Annotations Upon Isaiah, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
VERSE 1. THe burden of Damaſcus, &c.] The chief City of Syria, Chap. 7.8. So that under this the ruin of the whole Land of Syria is threatned. And ſee the Notes alſo, Chap. 13.1. and 2 King. 9.25. Behold, Damaſcus is taken away from being a City, and it ſhall be a ruinous heap. As if the Prophet ſhould have ſaid, How impoſſible ſoever it may ſeem to you, yet aſſure your ſelves the time ſhall come when you ſhall ſee that great Damaſcus, of which you are now ſo exceedingly afraid, to be made a very heap of ſtones and rubbiſh. When this was effected, it is hard to determine: We find that Damaſcus was taken and ſacked, and the Inhabitants carried into Captivity by Tiglath-Pileſer, in the days of Ahaz. See the Note, 2. King. 16.9. And indeed, becauſe in this place the deſtruction of Iſrael is threatned together with the deſtruction of Syria, it may well be, that the intent of this Prophecy was to comfort the men of Judah againſt the invaſion of the two Kings of Syria and Iſrael, whereof ſo much hath been ſpoken before, Chap. 7. But now if this was prophecied, as it is thought by moſt Expoſitors, in the days of Hezekiah, then it may be that Damaſcus was again taken, and totally ruined and deſtroyed by Shalmaneſer, in that expedition of his, wherein he took Samaria, 2 King. 18.9. Or elſe by Sennacherib, as he went againſt Jeruſalem, 2 King. 18.13. For we ſee before, Chap. 10.9. Shalmaneſer, as it is commonly thought, is brought in boaſting of the conqueſt of Damaſcus by him or his Father: And if the City were ſo ruined at that time, and the Inhabitants ſo ſlaughtered or carried away captives, that it ceaſed to be a City; yet certainly it was repaired and fortified again: And therefore we read of another deſtruction brought upon Syria and Damaſcus by the Babylonians, Jer. 49.23, &c. And ſome think this is that which is here foretold by our Prophet.
Ver. 2. The Cities of Aroer are forſaken, &c.] Some think this Aroer was a Country in Syria, near the River Arnon. But others more generally hold, that by the Cities of Aroer, here are meant the Cities in the land of Iſrael without Jordan, near unto the City Aroer, which was ſcituated by the banks of the River Arnon. See Deut. 2.36. and Numb. 32.34. Only ſome hold that thoſe Cities were in the poſſeſſion of the Syrians when this deſolation came upon them; and others ſay, that the Prophet here threatens the deſtruction of the Iſraelites together with the Syrians, becauſe they ſhould be both deſtroyed together: However the meaning of that which is ſaid here, that theſe Citi…s of Aroer ſhould be forſaken, is, that they ſhould be left deſolate, the Inhabitants being ſlain, or carried away Captives by the Aſſyrians, upon the invaſion of Tiglath-pileſer, or Shalmaneſer: Whereupon it followeth, They ſhall be for flocks, which ſhall lye down, and none ſhall make them afraid; to wit, becauſe the Inhabitants ſhould be all gone, and ſo there ſhould be no body to diſturb them.
