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Chapter his People as far as he had determin'd to afflict them, XXIV. he will punish the Host of the high Ones; that is, the Ar

my of the proud Affyrian, that high One that fits on high, and by his Succefs begins to think himself more than Man, and thofe Kings of the Earth upon the Earth; that is, thofe Tributary Kings and Princes who ferv'd in the Affyrian Army, and feem'd to have their Thrones on the Ground in comparison of Sennacherib. This is more natural, I think, than to make the Prophet talk of Punishing the Stars of Heaven, or of visiting them, as it were, in their Sickness, (the most unaccountable Whim (4) Hieron. certainly that ever came into a (a) learned Man's Head) or of the Devil's..

Ver. 22. And they shall be gathered together as prifoners are gathered in the pit, and fhall be shut up in the prifon, and after many days fhall they be vifited.] This Verfe Grotius underftands of the Princes in the Affyrian Army, but the turn which he gives the words, I think, is a little strain'd: He has been fpeaking in the former Verfe of punishing the Affyrian Hoft, which he did by fending an Angel who destroy'd an incredible Number of them in a moment. Now, according to the known Rules of Criticism, if a Verb occur without a Nominative Cafe, it is to be referr'd to that which is nearest to it, and then they must be understood of the Affyrian Army, comprehending the Princes or Generals, as well as common Soldiers. And, I think, the words will fairly bear this fenfe, They fhall be flain, and their Bodies be gather'd together and flung into a common Hole, as Prifoners condemn'd to Death are shut up together in a common Dungeon; and after a tedious Siege of many days, the Inhabitants of Jerufalem fhall be vifited favourably by God; that is, deliver'd out of their Diftrefs. The misunderstanding of this obfcure Text gave rife to the charitable Error of Origen, that the Devils would fometime or other be deliver'd from Hell.

Ver. 23. Then the moon fhall be confounded, and the fun afhamed, when the Lord of hosts fhall reign in mount Zion and in Jerufalem, and before his ancients gloriously.] That is, then the Idolatrous Reprefentations of thofe hea. venly Bodies fhall blufh, as it were, with fhame to find

them

themselves unable to protect their Worshippers: The Chapter Chaldee Paraphraft understands the words of the Affyri- XXIV. ans themselves, who worship'd the Moon and the Stars, thofe of them who efcap'd the Stroke of the Deftroying Angel, who might well be afham'd to fee their Numerous Army deftroy'd without any appearance of an Enemy: When the Lord of Hofts fhall openly fhew in the fight of the Heathen, that he Reigns in Jerufalem, and has that City under his Protection, and fhall have fignaliz'd his Glory before the Rulers of his People, Et qui'l aura fignalè fa gloire devant les Anciens de fon Peuple. Thofe Verf. de Port Commentators I think not worth mentioning who inter- Royal. pret all this Pallage of the ftrange Confufion the Devils Thould be in when they fhould find their Kingdom deftroy'd by the death of our Saviour.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter XXV.

Menoch.

That this Chapter is to be understood of the fame Times as the former, is fo plain, that they who referr that to the Day of Judgment, take this for a Song of Thanksgiving, wherein the Bleffed praife the Name of God for rescuing them from their fpiritual Enemies, and receiving them into Heaven. If any one has a mind to fee amazing Inftances of violent wrefting of Scripture, he need only confult any one of the Authors referr'd (a) to, by perufing of which he (a) A Lamay. have a just Idea how trifling the whole Pack almost of pide, Catholic Interpreters are. I understand this Chapter as a Sanétius, Song made by the Prophet when his Mind was fill'd with Munfter, Admiration of God's Goodness in delivering his People from Tirinus. Ruin, at a time when furrounded by fo vast an Army, they could expect nothing lefs. Against this I know there may be made an Objection from the fecond Verfe, For thou fhalt make of a City a Heap, which could be no caufe of Foy to Ifaiah or the Jews, upon which account Grotius and Dr. Alix understand that Verfe of Samaria: But this Difficulty may be avoided by fuch a Tranflation as I have given the words, which makes the whole Chapter all of a piece... CHAP.

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Chapter
XXV.

Verse 1.

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CHAP. XXV.

Lord, thou art my God, I will exalt thee, I will praife thy name; for thou haft done wonderful things thy counfels of old are faithfulness and truth.] That is, the Eternal Purposes of thy Goodness toward us, which were long fince revealed by thy Prophets, we find faithfully fulfill'd, thy Refolutions of fhewing Kindnefs to us ftand firm and unalterable.

