors of the land :
cf. Ezek. xxxvii. 25. The thought is similar to that of the survival of
a Remnant in Is. iv. 3, xxxvii. 32, etc., though couched in different
pMaseology. my mountains. A designation of Judah, cf xiv. 25, xlix. II, Ezek.
xxxviii. 21.
inherit it. There is no noun to which the pronoun (fem. sing.) can
refer, and the text should perhaps be emended to inherit my land.
there. The use of there (instead of here) does not shew that the
author wrote at a distence from Palestine ; see xxxvii. 33, and cf v. 20
(infr.), Ui. 11, Hag. ii. 14.
10. And Sharon, ete. The whole land, from the Mediterranean
to the descent to the Jordan (and not Judsea only) is to belong to the
Lord's loyal worsMppers. For Sharon see on xxxiii. 9, xxxv. 2. The
valley oi Achor is supposed to be the Wddy Kelt, leading down to the
Jordan near Jericho (Josh. vii. 24, xv. 7, Hos. ii. 15). If tMs was to
1 Burney thinks that the words, as occurring in the titles of the Psalms cited,
refer to Deut. ix. 26 f.

410 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxv. n, 12
down in, for my people that have sought me. 11 But ye that
forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a
table for ^Fortune, and that fiU up mingled wine unto ^Des-
tiny; 12 I wiU destine you to the sword, and ye shaU aU bow
down to the slaughter: because when I caUed, ye did not
answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that
which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted
not. 1 Heb. Gad. See Gen. xxx. 11. ' Heb. Meni.
be the E. border, Jericho was apparently outside it. The concluding
words of the v., for my people that home sought me, which spoil the
metre, are an explanatory gloss.
11. But ye that forsake, etc. The religious cultus practised by
those who are here denounced probably did not amount to complete
apostasy, but was a fusion of the worsMp of the Lord with that of
other deities; see on Ivii. 3 — 13^
forget... mountain, i.e. disregard the Temple, the only legitimate
sanctuary. Fortune... Destiny. The original has Gad and Meni (rendered in
the LXX. by toJ haLp.ovU...T^ tvxv respectively, though the Vulg. repre
sents Gad by Fortuna). Gad was a deity venerated widely in Palestine
and Syria, with whose worship the localities Baal Gad and Migdal Gad
were associated (Josh. xi. 17, xii. 7, xiii. 5, xv. 37) ; and the name occurs
in many Hebrew, Phoenician, and Palmyrene personal appeUations, in
cluding that of the tribe Gad (cf Gen. xxx. 11). For the worsMp of
Meni there is not equal evidence ; but there was an Arabic goddess
Mandt (mentioned in the Koran, c. 53) which looks Uke the corre
sponding feminine. The names of Gad (Fortuna) and Meni are associ
ated in a Latin inscription on an altar found in Provence : — Belus
Fortunae rector Menisque magister Ara gaudehit quam dedit et voluit\
It is possible that the worsMp here described was reaUy star-worsMp.
Belief in the infiuence of the planets over human fortunes has been
well-nigh universal ; and in Arabic astrology the planets Jupiter and
Venus were caUed respectively the Greater and Lesser Luck, in con
trast to the unlucky planets Mars and Saturn.
To these deities the people denounced by the prophet spread
sacrificial feasts, corresponding to the Roman lectisternia (Livy, v. 13,
XXI. 62) and the epulum Jovis'. The practice of spreading tebles with
various viands for the gods to feast on is illustrated by Ezek. xxiii. 41,
Jer. vii. 18, xix. 13, xliv. 17 — 19, Bel and the Dragon, vv. 3, 11,
Baruch vi. 30, 1 Cor. x. 21, Hdt. 1. 183. The shewbread was a survival
of a similar usage in connection with the God of Israel : cf Lev. xxi. 6.
mingled wine. i.e. spiced wine, cf v. 22 (note), Prov. xxiii. 30.
12. / will destine. . Heb. mdndk, a play upon the name Meni.
1 Quoted by Marti, who refers to Mordtmann, ZOOM. 1885, 44 — 46.
'' Livy xxv. 2 ; cf. Fowler, Roman Festivals, p. 217 f.

LXV. 13-17] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 411
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants
shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall
drink, but ye shaU be thirsty : behold, my servants shall rejoice,
but ye shaU be ashamed : 14 behold, my servants shall sing for
joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl
for ^vexation of spirit. 15 And ye shall leave your name for ^a
curse unto my chosen, and the Lord God shall slay thee ; and
he shall caU his servants by another name : 16 so that he who
blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of
^truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the
God of *truth ; because the former troubles are forgotten, and
because they are hid from mine eyes. 17 For, behold, I create
^ Heb. breaking. ' Heb. an oath.
* Heb. Amen. See 2 Cor. i. 20, Rev. iii. 14.
13. ashamed, i.e. disappointed of their expectations (xiii. 17,
xUv. 11, Jer. X. 14).
14. vexation of spirit. LiteraUy, breaking (or shattering) of spirit ;
cf Ixi. 1, Heb.
15. for a curse, i.e. as a form of cursing. After the impious have
been finaUy annihilated, a fate like theirs will be the extremest male
diction which the pious can imprecate upon any enemy : cf Jer. xxix.
22, Num. V. 21, Zech. viu. 13, Ps. cu. 8.
the Lord GoD.,,tkee, In view of the sing, pronoun this clause is
usuaUy taken as an illustration of the kind of malediction meant : but
the verb is a future (not a jussive), and the necessary comparison is
absent (contrast Jer. xxix. 22). Hence it is better to read (with the
LXX.), the Lord Jehovah shall slay you.
shall call, etc. The LXX. K B have my servants shall be called hy a
new name. It is not meant that the pious will cease to be called by the
name of Israel, but that an amelioration of their condition will justify
their being described by a different epithet from that which now befits
them : see Ixii. 2, 4, 12, and cf Rev. ii. 17, ui. 12.
16. so that he, etc. The Lord's faithful accompUshment of the
foregoing tMeats and promises will lead men to appeal confidently to
Him to fulfil a blessing prayed for (cf Gen. xlvui. 15, 16), or to avenge
a perjured oath (cf xlviii. 1).
in the earth. Perhaps better, in tke land, the scene of the events
described. the God of truth. The Heb. word rendered truth (usually pointed
l^'K, see xxv. 1), is here assimilated to the Uturgical expression V^
Amen (see Deut. xxvii. 15, Ps. xli. 13, cf 2 Cor. i. 20, Rev. iii. 14).
tke former troubles, i. e. those of the pious minority who wUl survive
the coming judgment.
17—25. An assurance to the Lord's people of prolonged Ufe and
undisturbed security.

