Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Isaiah · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
THe burthen of Moab, because Ar of Moab is wasted in the night. This is the Vers. 1.third Country threatned: And the title of the Prophecie being [A burthen] saith Jerom, alwaies intimateth sad things to follow, as the word [Vision] Hieron.doth joyfull at last. Moab came of Lot, and was situated in Arabia, of which Country was Balac, who hired Balaam to come out of Mesopotamia to curse Israel; so was the chief City called since Areopolis, that is, the City of Mars, whereof Jeremiah speaks much, as a mighty and rich City. And it is threatned with wasting in the night, either in alluding to the incestuous begetting of Moab in the night, or intimating the overthrow thereof by mines made under the wals: And I have heard a certain Aroepolitan say, that the same night that the sea passed over the shoar of the City, these wals fell down by an Earthquake, saith Jerom, in the time of my infancy. Moab, saith P. Martyr, P. Martyr.stood in Arabia Petraea, and was a most flourishing Country, which made the inhabitants most proud, Jer. 48. They were near of kin to the Israelites, by their father Lots relation to Abraham, who was his fathers brother. But they carried not themselves like kinsmen towards them, but like enemies, for which they are here threatned with destruction: and yet not so much that they might make any good use of this Prophecy, saith Calvin, for it came not unto them, Calvin.but to the people of God only for their instruction and comfort; 1. That they might know, that the great changes in states and Kingdoms were not casual, but by Gods providence. 2. That God in all his great judgements executing upon the wicked world, had a care of his Church. The places here threatned are Ar signifying a City, according to the signification of the word foreign, and Kir, a wall, whereby therefore taking them appellatively, all the Cities and strong places of Moab may be understood: But forsomuch as properly two chief Cities of Moab were thus called, we are to understand them only. For their destruction in the night, the time precisely is not so much meant hereby, as their security, and the sudden and unexpected coming thereof, so the destruction of the world is threatened to come in the night, that is, when men shall look for nothing less. And yet in Babylon it was fulfilled according to the letter, Dan. 5. and likewise we may expect for the day of judgement. However, it comes as a thief in the night, when to the world sleeping and secure in sin, as men are in the night, that we may never be secure in respect of that day, but think upon it night and day, and be alwaies prepared for the coming of the Lord, by alwaies doing so, as may be well pleasing unto him, for this is the watching to which he so earnestly exhorteth us all. The destruction of Moab here threatned, was by Sennacherib, that Jer. 48. 4. by Nebuchadnezzar long after. For the word used touching either of these Cities, brought to silence, it is a Periphrasis of death, Ps. 30.
He shall go up into the house, Dibon to the high places, to weep over Nebo. That Vers. 2. Vatabl.is, the Moabite seeing himself perishing by the hand of the enemy, shall, as despairing of any humane help, flee to the house or temple of their god Chamoz, to cry to him for help, and there weep and houl, but in vain: of Chamos see 2 King. 23. 13. Jerom, for He shall go up, hath, The house and Dibon shall Hieron.go up to the high places to weep. That is, the Kings house and the City Dibon or inhabitants thereof shall go up to the high places, because there stood the idol Chamoz, otherwise called Belphegor; and Medeba and Nebo are named, because two principall Cities of Moab, and in Nebo was that idol placed. Junius Junius.hath the Hebr. word Bajith for house, and renders it, He shall ascend to Bajith, a town notorious for idolatry, otherwise called Beth Baal-Mehon, Numb. 32. 38. Josh. 23. 17. 1 Chron. 5. 8. it was upon the borders of the Reubenites, Dibon was in that tribe, Josh. 13. 17. and likewise Bamoth of Nebo, see Numb. 32. 38. of Medeba, c. 21. 30. But although these were Cities in Reuben, there might be others in Moab of the same name, which are here threatened. Yet I think with Junius, that Bajith is a proper name, because otherwise it would have been Beth, which is commonly put for an house, and so it is meant, that the inhabitant of Kir and Ar spoken of v. 1. shall in their distress flee to these places, as wherein they principally worshipped their idol, thinking thus to attain help, their God being moved by their tears to releeve them, if not in Bajith, yet in Dibon or Bamoth, Nebo or Medeba; or some should flee for rescue to one of these places, and some to another. Ʋpon every head baldness, and beard shaven. See the same, Ier. 8. 37. For in time of mourning they used to pluck off the hair of their heads, and to shave their beards in all the Eastern parts, and this they did, as counting them their Ornaments, but now in time of sorrow Calvin.they put them away: Contrariwise in the West, the suffering of the hair to grow is a sign of sorrow, so Calvin. And it seemeth to have been the custom of the Heathen in the East indeed, because the children of Israel are forbidden to pluck their hair in mourning, or to cut the corners of their beards: Yet Mephibosheth in time of mourning for Davids absence, suffered his hair to grow, so that it seems in the Eastern parts all did not alike.
