INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 32 This chapter contains a prophecy of the Messiah; for, however applicable it may be to Hezekiah, as a type of Christ, it only has its full accomplishment in him, and in his times; who is described as a righteous King, and as having just princes ruling under him, Isaiah 32:1... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, A KING SHALL REIGN IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... Not Hezekiah, as the Jewish writers; at least only as a type, as some writers interpret it; rather Christ himself, who is "King" not only of the whole world, and of the kings of it in general, but in particular is King of saints; and who "reigns" now... [ Continue Reading ]
AND A MAN SHALL BE AS AN HIDING PLACE FROM THE WIND, AND A COVERT FROM THE TEMPEST,.... Or, "that man"; the King Messiah before mentioned; who had agreed to become man, was promised and prophesied of as such, had often appeared in a human form, was to be incarnate, and now is; though he is not a mer... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE EYES OF THEM THAT SEE SHALL NOT BE DIM,.... Not of the seers and prophets, or ministers of the word only, but of the righteous in general, as the Targum; even all such as are illuminated by the Spirit of God, who shall have a clear discerning of Gospel truths, behold with open face, with eye... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HEART ALSO OF THE RASH SHALL UNDERSTAND KNOWLEDGE,.... Such who have been hasty and precipitant, as the word c signifies; who have not given themselves time to consider what they have read or heard, or has been proposed unto them, and have hastily received every thing that has been suggested to... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VILE PERSON SHALL BE NO MORE CALLED LIBERAL,.... Or "Nabal" (a fool) "shall no more be called Nadib" e (a prince); or have this name put upon him, or be advanced to honour and dignity, or be flattered with such a title, so unbecoming him. The sense seems to be, that, in Gospel times, such who ar... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE VILE PERSON WILL SPEAK VILLAINY,.... Or, "a fool will utter folly" g; a man that has no understanding of Gospel truths himself can not deliver them to others; he will only speak foolish things, concerning the purity of human nature, the power of man's free will, the sufficiency of his own ri... [ Continue Reading ]
THE INSTRUMENTS ALSO OF THE CHURL [ARE] EVIL,.... Not his [vessels] or measures he sells by, which are small and deficient, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; nor his servants, his tools in doing his wickedness, which are fit for his purpose, wicked men; but rather these are much the same with ... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE LIBERAL MAN DEVISETH LIBERAL THINGS,.... The man of a princely spirit consults and contrives, and delivers out things worthy of a prince and governor in the church of God; he that is one of a free spirit, that is made free by the Spirit of God, and is led into the doctrines of free grace, wi... [ Continue Reading ]
RISE UP, YE WOMEN THAT ARE AT EASE,.... On beds of down, unconcerned about the present or future state of the nation; who had their share of guilt in the nation's sins, particularly pride, luxury, superstition, rejection of the Messiah, and contempt of his Gospel, and so should have their part in it... [ Continue Reading ]
MANY DAYS AND YEARS SHALL YE BE TROUBLED,.... Or, "days above a year" k; a year, and somewhat more, yet not two years; which some understand of the time from this prophecy, until their troubles began, by the invasion of Sennacherib; and others of the continuance of it, it lasting more than a year; o... [ Continue Reading ]
TREMBLE, YE WOMEN THAT ARE AT EASE,.... Which may be considered either as an exhortation to repentance for their sins, of which, if a due sense was impressed on their hearts, would cause a trembling of body and mind, under a fearful expectation of divine wrath; or as a prediction, that though they w... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL LAMENT FOR THE TEATS,.... Either of the beasts of the field, that should be dried up, and give no milk, through the great drought that should be upon the land; or through the waste of the herbage by the enemy; or else of the women, their breasts and paps, which should afford no milk for t... [ Continue Reading ]
UPON THE LAND OF MY PEOPLE SHALL COME UP THORNS [AND] BRIERS,.... The curse of the earth, the spontaneous productions of it, being uncultivated, and this through want of men, they being destroyed or carried captive by the enemy; this is to be understood of the land of Judea, and not Samaria, as Aben... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE THE PALACES SHALL BE FORSAKEN,.... The palaces of the princes and nobles shall be forsaken by them, they being obliged to flee from the enemy, or being taken, and either slain, or carried captive. The word in the Hebrew is in the singular number, "the palace", meaning the royal palace; and s... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTIL THE SPIRIT BE POURED UPON US FROM ON HIGH,.... That is, Jerusalem shall lie in ruins until this time comes; which therefore cannot be understood of the effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which, as it was before the destruction of the city by the Romans, so the desolation it was br... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN JUDGMENT SHALL DWELL IN THE WILDERNESS,.... In the desert part of the world, inhabited by Pagans, Papists, and Mahometans; where the Scriptures, the rule of judgment, and where the Gospel, sometimes called the judgment of the Lord, Isaiah 51:4 had no place, now they shall have one, and an abidi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL BE PEACE,.... Not works of righteousness done by men, no, not by the best of men; for though peace may be had and enjoyed in doing them, yet it does not arise and flow from thence, because there is no justification by them, and salvation through them, without whic... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MY PEOPLE SHALL DWELL IN A PEACEABLE HABITATION,.... Jews and Gentiles, and all the saints, shall dwell in peace and love one with another, and shall be free from all the outrages and persecutions of the enemy; which, when these happy times of the pouring forth of the Spirit and of the spiritual... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN IT SHALL HAIL, COMING DOWN ON THE FOREST,.... The people of God will be peaceable and quiet, safe and secure, when the judgments of God, signified by a "hail" storm, shall come upon antichrist, and the antichristian states, intended by the "forest", both for their numbers, and for their barrenn... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED [ARE] YE THAT SOW BESIDE ALL WATERS,.... In places well watered and moistened, and so fit to receive the seed sown, which grows up, and brings forth much fruit, and amply rewards the pains of the sower, who on that account is happy. These words are directed to the ministers of the Gospel in... [ Continue Reading ]