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15 Until the Spirit . be poured upon j a fruitful field, and the fruitful field us from on high, and the wilderness be be counted for a forest.

15. Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness become a fruitful field,

And the fruitful field be esteemed a forest.

purposes of observation. Shall be for dens. Shall become places where banditti and robbers may abide, and secure themselves. For ever. This is evidently one instance in which the word "for ever" denotes a long time, because in the verse following there is a period specified when the desolation would terminate. When the word is used without any such limitation it denotes properly eternity. Here it is used, because to those who were suffering under the desolation it would seem that it would never terminate; it would be long, and tedious. A joy of wild asses. A place where wild asses and other animals will have unlimited range.

If

15. Until the Spirit. The Spirit of God, as the source of all blessings, and especially as able to meet and remove the ills of the long calamity and desolation. This evidently refers to some future period when the evils which the prophet was contemplating should be succeeded by prosperity, and by the spread of the true religion. the prophet meant to confine his description of calamities to those which would attend the invasion of Sennacherib, then this refers to the piety and prosperity which would prevail after that during the reign of Hezekiah. If he designed, as Lowth supposes, to describe the calamities which would attend the invasion of the Chaldeans and the desolation of the city of Jerusalem during the captivity, then this refers to the prosperous times that would occur after their return to their own land. And if he looked forward beyond even that, then this refers to the times of the Messiah also, and he designed to describe the happy period when the Messiah should have come, and when the Spirit should be poured out. Vitringa supposes that all three of these events are referred to. But although the expressions are such as are used in reference to the times of the Messiah, yet the word "until " seems to limit the prediction to some event previous to that. The plain sense of the passage is, that the desolations spoken of would continue; the city would lie waste, and would be a pasture for flocks

16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

Ps. 85. 10. James 3. 18.

T

17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for

ever.

New Translation.

16. Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness,

And righteousness shall inhabit the fruitful field.

17. And the work of righteousness shall be peace,

And the effect of righteousness quiet and security for ever.

until the Spirit should be poured out; that is, would lie waste a long time, and then be succeeded by the merciful interposition of God restoring them to their land and privileges. This idea would seem to limit it, at the utmost, to the return from Babylon. Be poured out. This is a common and usual mode of indicating that the influences of the Spirit of God would be imparted. Ezek. xxxix. 29, Isa. xliv. 3, Joel ii. 28, 29, Acts ii. 17, 18. ¶ From on high. From heaven. Comp. Luke xxiv. 49. ¶ And the wilderness be a fruitful field. Until that change shall come when the places that are desolate shall be fertile, and the places which are now fertile and prosperous shall become desolate and barren. This may refer to the time when Jerusalem and Judea, that would have lain so long waste, would be again inhabited and cultivated, and when Babylon, or Nineveh, and their kingdoms that were then so prosperous would become desolate and ruined. The expression has a proverbial cast, and denotes change, and revolution. See Note ch. xxix. 17.

Shall be there; the nation shall make its appropriate dwelling

16. Then judgment shall dwell. abound in this; or judgment shall place there. In the wilderness. In the place that was a wilderness, but that shall now be turned to a fruitful field. ¶In the fruitful field. In the nation that is like a fruitful field; in Judea restored.

17. And the work of righteousness. That which righteousness produces; or the effect of the prevalence of righteousness on the nation. Shall be peace. There shall be no internal agitation; no oppressions; and no conflicts with those abroad. Quietness and assurance. Peace and safety. There shall be confidence in God, and order shall prevail in the nation. This is a beautiful description of the happy effect of the prevalence of piety. And it is as true now as it was in the time of Isaiah. True religion would put an end to strifes

18. And my people shall abide in a habitation of peace, And in secure dwellings,

And in tranquil resting places.

19. But it shall hail, and the forest shall be brought down, And the city shall be utterly prostrate.

and litigations; to riots and mobs; to oppressions and tumults; to alarms and robbery; to battle, and murder, and conflict among the

nations.

18. And my people. His people restored again to their own land, and delivered from the apprehension of foreign enemies. ¶ In a peaceable habitation. In cities and towns and dwellings that would not be alarmed and disturbed by internal or external foes. ¶ And in sure dwellings. In dwellings that would be secure from invasion and alarm.-All this is descriptive of the peaceful times, and the general security which followed the return from Babylon. There would be a time of general security, and of prosperity; and a time when righteousness would prevail. To this period of happiness and prosperity, Isaiah, as well as the other prophets, often refers.

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19. When it shall hail.bhârădh bɛrêdheth, and it shall hail in coming down.' There is a paranomasia in the original here which cannot be expressed in a translation—a figure of speech, which, as we have seen, is common in Isaiah. Hail is an image of divine vengeance or punishment (see ch. xxviii. 2, 17, xxx. 30); and the reference here is doubtless to the storms of indignation that should come on the enemies of the Jews, particularly the Assyrians. See Note ch. xxix. 6, comp. ch. xxx. 30. Coming down on the forest. Coming down on the army of the Assyrian, which is here called a forest. The same term forest is given to the army of the Assyrians in ch. x. 18, 19, 33, 34. (See Notes on those places.) The sense is, that the divine judgment should come down on that army with as much severity as a storm of hail descends on a forest-stripping the leaves from the trees, destroying its beauty, and laying it waste. And the city. According to Gesenius this is Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian

20 Blessed are ye that sow beside | all waters, " that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

u Eccles. 11. 1, 2.

