EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. 1. The Prophet's glance has penetrated into the 3. Therefore thou hast-strangers, ver. 6. farthest future. There he gazes on the glory of The words "thou hast repelled thy people" seem Jehovah and his people. In the words of his to me to indicate the fundamental thought of the fellow prophet Micah, to whom he thereby ex- whole address to the end of Chap. v. From vers. tends the hand of recognition and joins himself, 2-4, where Jehovah is named the God of Jacob, he portrays how highly exalted then the Lord and Zion the place where God's word shines so and His people shall be. That is the true emi- gloriously that all nations assemble to this shinnence to which Israel is destined, and after which ing, it is seen that Israel in this last time shall it ought to strive. But what a chasm between live in most intimate harmony with its God. that which Israel shall be and what it actually is! That it is not so now he proceeds to describe The Prophet calls on the people to set them- For God has repudiated His people. Jehovah, selves in the light of that word of promise, that however, has not arbitrarily repudiated His peopromise of glory (ver. 5). What a sad picture ple. He could do no otherwise. For the nation of the present reveals itself! The people in that had forsaken Him, had abandoned itself to the glorious picture of the future, so one with its spirit of the world. They accorded admittance God that it does not at all appear in an indepen- to every influence that pressed on them from East dent guise, appears in the present forsaken of and West. Such is the sense of the following God, for it has yielded itself entirely to the in- words. "From the east," means primarily, influences of the world from the East and West, deed, those parts of Arabia bordering on Palesand all sides (ver. 6). In consequence of this, tine (Judg. vi. 3, 33; vii. 12; viii. 10), but here, much that is high and great has, indeed, towered in contrast with Philistines, it signifies the lands up in the midst of them. But this highness con- generally that lie east of Palestine. That desists only of gold and silver, wagons and horses, structive influences, especially of a religious kind, and dead idols made by men (vers. 7-8). For that, proceeded from these lands to Israel, appears in the day of judgment, they shall be bowed down from the instance of Baal-Peor (Num. xxv. 3; so much the lower and obtain no pardon (ver. 9). Deut. iv. 3), and of Chemosh (1 Kings xi. 7; ; 2 For in that day they must creep into clefts in the Kings xxiii. 13) of the Moabites, and Milcom of rocks and holes in the ground, before the terrible the Ammonites (1 Kings xi. 5, 7) the altar in appearance of Jehovah (ver. 10), and then shall Damascus (2 Kings xvi. 10), and the star worship every false, earthly eminence be cast down, that of Manasseh (2 Kings xxi. 5; Jer. vii. 18; xliv. Jehovah alone may appear as the high one (v. 11). 17 sqq.; Ezek. viii. 16). But DRECHSLER, in 2. O house of Jacob-light of the Lord. loc, has proved that not only religious influences, -Ver. 5. "House of Jacob," so the Prophet ad- but also social culture of every sort penetrated dresses the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem Israel from the East (comp. on iii. 18 sqq.; 1 Kings (ver. 1), in that he connects what he says in this v. 10; x. 1-15; x. 1 sq. If, then, we translate address, and in the second half of the verse with "for they are full from the East," we would the prophetic address uttered in what precedes, thereby indicate the Prophet's meaning to be that in which (ver. 3) the temple was named "the Israel has drawn from the Orient that of which house of the God of Jacob." The expression it is full, in the sense of intellectual nourishment. "house of Jacob" for Israel is besides frequent But the West, too, exercised its destructive inin Isa. viii. 17; x. 20; xiv. 1; xxix. 22; xlvi. fluences. The Philistines are named as repre3; xlviii. 1; lviii. 1.-As the Prophet at once sentatives of it, and especially they are indicated expresses what he has to say to the house of as Israel's examples and teachers in witchcraft. Jacob in words that are taken from the prophecy It is true that we have no express historical evithat precedes, he intimates what use he intends to dence that the Philistines were especially given make of these words. to witchcraft. Yet 1 Sam. vi. 2 mentions their " diviners," and 2 Kings i. 2, refers to the sanctuary of Baalzebub at Ekron, as a celebrated oracle. Expositors understand, partly of the favor and grace of the Lord (for which otherwise often - Ps. lxxxix. 