412 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxv.iS-ji
new heavens and a new earth : and the former things shall not
be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be ye glad and
rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19 And I wUl
rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people : and the voice of
weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crymg.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old
man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an
hundred years old, and the sinner being an hundred years old
shall be accursed. 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit
them ; and they shaU plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
17. new heavens, etc. Mankind and the world of nature were
regarded as so adjusted that the state of the one affected the state of
the other. Hence the restoration of human society to right conditions
is represented as accompanied by a transformation of the physical
universe (cf xi. 6 — 9, Joel iii. 17, 18), just as formerly human sin was
attended by disastrous consequences to the material earth (Gen. iii. 17,
vi. 7 f ; cf lxvi. 22). The words are used of the Christian hope in 2 Pet.
iii. 13; cf also Rev. xxi. I, 2 Cor. v. 17.
18. he ye glad, etc. The LXX. and Syr. must have read they shall
he glad and rejdce.
a rejoicing, i.e. a cause of rejoicing ; cf lx. 15.
19. the voice of jjoeeping, etc. The period of mourning predicted by
Jeremiah (vii. 34, xvi. 9, xxv. 10), which had been so protracted, is
henceforth to cease : cf lx. 20, xxxv. 10, xxv. 8, Jer. xxxiii. 10, II.
20. One of the most fruitful causes of sorrow, untimely death, will
be removed, and longevity, such as that which was the rule in the
earth's early days (Gen. v., xi. 10 — 32), wiU once more prevaU (cf
Zech. viii. 4, Enoch v. 9, x. 17, xxv. 6). The writer's hopes extend to
the prolongation of life, but not to the abolition of death (like those of
the author of xxv. 8).
an infant of days. i.e. an infant that lives a few days only (cf
Gen. xxiv. 55 and the inscription of Eshmunazar /. 3, the son of an
(easily reckoned) number of days).
filled his days. i.e. lived the normal span of life ; cf Ex. xxiii. 26.
the child. Perhaps better, the youth (cf Gen. xxxiv. 19). The idea
finds a parallel in Hesiod's description of the Silver Age (Op. 130), exaToi'
/u.€v Trats £Tea rcapa firjTcpi KeSvrj irpetfieT' aTaXXoDi/.
the sinner bdng, eto. Better (by the omission of the word 1|, acci
dentally repeated), ke that misseth (i.e. falls short of Job v. 24, Prov.
viii. 36 mg.) a hundred years shall he accursed, i.e. one who dies under
a hundred will be thought to have perished prematurely in consequence
of the Divine curse.
21. And they shall build, etc. i.e. the future wiU not reproduce
the conditions of the present, when the Jews were liable to be deprived

LXV. 22-^5] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 413
22 They shall not buUd, and another inhabit; they shall not
plant, and another eat : for as the days of a tree shall be the
days of my people, and my chosen shall Hong enjoy the work of
their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth
for ^calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord,
and their offspring *with them. 24 And it shall come to pass
that, before they call, I wiU answer; and while they are yet
speaking, I wUl hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed to
gether, and the lion shaU eat straw like the ox : and dust shaU
be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in aU
my holy mountam, saith the Lord.
' Heb. wear out. * Or, sudden terror ' Or, shall be with them
of the fruite of their labour by the attacks of enemies (see Ixii. 8, 9 and
cf Am. ix. 14) as weU as by untimely death.
22. as the days of a tree, etc. i.e. the duration of life amongst the
godly will be comparable with that of forest trees (Job xiv. 8, 9) :
cf Ixi. 3, Ps. xcu. 12, 13.
long enjoy. LiteraUy, wear out by using to the fuU.
23. nor bring,,. calamity, i.e. their offspring are not destined to
be cut off by some sudden catastrophe (cf Ps. Ixxviii. 33, Jer. xv. 8).
the seed of the bhssed, etc. The expression (cf i. 4) is equivalent
to " a race blessed of the Lord."
tkdr offspring with them. i.e. shaU remain with them.
24. before tkey call, etc. In consequence of the Lord's presence
among, and pleasure in. His people, their petitions wiU be anticipated ;
cf. Iviii. 9, xxx. 19, Jer. xxix. 12, Dan. ix. 21.
25. The wolf, eto. The passage is borrowed from ?i. 6 — 9, partly
abbreviated and partly expanded ; and shews trace of its later date by
the substitution of a late Heb. expression for together (occurring in
Ezra ii. 64, Eccles. xi. 6) in place of the normal one employed in c. xi.
and dust shall be, ete. Better, but dust shall be, ete. : the serpent
is not to share in the happy transformation of the animal world, but to
remain under the original curse (Gen. iii. 14, cf Mic. vii. 17). Serpents
are described as eating dust in Nicander, Tkeriaca, vt/ncTat Sitpypea's
oypiovi, SU. Ital. XVII. 449, ferventi pastus arena. The clause, wMch
spoils the metre and does not belong to the quotetion, is probably an
insertion.
Chapter LXVL
This c. reflects the same circumstances as the preceding (with which vv, 4
and 17 constitote Unks, cf lxv. 1, 12, 4), and must belong to the same date
(probably the first half of the fifth century). By some critics it has been
thought to contein eridence of haring been written before the Second Temple
was erected; but w. I, 2, which have been taken to be a polemic against the

414 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxvli,,
rebuilding of the Lord's house as advocated by Haggai and Zechariah in 520 b.o.,
admit of another explanation (see notes) ; and the existence of the Temple is
assumed in v, 6 (cf also the mention oi priests in v. 21). The c. is a prediction
of judgment for both the idolatrous Jews (whose offences are described) and for
the coUective heathen peoples, and a prophecy of increased numbers and
prosperity for Zion and her pious members. But the arrangement of the
subject-matter is strangely confused ; for the description and denunciation of
the disloyal Jews in vv. 1 — 5 are resumed in v. 17 ; the announcement of
retribution for the Lord's enemies in v. 6 is interrupted by the prophecy of
feUcity for Zion in w. 7 — 14 and continued in m. 15, 16, 18, 19; whUst the
subject of the repopulation of Zion is again renewed in m. 20 — 22. The
concluding vv. 23, 24, which describe the spectacle of the Lord's slaughtered
enemies, appear to be an appendix of later date than the rest of the c. (see
note). LXVI. 1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my tMone,
and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house wiU ye
build unto me ? and what place shaU be my rest ? 2 For all
these things hath mine hand made, and so aU these tMngs came
to be, saith the Lord : but to this man wiU I look, even to Mm
that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my
LXVI. 1 — 4. A prediction of evil for the Jews who yield the
Lord divided allegiance, and persecute their godly brethren.
1. wkat manner of house, etc. i.e. what house but the Temple (cf
V. 6) ? what place but Zion (the Lord's holy mountain (lxv. 11))? The
question is probably not directed (as St Stephen directed it, Acte vu.
48 — 50, cf xvii. 24, Joh. iv. 21 — 24) against the habit of mind that
deemed the Lord to dwell in material buildings, but against the design,
entertained by. the adversaries of the loyal section of the Jews, of
erecting a second and rival sanctuary. Such a design, which was
eventually carried out by the Samaritans on mount Gerizim, was illegi
timate according to the Deuteronomic law. It was Zion that the
Lord had chosen, and no other abode would be accepted.
rest. Better, resting-place (xi. 10, Ps. cxxxii. 8).
2. all these tkings. i.e. not heaven and earth (as some critics
have supposed), but the Temple buildings on mount Zion (paraUel to
tkis man, representing the worshippers there).
came to be. Better (with the LXX. and Syr.), are mine (•1''0 vi for
•1*r'.'!!). The Lord already had one material sanctuary and needed no
other. hut to tkis man. Better, and to this man only will I hok witk favour,
even to the poor and tke dispirited. The description (wMch recaUs
Ivii. 15) denotes the pious minority who were harassed by their semi-
pagajjised countrymen (v. 5).
that trembleth, etc. i.e. that stands in awe of, and obeys, my
injunctions (as set forth in the Deuteronomic law ; cf Ezra ix. 4,
X. 3).

