Isaiah 14

FOR the LORD will have mercy on Jacob God will pity and deliver his People and therefore will destroy Babylon, which h... nders it, and set up Cyrus, who shall promote it., and will yet choose Will renew his Choice of them; for he had refused and rejected them. Israel, and set them in their own land: and the stranger shall be joyned with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob So they did in part at their coming from Babylon, being thereunto moved either by the Favour which the Jews had in the Persian Court, or by the consideration of their wonderful Deliverance, and that exactly in the time designed by their Holy Prophets. But what was then begun, was more fully accomplished at the coming of the Messiah..

And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD, for servants and hand-maids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressours Which they might do literally, and sometimes did, after their Return into their own Land, either by their Power with the Persian Monarchs, as in the days of Cyrus and Darius, and especially of Ahashuerus; or by their own Prowess, as in the time of the Maccabees. But this was more evidently and eminently verified in a Spiritual sense, in the days of the Gospel, when the Apostles and other Ministers, who were of the Jewish Nation, conquered a great part of the Gentile-world to the Worship and Obedience of their Messiah..

And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear For besides their present hard Service, they were in perpetual fear of further Severities and Sufferings, at the pleasure of their cruel Lords and Masters., and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve:

That thou shalt take up Into thy Mouth, as it is fully expressed Psal. 50. 16. this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the oppressour ceased This is spoken by way of Astonishment and Triumph, Who would have thought this possible?? the golden city As they used to call themselves; which therefore he expresseth here in a Word of their own Language. ceased.

The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers This is an Answer to the foregoing Question. It is God's own Work, and not Man's; and therefore it is not strange that it is accomplished..

He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke; he that ruled the nations in anger With Rigour, and not with Clemency, as many Conquerours have done., is persecuted, and none hindreth Neither the Babylonians themselves, nor their Consederates, could withstand the Power of the Medes and Persians..

The whole earth The Inhabitants and Subjects of that vast Empire, who groaned under their cruel Bondage. is at rest and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

Yea, the fir-trees rejoyce at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon Which were felled down for the service of her Pride and Luxury, but now are suffered to stand and flourish. It is a Figure usual in Sacred and Profane Writers, called Prosopop... ia., saying, since thou art laid down, no f... ller is come up against us.

Hell Or, the grave, as the same Word is rendred v. 11. and in innumerable other places; to which he elegantly ascribeth Sense and Speech, as Poets and Oratours frequently do. from beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones Heb. the he-goats; which lead and govern the Flock. of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones From their several Graves, which he seems to call their thrones by way of Irony or Derision, the only Thrones now lest to them, Thrones both paved and covered with Worms, as is noted v. 11. in stead of their former Thrones made of Ivory or Silver, and adorned with Gold and Precious Stones. all the kings of the nations.

All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou Who wast King of Kings, and far superiour to us in Power and Authority, that didst neither fear God nor reverence Man, that didst stay whom thou wouldest, and keep alive whom thou wouldest, Dan. 5. 19. become also weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave All thy Glory is lost and buried with thee., and the noise of thy Viols All thy musical and melodious Instruments, which were much used in Babylon, Dan. 3. 5, 7, 10. and were doubtless used in Belshazzar's Solemn Feast, Dan. 5. 1. at which time the City was taken; to which possibly the Prophet here alludes.: the worm is spread under thee In stead of those rich and stately Carpets upon which thou didst frequently tread., and the worms cover thee.

How art thou fallen from heaven From the heighth of thy Glory and Royal Majesty. as Kings are sometimes called gods in Scripture, so their Palaces and Thrones may be fitly called their heavens., O Lucifer Which properly is a bright and eminent Star, which ushers in the Sun and the Morning; but is here metaphorically taken for the high and mighty King of Babylon. And it is a very usual thing, both in Prophetical and in Profane Writers, to describe the Princes and Potentates of the World under the Title of the Sun or Stars of Heaven. Some understand this Place of the Devil; to whom indeed it may be mystically applied: But as he is never called by this Name in Scripture, so it cannot be literally meant of him, but of the King of Babylon, as is undeniably evident from the whole Centext, which certainly speaks of one and the same Person, and describes him as plainly as Words can do it., son of the morning The Title of son is given in Scripture not only to a Person or Thing begotten or produced by another, but also in general to any thing which is any way related to another; in which sense we read of a son of stripes, Deut. 25. 2. the son of a night, Ionah 4. 10. a son of perdition, Ioh. 17. 12. and, which is more agreeable to the present Case, the sons of Arcturus, Iob 38. 32.? how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations?