16; iv. 7; xxxvi. And in the children, etc. Excepting TARG. 10), partly of the instruction through the law of JONATHAN (et in legibus populorum ambulant) all the Lord (lux Jehovx lex Dei, VITR.). But neither the ancient versions find in our passage a accusathe one nor the other meaning seems to me to tion of sexual transgression. The LXX, suit the context. For in what follows there is PESCHIT, and Ar. understand the words to refer neither a promise of divine grace, nor exhorta- to intercourse of Jewish men or women with the tion to holy walk. I am therefore of the opinion, heathen, and the generation of theocratic illegitithat the prophet by "light of Jehovah," under-mate posterity. JEROME, however, understands stands that light which Jehovah Himself extends the "et pueris alienis adhæserunt" of Pederasty, to the people by the prophetic word that just as he expressly says in his commentary. precedes. In the light of that word ought Israel translation of SYMMACHUS, too, which JEROME to set its present history. The Prophet shows, in quotes, "et cum filiis alienis applauserunt," is to what follows, how infinitely distant the present be understood in the same sense. For JEROME reIsrael is from the ideal that, vers. 2-4, he has marks expressly: "Symmachus quodam circuitu et shown, and which shall be the destiny of this de- honesto sermone plaudentium eandem cum pueris turgenerate Israel in "the last time." Now if Israel pitudinem demonstravit." GESENIUS in his Comwill apply the measure of that future to its pre-mentary p. 18 has overlooked this. It is seen sent, it may escape the judgment of the last time. that LXX. (Téкva Toλλà áÌλóøvλa ¿yevh&n avroïç), On this account the Prophet summons his people PESCHIT. (plurimos exterorum filios educarunt), to set themselves in the "light of Jehovah." | Arab. (nati sunt eis filii exteri permulti) have found The the notion of "fulness, superfluity" in 'P'D. But JEROME and the Hebrew scholars that after him translate convincav (wedging oneself in, in an obscene sense) proceed evidently from the fundamental meaning "striking." The later expositors divide into these two classes. Still the majority decide in favor of the meaning, "striking into, i. e., the hand, as sign of making a covenant," and refer to the construction (Gen. xxxii. 2; Josh. xvi. 7; xvii. 10, etc.), to illustrate the construction with here. Still better is it to compare the construction with of the verbs, animation the prophet summons men, in view of the terror that Jehovah prepares, and before the majestic appearance of His glory, to creep into the clefts of the rocks, and rock chasms (comp. ver. 19 and ver. 21), and in the depths of the dust i. e., holes or caves in the earth, (comp. ver. 19). The terror, therefore, shall be like that which spreads before an overpowering invasion of an enemy (Judg. vi. 2; 1 Sam. xiii. 6). Then shall the lofty eye be cast down and,-which is the reason for the former-all human highness shall be humiliated. Jehovah alone shall be high in that day, just as all mountains shall have disappeared before the mountain of Jehovah (ver. 2). It are the chil- will immediately appear that the matter of both ילדי נ. בָּחַר אָחַז הֶחֱזִיק דָבָק נָגַע dren of strangers (Psalm xviii. 45, sq.; Isaiah lx. 10, etc.), with only the difference that in these verses shall be more exactly detailed in what follows. -the idea of a profane birth is more promi ילדי ני nent. The expression is to be understood as generally comprehensive of the eastern and western nations named immediately before, word itself, it occurs not seldom in Isa. ix. 5; viii. 18; xi. 7; xxix. 23; lvii. 4, 5. 4. Their land-have made.-Vers. 7, 8. Neither the having abundance of children of strangers (Ew.), nor the contenting oneself with such (DRECHSLER) explains to us why the land | of Jacob was full of silver and gold, of horses and wagons. But it is very easily explained if Israel had treaties and a lively commerce with foreign nations. But this was contrary to the law and the covenant of Jehovah. For according to that Israel should be a separate people from all other nations: "And ye shall be holy unto Me; for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine." Lev. xx. 26. Commerce with the world, of course, brought the Israelites material gain, in gold and silver, horses and wagons, so that, in fact, there was a superfluity of these in the land. But by this growth in riches and power the divine prohibition (Deut. xvii. 17,) was transgressed. It is plain enough now how necessary this prohibition was. For with the treasures of this world the idols of this world are drawn in. This prohibition would guard against that, for the subtile idolatry of riches and power would serve as a bridge to coarser idolatry, because it turns the heart away from the true God, and thereby opens a free ingress to the false gods. Thus is Israel, in consequence of that being full, of which ver. 6 speaks, also outwardly become full of that which passes for great and glorious in the world. But, regarded in the light of Jehovah, this is a false eminence. On the subject matter comp. Mich. v. 9 sqq. 5. Enter into-in that day.