1._Woe to them that go down to Egypt. _He again returns to the subject which he had handled at the beginning of the former chapter; for he still cries loudly against the Jews, whose ordinary custom it was, in seasons of danger, to resort, not to the Lord, but to the Egyptians. We have formerly expla... [ Continue Reading ]
2._Yet he also is wise. _By calling God “wise,” he does not merely bestow on him the honor of an attribute which always belongs to him, but censures the craftiness of those whom he saw to be too much delighted with their own wisdom. He said a little before, (Isaiah 29:15,) that they “dug caves for t... [ Continue Reading ]
3._And surely the Egyptian is a man, and not God. _It may be thought that Isaiah here brings forward nothing but what is common and beyond all doubt; for who ever imagined that the Egyptians were not “men,” and must be put in the place of “God?” There is indeed no debate on this point, and it is ope... [ Continue Reading ]
4._For thus hath Jehovah said to me. _The Prophet adds this verse, that it may not be thought that the Lord leaves us destitute of necessary means; for if, while he forbids us to place our confidence in creatures, he did not promise us any assistance, we might complain that he gave ground for despai... [ Continue Reading ]
5._As birds that fly. _This is the second comparison, by which the Prophet shews how great care the Lord takes of us, and how earnestly he is bent on making us happy. It is taken from _birds_, which are prompted by astonishing eagerness to preserve their young; for they almost kill themselves with h... [ Continue Reading ]
6._Return. _This verse is explained in various ways; for the Hebrew commentators explain it thus, “Return to the Lord, for you have multiplied revolts.” But, in my opinion, the meaning is more simple: “Return according as you have made a deep revolt; (318) for לאשר (_lăăshĕr_) is, I think, employed... [ Continue Reading ]
7._For in that day. _He continues the subject which he began in the former verse. Yet there is this difference, that in the former verse he exhorted to repentance, but now he points out the fruits of repentance, which, we know, is the customary way of teaching in Scripture; for, since repentance is... [ Continue Reading ]
8._Then the Assyrian. _The copulative ו (_vau_) is better translated as an adverb of time: “_Then _the Assyrian shall fall down;” that is, “When you shall have turned to the Lord, and when your life shall testify a sincere repentance, _then _the enemy shall fall down;” for, as the Lord raised up the... [ Continue Reading ]
9._He shall pass to his stronghold for fear. _(327) He now speaks of Sennacherib himself, who, trembling, shall betake himself in base and shameful flight to his “stronghold” or fortress, Nineveh, as to his nest. (2 Kings 19:36.) The Prophet adds that “his princes,” or military officers, whose duty... [ Continue Reading ]