LXVL 3, 4] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 415
word. 3 He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man ; he
that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog's neck ; he
that offiereth ^an oblation, as he that offereth swine's blood;
he that ^burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol : yea,
they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in
their abominations ; 4 I also will choose their ^delusions, and wiU
brmg their fears upon them ; because when I caUed, none did
answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that
1 Or, a meal offering ' Heb. maketh a memorial of. ' Or, mockings
3. He that,,, is as, eto. Better (since the particle of comparison
is absent from the Heb.), He that killeth an ox hut also slayeth a man,
ete. (and so tMoughout), the persons enumerated (who are contrasted
with those that tremble at the Lord's word, v. 2) being summarized by
the pronoun they (or these) in the second half of the v. The descrip
tion has in view the idolatrous majority who combined lawful with
unlawful acts of worship, the sacrifice of ox or sheep and the presenta
tion of a meal offering or of incense being permissible acts, and human
sacrifices, the sacrifice of dogs, the offering of swine's blood, and the
blessing of an idol being prohibited acts and instances of abomination.
The syncretistic character of the worsMp described resembles the
account given of the people of Samaria in 2 Kgs. xvii., to whom in
reUgious usage the Judseans left at the Exile in the occupation of the
soU probably became assimilated.
slayeth a man. i.e. offers human sacrifice, probably of children.
See on Ivii. 5.
breaketh a dog's neck. i.e. sacrifices a dog. The existence of the
name Cahb (dog) suggests that among the Hebrews and their kindred
tribes the dog was originaUy a totem, and the sacrifice here referred to
may have been foUowed by a mystic eating of the flesh (see on lxv. 4).
Dog's flesh was eaten (probably sacramentaUy) by the Semitic Cartha-
gmians (Justin, xix. i. 10), and dogs were sacrificed by the Romans at
the Eohigalia and Lupercalia (Fowler, Eoman Festivals, pp. 89, 311).
an oblation. Better (vrith the mg.), a meal offering; see on i. 13.
swine's blood. This was probably partaken of sacramentelly (see
V. 17 and cf on lxv. 4).
burneth frankincense. Better (as in mg. ), maketh a memorial offering
of frankincense. The memorial offering of the Levitical lav? consisted
of a handful of fiour taken from a meal offering, moistened with oil, and
burnt with frankincense upon the altar (Lev. ii. 2).
blesseth an idol. LiteraUy, blessetk (i.e. worahiips) falsity ; cf xli. 29,
Hos. iv. 15, Heb., 1 Sam. xv. 23.
yea, they have chosen, etc. Better, as these ha/ve chosen tkeir own
ways and their soul delighteth in tkdr abominations (i.e. their idols,
Deut. xxix. 17), 4. so I will choose for them mockings (i.e. troubles that
mock their hopes) and will hring upon them wkat tkey fear.

416 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [LXVL5-8
which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted
not 5 Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word:
Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name's
sake, have said. Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your
joy ; but they shall be ashamed. 6 A voice of tumult fi-om the
city, a voice fi-om the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth
recompence to his enemies. 7 Before she travailed, she brought
forth ; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man cMld.
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such thmgs?
Shall a land be ^born in one day? shall a nation be brought
forth at once ? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth
^ Or, travailed with far but one day
5 — 16. To the pious of Zion, whose hopes have been ridiculed by
their adversaries there wiU shortly accrue a great increase of popula
tion and wealth, whilst the enemy wiU be desteoyed by a fiery
judgment. 5. Your hretkren. i.e. the semi-paganised descendante of the Jews
left in the land when the rest of the people went into exUe.
cast you out. i.e. exclude you from feUowsMp because of your
fidelity to Me.
he glorified, i.e. manifest His glory by realizing your hopes of Zion's
expansion and enrichment (xhx. 18, liv. I, 2). The language is used in
mockery. hut they. Better, but they themselves. It is not the faitMul Jews
but their opponents whose expectetions vriU be disappointed : cf Lsv. 13.
To this V. probably -y. 17 was once attached.
6. This V. begins a description of the approacMng judgment
(comprehending Gentiles as weU as ungodly Jews), which is inter
rupted at V. 7 and not resumed tiU v. 15.
A vdce, etc. Better, Hark ! (xiii. 4, xl. 3) a roar from the city,
hark ! (a roar) from the temph, hark ! the Lord that rendereth, ete.
The description resembles Am. i. 2, Joel iii. 16, and has influenced
Rev. xvi. I, 17.
7 — 14. A prophecy of reUef for the distressed in Zion, and of
speedy increase in the city's population and wealth.
7. Before she travailed, etc. i.e. the repopulation of Zion wiU be
effected with unprecedented swiftness.
a man child. A symbol of the vigorous community of the futur&
Amongst the Hebrews (as amongst the Arabs) the birth of a son was a
source of much greater satisfaction than the birth of a daughter.
8. Skall a land he horn, ete. Since a land was regarded as the
mother of its population (xlix. 20, 21, liv. 1) Duhm and Cheyne insert
Ql?, and render. Shall tke peoph of a land he tramailed vnth?

LXVL 9-14] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 417
her chUdren. 9 ShaU I bring to the birth, and not cause to
bring forth? saith the Lord : shall I that cause to bring forth
shut the womM saith thy God.
10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye
that love her: rejoice for joy with her, aU ye that mourn over
her: 11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of
her consolations ; that ye may milk out, and be deUghted with
the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith the Lord,
Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory
of the nations like an overflowing stream, ^and ye shall suck
thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shaU be
dandled upon the knees. 13 As one whom his mother com
forteth, so wiU I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in
Jerusalem. 14 And ye shaU see it, and your heart shall rejoice,
and your bones shaU flourish Uke the tender grass: and the
hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and he
1 Or, then shall ye suck, ye <&c.
9. Skall I bring, ete. The Lord Who has begun the restoration
of His people, will not leave His undertaking incomplete. For the
figure, cf. xxxvii. 3.
10. Eejdce ye, etc. The LXX. has, Eejdce, 0 Jerusalem (reading
Jn.s 'npE' for m •ini?B'), which accords better with thy God (v. 9).
ail ye tkat mourn, i.e. the pious minority, who are depressed at
the disappointment of their hopes for Zion : cf Ivii. 18, Ixi. 2.
11. tkat ye may suck, ete. Sympathy with Jerusalem gives a
claim to participation in her feUcity. The figure of the city or land as
the mother of its population (cf on v. 8) is maintained.
the abundance of her glory. Better, ker rick maternal bosom (the
word rendered abundance probably meaning breast or teat).
12. peace,,, glory. Synonyms for prosperity (lx. 17) and wealth
(x. 3, Ixi. 6) : the promise recaUs lx. 5. For the figure of a river or
stieam cf xlviii. 18.
and ye shall suck, etc. The text is supported by the Vulg., but it
should probably be emended, after the LXX., to their (or with Duhm,
her) sucklings (D)?i?5i'' or SJpipji'' for D^P^'I.) skall he carried on tke side
amd dandhd on tke knees. The Gentiles are thought of as discharging
the duty of nursing ; see xlix. 22, 23, lx. 4.
14. your hones skall flourish, i.e. your physical frames shall be
filled with renewed vigour (cf Iviii. II, xliv. 4, Job xxi. 24, Prov. xv.
30, Ps. li. 8).
the hand. Perhaps better (with Cheyne), the lovingkindness, reading
npn VIWI for T nvi."* after Klostermann.

w. I.

