Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Isaiah · Chapter 46
CHAP. XLVI.
BEl boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, &c. The Gospel with the light thereof Vers. 1.shining, Bel called also Iupiter Belus, the chief god of the Heathen, and Nebo signifying Prophecy; and therefore most aptly setting forth Apollo his Oracle, being in most high esteem before now, fall to be of no reckoning, because Oracles ceased, and the worship of Bel was had in abomination, and the true God in all countreys only worshipped and served. Their graven images were in the cattel and the beast, that is, they had other gods also, the images of cattel lesse and greater, for so idolatrous were the Egyptians, that they worshipped such Images for gods, Dogs and Cats and Lions, and therefore from them gave divers of their Cities names, as Cuno, from a Dog, Leonto from a Lion, yea by the Delusian religion an Onion and a fart were terrible gods, saith Jerom, Your carriages are heavy laden.
They could not deliver the burthen, but themselves are gone into captivity. Vul. Vers. 2.Your burthens were heavy in weight, even to wearines: and this agrees best with the Hebrew, the meaning being, that the burthen of Idols were heavy to them that for honours sake unto them carried them, by reason of their massinesse of gold and silver of which they were made, so that their Priests were by bearing so great a burthen much wearied and fainted. Then Vulgar Latin, proceeds vers. 2. They could not save the bearer, but foreign signifieth the burthen most properly, and therefore the Idol, which was the burthen, is meant, it could not save it self, but went into Captivity, that is, the riches and treasure thereon, being taken and carried away as spoils by the enemy. Hebr. it is, Their soul went into Captivity] and this Jerom retains, expounding it of the souls of them that carried Idols formerly as their gods, they could not save them; but notwithstanding this great obsequiousnesse they were led away Captive. But taking it as spoken of Idols, he saith, That souls are improperly ascribed to them, as in the Proverbs, an hand to the tongue, where it is said, Life and death are in the hand of the tongue; and then concludeth, That Idolatry is an heavy burthen, and makes mens souls go into the captivity of the devil. Junius saith, by Bel some understand Jupiter, some Saturn, and some the Sun; Junius.to which last he rather agreeth, because Assyrians, and Babylonians, and Persians worshipped the Sunne and the Fire, as a God, because a parcel, as it were of the Sunne. The word Bel signifieth Lord, as coming of Baal, Dominus. Nebo he renders a prophesying God, understanding hereby all the rabble of the Heathen gods, giving answers by their Priests standing behinde them, which way of their Oracles answering, he saith, is intimated in these words, The prophesying God is bent back, for so he renders it. For the carriages so heavy here spoken of, all agree that they were Idols of silver and gold, which the Persians having taken laded many beasts with, and so carried them away; and expressing who went into Captivity, he names the Babylonians. But however the fall of the Babylonians Idols be literally meant here, and their impotency to save themselves out of the hands of their enemies, yet the Prophecie extends further, as hath been said, to the foretelling of the ruine of Idolatry in all countreys, when Jesus came into the world, and his faith was preached and imbraced. And to this agreeth Musculus. But whereas the words, They were a Muscul.burthen to the beasts and the cattel, have been by Jerom expounded of Images of beasts made gods, it hath no place here; but it is meant that the beasts of burthen were heavy laden by them, when they were carried away in Carrs by them. Calvin by Nebo understands some god of the Babylonians, second to Calvin.Bel, and by these two all others.
Having thus prophesied of the ruine of false gods so certainly, as if they Vers. 3.had been then fallen, for he spake in the Preter tense; he now commemorates what he had done for Israel, and what he would do in carrying them in safety from the very beginning of that Nation out of Egypt, and now again out of Babylon, that they might be ashamed to have forsaken him, and to have gone after false gods.
Then laying open the vanity of Idolatry, as he did Chap. 40. 25. & 44. 9. he exhorts them to recount both that and this, and to do as men that have wisdom Vers. 5, 6, 7. Vers. 8, 9.and understanding ought to do; and not as foolish Heathens, and so they must needs all acknowledge him the true God and none other; and to be the God alone that foretelleth, and doth whatsoever he pleaseth, and so hath Vers. 10.done of old, even from the beginning; of Gods care of Israel from the womb, see before Chap. 44. 25. Of his declaring things of old Ch. 45. 21. Then coming to that wonderfull thing in particular touching Cyrus, named Chap. 44. 28. he now calleth him a ravening bird out of the East, as Chap. 41. 25. He had spoken Vers. 11.of one to come out of the North, and from the rising of the Sunne. For that by this bird he meant a man, the next words shew, The man of my councel. But to set him forth, Hebr. there is one word only foreign a bird used, and so Jerom renders it, applying it to Christ, but it it plainly meant of Cyrus, whom in his divine Councel he had appointed to make a prey of the Babylonians and their Idols.
But in the next words he cometh again to the times of the Gospel, vers. 12, Vers. 12, 13.13. Hearken to me ye hard hearted, &c. meaning the house of Jacob before-spoken to ver. 3. But now he cals them hard-hearted, and farre from righteousnesse, Act. 7.because they hardened their hearts against Christ, rejecting his faith, and consequently righteousnesse. But he saith, That he would bring it near, and place it in Zion for or to Israel his glory, that is, Christ, who is salvation and glory, for he was near them, because he was in the City of Zion and in the Land of Israel, although their own hard-heartednesse they neither attained Justification nor Salvation hereby. Thus Jerom who also applieth it to Cyrus Hieronym.his revenging the Jews wrongs upon the Caldeans, and saving and delivering them out of Captivity. Whereby they came to be most glorious and renowned amongst the Nations. Yet he cals them hard-hearted, and such as were farre from righteousnesse, although he made his righteousnesse to come near, that is, because through unbelief they counted not God righteous in promising this deliverance, and so they that then lived when this was prophesied, perished in their sins, but to another generation his righteousnesse came near, and his salvation when that was performed, which he promised, and they were delivered and made glorious. In the Hebrew Bible these two verses are made the beginning of Cha. 47. as if the Babylonians were here begun to be spoken to, against whom he prophesieth Chap. 47. and I see no reason why they should be taken from that Chapter, and added to this. But rather as the Prophets beginning to speak to the Caldees in the name of the Lord, who did greatly harden their hearts against the Jews to exercise all cruelty upon them; Junius for [Ye hard-hearted] hath it, robusticorde, Stout-hearted, that relent nothing at the judgements threatned against you for your cruelty against my people, to use any whit the more lenity towards them, as is expressed Cha. 47. 6. And that which further makes it probable that it is probable that it is spoken to the Babylonians, is his speaking, not of them, but to them in the next words Chap. 47. 1. where he foretels their utter ruine, and therefore in reason these words must be premised to stirre them up to attention to hear their doom, although not to profit them, yet to comfort the faithfull Israelites, when it should come to their hands. Moreover at other times when Israel is spoken to, he is named, but here not; only he saith, Hear ye hard-hearted] and then as being opposed to Israel, he saith, I will make my righteousnesse come near, and salvation to Israel, And if it be thus understood, in saying, they were farre from righteousnesse, he meant They were most wicked, but to Israel, whom they so much contemned righteousnesse should be near, when by their afflictions God had thorowly purged away their sins, and consequently salvation out of the hands of them their cruel enemies.