Ver. 3. The fortreſs alſo ſhall ceaſe from Ephraim, &c.] That is, ſay ſome, Damaſcus being deſtroyed, the Iſraelites of the ten Tribes (ſee the Note, Pſal. 78.9.) ſhall loſe that which was wont to be their fortreſs and refuge; they being wont in their dangers and troubles ſtill to fly to the Syrians of Damaſcus for defence and ſuccour. But I rather conceive that the Prophets intent here is to foretel, that the Iſraelites and Syrians ſhould both be deſtroyed, that were ſo often joyned together againſt Judah. The fortreſs alſo ſhall ceaſe from Ephraim; that is, Samaria, and all other the ſtrong holds in the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, ſhall be ruined and deſtroyed: And the Kingdom from Damaſcus and from the remnant of Syria; that is, Damaſcus ſhall ceaſe to be a Royal City, the ſeat of the Kings of Syria, nor ſhall the Syrians that are left after the ruine of Damaſcus be a Kingdom any longer, or have a King to reign over them, their King Rezin being ſlain, ſee 2 King. 16.9. but ſhall become a Province belonging to Aſſyria. And obſervable the difference is which the Prophet makes between the deſtruction of Damaſcus and Ephraim, (to wit, in this, that becauſe the Iſraelites of the ten Tribes continued a Kingdom, even after Tiglathpileſer had made great havock amongſt them, which Damaſcus did not; (ſee the Note, 2 King. 16.9.) Therefore he doth not ſay, That the Kingdom ſhould ceaſe from Ephraim, as he doth of Damaſcus; but only that Ephraim's Fortreſſes ſhould be beaten down and deſtroyed. And then it follows, They ſhall be as the glory of the children of Iſrael; that is, the Syrians ſhall be in the ſame glorious condi…ion with the children of Iſrael; which is ſpoken Ironically, and the meaning is, that the Syrians ſhould be ſtripped of all wherein they had formerly gloried, their multitude, ſtrength and riches, even as the Iſraelites were. The glory of the Iſraelites came at laſt to this, that they were utterly ruined, and carried away captives; and ſo ſhall it be with Damaſcus.
Ver. 4. And in that day it ſhall come to paſs, that the glory of Jacob ſhall be made thin, &c.] This is added by way of explaining that which the Prophet had ſaid in the foregoing verſe, that the Syrians ſhould be as the glory of the children of Iſrael; to wit, that as the glory of the Iſraelites ſhould be exceedingly impaired, ſo ſhould it be with the Syrians too, and that much about the ſame time. See the Note alſo Chap. 16.14. And the fatneſs of his fleſh ſhall wax lean. See the Note, Chap. 10.16. Deut. 32.15. Job 15.27. and Pſal. 22.29.
Ver. 5. And it ſhall be as when the harveſt-man gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm, &c.] That is, When the Judgment before threatned ſhall be executed on the Iſraelites, it ſhall be that as the harveſt-man doth eaſily cut down the corn, though it grow never ſo thick, and binds and carries it away by whole arm-fulls, ſo ſhall the Aſſyrians with eaſe, partly mow down with the Sword, and partly carry away into Captivity, even the whole body of Iſrael in a manner, though there be never ſo great multitudes of them; ſo that the Land of Iſrael ſhall be left as a corn-field that is newly reaped, a very few, a little gleaning of them being only left; and this was done, partly by Tiglath-pileſer, 2 Kin. 15.29. but more fully by Shalmaneſer, 2 Kin. 17.6. And it ſhall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim; that is, afterwards thoſe few that are left ſhall alſo be carried away, even as the ſcattered ears that are left in a corn-field are with all diligence gathered up and carried away by poor people: And this was done by Ezarhaddon, Ezra 4.2. As for the valley of Rephaim, a valley on the North-ſide of Jeruſalem, rendred the valley of Giants, Joſh. 15.8. is expreſſed by name only becauſe it was famouſly known for its great fruitfulneſs.
Ver. 6. Yet gleaning grapes ſhall be left in it, &c.] That is, Though the Aſſyrians ſhall thus again and again carry away the Iſraelites captive out of their Land, as is before-ſaid, yet ſhall they not make ſuch a clear riddance of them, but that there ſhall be a gleaning there, ſome few that ſhall be ſtill left in the Land. See the Note, Chap. 6.13. As the ſhaking of an Olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermoſt bough, four or five in the outmoſt fruitful branches thereof, ſaith the Lord God of Iſrael; which laſt words are added, not only to aſſure them, that what the Prophet had now foretold ſhould certainly come to paſs; but alſo to imply, that becauſe God's Covenant was with Iſrael as well as with Judah, that he would for ever be their God, therefore even of them alſo there ſhould be a remnant left.