In the streets thereof they shall be girt with sackcloth, &c. A description of publick Vers. 3.calamity and lamentation, they that would not go out before but in gorgeous apparel, now go out in sackcloth, upon the roofs: Some going up thither, where they might be most out of the enemies way, for their roofs were flat; should come down weeping, their fleeing up thither nothing availing them. Some expound this of descending, as if it were from the high places before Muscul.spoken of, their hopes of help from their gods being frustrate.
Heshbon and Eleale shall howl, their voice shall be heard to Jahaz, &c. These, Vers. 4. Hieron.saith Jerom, were Cities of Moab, the last whereof was near the dead, upon the uttermost border of Moab; whereby he sheweth, that howling for misery should be from one end of the Land to the other. Heshbon, saith Musculus, was the City of Sihon, Josh. 13. 10. Jahaz was the dwelling of the Merarites, Josh. 22. 36. there Sihon fell, Numb. 21. 23. The girt with arms shall howl. So Vatablus renders it, that is, the very souldiers, who were ready armed to defend their Country, seeing a power irresistible against them, shall, instead of fighting, lament as the rest, as having now none other weapons left. Their soul shall cry within him. Some, to it self; that is, mourning inwardly as well as outwardly. And v. 5. sheweth what each one should cry: My heart shall Vers. 5.howl for Moab, her fugitives to Zoar, &c. Or cries aloud to Moab her fugitives, but in vain, so Junius; because I call them back, and would stay them from Junius.fleeing, but to no purpose. Jerom and all others take it as spoken in the Prophets Hieron. Calvin.own person; as who would hereby shew the misery of Moab to be so great, that it could not but move pity in very enemies; and this is to be preferred, for so also, Ier. 48. 36. laments the sufferings of Moab. Touching Zoar, to which the Moabites fled; it was, saith Ierom, one of the five Cities of Sodom, which the Lord spared …t Lots request, when he destroyed Sodom, and it was the uttermost border of Moab next the Philistines Country: Hereby then he means, that they should flee far off; and in further setting forth Zoar he cals it an heifer of three years old; that is, in the full strength, and not yet subdued by the enemy. By the ascent of Luith. This he takes to be a cliff in the way to Assyria, and therefore implying their being carried away Captive thither, and not far from that in a valley, the place called Horonaim. Iunius pursuing his Exposition begun, understands all, as if the cry of the Moabites Junius.were set forth by the lowing of an Heifer, which loweth most strongly, and the voice of their cry coming to Luith and Horonaim, he will have to mean nothing else, but the piercing thereof through hils and dales.
There shall be desolations to the waters of Nimrim. These, saith Jerom, were salt Vers. 6. Hieron.waters near the dead sea, and therefore the grounds about them were unfruitfull, and to this he either alludeth, or Moab being destroyed, these waters were changed by a judgement into such. Junius saith, that Nimram is that Bethnimram, Junius.Numb. 32. 3, 36. in the Tribe of Gad, running with the waters thereof into the Country of Moah, making it fruitfull; but now he saith, that even the vallies where these waters ran, should be barren and without any grass. Calvin Calvin.doth not think that a change is meant so, that according to the letter the waters should indeed fail, but that the Country should be desolate, and so as if there were no water or grass growing there, because no inhabitants to make use thereof: and this is to be preferred.