--Vers. 10 and 11. These words stand in an artistic double re lation. First, they relate to what precedes (ver. 9) as specification. Second, to what follows (as far as iii. 26) as a summary of the contents. For the brief words of ver. 9 express only in quite a general way the human abasement, and indicate the sole majesty of Jehovah only by ascribing to Him the royal right of pardon. These words are now in both these particulars more nearly determined in vers. 10 and 11. With dramatic [Ver. 5. "From this distant prospect of the calling of the gentiles, the Prophet now reverts to his own times and countrymen, and calls upon them not to be behind the nations in the use of their distinguishing advantages. If the heathen were one day to be enlightened, surely they who were already in possession of the light ought to make use of it." "In the light of Jehovah; (in the path of truth and duty upon which the light of revelation shines). The light is mentioned as a common designation of the Scriptures and of Christ Himself." (Prov. vi. 23; Ps. cxix. 105; Isa. li. 4; Acts xxvi. 23; 2 Cor. iv. 4). J. A. A. Ver. 6 c. And with the children of strangers they abound.-The last verb does not mean they please themselves, but they abound.-Children of strangers. Means strangers themselves,-foreignand therefore alien from the commonwealth, of ers considered as descendents of a strange stock Israel."—J. A. A. [See comment on i. 4 Ver. 7. "The common interpretation makes this verse descriptive of domestic wealth and luxury. But these would hardly have been placed between the superstitions and the idols, with which Judah had been flooded from abroad. Besides, this interpretation fails to account for gold and silver being here combined with horses and chariots.-But on the supposition that the verse has reference to undue dependence upon foreign powers, the money and the armies of the latter would be naturally named together.-The form of expression, too, suggests the idea of a recent acquisition, as the strict sense of the verb is, not it is full, nor even it is filled, but it was, or has been filled."-J. A. A. Ver. 9 "They who bowed themselves to idols should be bowed down by the mighty hand of God, instead of being raised up from their wilful self-abasement by the pardon of their sins. The relative futures denote, not only succession in time, but the relation of cause and effect."J. A. A. Ver. 10. And hide thee in the dust. "May there not be reference here to the mode prevailing in the East of avoiding the Monsoon, or poisonous heated wind that passes over the desert? Travelers there, in order to be safe, are obliged to throw themselves down, and to place their mouths close to the earth until it has passed."- BARNES.] a. The judgment against the things falsely eminent in the sub-human and super 12 human spheres. CHAPTER II. 12-21. "For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be Upon every one that is proud and lofty, And upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: 13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan, 14 And upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up, 15 And upon every high tower, And upon every fenced wall, 16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all pleasant pictures. 17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be made low: And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols 'he shall utterly abolish. 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, For fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, When he arises to shake terribly the earth. 20 In that day a man shall cast 'his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, "Which they made each one for himself to worship, To the moles and to the bats; 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the tops of the ragged rocks, For fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. T Ver. 12. 1 in Isaiah only here. Dis often found: vers. 13, 14; vi. 1; x. 33; Ivii. 15. On comp. above ver. 2.- is to be construed as future, since Heb. the dust. in the singular. But then must be taken as adverb. Yet wherever this word occurs (only this once in Isa; comp. Lev. vi. 15 sq.; Deut. xiii. 17; xxxiii. 10; Judg. xx. 40; 1 Sam. vii. 9; Ezek. xvi. 14, etc.) it is adjective or must be regarded as a determination of time that substantive: entire or entirety. I agree therefore with points to the future. MAURER, who takes as casus absolutus put Ver. 16. is ä. Aey. It comes from before, and as subject: et idola (quod attinet, eorum) certainly, which, although unused itself, is kindred to universitas peribit.—The fundamental meaning of ny, to behold, is only now identified in the substantive seems to me to be "to change." Out of that develope a. According to this etymology must the apparently opposite meanings "revirescere" (Ps. xc. mean béapa, show piece, thus every work of art that is 6; Job xiv. 7; Isa. ix. 9; xl. 31; xli. 1) and "transire, præfitted to gratify the beholder's eye. terire, perire" (Isa. viii. 8; xxi. 1; Ps. cii. 27). The last is proper here. זז TT Ver. 18. I do not deny that D is taken as ideal singular, and may accordingly be joined to the predicate Ver. 19. (in Isaiah again xxxii. 