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Ver. 2, 3. For thou haft made of a city an heap; of a de-. fenced city a ruin a place of strangers, to be no city, it fhall never be built. Therefore fhall the ftrong, people glorifie thee, the city of the terrible nations fball fear thee.] Thefe two Verfes, I think, may be thus render'd without any Violence to the original Expreffions, Tho' thou haft made of many a City a heap, and of many a defenced City a Ruin, and demolish'd the Habitations of Strangers, fo that they fhall never be built again: Nevertheless, the People, who by thy Affiftance, have been too strong for their Enemies, fhall glorify thee, the City of brave Inhabitants, or of a strong People, fall fear Thee. That the two Particles Ki and Laken, will admit of the Signification I have given them, (a) Gouffet in. I have the Authority of two learned (a) Modern Critics: That nothing is more common than for a Singular Number to ftand for a Plural, will be readily allow'd by every one that has any skill in the Style of Scripture. That there were Strangers among the Jews, no Body can doubt, and a good reafon may be given why the Prophet takes notice not only of their partaking of the common Calamities, of having their Habitations destroy'd, but that they should never be rebuilt again, because thofe Strangers who efcap'd, would think of fettling where they might have more fecurity, and would not be tempted to return again by that Dulcedo Patria, as Horace calls it, that Love of the Country which would make a very strong Impreffion on a Nation.

lexic. Glaffius traBat. 7. de conjun&. Canon 12. LA

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Ver. 4. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a ftrength to the needy in his diftrefs, a refuge from the form, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a form against the wall.] Here the Prophet explains what he

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means by Nam Naz and Kirjath Goim Naritzim, even the Chapter Jews themselves, too weak of themfelves to refift fo Po-. XXV. tent an Enemy, but by the Affiftance of the Almighty, too ftrong to be conquer'd by them; as if he had faid, I call the Inhabitants of Jerufalem brave and ftrong, but all their Strength and Courage was from Thee; for thou, O God, waft our Strength, when we are in a defperate Condition, Thou didst divert the Storm which hung over our Heads; not an ordinary Storm, which damages the Corn only by lodging it, but fuch a Hurricane as would fhake the Foundations of sturdy Buildings, call'd in the Original, Imber Parietum.

Ver. 5. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place: even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones fhall be brought low.] He calls the Affyrian Army Strangers, because they were not of the Stock of Abraham, as well as because the Jews underftood not their Language. As the exceffive Heat of the Meridian Sun is abated by the interpofition of a thick fhady Cloud; fo fhall the Fury of the Affyrian be abated, by the Hand of the Lord overshadowing (as it were) Ferufalem, and refreshing her diftrefs'd Inhabitants.

Ver. 6. And in this mountain fhall the Lord of hosts make unto all people 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. To exprefs the Joy of the Jews, and the Nations about them, for the Overthrow of the Affyrian Ope preffor, the Prophet defcribes God as making a Feaft, and inviting the People to come and fatiate themselves. with the Blood of their Enemies, which they fhould relifh as well as if the Banquet was made up of the choiceft Products of Nature, the beft fed Cattle, and the richest Wines: This Feaft was to be kept on Mount Sion, from whence the Inhabitants of Jerufalem might take a View of their flaughter'd Enemies, and be pleafingly furpriz'd at the dreadful Spectacle. This is the plain meaning

Clarim,

of this Verfe, though (a) fome refer it to the Day of (4) Munster, Judgment, and others to the Holy Eucharift, without any reafon for one or other.

A Lapide,
Cyril,
Leo Caftrius.

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Chapter
XXV.

Ver. 7. And he will deftroy in this mountain the face of the covering caft over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.] That is, he will take away Sorrow and Heavinefs from all People, by deftroying the Affyrian, the Apprehenfions of whofe Power and Cruelty made them hang down their Heads and cover their Faces, as (a) Elias wrapped up his head and face in his mantle; it being a (b) Cuftom among the Jews, when they were in Mourn ing (as we call it) to caft a Vail or Covering over their Faces: This makes fenfe of the Prophet, which is more I am fure than can be faid of their Interpretations, (c) A Lapide. (c) who understand by these words, the Oppreffion of the Devil, Original Sin, Ignorance, or Chains of Difeafes.

(1) Kings

10.13. (b) Gataker.

Sanctius.

Chap. 37.

3 9th

Ver. 8. He will Swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people fhall be take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath Spoken it.] That is, he fhall take away the fear of Death, which his People lay under by giving them Victory over their Enemies; or in the other fignification of Lanetzac, they fhall no more be brought into the fear of Death by the Affyrian. The neighbouring Nations when they faw the Jews reduced to fuch Extremity, could not but call to mind how often they had heard them brag of being God's peculiar People, and tacitly upbraid them with their vain boafting on that ac count: This Rebuke fhall be taken away, fays the Prophet, by God's acknowledging that Relation, and visibly appearing on their fide: Or the Prophet may be fuppos'd' to referr to the Infulting Speech of Rabhakeh, which when Hezekiah heard, he faid, This is a day of Trouble,. Rebuke, and Blafphemy.

Ver. 9. And it fhall be faid in that day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will fave us this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoyce in his falvation.] When God fhall deftroy the. Affyrian Hoft, the Jews fhall make this joyful Acknowledgment. of God's Mercy toward them, Lo this is our God, who hath done this for us, we depended on him and he hath faved. This is the Lord, whofe Protection we rely'd on, we will be glad and rejoice in his Salvation.

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