Ver. 7. At that day ſhall a man look to his Maker, &c.] That is, In that day of their calamity, ſeveral of the Iſraelites owning and repenting of their former Idolatry, ſhall return to the true God, the Lord their Creator, who had ſeparated them to be a holy people to himſelf: See the Note, Deut. 32.6. And ſhall ſeek to him for help, reſting upon him, as their only ſure refuge: which is repeated again in other words, And his eyes ſhall have reſpect to the holy One of Iſrael, ſee the Note, Chap. 1.4, And this was accompliſhed, partly in the days of Hezekiah, when divers of Aſher, and Manaſſeh, and Zebulun, being invited thereto by Hezekiah, came to Jeruſalem to keep the Paſſover, and helped to deſtroy all the Altars, and Groves, and Images that were left, not only in Judah and Benjamin, but alſo in Ephraim and Manaſſeh, 2 Chron. 30.11, 14. and 31.1. and partly afterward in the days of Joſiah, 2 Chron. 34.33.
Ver. 8. And he ſhall not look to the Altars, the work of his hands, &c.] That is, which he made of his own hand without any warrant or command from God, and that for the worſhip of his Idol-gods; and therefore is that which follows added, Neither ſhall reſpect that which his fingers have made, either the groves or the Images, See the Note, Chap. 2.8. For the groves here joyned with their Images, See the Notes, Gen. 21.33. Deut. 16.21. and 2 King. 23.6. The word in the Original, which is tranſlated in our Bibles, Images, may be rendred as it is in the Margin, Sun-images; whereby it is like are meant, either images that ſtood abroad open in the air, where the Sun might ſhine upon them; or rather ſuch images, wherein they worſhipped the Sun, and which haply were made round, to repreſent the Orb of the Sun.
Ver. 9. In that day, &c▪] That is, In that day of Iſraels great calamity, mentioned before ver. 4, and 5, (for the three verſes immediatly fore-going are by our Tranſlators included in a Parentheſis) ſhall his ſtrong Cities be as a forſaken bough; that is, as the ſmall twigs and branches growing out of a tree, which the Husband-man paſſeth by and leaves, when he lops the tree, not vouchſafing to cut them off: And an uppermoſt branch; that is, a bough left ſtanding on the top of a tree, when all the reſt are lopped away, and ſo the tree is left naked and bare. The meaning is, that Iſraels ſtrong Cities, wherein they had ſo greatly truſted, ſhould be left in a poor deſpiſed condition, ruined and forſaken of the greateſt part of their inhabitants, ſtanding alone and deſolate, all the ſmaller Towns and Villages round about them being utterly waſted and deſtroyed. I know that ſome Expoſitors by a forſaken bough do underſtand a bough ſtripped of all her beauty▪ fruit and leaves, and ſo accordingly hold that hereby is ſignified, that their ſtrong Cities ſhould be leſt ruined, ſtripped of all their Riches, Glory and Inhabitants, all being fled, ſlain, or carried into Captivity. But the former Expoſition is far the beſt: And ſuitably hereunto I underſtand the following words, which they left becauſe of the children of Iſrael, that is, which ſtrong Cities, thus ruined, the Aſſyrians left for the little remnant of the Iſraelites to dwell in, that were not deſtroyed; God in his Providence ſo diſpoſing it, that there ſhould be ſome poor refuge left for the ſmall remnant of his people, which he determined ſhould eſcape, and not be cut off. This indeed is alſo, I know, otherwiſe expounded by divers Learned men, namely thus, which they left becauſe of the children of Iſrael; that is, which ſtrong Cities the Canaanites did formerly leave and forſake for fear of the Children of Iſrael, or being diſpoſſeſſed thereof by the Children of Iſrael; who would have the meaning of the place to be this, That the ſtrong Cities of Iſrael ſhould be left as a forſaken bough, in that they ſhould be no more able to defend the Iſraelites againſt the Aſſyrians, than in former times they were able to defend the Canaanites againſt the Iſraelites; but as the Canaanites did forſake thoſe Cities, though fenced with ſtrong and high walls, for fear of the Iſraelites, ſo now the Iſraelites ſhould forſake them for fear of the Aſſyrians. As for the laſt words, And there ſhall be deſolation; either it is meant of the Cities before-mentioned, that even in thoſe that were left, there ſhould be great deſolation; or elſe of the Country in general, that not only in the Cities, but even in the whole Land ther ſhould be extreme deſolation.