14) is the natu Ixi. 1, and 979 Jer. xlvi. 20 would separate what cording to the analogy of nipp?? nispapy nipapas, niphp?n, TT:-: לַחְפַּרְפָּרוֹת we might point it from a singular pan. The meaning of this word can only be digger. But what sort of burrowing animal is meant, is doubtful. JEROME translated it talpa, mole. GESENIUS and KNOBEL object to that, that the mole does not live in houses: DRECHSLER that the Hebrew has another word for mole, i. e., 727. But regarding the for Ver. 20. The Prophet might have written here and xxx. 22; xxxi. 7, '1 909, his idols of silver. But he has chosen the common construction, which rests on this, that nomen rectum and nomen regens are construed as one notion, and thus in some measure as one word. If after y is taken in a reflexive sense, the enallage numeri would certainly be very strong. Therefore most expositors justly regard the artificers as subject of y-The words , as they stand, can only present an infini-mer, as DELITZSCH remarks, the mole does, true enough, tive with the prefix, and object following, for there is burrow under buildings, and in regard to the latter no noun. But an infinitive does not suit here, consideration of DRECHSLER, T also occurs only once and besides there is no noun. Therefore the ren- (Lev. xi. 29), and two words for one thing are not undering "hole of the mice," for which expositors have usual in any language. Yet the foundation for a positive gone to the Arabic, is only an arbitrary one. Evidently opinion is wanting. is the bat (Lev. xi. 19; the Masoretes, according to the analogy of Пip-n, Deut. xiv. 18). EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. 1. With this section the Prophet begins his explication and specification of what he has previously vers. 9-11 said in general. That last time, vers. 2-4, which the Prophet described above in its glorious aspect for Israel, coincides with the time when the Lord shall sit in judg. ment on everything humanly high, that is hostile to Him. And even all impersonal things, thus creatures beneath man, on which, in proud arrogance, men put their trust, shall the Lord make small and reduce to nothing; the cedars of Lebanon, the oaks of Bashan, the high mountains and hills, the towers and walls, the ships of Tarshish, and all other pomp of human desire (vers. 12-16). All this shall be abased that the Lord alone may be high (ver. 17). But the same shall happen to the beings above men, viz.; to the idols (ver. 18). That is the idolaters shall hide themselves in terror before the manifestation of that Jehovah whom they have despised (ver. 19); they shall themselves cast their idols to the unclean beasts, in order, mindful only of their own preservation, to be able to creep into the hollows and crevices of the rocks. (21). as soon as it pleases Him, He can produce it for His purpose (comp. xxii. 5; xxxiv. 8, and especially lxiii. 4; Jer. xlvi. 10; Ezek. xxx. 3). This day is a day of judgment, as already even the older prophets portray it: Joel i. 15; ii. 1, 2, 11; iii. 4; iv. 14; Amos v. 18, 20. Obad. 15. Indeed the notion of judgment is so closely identified with "the day of Jehovah" that Isaiah in our text construes Di a day directly as a word signifying "court of justice," for he lets y depend on it. Once more in ver. 12, the notion of high and proud is generally expressed before (ver. 13) it is individualized. 3. And upon all-in that day.-Vers. 1317. The judgment of God must fall on all products of nature (vers. 13, 14), and upon human art (vers. 15, 16) It may be asked, how then have the products of nature, the trees and mountains become blameworthy? KNOBEL, to be sure, understands by the cedars houses made of cedar (comp. 2 Sam. vii. 2, 7) and by oaks of Bashan houses of oak wood (Ezek. xxvii. 6) such as Uzziah and Jotham constructed partly for fortifying 2. For the day-brought low.-Ver. 12. the land, partly for pleasure, and by mountains The Prophet had used for the first time ver. 11 and hills "the fastnesses that Jotham built in the the expression "in that day" that afterwards oc- mountains of Judah (2 Chr. xxvii. 4)." But, curs often (comp. v. 17, 20; iii. 7, 18; iv. 1, 2; though one might understand the cedars to mean v. 30). He points thereby to the time which he houses of cedar, (for which, however, must not had before designated as "the last days." Of be cited ix. 9; Nah. ii. 4, but Jer. xxii. 23 comp. course he does not mean that this last time shall Isa. lx. 13) still the mountains and hills can comprehend only one day in the ordinary sense. never mean "fortified places." 