27

418 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxvl 15-17
wiU have indignation against Ms enemies. 15 For, behold, the
Lord wiU come ^with fire, and his chariots shall be like the
whirlwind ; to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with
flames of fire. 16 For by fire wiU the Lord plead, and by his
sword, with all flesh : and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves ^to go
unto the gardens, ^behind *one in the midst, eating swine's
' Or, in ^ Or, in ^ Many ancient authorities have, one after another.
* Or, one tree (or Asherah ; see Deut. xvi. 21)
Ms enemies. The subject of v. 6 is here resumed. The Lord's
enemies are the oppressors of Israel as well as the paganised Jews (see
vv. 16, 18, and cf Ux. 16—19).
15, 16. A description (continued from v. 6) of the Lord's advent
in judgment, attended with all the terrors of a theophany (cf xxix. 6,
xxx. 27, 30, Ps. xviu. 12, 1. 3).
15. witk fire. In view of the parallel clause, better (with the
LXX.), like fire (E^X? for ^^).
his chariots. The conception, which occurs in Hab. iii. 8, Ps. Ixviii.
17, probably had its origin in the rapid movements of storm clouds and
the roll and rattle of thunder (cf p. 12).
Ms rebuke, i.e. the expression of his resentment (xvii. 13, 1. 2,
U. 20). 16. phad. Better (with the LXX.), plead (i.e. enter into judg
ment, cf Jer. ii. 35) witk all the earth (inserting l''^.^?n'?3'nK).
all flesh. The expression naturally means aU mankind (as in xl. 5,
Jer. xxv. 31) and not merely all Jews.
17. This V. returns to the subject of the disloyal Jews and their
idolatrous practices (see vv. 1 — 5), and breaks the connection between
vv. 16 and 18.
Tkey tkat sanctify tkemselves, etc. There is here an abrupt reversion
to the misdeeds of the paganised section of the Jewish population
(vv. 1 — 4), whose extermination, in particular, is desired and antici
pated. to go unto tke gardens, i.e. for participation in the idolatrous rites
of which the gardens were the scene, i. 29, lxv. 3. The Heb. might
also mean (and purify themselves) in the gardens (for the preposition
cf Gen. vi. 6, I Kgs. viii. 30).
bekind one in the midst. The meaning is obscure. If the rendering
is correct, the words probably describe a procession behind the image of
a deity, who, if Babylonian rites still survived in the country, might be
the dead Tammuz (cf on xvii. 10) or, since the Heb. mg. makes one
fem., the goddess Ishtar who mourned him. But a preferable translation
is after one in the midst, the passage describing the imitation, by a
group of novices, of the ritual acts of a priest (or a priestess) who is
initiating them into mysteries (cf. Ezek. viii. II). Sym. has oirla-fn
aWriXiov (implying ^^^ "ID?^ ""??) ^^ /xeo-<u io-Qwvrwv TO Kpeas to ^(oipctov.

LXVI. 18, 19] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 419
flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse ; they shall come to
an end together, saith the Lord. 18 For I hnoiv their works
and their thoughts: ^the time cometh, that I wiU gather all
nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shaU see my
glory. 19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send
1 Many ancient authorities have, I corns to gather de.
Cheyne favours Klostermann's ingenious but unconvincing emendation,
one consecrating another (with sacrificial blood) on tke tip of tke ear
(¦q-13fl3 nnx np«) ; cf Ex. xxix. 20, Lev. viu. 23, 24, xiv. 16, 17.
the abomination. If the reading is correct, it must be a coUective
expression for loathsome creatures (cf Ezek. viii. 10). Duhm con
jectures creeping things (fJ^ for Y?^), which by the Jewish law were
unclean (Lev. xi. 41).
the mouse. TMs, which, like the swine, was forbidden food (Lev. xi.
29), was probably eaten mystically by the idolatrous Jews. The occur
rence of the name Ackbor, the Heb. for mouse (Gen. xxxvi. 38, 2 Kgs.
xxii. 12, 14), favours the belief that it was a totem animal (cf on lxv. 4).
they skall come, etc. Probably (as Duhm conjectures) some words
should be transferred to this v. from v. 18, and the text should be
corrected to their works and tkeir thoughts (in apposition with they that
sanctify themselves) skall come to an end together.
18 — 22. The approach of a universal judgment, which will be
foUowed by the restoration, by those nations who survive it, of all
the Jews dwelling among them.
18. For I know, etc. The Heb. is corrupt. The insertion of
know follows LXX. n ; but it is best (as already implied) to transpose
the words their works and thdr thoughts to v. 17, and to emend the rest
of tMs V. after the LXX., O.L., and Vulg. : the rendering will then
be, And I come to gather, etc. (reading K? '?JX1 for nKa-'pisi). That
the gathering of the peoples (which takes place at Jerusalem) is pre
liminary to their punishment is clear from the mention of the escaped
(v. 19) : cf. Ezek. xxxviii., xxxix., Joel iii. 2, Zeph. iii. 8. The subject
of the judgment of the heathen is here resumed in continuation of
m. 15, 16.
all nations and tongues. The phraseology resembles Zech. viii.
23, Dan. iii. 4. All, in strictness, is inconsistent with the fact that
some are made acquainted with the judgment by hearsay (v. 19).
shall see my glory, i.e. shall witness the glory of the theophany
when the Lord appears to teke vengeance upon those who have
oppressed or dishonoured His people : cf Ezek. xxxix. 21.
19. a dgn. i.e. some supernatural act of retribution, analogous to
the plagues of Egypt (which are described as "signs" in Ex. vii. 3,
X. I, 2, Ps. Ixxvui. 43, cv. 27).
/ will send, etc. Beyond the circle of the nations with whom
Israel ordinarily came in contact are others more distant which have
27—2

420 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH [lxvlw,.i
such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pui and
Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar
oflF, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory ;
and they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 And
they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an
offering unto the Lord, upon horses, and in chariots, and in
Utters, and upon mules, and upon ^ swift beasts, to my holy
mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel
bring their offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
21 And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith
^ Or, dromedaries
not provoked the Lord's resentment, and to these the survivors of the
judgment wUl be sent to report what they have witnessed.
Tarshish, etc. This list of nations is considered by Cheyne and
Duhm to be interpolated. For Tarshish see on ii. 16. Pui, wMch
does not occur elsewhere, should be corrected (with LXX.) to Put
(Gen. X. 6, Ezek. xxvii. 10, Jer. xlvi. 9), an E. African country
(called Punt in the Egyptian inscriptions). Lud (perhaps the same as
the Ludim of Gen. x. 13, Jer. xlvi. 9) was also in Africa, and is
represented as under Egyptian rule in Ezek. xxx. 5. The words that
draw the how (for which the LXX. has kui Moo-o'x) probably conceal two
other names, Meskech and Eosk (Ezek. xxxviii. 2, xxxix. 1), of wMch
the first is usually identified with the Moschi, a people of Armenia.
Tubal possibly represente the Tibareni, a people dweUing in Pontus ^
Javan is Ionia or Greece (Joel iii. 6, Zech. ix. 13, Dan. viii. 21, x. 20) :
cf Schol. on Ar. Ack. 104, iravra^ Toiis 'EXXiyvas 'laovas ol ^dpftapoi
tKaXovv. 20 — 22. A prophecy of the restoration, by those nations who
survive the judgment, of all Jews dwelling among them.
20. And they shall bring, etc. The remote peoples named (v. 19),
overawed by what they hear, will bring to Jerusalem as an act of
homage to the Lord all the Jews resident among them (cf xlui. 6,
xlix. 22, Lx. 4, 9, xiv. 2).
upon horses, etc. The Jews, as the favoured people of so mighty a
God, will be treated with aU the respect due to persons of distinction.
This enumeration, like that oi v. 19, is rejected by Duhm and Cheyne.
swift beasts. Better, dromedaries.
as the ckildren, etc. They will be conducted with as much care as
that with which the Jews themselves bring their offerings to the Temple :
cf Zeph. in. 10.
21. of them. i.e. ofthe restored Jews there will be taken for the
1 The Moschi in tirajoo-Eoman timea lived near the Phasis, but at an earlier
period their habitat was near Commagene (DB. iii. 251). Both they and the
Tibareni are mentioned among the subject states of Persia in Hdt. in. 94, vn. 78.

