1._Behold, a King shall reign. _He means that God will still be
gracious to his Church, so as to restore her entirely; and the best
method of restoring her is, when good government is maintained, and
when the whole administration of it is conducted with propriety, and
with good order. This predictio... [ Continue Reading ]
2._And that man shall be. _How great is the importance of
well-regulated government the Prophet shews plainly by these words,
when he calls that king _a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert
from the rain_; for mankind can never be so happy as when every one
voluntarily abstains from every kind o... [ Continue Reading ]
3.and 4._Then the eyes of them that see. _Hence we see more clearly
that, while the Prophet describes the reign of Hezekiah, he intends to
lead us farther; for here he discourses concerning the restoration of
the Church, which indeed was shadowed out by Hezekiah, but has been
actually fulfilled in C... [ Continue Reading ]
5._No longer shall the base person be called. _The Prophet means that
everything will be restored to good order, so that vices will not, as
formerly, be reckoned virtues; for, when the public government is
wicked, covetous persons are in power, and are honored and esteemed,
because men judge of virt... [ Continue Reading ]
6._For the vile person will speak vileness. _We might also render it,
“The wicked man will speak wickedly;” for נבלה (_nĕbālāh_)
denotes “baseness” or any wickedness, such as is meant by the
French word _lascheté _, or by the English words, “lewdness” or
“baseness.” It might also be rendered, “The f... [ Continue Reading ]
7._The instruments of the covetous man are evil. _We must always keep
by the future tense; for he does not inquire what wicked men are, but
declares that they shall be revealed under the reign of Christ, that
they may no longer deceive or impose upon any one. He speaks of the
heavenly light which wo... [ Continue Reading ]
8._But the liberal shall devise liberal things. _We have already said
that these statements of the Prophet have a deeper meaning than is
commonly supposed; for he does not speak in the ordinary sense of the
words, but treats of the reformation of the Church. This relates
therefore to the regenerate,... [ Continue Reading ]
9._Ye women at ease, arise. _These words appear not to be connected
with what goes before; for formerly he spoke about restoring the
Church, but now he threatens that the judgment of God is ready to
strike a people carelessly reposing amidst riches and pleasures; and
therefore it is probable that he... [ Continue Reading ]
10._Days above a year. _(339) By these words he declares that the
calamity will be of long duration; for it is no slight consolation in
adversity, when the distresses which must otherwise have been endured
by us with grief and sorrow pass quickly away. But when no end and no
mitigation of sorrows, n... [ Continue Reading ]
11._Tremble. _This repetition is not unnecessary, but states more
fully what he formerly said; for when men are asleep, they are not
easily aroused by the voice of the prophets, and therefore it is
needful to cry aloud and reprove them continually. And thus, by adding
one threatening to another, or... [ Continue Reading ]
12._Mourning over the breasts. _This verse is explained in various
ways. Some understand it to mean simply, that there will be so great a
scarcity of provisions, that women will lose their milk, and thus the
children will “mourn over dry breasts;” which we see sometimes
happen, when a very great sca... [ Continue Reading ]
13._There shall grow up the brier and the thorn. _He confirms the
former verse, and explains the cause of barrenness and famine, which
is, that the fields, which formerly used to be fat and fertile, will
be uncultivated, desolate, and barren. This was a frightful change of
affairs; for we know that... [ Continue Reading ]
14._For the palace shall be forsaken. _Here also he describes more
fully the desolation of the country; for, having mentioned in the
former verse magnificent houses, he now likewise adds palaces and
cities, so as to shew that there is nothing, however splendid and
illustrious, that is exempted from... [ Continue Reading ]
15._Till the Spirit be poured out upon you. _Because the Prophet
speaks of the Jews among whom God had determined to plant his Church,
it was therefore necessary to leave to them some hope of salvation,
that they might not faint amidst so great afflictions; for, while the
Lord is severe towards wick... [ Continue Reading ]
16._And judgment shall dwell in the wilderness. _The Prophet shews
what is the actual condition of the Church, that is, when justice and
judgment prevail; for men ought not to be like cattle, which seek
nothing but plenty of food and abundance of outward things. And hence
it is plain enough that the... [ Continue Reading ]
17._And the work of righteousness shall be peace. _A little before, he
censured severely that peace which made the Jews drowsy and slothful;
he now promises a different kind of repose, which will be a striking
proof of the love of God, who has received them into favor, and will
faithfully guard them... [ Continue Reading ]
18._And my people shall dwell. _As we have said that spiritual
righteousness is that which has its seat in the hearts of men, we must
say the same thing about peace, which is the fruit of it. Accordingly,
when _quiet habitations _and _resting-places _are here mentioned, let
us remember the saying of... [ Continue Reading ]
19._And the hail. _We have already said that the prophets are
accustomed frequently to describe under figures the reign of Christ;
for they borrow their metaphors from an earthly kingdom, because our
ignorance would make it almost impossible for us to comprehend, in any
other way, the unspeakable tr... [ Continue Reading ]
20._Blessed are ye. _He shews how great will be the change, when
Christ shall begin to reign; for he had formerly said that so great
would be the desolation, that “thorns and briers” would overspread
the holy land, costly houses would be thrown down, and cities and
palaces would be levelled with the... [ Continue Reading ]