Ver. 10. Becauſe thou haſt forgotten the God of thy ſalvation, &c. That is, Becauſe thou haſt ſlighted and deſpiſed the God that hath ſo often ſaved and delivered thee from thine enemies, and ſo would ſtill have done, hadſt thou not forſaken him, and gone after ſtrange gods, and haſt not been mindful of the rock of thy ſtrength, See the Note, Deut. 32.4. a ſurer refuge than their ſtrongeſt Cities could have been: Therefore ſhalt thou plant pleaſant plants, that is, with much care and pains thou ſhalt husband thy grounds, planting it with the choiceſt plants thou canſt get; And ſhalt ſet it with ſtrange ſlips, that is, ſlips brought from far out of foreign Countries, which thou ſhalt tend and nurſe with greateſt care, as eſteeming them highly for the rarity and the excellency of them. But all this ſhalt thou do in vain, as is expreſſed in the following verſe.
Ver. 11. In the day thou ſhalt make thy plant to grow, and in the morning ſhalt thou make thy ſeed to flouriſh, &c.] That is, Day by day, yea early every morning, thou ſhalt uſe all poſſible means to cauſe thy plants, and the ſeeds thou haſt ſown, to grow up; and accordingly they ſhall ſucceſsfully ſpring up and flouriſh, and give thee great hope of a plentiful crop: But the harveſt ſhall be a heap in the day of grief and deſperate ſorrow; that is, in the day when your Country ſhall be deſtroyed by the Aſſyrians, they ſhall ſpoil and carry away all your encreaſe, and ſo your great hopes ſhall come to nothing. That which this expreſſion of their harveſt being made a heap, ſeems to aim at, is, either that it ſhould be laid in heaps for the enemy to divide and ſhare amongſt them; or elſe, that it ſhould be ſuddenly conſumed, even as a little heap of corn would be, if a mighty Army of hungry Soldiers ſhould come to live upon it. Indeed this clauſe may be read, as it is in the Margin, But the harveſt ſhall be removed in the day of inheritance, and there ſhall be deadly ſorrow; that is, In the day when thou ſhouldeſt come to inherit, and poſſeſs that which thou haſt long hoped and waited for, all ſhall be ſnatched up and carried away by the Aſſyrians; and ſo, though in the time of thy planting and ſowing, all went forward joyfully, yet when harveſt comes thou ſhalt reap nothing of thy labours, but extreme grief and ſorrows. See Deut. 28.33. This I conceive is the meaning of this place. Only we muſt conſider, that under this particular of the enemies robbing and ſpoiling the fruit of their ground, their plundering and carrying away all the wealth, which with much labour they had gathered together, is alſo comprehended.