LXVI. 22-h] THE BOOK OF ISAIAH 421
the Lord. 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which
I mil make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shaU
your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass,
that fi'om one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to
another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the
Lord. 24 And they shaU go forth, and look upon the carcases
functions named (cf Ixi. 6) those who are eligible ; the privilege of
ministering in the offices of religion will not be confined to the Jews
resident in Jerusalem.
for priests and /or Levites, Though in the Heb. text the copula is
omitted between priests and Levites, it occurs in many MSS. and in the
LXX. and Vulg. ; and as the preposition for is repeated before the
second noun, the two classes seem meant to be distinguished (contrast
Deut. xvii. 9, 18, etc.). On this view the passage (? vv, 18 — 22)
implies the existence of the legislation of the Priestly code, and must
be later than Malachi, in whose time the Deuteronomic law appears
not to have been superseded (Mal. ii. 4 — 8). On the other hand,
many critics in consequence of the omission of the copula in the Heb.,
omit the preposition before Levites as well (reading D?1? ^'^H^?) and
render for Levite priests (as in Deut. xvii. 9).
22. Foi- as the new, etc. In the better order of things (promised
in lxv. 17) the Jewish race wiU exist in perpetuity, the everlasting
continuance of the one being the guarantee for that of the other,
ct xlviu. 19, U. 6, lxv. 17.
23 — 24. All mankind will attend for worship at the Temple on the
Jewish weekly and monthly feasts, whilst outside it the bodies of the
victims of the judgment wiU be an ever-present spectacle.
This passage seems to be an addition to the preceding, which
reaches a natural climax in v. 22 (note saitk the Lobd). Certain of the
terms employed point to a late date (e.g. an abhorring, which recurs
only in Dan. xii. 2).
23. from one new moon, etc. Literally, as often as a month comes
on its new moon and a week comes on its sabbath. The words rendered
month and week are the same as those for new moan and sahbatk
respectively ; and the use of the last term in the sense of week is late
(see Lev. xxiii. 15, xxv. 8, and cf the meaning of ad/B^aTov and ad^Para
in Mk. xvi. 2, 9, Matt, xxviu. 1).
shall all flesh come, etc. The same thought that all the nations
that survive the judgment previously described are to worsMp regularly
at the Jewish Temple occurs in Zech. xiv. 16 — 19.
24. look upon. i.e. with satisfaction (cf Ps. xci. 8). The scene
descrilDed was probably suggested by the associations connected with
the vaUey of Hinnom (S.W. of the city) which had once been the site
of human sacrifices (Jer. vu. 31) and had been desecrated, in conse
quence, by Josiah (2 Kgs. xxiu. 10). There the refuse of Jerusalem
was cast, and there, too (according to Rabbinic tradition), the dead

422 THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
of the men that have transgressed against me : for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched ; and they shall
be an abhorring unto all flesh.
bodies of criminals were exposed to decomposition or committed to the
flames. The place here described is identified with the valley of
Hinnom in Enoch xxvi., xxvii., but since the scene is viewed by those
returning from the Temple, the actual locality in the writer's mind
appears to be the adjoining valley of the Kidron on the E. ofthe city (see
G. A. Smith, Jerusalem i. p. 174). The represeutetion seems to imply
the belief that a connection subsisted after death between the soul and
the body, and that the dead, in this instance, suffered endlessly in
consequence of what their bodies, fed upon by fire and worm but never
consumed, had to undergo (cf Job xiv. 22). From this passage was
borrowed much ofthe language describing the torments of Gehenna in
the N.T. (see Mk. ix. 43, 48, Matt. xiu. 42, Luke xvi. 24 ; cf also
Judith xvi. 17, Ecclus. vii. 17, Rev. xx. 10).
In the Hebrew Bible the Massoretes have directed that when this
c. is read in the S3magogue, the last v. but one (v. 23) is to be repeated
in order that the book may close with words of consolation. The
same direction occurs at the conclusion of the Book of the Minor
Prophets, of Lamentetions, and of Ecclesiastes.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

423

CHRONOLOGICAL

TABLE 1

ISEAUL

B.C. JUDAH

B.C. ASSYEIA

B.C.

Adad-nirari III
811
Uzziah
789
oam II
782
Shalmaneser III
782
Asshur-dan III
772
Asshur-nirari II
754
Zechariah
741
Menahem
741
Jotham
Pekahiah
737
Pekah
736
Ahaz
Hoshea
734
Hezekiah
FaU of Samaria
722
Manasseh
Amon
Josiah
Tiglath-pileser III 745
JehoahazJehoiakimJehoiachinZedekiah
FaU ofJeriudlem
738
735
7272 Shalmaneser IV
Sargon II
Sennacherib
692
638637
607
607
597 597587
Esarhaddon Asshurbanipal
Asshur-itil-ilani Sin-shar-ishkunFall of Nineveh
BABYLON
Nabopolassar
Nebuchadrezzar
Bvil-merodachNeriglissar Labashi-merodach
NabunaidFall of Babylon
727722
705 681
668
625 ?
607
3625
604
561
559 556
555
538
1 In the case of many of the kings of Israel and Judah the dates of their
accession can only be regarded as approximate.
2 Possibly the year of his accession as joint ruler with his father Ahaz
(see p. xhi).
' The year of Nabopolassar's accession to the throne of Babylon.
424

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

JUDAH

B.C.

PERSIA

Return under Zerubbabel, 537

Cyrus

B.c.
5491

Arrival of Ezra 458
Arrival of Nehemiah 445

Cambyses 529
Pseudo-Smerdis 522
Darius I (Hystaspis) 521
Xerxes I 485
Artaxerxes I (Longima
nus) 464

Xerxes II 424
Sogdianus 424
Darius II (Nothus) 423
Artaxerxes II (Mnemon) 405
Artaxerxes III (Ochus) 358
Arses 337
Darius III (Codoman
nus) 335
Destruction of the Per
sian Empire 'by
Alexander 331

After the death of Alexander in 323 B.C. his empire was dirided between
his generals, of whom Ptolemy obtained Egypt and Seleucus Syria. The
succession of sovereigns in these two countries till 180 b.c. was as foUows :

EGYPT B.C.
Ptolemy I (Soter) 322
Ptolemy II (PhUadelphus) 285
Ptolemy III (Euergetes) 246

Ptolemy IV (Philopator) 221
Ptolemy V (Epiphanes) 205
Ptolemy VI (Philometor) 181

SYRIA

B.C.