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven I will advance my self above the State of a weak and mortal Man. Great Monarchs are easily induced, be their own vain Imaginations, and the Flattery of their Courtiers, to entertain an Opinion of their own Divinity; so far, that many of them have received and required Divine Worship to be paid to them., I will exalt my throne above the stars of God Either, 1. above all other Kings and Potentates whom God has set up; or, 2. above the most eminent Persons of God's Church and People, who are frequently called stars, as Dan. 8. 10. Revel. 1. 16, 20. & 12. 1. which sense the next Words favour.: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation I will establish my Royal Throne upon Mount Sion, where the Jews meet together to worship God., in the sides of the North This is added as a more exact Description of the Place of the Temple, which stood upon Mount Moriah, which was Northward from the Hill of Zion strictly so called, and was a part of the Hill of Zion largely so called. See on Psal. 48. 2..

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds To wit, into Heaven, as he said v. 13., I will be like the most high In the uncontrollableness of my Power, and the universal Extent of my Dominion over all the Earth..

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

They that see thee, shall narrowly look upon thee As hardly believing their own Eyes, because this Change seemed impossible to them., and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth All the Nations of the Earth. to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?

That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the house of his prisoners Whereby he signifies both his irresistible Power, and his continued Cruelty. He neither was willing to give them any Liberty or Ease, nor could any force him to do it.?

All the kings of the nations, even all of them Other Kings most commonly do, as the Word all is frequently used. lie in glory, every one in his own house Are buried in their own Sepulchres, having stately Monuments erected to their Honour and Memory..

But thou art cast out of thy grave Or, cast from thy grave or burying-place. Which very probably hapned to Belshazzar, who was slain in the Night, Dan. 5. 30. when his People had neither opportunity nor heart to bestow an honourable Interment upon him, and the Conquerours would not suffer them to do it., like an abominable branch Like an useless and rotten Twig of a Tree, which he that pruneth the Trees cutteth off, and casteth away with abhorrency, and suffers to lie rotting more and more upon the Ground: Or, like a degenerate Plant of a noble Vine, which is abominable.: and as the raiment Which, being cut and mangled, and besmeared with Mire, and defiled with Blood, was cast away with contempt, and abominated as an unclean thing, as it was in divers respects, in that Age and State of the Church. of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit Which Persons being slain, they, together with their Garments, are cast into some Pit. He says, to the stones of the pit, either because such Bodies are commonly thrown into the next Pits, and Pits were frequently made by digging Stones out of their Quarries; or because there usually are a great number of Stones in the bottoms of Pits, either naturally, or being cast in thither upon divers occasions; and when dead Bodies are cast in thither, men use to throw an heap of Stones upon them., as a carcase trodden under feet Neglected, like such a Carcass. Or, this might literally happen to Belshazzar's dead Body, through Military Fury and Contempt, or from other Causes..

Thou shalt not be joyned with them Not in place; for so the Kings of several Nations did not use to be joyned in the same Sepulchre; but in Condition, not be buried as they are. in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people Thou hast exercised great Tyranny and Cruelty, not only to thine Enemies, but even to thine own Subjects. Which it is more than probable Belshazzar did, and it is certain that his Parents and Predecessors had done, whose Sins contributed, together with his, to bring down God's Judgments upon that Empire.: the seed of evil doers Such as Belshazzar was, being descended from that Nebuchadnezzar who had made such horrid Slaughters and Devastations in the World, merely to gratifie his own unsatiable Lusts, and who had been so impious towards God and his Temple, and so bloody towards his Church and People. shall never be renowned Or, shall not be renowned for ever. Although I have long born with thee and thy Family, and suffered them to get a great Name in the World, yet I will now put a period to the Renown of thy Family and Empire..