Ver. 12. Wo to the multitude of many people, &c.] Some underſtand this of the multitude of the Iſraelites and Syrians, that under the command of Pekah and Rezin invaded the Land of Judah in the days of Ahaz, Chap. 7.1. And others again underſtand it of the Aſſyrians, and others with them that invaded the Iſraelites of the ten Tribes. For, ſay they, having in the foregoing part of this Chapter ſpoken of the deſtruction of the Syrians and Iſraelites by the Aſſyrians, (ſee the Note above, ver. 1.) here he foretels, how even theſe Aſſyrians ſhould likewiſe afterward be deſtroyed: And that this wo is denounced by the Prophet againſt them, even out of pity to Iſrael, upon whom theſe Aſſyrians ſhould exerciſe ſo great cruelty. But now becauſe of that which followeth, ver. 13, 14. in the deſcription of the deſtruction of theſe Aſſyrians, the moſt Expoſitors underſtand this of that numerous Army, made up of many ſeveral Nations, that brake into the Land of Judah under Sennacherib; and this is added to comfort them againſt that havoch that ſhould be made by the Aſſyrians amongſt the Ten Tribes. For leſt they ſhould think, when they have vanquiſhed the Syrians and Iſraelites (as is before related) what if they ſhould break into our Country too? To this the Prophet anſwers, that though indeed they ſhould ſo do, yet God would then deſtroy them. Wo to the multitude of many people, which make a noiſe like the noiſe of the Seas; and to the ruſhing of Nations, that make a ruſhing like the ruſhing of mighty (or, many) waters; where the breaking in of the Aſſyrians with a mighty and confuſed no ſ… into the Land of Judah, is compared to the breaking in of the Seas, or an overflowing Deluge of many waters; to imply, with what violence, and on a ſudden, their numerous Army ſhould over-run their whole Country, ſo that no body ſhould be able to eſcape them, or ſtand before them. See the Notes▪ Chap. 5.30. and 8.7. and 13.4. and Pſal. 93.3.
Ver. 13. The Nations ſhall ruſh like the ruſhing of many waters, &c.] See the foregoing Note. But God ſhall rebuke them. In great fury and indignation God ſhall deſtroy them. See the Notes Pſal. 6.1. and 2.5. and 119.21. Even as he rebukes the raging of the roaring Seas, ſo ſhall he ſtill their fury, ſee the Note, Pſal. 65.7. And this was done in the deſtruction of Sennacherib's Army. See the Note, 2 Kin. 19.35. And they ſhall flee far off; to wit, Sennacherib, and ſome few with him, that eſcaped and fled back into their own Country; and ſhall be chaſed as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, which is far more eaſily and ſuddenly blown away, than the chaff or duſt that is in the Valleys, becauſe there the wind hath moſt power. And See alſo the Note, Job 21.18. and Pſal. 35.5. And like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. That is, like a round wiſp of ſtubble, or ſome other light thing, firſt gathered together in a bundle, and then carried away with a Whirlwind. But now by ſome this laſt clauſe is rendred, and like thiſtle-down before the whirlwind, which is a thing indeed that muſt needs be eaſily driven away and ſcattered.
Ver. 14. And behold, at evening-tide trouble, and before the morning he is not, &c.] This may be underſtood of the Aſſyrians, that in the night (which is ſomtimes called, the Evening, ſee the Notes Gen. 1.5.) were terribly affrighted, and put into a confuſed tumult, by the ſudden and unexpected ſlaughter which an Angel made amongſt them, and before morning were all ſlain or fled. See the Notes, 2 Kin. 19.35, 36. And perhaps too the evening-tide is mentioned, becauſe then the Angel began to ſlay them. But I conceive it is rather ſpoken of the Inhabitants of Jeruſalem; to wit, that they ſhould be over night in great terror and trouble, becauſe of Sennacherib's mighty Army that had beſieged the City, and becauſe of ſome late blaſphemies and menaces of Rabſhakeh, and yet before morning he and all his numerous Army are all dead or gone away, there's not an enemy to be ſeen. The Prophet ſeems to imply, that the fury of the Aſſyrians, of which he had ſpoken in the foregoing verſe, ſhould be but like a Tempeſt, that ariſeth in the Evening, and is gone in the Morning; as they ſhould on a ſudden invade the Land of Judea, ſo on a ſudden they ſhould be deſtroyed. This is the portion of them that ſpoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.] That is, The like to this ſhall befal all that make a prey of God's people, and that by the decree and appointment of God, according to that of the Apoſtle, 1 Pet. 2.8. Whereunto alſo they were appointed. See alſo the Note, Job 20.19.