Seleucus I (Nicator) 312
Antiochus I (Soter) 280
Antiochus II (Theos) 261
Seleucus II (CaUinicus) 246
Seleucus III 226
Antiochus III (the Great) 224

Seleucus IV (Philopator) 187

1 The year of Cyrus' accession to the throne of Media.

INDEX

Aaron 399
' abomination ' 288
Abraham 401
Achor, valley of 409
' aore ' 32
Adrammelech 238
adulteration (fig.) 10
'afflict the soul' 369
Ahaz xxi, xxiii, 13, 21, 23, 29, 43 f.,
55, 206
Ahijah xiii
Aiath 79
Ain Sitti Mariam 45
Alexander 157
'all flesh' 250, 251, 418, 421
Almighty 94
Amen 411
Amorite 118
Amos xxxii
Amoz xviii
amulets 25
Analysis of the hook of Isaiah vii
Anathoth 80
'ancient' 21, 69
'angel' 237
' ankle chains ' 25
•anoint' 386
' anointed ' 291
Anshan Ivii, 259
'antelope' 332
Apocalyptic writings 156, 215
'appear before the Lord' 6
Ar 108
Arabah 211, 250
Arabia, Prophecy concerning 140
Arabian 96
Aralu 100
Ariel 185, 186
Ariels 211
'arm of the Lord' 252, 327, 338, 400
Aroer 116
Arpad 74
' arrowsnake ' 220
Artaxerxes Longimanus 125
Artaxerxes Mnemon 125
Artaxerxes Ochus 125, 157, 174, 397

Ashdod 133
Asherim xxxiii, 117
'asp' 84
Asshurbanipal Iii, 125
assonance 31, 46, 94, 363, 387, 410
Assyria, Israel's relations with xx f.,
xxxii, Iiii, 1 f., 37, 43 f., 57,
68, 73 f., 103, 104, 121, 133,
142, 185 f., 224 f.
overthrow of Iii
Prophecies concerning 50, 56,
57, 73 f., 103, 198, 202, 210,
231, 234 f.
'Assyria' (=Persia) 87, 89, 132, 176
'Assyria' ( = Syria) 125, 132
astrology 306
Astyages Irii, 259
augury ix
Azuri 133
Babylon, astrology of 306
idols of 299
Israel's relations with Hii-
Iviii
overthrow of Iviii, 92 f.,
135 f., 302 f.
Prophecies concerning 91 f.,
135 f., 248 f.
wealth of 292
' baldness ' 25, 26
'ban' 216
' bands of the yoke ' 370
Bashan 19, 211
'basUisk' 84
' battles of shaking ' 200
' beacon ' 196
'beard' 51
'beds' ( = graves) 361
Beer-eUm 110
'bees' (fig.) 51
' before ' 69
' behind ' 69
Bel 299
belomancy ix
Beltis 72
Beulah 391

426

INDEX

Birket el Hamrd 45
Birket Silwan 45
'bittern' 219
'blessmg' 132
'blind' (= unspiritual) 190, 274, 278
(= captive) 271
'boil' 244
' book of the Lord ' 220
'booth' 5
'bowels' 114
' box tree ' 264
'branch' (fig.) 385
' branch of the Lord ' 27
' branding ' 26
' break down ' 113
'bricks' 68, 406
'brook of Egypt' 175
' brook of the wiUows ' 110
' broth ' 408
'burden' 92
' burial, loss of ' 36
' butter and honey ' 49
caU, Isaiah's 39
' call by name ' 276
'caUed, to be' 11, 27, 130, 310
' calling of assemblies ' 7
Calno 74
Cambyses Ixxvi, 125, 277
Canaan 153
Carchemish Uii, 74
Carmel 211
' cauls ' 25
'cedars' 19, 68
'chaff' 121
Chaldeans Ui, 154, 245
'chariots' 37, 148
' chariots of the Lord ' 12, 418
cherubim 39, 233
childlessness 26, 27
children, sacrifice of 362
Christ and Messianic prophecies xxxix,
xl
Christ and the 'Servant of the Lord'
lxvi
Chronologioa} Table 423
Chronology of Isaiah's times xl f.
' circle of the earth ' 256
' city of confusion ' 159
' city of David ' 145
'city of destruction' 130
' city of the sun ' 130
'cloud' (fig.) 289, 382
' coal, live ' 41
' coastlands ' 87
CoUections of Isaiah's prophecies 1 f.
'condemn' 324, 352
' confederate with ' 44
' consecrated ones ' (soldiers) 93
' conspiracy ' 58

'contend' 367
' corner stone ' 128
' counsellor ' 22
'courts' (of the Temple) 7, 392
' covenant ' 389
' covenant of the people ' 271
' crane ' 242
' crescents ' 25
Criteria of a true prophet xv f .
' cucumber ' 5
' cummin ' 183
' cunning artificer ' 22
'cup' (fig.) 331
Cush 87, 121, 134
Cyrus xliv, Ivu, 259, 291
Damascus, Israel's relations with xxUf.,
46, 50, 115
Prophecy concerning 116
Darius Codomannus 157
Hystaspis Ixxvi, 125, 157
darkness ( = distress) 64, 325, 375
( = captivity) 318
Date of Isaiah vi
of Deutero-Isaiah 1, U
of Trito-Isaiah Ixxii, Ixxiu
of the book of Isaiah vu
David 185, 353
'day of the Lord' 18, 19
'day star' 100
'dead' (=exUes) 169
'deaf (=unspkitual) 190, 274
Dedanites 141
' deny the Lord ' 376
deportation 229
Destiny 410
Deutero-Isaiah, Date of xhif., 1, li
Style of xlrii
Theology of Ivui
Deuteronomy xxxvU, liv, 130
'devote' 88, 216
' dial (or steps) of Ahaz ' 240
Dibon 108
Dimon 110
disciples, Isaiah's xxxi, 59
' divination ' ix
' diviner ' viii, 17, 21
' divorcement, biU of ' 322
' dog ' 415
' doors ' 364
'doves' 376
'dragon' 171, 172, 329
' dreams ' x
' drink offerings ' 363
drunk, make (fig.) 396
Dumah 140
early feasting 32
'east, the' 17
' east wind' (fig.) 174

INDEX

427

Eden 232
Edom, Israel's relations with 215, 216
Prophecies concerning 139, 217,
394
Eglaim 110
Eglath-shelishiyah 109
Egypt, Israel'srelations with xxiv f. , UU f.,
124, 192 f., 201, 227
Jewish settlements iu liv, 129,
130, 176
Prophecies concerning 126 f., 134,
277, 295
Ekron xxvi, xxvii, 105
Elam IvU, 87, 137, 144
Elath 13, 44
'elder' 21, 24
Elealeh 109
EUakim 146, 148, 149, 227
EUjah xiii
EUsha xii, xiii
'enchantments' 305
'ensign' 36, 86, 87, 123
Ephah 381
'ephah' 32
'ephod' ix
Ephraim, Kingdom of xxu, xxiii, 44 f.,
177
Tribe of, 71
Esarhaddon lUi, 46, 125, 238
Ethiopia 122, 134
'Everlasting Father' 66
Evil-merodach Ivu
'eunuch' 247, 357
ExUe, The Uvf.
ExUe, number of Jews in lv
number of Jews that retumed
from Ixxv, IxxviU
Beturn from the lxxiv
Ezra IxxvUi
'Face (of the Lord)' 398
faith 46, 181
' famUiar spirits ' 60
'fasting' 369 f.
'fat ones' 76
' fat of the kidneys ' 217
•fatness' 79, 353
'fat things' (fig.) 164
'figs' 244
'fire' (fig.) 28, 204, 276
'fitches' 183
'five' 129
'flesh' 202
'flies' 51
•flint' 324
flood (fig.) 56, 177
' flying serpent ' 105
'fool' 205
'forest' (fig.) 77, 208
formaUsm denounced 5 f., 188, 368 f.