New Translation.

20. Blessed are ye, who sow upon all waters,

Who send forth thither the foot of the ox and the ass.

empire. According to Rosenmüller, Grotius, and some others, it is Babylon. Hensler supposes that it is Jerusalem, and that the sense is, that as a city that is situated in a valley is safe when the storm and tempest sweeps over the hills, so should it be to Jerusalem when the storm of wrath should sweep away the army of the Assyrian. But the connexion evidently requires us to understand it of the capital of the enemy; though whether it be Nineveh or Babylou perhaps cannot be determined. Shall be low in a low place. Marg. "Utterly abased." Heb. In humility shall be humbled.' The sense is, shall be completely prostrate. Those who refer this to Jerusalem suppose it means, when God should humble it by bringing the enemy so near, and exciting so much consternation and alarm. Those who refer it to Babylon suppose it relates to its destruction. If referred to Nineveh, it must mean when the pride of the capital of the Assyrian empire should be abased and humbled by the complete overthrow of their army, and the annihilation of their hopes. The connexion seems to require us to adopt this latter interpretation. The whole verse is very obscure; but perhaps the above will express its general sense.

20. Blessed are ye. The sense of this verse is, that while the enemies of the Jews would be overthrown, they themselves would be permitted to cultivate their lands in security. Instead of predicting this directly, the prophet implies that this would occur, by declaring that those who were permitted to do this were happy. That sow beside all waters. Heb. Upon all waters.' This may mean that they selected places near running streams as being most fertile; or it may refer, as Lowth supposes, to the manner of sowing grain, and particularly rice in eastern countries. This is done by casting the seed upon the water. This custom is referred to in Eccl. xi. 1, "Cast thy bread," i. e. thy seed," upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days;" -that is, cast thy seed upon the waters when the river overflows the banks, and the seed will sink into the slime and mud, and will spring up when the waters subside, and you will find it again after many days in a rich and luxuriant harvest. Sir John Chardin thus describes this mode of sowing: "They sow it (the rice) upon the water; and before VOL. II.*

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sowing, while the earth is covered with water, they cause the ground to be trodden by oxen, horses, and asses, who go mid-leg deep; and this is the way they prepare the ground for sowing." Harmer's Obs. i. p. 280. That send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. That is, for the purpose above specified-that of treading the earth while the water is on it, and preparing it for the seed. In this way the ground would need no ploughing, but the seed would fall into the slime, and be sufficiently covered when the waters should subside. The idea in this verse is, that there would be a state of security succeeding the destruction of their enemies; that they would be permitted to pursue the cultivation of the soil, unannoyed and undisturbed.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER.

This chapter comprises a new and distinct prophecy, though manifestly relating to the same general subject as the preceding. It is not certainly known at what time it was uttered, yet we may presume it was in close connexion with that in the previous chapter. In ver. 19 of the previous chapter, the prophet had foretold the complete destruction of the army of Sennacherib; and this chapter is designed still further to set forth the circumstances and the effects of that invasion and destruction. That it refers to the destruction of Sennacherib and his army, is apparent from the whole structure of the prophecy. So it is understood by Lowth, Rosenmuller, Grotius, Calvin, &c., though Vitringa supposes that it refers to the destruction of the Syrians, instead of the Assyrians, and particularly after the time, and for the crimes of Antiochus Epiphanes. All the circumstances, as well as the connexion, however, agree with the invasion by Sennacherib, and indeed agree far better with that than either with the destruction of Babylon, or the judgments that should come upon the Syrians. The design of the prophecy is to assure the Jews that their nation and city would be safe notwithstanding the invasion of the Assyrian; and that JEHOVAH would be to them a source of constant protection and consolation (ver 21). The object of the prophecy, therefore, is, to comfort them in this threatened invasion, and to lead them to look up to God.

The prophecy, or poem, is one of uncommon beauty in its structure, and is peculiarly elegant in its expressions. It abounds, indeed, in transitions; but they are easily seen, and can be distinctly marked. The structure, and design of the poem may be seen in the following analysis.

I.

Wo is denounced against the Assyrian who had invaded Judea without provocation, and who was spreading desolation over a nation that had not injured him, ver. 1. This contains the general scope and purport of the chapter.

II. The Jews are introduced (ver. 2,) as offering up supplications to JEHOVAH in view of the threatened invasion, and beseeching him to be merciful to them, and expressing their confidence in him.

III. God himself is introduced declaring the overthrow of Sennacherib vs. 3, 4. This he represents (ver. 3.) under the image of the peoplethat is, the people in the army of Sennacherib fleeing at the noise of