Therefore what is left and their riches they shall carry to the possession of the Arabians. Vers. 7. Hieronym.Jerom, ad torrentem salicum; saying, this was into the Country of Babylon, of which David speaking, saith, that many willows were there planted, or in the way thither, viz. the valley of Arabia, as the words foreign also fignifie. Junius is for this last; the Chaldees spoiling Moab should lay up the Junius.goods there taken in Arabia being near, they being their confederates also, and for such good offices spared, as Herod. saith lib. 3. And it is called by the name of a valley, because in the descent of Horonaim, which was montainous. Vatablus saith, that the enemies carried the Moabites riches thither, to part them amongst them. But Calvin will have the Moabites carrying of their own goods Calv.into secret places amongst the willows to hide them meant. Musculus, their carrying of them away, thinking to save them, but it should be for Arabian theeves to make a prey of them. Vulgar Latine, According to the greatness of their work is their visitation, and they shall lead them to the brook of willows. That is, as Sasbont hath it, According to the greatness of their sin shall their punishment Sasbont.be, and their enemies shall carry them captive into Babylon, or the Arabians fighting under the Assyrians shall carry them into their Country. But neither doth the word foreign signifie [According] but, therefore, neither doth foreign signifie greatness, but the remainder, or excellency or riches coming in by their work, for which foreign followeth. The most genuine reading then is, Therefore their riches or most pretious things coming of their work, they shall put in the brook of willows, nothing else being meant, but that finding the enemy to prevail in every place, as desperate, to save their gold or silver, they should put it into the water, conceiving that haply these troubles being over, if they survived, they might there one day finde this treasure again.
A cry hath compassed the borders of Moab. Here the Prophet returns again to Vers. 8.aggravate their misery, by speaking of their loud and uncessant crying, mentioning their ut most borders in generall, to which it should be heard, and then particularly Eglaim and Beer-Elim. For Eglaim, Iunius hath confluentes, and expounds Junius.it of the flowing waters of Arnon one of the borders Numb. 21. 15. and Beer Elim, the well of the mighty, or digd by them, for Elim signifies the mighty, Exod. 15. 15. of a like well in the land of Israel so digd, see Numb. 21. 16. Ierom for Eglaim hath Gallim, and saith that Ieremiah hath almost all the same: Hieronym.But Hebr. it is Eglaim, coming of a word that signifieth drops of water, or stillings. Pagninus takes it for a proper name, but where any place was in Moab Pagnin. Musculus.thus called, we know not.
Because the waters of Dimon shall be filled with bloud, for I will put additions upon Vers. 9. Calvin.Dimon to them that shall escape lions. This was a river in Moab: yet Calvin saith, that some think it to be a City, but against the current of Interpreters and reason, for what are waters but some river or pond, not a City. He doth here then threaten great slaughters to the making of rivers to run with blood. The additions put upon the river Dimon, are, according to Vatablus, the streams of Vatabl.blood shed running into it: according to Calvin, Lions and other wilde beasts; as if he had said, This shall not be the only suffering of the Moabites to have their blood shed in abundance, to the filling of rivers by the hands of their enemies, but if any escape them, they shall be destroyed by Lions, yea even all that shall remain in the land, when the warre is done, shall thus perish: See a like place, chap. 24. 18. Ier. 48. 44. Amos 5. 19. where such as escape judgement by one evil are threatned with another. Thus also Ierom, who renders it Dibon, affirming Hieronym.that foreign and foreign are sometimes put one for another, but then he will have Dibon the City before spoken of, signifying flowings, so called for the waters running there: whereas Dimon signifieth silence. Iunius expounding Dimon bloody, saith, that most probably the waters appearing like blood, 2 King. 3. are here alluded to. Junius.Iehoshaphat the King of Israel, and King of Edom had water sent them miraculously in their necessity, by the way of Edom, but the Moabites their enemies saw that water as blood, whereby they were moved to hasten to the shedding of their own blood. As water was then bloody in appearance, so now he saith, it should be so indeed by the blood of the slain; in other things he subscribes to Calvin. But Ierom understands either Lions properly, or the Chaldees terrible like Lions, because a Lion amongst the Egyptians was an Hieroglyphick of one most terrible: And of Davids Worthies, some are said to have had faces like Lions. But because the Caldees or Assyrians should shed their blood before spoken of, and this is another judgement added, the former exposition is to be preferred.