Fortune 410
' frankincense ' 282
'friend' 262, 291
'fruit of the lips' 368
'fuller' 45
Gad 410
Galilee 64
GaUim 80
' gardens ' 406
'garment' (fig.) 328
'gate,' 'gates' 26, 191
Gath 133
Geba 80
Gebim 80
GentUes, conversion of, xxxvui, Ixii f.,
14, 15, 87, 97, 131, 132, 268, 270,
298
Gerizim 414
Gibeah 80
Gibeon 182
GUion 45, 55, 56, 145
Gilead 67
'ghdle' 37, 153
'glory' (=honourable men) 115
'glory' (=: power or wealth) 56, 76,
116
' glory of the Lord ' xxxv, 40, 250
'gnats' 328
Goel lx, 263
' goodliness ' 251
Gozan 232
' graves ' 407
'guUt offerings' 343
Haggai Ixxvi, 397, 414
'haU' (fig.) 182
Hamath xx, 74
Hanes 193
Hanno xxiii
Haran 232
'harlot' (fig.) 9, 155
'harp' 33
'harvest' ( = vintage) 114, 123
Hasideans 361
'He' (divine title) 260
'head and taU' 69, 129
'healer,' 'healing' 22, 371
'heU' 33, 99
Hena 233
Hephzibah 391
Heshbon 109
Hezekiah, poUoy of xxiii f.
religious reforms of 227
sickness of 239
'hide the face' 60, 367, 374
'high places' 108
Hinnom, valley of 421, 422
' hireling, years of a ' 115
Hirites 118

428

INDEX

'hold (my) peace' 273, 390
' holiness ' xxxiv, 100
' holy city ' 308
'holy mountain' 358, 410
' Holy One ' lix, 257, 367
' Holy One of Israel ' 3
'holy people' 394, 401
homer 32
' honourable man ' 21
Horonaim 110
Hosea xxxii
Hoshea xxiii, 68
' host ' (of stars) 12, 257
' host of the high ones ' 161
'house of the forest' 144
' house tops ' 109
human sacrifices 362
husbandry, illustration from 183
hydromancy x
idolatry 11, 361
'idols' 18, 74, 126
manufacture of 255, 261
'imagery' 19
Immanuel 48, 49, 52-54, 57, 58
' incense ' 7
incubation x, 407
'iniquity' (= punishment) 34, 249, 340
intemperance denounced 32, 35, 177
intercessor 377
Isaiah, call of 38
children of xviii, 44, 55
chronology of the times of xl f.
death of xviii
erroneous predictions of xxviii,
xxix
father of xviii
meaning of name of xvii
policy of xxv
Style of xxx f.
Theology of xxxii f.
Isis 72
'islands' 87
'Israel, house of 31
Ivvah 233
Jacob ( = Ephraim) 67
(= Judah) 16
Jahaz 109
Javan 420
Jazer 113
'jealousy' 273
Jehoiachin Iiii, 347
Jehoiakim UU
Jeremiah xlvii, lv
Jeroboam II xix, 107
Jerusalem, Prophecies concerning 1
Jeshurun 284
Josiah Iiii
Jotham xxiii, 13

'judgement' (= due or rindication)
258, 375, 377
(= justice) 31, 375
( = model or pattern) 254
(= ordmance) 268, 327,
356
'justify' 324
Karkar xxi
Kedar 142, 272, 381
'key' 148
Kidron 422
'king' (divine title) 41, 62, 265, 364
Kir (city) 108
(country) 144
Kir-hareseth 113
Kir-heres 114
Kittim 151
'know' 67, 375
Lachish 226
Laishah 80
'lamb' (fig.) 341
land monopoly denounced 31
'latter days' 15
'law' 6, 16, 59
' leanness ' 160
Lebanon 190, 211, 234
'let' 279
'leviathan' 171, 172
Levites 421
Libnah 232
' light of Israel ' 76
light (fig.) 16
'line' 220
' line of confusion ' 219
'line upon line' 179
'lion' (fig.) 202
lips, sins of the 41
'lodge' 5
'loins' 137
longevity 412
' Lord of hosts ' 5, 12
' lower pool ' 145
Lud 420
Luhith 110
'lute' 33
luxury denounced 24
lyre 33
Maher-shalal-hash-baz 54
' man of war ' 21
Manasseh Ui
Manda Ui, Ivii
' measure, a ' 254
Medeba 109
Medes IvU, 91, 93, 96
Media 96
'meek' 83, 190, 386
'melt' 94

INDEX

429

'memorial' 167, 358
Menahem xxii, xli, 67, 68
Meni 410
Merodach-baladan xxiv, xxvi, 135, 231,
245
Meshech 420
Messianic prophecies xxxix, 48 f., 62 f. ,
81 f., 86, 204
'mete out' 123
Michmash 80
Midian 65, 381
' Mighty God ' 66
'mighty man' 21
Migron 79
'mUlstones' 303
* mingle strong drink ' 35
' mirrors ' 25
Moab, Israel's relations with 107, 108
Prophecies concerning 105 f., 165
• moon, Ught of the ' 198
Moses xU, 399
' Most High ' 101
' mount of congregation ' 100
mountains, worship on 364, 408
' mouse ' 419
Muzri xxv, 133, 134
Naaman (divine title) 119
Nabopolassar Ui, UU
Nabunaid IvU
' name of the Lord ' 167, 199, 378
name descriptive of character 11, 65,
130, 385
NaphtaU 63
Nathan xiu
Nature, appeal to 2
sympathy of 289, 355
Nebaioth 381
Nebo (god) 299
(place) 109
Nebuchadrezzar UU, liv, IvU, 150, 152,
154
Necho UU, 125
necromancy x, xxxiu, 60, 180, 407
Nehemiah IxxviU, Ixxix
' new heavens and new earth ' 412
'new moon' 7, 421
'new name' 391
'night monster' 219
Nimrim 110
Nineveh, faU of Ui
Nisroch 238
'Noah, waters of 349
Nob 80
noontide (fig.) 241
Noph 128
' nose-jewels ' 25
'not-gods' xxxv, 18, 74, 126
'oaks' 11