Prepare slaughter for his children O ye Medes and Persians, cut off all the Branches of the Royal Family of Babylon. for the iniquity of their fathers In the Guilt whereof the Children are justly involved, partly because of that Community of Nature and Interest which is between Parents and Children, which makes them for the most part bear a share with them, as in their Rewards and Advantages, so also in their Punishments and Miseries; and partly because they justified their Sins by their Impenitency, and Imitation of their wicked Example.; that they do not rise i. e. Not recover their former Splendour and Power., nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities Erected by them, either as Instruments of Tyranny, to keep the Country round about them in Slavery; or as Monuments of their Power and Riches, as Babylon was, Dan. 4. 30..

For I will rise up against them, says the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant The Remembrance of those that are dead, and the Persons of those who yet survive., and son, and nephew, says the LORD.

I will also make it a possession for the bittern A great Water-fowl, which thrusting its Bill into some broken Reed, or other hollow thing, makes a great noise; which also delights in solitary places, as also in Waterish Grounds, such as those were about Babylon. Others render the Word Hedg-hog, or Por... upine: But this being not considerable in it self, nor at all necessary for the clearing of the Text, I shall not trouble the English Reader with any Discourse about it: And the Learned may consult my Latin Synopsis., and pools of water The Ground about Babylon was of it self very moist and waterish, because of the great River Euphrates running by it, which was kept from overflowing the Country with great Charge and Labour; which being neglected, as it must needs be when the City was destroyed and dispeopled, it was easily turned into Pools of Water.: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts.

The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand I will not repent of this Threatning, as I did of that against Nineveh, Ionah 3. 4, 10. And this solemn Oath is added to confirm the Faith of God's People, because otherwise the Destruction of this vast and mighty Empire might seem incredible. But it is to be diligently observed, that this Verse does not only concern this present Prophecy of Babylon's Destruction by the Medes and Persians, but is also to be extended unto the foregoing Prophecy concerning the Overthrow of Sennacherib and the Assyrian Host, ch. 10. as appears by the next Verse, where the sum of that Prophecy is repeated. Nor is this any Digression, but very pertinent to the main Design and Business of this Chapter; inasmuch as the Overthrow of that great Assyrian Host, and of the Deliverance of God's People at that time, was a Pledge of the certain Accomplishment of that future Destruction of the City and Empire of Babylon, and of their Deliverance out of that Captivity.:

That I will break the Assyrian Sennacherih, and his Assyrian Army. in my land In, which is my Land in a peculiar manner, being chosen by me, and consecrated to my Use and Service, and in... bited by People., and upon my mountains In my Mountainous Country, for such was, Deut. 8. 9. Psal. 133. 3. Ezek. 6. 2, 3. & 39. 2,... 17. especially about Ierusalem, Psal. 125. 2. upon some of which probably his Army was lodged. tread him under feet: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders Which Words are... peated from Isa. 10. 27. where they are explained..

This is the purpose that is purposed, upon the whole earth Upon this vast Empire, now in the hands of the... rians, and shortly to come into the hands of the The whole earth is put Synechdochically for a great part of it.: and this is the hand The Providence of God executing his purpose. that is stretched out upon all the nations.

For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who shall disanul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

In the year that king Ahaz died, was this burden This following burdensom Prophecy the Philistins, who, in Ahaz his time, made an, and took divers of their Cities and Villages, 2 Chron..........

Rejoyce not thou whole Palestina, because the rod of Most understand this of Uzziah, who did then much mischief, 2 Chron. 26. 6. But he was dead Thirty two years before this time, and therefore their Joy for his Death was long since past. Others understand it of Ahaz: But he was so far from smiting them, that he was smitten by them, as was noted on v. 27. It seems better to understand it more generally, of the Royal Race, or soregoing Kings of Iudah, who had been a terrible Scourge to them, whose Rod might be said to be broken, because that Scepter was come into the hands of slothful and degenerate Princes, such as Ahaz was, who had been lately broken by the Philistins, and who probably was alive when this Prophecy was delivered, because he here speaks of Hezekiah not as a present, but as a future King. It is said indeed, that this burden was in the year that Ahaz died: But so it might be, though it was before his Death. him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpents root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery slying serpent From the Root and Race of David shall come Hezekiah, who, like a Serpent, shall sting thee to death, as he did, 2 Kings 18. 8..