2 Pet. iii. 10, The day that Isa., means is a prophetic day, for seems to me to afford the best commentary on whose duration we must find a different measure than our human one. As sure as ( With the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one LORD of the Old Testament, is identical with the day. (2 Pet. iii. 8; Ps. xc. 4). But the chief ayyehog Kupiov of the New Testament so is also the concern is whether there is really such a day of day of the Lord identical with the the Lord. This the Prophet asserts most dis-upa kupiov (1.Cor. i. 8; 1 Thess. v. 2, etc.). Now tinctly. For precisely because there is such a day (for, ver. 12) Isaiah could ver. 17 refer to it. But this day is a day for Jehovah Sabaoth (comp. i 9), or more correctly: Jehovah has such in preparation, so to speak, in sure keeping, so that, our passage. angel of the מַלְאַךְ of this day of the Lord it is said, in the above the works that are therein shall be burned up." passage in Peter, that in it, "the earth also and If now this last great day has its preliminaries, too, like, on the contrary, the revelation of glory ver 2 sqq., has, then we are justified in regarding all -noth אֱלִילִים degrees of God's world-judging activity as parts of His majesty. If the gods were anything, then of the day of the Lord." If then the prophet they would now appear and shield their folhere names only the high mountains and the lowers. But just because they are highest trees growing on them as representatives of nature, he evidently does so because it is his idea, according to the whole context, to make prominent that which is high in an earthly sense, especially what is wont to serve men as means of gratifying their lust of power and pomp. But the mountains and the trees on them could not be destroyed without the earth itself were destroyed. Therefore the high mountains and trees are only named as representatives of the entire terrestrial nature, of the y as it is called by Peter, as also afterwards the towers, ships of Tarshish, etc., are only representative of the Epya, the human works, thus the productions of art. The oaks of Bashan, beside this place, are mentioned Ezek. xxvii. 6; Zech. xi. 2. A parallel is drawn between Lebanon and Bashan also xxxiii. 9; Jer. xxii. 20; Nah. i. 4.-High towers and strong walls were built by others as well as by Uzziah and Jotham; comp. 2 Chr. xiv. 7; xxxii. 5, etc. -Tarshish is mentioned by Isaiah again: xxiii. 1, 6, 10; lx. 9; lxvi. 19. It is now generally acknowledged that the locality lay in south Spain beyond the Pillars of Hercules. It is the Taprnogos Tartessus of the Greeks; not a city, likely, but the country that lay at the mouth of the Bætis (Guadalquiver): comp. HERZOG, R. Encycl. XV. p. 684. Ships of Tarshish are thus large ships fitted for distant and dangerous voyages (Jon. i. 3; iv. 2; 1 Kings x. 22; xxii. 49; Ps. xlviii. 8). All this must be destroyed and so must the arrogance of men be humbled, that Jehovah alone may be high in that day. So the prophet repeats, with some modification, the words of ver. 11, to prove that the specifications just given are only meant as the amplification of that general thought expressed in ver. 9. For these verses 12-16, refer as much back to vers. 9 as do ver. 18 sqq., (especially vers. 18, 21,) to ver. 10 a. ings; they cannot do it. We see from this that the "enter into the rock and hide thee in the dust" ver. 10, refers especially to the bringing to shame these illusory superhuman highnesses. In Rev. vi. 12 sqq., when at ver. 15 our passage is alluded to, the shaking of the earth appears as the effect of a great earthquake. Regarding the usus loquendi comp. viii. 12, 13; xxix. 23; xlvii. 12. 4. And the idols-the earth.-Vers. 17-21. The judgment against the sub-human creatures is followed by that against the superhuman, the idols. As verses 13-16 refer back to ver. 7, so ver. 18 sqq., does to ver. 8. But the judgment against the idols is most notably accomplished when the worshippers of idols, now visited by the despised, true God, in all His terrible reality, see themselves the nothingness of their idols and cast them away in contempt. Jehovah appears in the awful pomp Therefore men shall cast their idols away to the gnawing beasts of the night, in their unclean holes, not that their flight may be easier, but because the idols belong there. May there not be an allusion in the words to the demon origin of the idols (1 Cor. x. 20 sq.)? In the description of "A little excursion into the Land of Moab," contained in the Magazine Sueddeutche Reichspost, 1872, No. 257 sqq., we read in No. 257 the following, in reference to the discovery of a large image of Astarte. "The Bedouins dig in the numerous artificial and natural caves for saltpetre for making gunpowder. In this way they find these objects that in their time were buried those that understand such matters, belonged all or just thrown there, which, in the judgment of of them once in some way to heathen worship, and on which the prophecy of Isa. ii. 20 has been so literally fulfilled."-Thus they cast their idols away, they entertain themselves no more with the care and worship of them, all trust in them is also gone. They only hasten to save themselves by flight into the caverns (see Exod. xxxiii. 22 from P, to bore,) and crevices of the rocks (comp. lvii. 5). We are, moreover, reminded of the words in Luke xxiii. 30. shall they begin to say to the mountains fall on us; and to the hills, cover us." For what wish can be left to those that have fled to the rocks, when the rocks themselves begin to shake, except to be covered as soon as possible from the tumbling mountains. "Then |