Commentary on Isaiah, Commentary on Isaiah · Chapter 37 · Verse 15 – Verse 16
Verſ. 15. What ſhall I ſay? For hee hath ſaid it to me, and hee hath done it:*Or, ſhall walke in trembling. I ſhall walke weakelie all my yeeres in the bitterneſſe of my ſoule.
THe moſt thinke that theſe words are vttered by way of an exclamation, ſuch as proceedes from ioy: as if Hezekias reioiced in hauing obtained his requeſt: but I am of another opinion. For it ſeemes to me that hee goes on ſtill in his complaints, becauſe hee ſpeakes as thoſe commonly doe, who are oppreſſed with ſorrow: What ſhall I ſay? He which hath ſaid is to mee, hath done it. That is to ſay, life and death are in his hands, I plead but in vaine with him:Iob 7.4. & 13.24. it is but loſt labour to complaine ſo much as I doe. Many ſuch wordes and ſentences are to be found in the booke of Iob. This therefore, as I take it, is the verie true ſenſe of the place. For before, Hezekias looked eueryevery way, to ſee if any comfort would preſent it ſelfe vntounto him: but now, ſeeing that God had giuen ſentence of death vponupon him, hee concludes, there is no reſiſting, I muſt obey.
In the meane while, theſe words are to be well weighed; to wit, that God accompliſheth that in effect, which hee threatned in words. For thoſe ſay ſomewhat (I grant) but not all, who expound ſimply thus; God hath performed that which the Prophet pronounced of me. Becauſe Hezekias doth not thus barely affirme, that he felt the effect of the word, but ſetting before his eies the power of God, hee puts an end to all his complaints and cries. Thus Dauid in the 39. Pſalme ſaith; I held my peace, Lord, becauſe thou diddeſt it. If the feare of Gods power reſtraines vsus not, wee will neuer ceaſe murmuring: and therefore Iob Iob 39.37.conſidering that he had to doe with God, ſaith; I wil lay my hand vponupon my mouth: I will make humble ſupplication to my Iudge: Iob 9.15. Hezekias then puts himſelfe to ſilence, for hee ſaw it was but vaine for him to ſtand diſputing the caſe with God. And thus hee confeſſeth, that hee was but as a dead man, becauſe the Lord made him feele how forcible his threatnings were. By reaſon whereof, this good King concludes, that hee profites himſelfe nothing at all with replies, becauſe diſcourſes to and fro hauehave no place in this behalfe. I grant that theſe words proceeded indeed from deſpaire: for in feeling God his enemie, he ſhuts vp the gate againſt the paſſage of his praiers. But it is no new nor ſtrāge thing; for ſuch words (which turne vsus from praier) now and then to eſcape vsus in extreme griefes; prouided that on the contrarie, wee cleaue cloſe to the proppe of praier; yea, although the ſenſe of the fleſh doe ouerſway vsus ſo far for a time, as to perſwade vsus that all is but in vaine.
Wee may coniecture that this good King was ſo intangled with perplexed thoughts, that he fainted in his languiſhing diſeaſe, but eſpecially in that he ſaw it was the beſt way for him to be ſilent, as I hauehave ſaid: for hee did but loſe his labour to plead with God, as it ſhall appeare more fully in the courſe of the text. Whence we gather, that he now ſets before him the fearfull power of God, to the end hee may diſpoſe himſelfe to true humilitie.
Moreouer, becauſe the verbe Dadah ſignifies to moue ones ſelfe, to goe ſoftly; ſome expoſitors tranſlate; I ſhall be remoued, or, toſſed: others, I ſhall walke ſoftly. But I verily thinke hee ſpeakes of a weake and trembling gate; for he was ſo weakened, that he thought he ſhould neuer recouer his former ſtrength againe. This trembling muſt be referred to feare; for he addes by and by after, in the bitterneſſe: as if he ſhould ſay; The anguiſh which oppreſſeth mee, is ſo faſt rooted in mine heart, that it can neuer be plucked vp: and thence came this vveakneſſe whereof hee ſpeakes.
Now becauſe the vulgar tranſlation hath; I will acknowledge:Au…cular confeſſion. the Papiſts hauehave wreſted this place to proue their auricular confeſſion; but ſo vnaptly, that old dotards may laugh them to ſcorne. For it plainely appeares, that he ſpeakes not heere of confeſſion, but of an aſtoniſhment and trembling, wherewith Hezekias ſhall bee ſmitten, euen all the daies of his life, as he himſelfe here ſaith.
Verſ. 16. O Lord,*Or, all thoſe that ſhall liue after me, ſh…l know the life of my Spirit, becauſe thou haſt made me to ſleepe, &c. to them that ouerliue them, and to all that are in them the life of my ſpirit ſhall bee knowne, that thou cauſedſt me to ſleep, and haſt giuen life to me.
THe Prophets words are ſo ſhort, that it hath cauſed many interpretations, amongſt which, this that followes is the moſt approued: O Lord, others ſhal liue after theſe yeeres: that is to ſay, their life ſhall bee prolonged. As if he ſhould ſay; Seeing thou haſt prolonged my daies, thou wilt alſo cauſe others to inioy the like fauour from thee. But this ſenſe agrees not with the text, and I iudge it too far fetched. I ſhould rather deem Hezekias his meaning to bee this; O Lord, all thoſe vvhichwhich ſhall liue after theſe yeeres vvhichwhich thou haſt added vntounto my life, ſhall know the life of my ſpirit. And therefore the relatiue (which) muſt bee ſupplied; for it is a thing vſuall among the Hebrewes not to expreſſe it: and ſo this will bee no conſtrained expoſition. For it is not to be doubted, neither can it be denied, but hee ſpeakes of the yeeres which the Lord had giuen him as an ouerplus. His meaning is then, that the fauour which God hath ſhewed him, ſhall not bee knowne to thoſe of his time onelyonly, but of the poſteritie alſo▪ Thus he ſets forth the greatneſſe of the benefit, which ſhall be renowned for the time to come, and ſhall remaine ingrauen in the memories of all, euen after Hezekias ſhall be dead: ſo as it ſhall be called a kind of reſurrection. The word to ſleepe, ſignifies to die; according to the Hebrew phraſe, Gen. 47.30. Thus hee compares his ſickneſſe to death,1. Cor. 7.39. & 11.30. 2. Pet. 3.14. to which he was ſo nie, that he made none account of life.