And the first born of the poor The People of the Jews, who are brought to extreme Poverty by thy Cruelty, and the Malice of other Enemies. The First-born were the chief of all the Children. Hence the Title of first-born is given to Persons or Things which are most eminent in their Kind, as to the People of Israel, Exod. 4. 22. to David, Psal. 89. 27. to a grievous Death, Iob 18. 13. and here to Persons eminently poor. shall feed Shall have plenty of Provisions, in spight of all thine Attempts against them., and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root I will utterly destroy thee both Root and Branch, so that there shall not be a Remnant of thy People reserved, as it follows. It is a Metaphor from a Tree, which for want of Nourishment is dried up by the Roots. with famin, and he shall slay thy remnant.

Howl, O gate The gate is put either, 1. Metaphorically, for the People passing through the Gates, or for the Magistrates and others who used to meet in the Gate for Judgment or upon other Occasions; or, 2. Synechdochically, for the City, as gates are commonly put, as Ier. 22. 19. and as it is explained in the next Words., cry, O city City is here put collectively for their Cities, of which see 1 Sam. 6. 17., thou whole Palestina art dissolved Heb. melted. Which may be understood either, 1 of the fainting of their Spirits and Courage, as Exod. 15. 15. I... s. 2. 9, 24, &c. or, 2. of the Dissolution of their State.: for there shall come from the North Either, 1. from Iudea which lay Northward from some part of the Philistins Land. But in truth Iudea lay more East than North from Iudah, and therefore the Ph... are said to be on the west, Isa. 11. 14. and never, so far as I remember, on the North: Or, 2. from Chaldaea, as may be gathered, 1. from the Scripture use of this Phrase, which generally designs that Country, as Ier. 1. 14, 15. & 6. 1, 22. &c. 2. from Ier. 47. where Destruction is threatned to the Philistins from the North, v. 2. which all understand of the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar. And whereas it is speciously objected, That this suits not with the next Verse, which speaks of Zions Safety at the time of this Destruction of the Philistins, whereas Zion and the Land and People of Iudah were destroyed together with the Philistins by Nebuchadnezzar; I humbly conceive it may be answered, That that Verse is added to express the far-differing Condition of God's People and of the Philistins in the Events of that Babylonian War; and that whereas the Philistins should be irrecoverably and eternally destroyed thereby, and no Remnant of them should be left, as was said v. 30. God's People, though they should be sorely scourged, and carried into Captivity, yet they should be strangely preserved, and after some years delivered, and restored to their own Land and Temple; whereby it would appear, that Zion stood upon a sure Foundation, and, albeit it was grievously shaken, yet it could not be utterly and finally overthrown. a smoke A grievous Judgment and Calamity, which is oft signified by smoke, as Gen. 15. 17. Deut. 29. 20. I... el 2. 30. either because Smoke is generally accompanied with Fire, or because it causeth a great Darkness in the Air; for Afflictions are frequently described under the names of fire and darkness., and none shall be alone in his appointed times When God's appointed time shall come for the execution of this Judgment, not one Person of all that numerous Army, which is signified by the smoke last mentioned, shall retire and desert his Colours, or lag behind the rest; But they shall march with great unanimity and alacrity, and none of them shall withdraw his hand till the Work be finished, till the Philistins be utterly destroyed..

What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation What shall a Jew say to the People of other Nations, who shall either be sent or come to enquire concerning the State of Zion in that day, when not only the Philistins, but even the Iews themselves, shall fall by the hands of one and the same Enemy? Nation is put collectively for nations, as gate and city for gates and cities in the foregoing Verse.? That the LORD has founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it They shall give them this answer, That although Zion at present be in a very distressed and deplorable condition, and seems to be forsaken by her Cod, yet she stands upon a firm Foundation, and God who first founded her, will again restore and establish her, and his poor despised People shall resort to her, as to a strong and sure Refuge.,