'oblations' 7, 131
'oU' 4
'oU tree' 264
' ointment ' 365
Ophel 207
Ophir 95
Oreb, rock of 78
Orion 95
Osiris 72
' pahn branch and rush ' 69, 129
papyrus, vessels of 122
parables 29, 98
partiality in judgement denounced 23
Pathros 87
peace 417
Pekah xxii, xxiii, 44, 67
' pen of a man ' 54
Pene Rimmon 79
Perazim 182
' perfect heart, with a ' 239
PhiUstmes xxiv, 17, 69, 104 f., 133 f.
Phoenicia, Prophecy against 149 f.
'pillar' 131
'pUlars' (fig.) 128
'pit' 101, 330
' place of the name of the Lord ' 124
'poor and needy' 105, 163, 264
'porcupine' 103
'potter' 189
'potter's vessel,' 'potsherd' (fig.) 195,
294
prayer 7
' precept upon precept ' 179
Predictive powers of the prophets xv,
xvi
pride denounced 19
' Prince of Peace ' 66
Prism inscription xxri, xxvii
'profane' (adj.) 70, 73
'profane' (verb) 283, 304
' profaneness ' 205
' prophets ' vui, x f.
'proselytes' 357, 358
Pui (king) xxi, xli
Pui (people) 420
Put 420
'putting forth of the finger' 371
Eabshakeh 226
Eahab 194, 329
'rain' (fig.) 29
raisin cakes 113
Bamah 80
'rebuke' 121, 230, 350
recUning at meals 137
' redeemer ' lx, 263
' remembrancer ' 392
' remnant ' xxxvu, 27, 44, 87, 178, 236
Bephaim 99, 168

430

INDEX

Bephaim, valley of 117
'rest' 180
Eezeph 232
Eezin xxii, xxiii, 44, 46, 50
rhabdomancy ix
righteous (of the Jews) 160, cf. 166,
343
righteousness ( = consistency or truth
fulness) 259, 263, 271,
275, 298
(= right conduct or up
rightness) lxx, 9, 31,
356, 376
( = juat retribution) 11,
34, 78
( = vindication or victory)
xlvi, lxx, 260, 263, 356,
371, 375, 377, 390, 391,
395
Eiver 51, 56, 175
'roar,' 'roaring' 37, 376
'rock' (divine title) 119
(fig.) 203
'Eock of Ages' 167
' rod ' 65
' roe ' 95
'root' 86, 339
•rose' 221
Eosh 420
sabbath 7, 356, 373, 421
sackcloth 26
sacrifice, estimate of 5, 6, 7
suspended in Exile 281
sacrifices, unlawful 415
sale of children 322
' salvation ' 90, 166, 316, 335, 390, 391,
393
Samaria xxui, 55, 74, 177, 178
Samaritans Ixxv, Ixxix, 414
'sanctify,' 'be sanctified' 34, 58, 191
' sanctuary ' 59
Sargon xxiii, 73, 104, 105, 120, 133
'satyrs' 97, 219
' savoury provender ' 198
scepticism, religious 34
'scourge' (fig.) 181
'scribe' 227
' sea ' ( = the Mediterranean) 64
(=the Nile) 122, 127
Seba 277
' seers ' viU, xi
Seir 140
Sela 111, 273
Sennacherib xxiv f., 62, 73, 103, 105,
120, 142, 150, 185 f., 209, 225 f., 238
Sepharvaim 230
seraphim 39
' Servant, the Lord's' Ixii f., 262, 267,
289, 290, 314, 323, 336 f., 345 f.

' Servant Songs,' the 262, 267, 314, 323
'seventy' 155
Shabaka 121
'shadow' (fig.) 28, 29, 112, 192, 205
ShaUum liu, 68
Shalmaneser xxiU, 104, 149
Sharezer 238
Sharon 211, 221, 409
Shear-jashub 44
Sheba 381
Shebna 146
Shemaiah xiii
Sheol 33, 99, 244
'shepherd' (fig.) 253, 291
' shepherds ' 360
Sheshbazzar lxxiv
shields, anointing of 138
Shihor 151
SbUoah 55
Shinar 87
' ships of Tarshish ' 19
'ships of their rejoicing' 280
'shoulder' 88
Sibmah 113
sign XV, 47, 60, 286, 240, 355, 419
Siloam 45, 145
'silver' (fig.) 310
•silverling' 52
' sin ' ( = punishment) 34
Sinim 318
'smoke' 28, 40, 328
So xxiii, 121
Sodom and Gomorrah 4, 5, 6
' solemn meeting ' 8
' sons of the prophets ' xii
• soothsayers ' ix, 17
sophistry denounced 35
' sorceries ' 305
Sorek (vine) 30
'soul' 353, 371
'South' 136, 193
' span ' 253
'spirit of the Lord' 82, 178, 207, 254,
268, 284, 386, 399
'sprinkle' 337
•staff' (fig.) 65
' stone of stumbling ' 59
stones, worahip of 363
storm (fig.) 29
'stranger' ( = strange god) 119, 279
'stricken' 340
' strong hand ' 58
' subscribe with his hand ' 285
' sun images ' 118
•surety' (fig.) 242
' surname himself ' 285
' sweet cane ' 281
'swine' 407, 415
' sycamore ' 68
symbolic aots xxx, 134

INDEX

431

Syria xxii, 44 f.
'Tabeel, son of 45
'table' 410
'tablet' 54
'tabret' 33
Tarshish 19
Tartan 133
tattooing 285
' taunt song ' 98, 234, 302
Telassar 233
Tema 141
'tempest' (fig.) 177
Temple, Second lxxiv, Ixxri, 393, 404
'tent of David' 113
teraphim ix
'terebinths' 11, 387
' testimony ' 59
theophany 198, 402
'this,' 'these' 42, 58
' thorns and briers ' (fig.) 76
threshing 184
Tiglath-pUeser xxu, xxiu, 50, 63, 104,
116
Tirhakah 231, 232
'tongue' 88
Topheth 200
totemism 407
'towers' 19, 30, 198
' treacherous dealers ' 137, 161
' treasurer ' 147
tree worship ix, II, 12, 362
Trito-Isaiah, Date of IxvU f.
Diction of Ixxi
Theology of Ixxix f.
'trumpet' 123, 175
Tubal 420
Tyre Uv, Ivii, 149 f.

45

' upper pool '
Uriah 55
Urim and Thummim ix
'utterly destroy' 88, 216
Uzziah XX, 13, 38
' vaUey of vision ' 143
'vanity' 254, 374
venal judges denounced 35
Vergil and Isaiah 85
' vessels of the Lord ' 336

vicarious suffering lxiv, lxv, 337, 343 f.
' vile person ' 205
'vineyard' (fig.) 24, 29
'viol' 33
' virgin ' 48
' Virgin's spring ' 45
' vision ' 2
'visit' ( = punish) 162, 168
( = reUeve) 155, 187
' visitation ' 72
walls of Jerusalem rebuilt IxxriU,
Ixxix
' warfare ' (fig.) 249
'warrior' (fig.) 273, 377
watches (of the night) 140
'watchmen' 140, 360, 392
' waters ' (fig.) 276
'ways of the Lord' 15, 369, 403
' widowhood ' (fig.) 349
'wind' (fig.) 169
' wild oxen ' 218
' wUderness of the sea ' 136
'willows' 284
' wine press ' 30
' wine vat ' 30
wizards 60
women, denunciation of 24, 206
infiuence of 23
Wonderful CounseUor 65-66
'word' 14, 67, 355
'work,' 'works' (= idols) 12, 366
'work, the Lord's' 33, 34, 75
Teb, Hebrew settlement at 130
'yoke' (fig.) 65
'young men' (= warriors) 258
'zeal' 378
Zebulun 63
Zechariah 55
Zechariah (king) 68
Zechariah (prophet) Ixxvi, 414
Zedekiah liv
Zerubbabel lxxiv, Ixxri, 353
Zidon xxvi, Ui, 149, 150
Zion 4, 15, 28, 60, 106, 181, 196,
202, 204, 209, 252, 333, 379
Zoan 128, 193
Zoar 109

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