1. ISAIAH 37 COMMENTARY EDITED BY GLENN PEASE Jerusalems
Deliverance Foretold 1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his
clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord.
1.BARNES, When king Hezekiah heard it - Heard the account of the
words of Rabshakeh Isa_36:22. That he rent his clothes - (See the
note at Isa_36:22). He covered himself with sackcloth - (See the
note at Isa_3:24). And went into the house of the Lord - Went up to
the temple to spread out the case before Yahweh Isa_37:14. This was
in accordance with the usual habit of Hezekiah; and it teaches us
that when we are environed with difficulties or danger and when the
name of our God is blasphemed, we should go and spread out our
feelings before God, and seek his aid. 2. Pulpit, This chapter is
the sequel of the preceding, and is so closely connected with it
that the two really constitute but one narrative. Isa_37:22 of
Isa_36:1-22. is more closely connected with Isa_37:1-38, than with
the position of the narrative to which it is attached. Isa_37:1
When King Hezekiah heard it; rather, heard them; i.e. the "words of
Rabshakeh," which his officials reported to him. He rent his
clothes. He did as they had done (Isa_36:22; see the comment on
that verse). But he went further, showing a deeper sense of horror
and affliction than the officials had shown by being covered with
sackcloth (on the combination of the two modes of showing grief or
horror, see Gen_37:34; 2Sa_3:31; 1Ki_21:27; Est_4:1, etc.). And
went into the house of the Lord. The temple was not only a place
for offering praise and sacrifice, but also a "house of prayer".
Hezekiah can, on this occasion, have gone up to the house of the
Lord only to pray.
2. 3. GILL, And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard
it,.... The report that his ministers made to him of the
blasphemies and threatenings of Rabshakeh, the general of the
Assyrian army: that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with
sackcloth; the one because of the blasphemies he heard; the other
cause of the destruction he and his people were threatened with:
and went into the house of the Lord; the temple, to pray to him
there: he could have prayed in his own house, but he chose rather
to go to the house of God, not so much on account of the holiness
of the place, but because there the Lord promised, and was used to
hear the prayers of his people, 1Ki 8:29,30 as also because it was
more public, and would be known to the people, and set them an
example to follow him in. Trouble should not keep persons from, but
bring them to, the house of God; here the Lord is to be inquired
of, here he is to be found; and from hence he sends deliverance and
salvation to his people. Nothing is more proper than prayer in
times of affliction; it is no ways unbecoming nor lessening the
greatest king on earth to lay aside his royal robes, to humble
himself before God, in a time of distress, and pray unto him.
Hezekiah does not sit down to consider Rabshakeh's speech, to take
it in pieces, and give an answer to it, but he applies unto God. 4.
HENRY, We may observe here, 1. That the best way to baffle the
malicious designs of our enemies against us is to be driven by them
to God and to our duty and so to fetch meat out of the eater.
Rabshakeh intended to frighten Hezekiah from the Lord, but it
proves that he frightens him to the Lord. The wind, instead of
forcing the traveller's coat from him, makes him wrap it the closer
about him. The more Rabshakeh reproaches God the more Hezekiah
studies to honour him, by rending his clothes for the dishonour
done to him and attending in his sanctuary to know his mind. 2.
That it well becomes great men to desire the prayers of good men
and good ministers. Hezekiah sent messengers, and honourable ones,
those of the first rank, to Isaiah, to desire his prayers,
remembering how much his prophecies of late had plainly looked
towards the events of the present day, in dependence upon which, it
is probable, he doubted not but that the issue would be
comfortable, yet he would have it to be so in answer to prayer:
This is a day of trouble, therefore let it be a day of prayer. 3.
When we are most at a plunge we should be most earnest in prayer:
Now that the children are brought to the birth, but there is not
strength to bring forth, now let prayer come, and help at a dead
lift. When pains are most strong let prayers be most lively; and,
when we meet with the greatest difficulties, then is a time to stir
up not ourselves only, but others also, to take hold on God. Prayer
is the midwife of mercy, that helps to bring it forth 5. JAMISON,
Isa_37:1-38. Continuation of the narrative in the thirty-sixth
chapter. sackcloth (See on Isa_20:2). house of the Lord the sure
resort of Gods people in distress (Psa_73:16, Psa_73:17;
Psa_77:13).
3. 6. K&D 1-4, The king and the deputation apply to Isaiah.
And it came to pass, when king Hizkiyahu had heard, he rent his
clothes, and wrapped himself in mourning linen, and went into the
house of Jehovah. And sent Eliakim the house-minister, and Shebna
(K. omits ) the chancellor, and the eldest of the priests, wrapped
in mourning linen, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet (K. has what
is inadmissible: the prophet son of Amoz). And they said to him,
Thus saith Hizkiyahu, A day of affliction, and punishment, and
blasphemy is this day; for children are come to the matrix, and
there is no strength to bring them forth. Perhaps Jehovah thy God
will hear the words (K. all the words) of Rabshakeh, with which the
king of Asshur his lord has sent him to revile the living God; and
Jehovah thy God will punish for the words which He hath heard, and
thou wilt make intercession for the remnant that still exists. The
distinguished embassy is a proof of the distinction of the prophet
himself (Knobel). The character of the deputation accorded with its
object, which was to obtain a consolatory word for the king and
people. In the form of the instructions we recognise again the
flowing style of Isaiah. , as a synonym of , , is used as in
Hos_5:9; (from the kal ) according to Isa_1:4; Isa_5:24; Isa_52:5,
like (from the piel ), Neh_9:18, Neh_9:26 (reviling, i.e., reviling
of God, or blasphemy). The figure of there not being sufficient
strength to bring forth the child, is the same as in Isa_66:9.
(from , syn. , Gen_38:29) does not signify the actual birth
(Luzzatto, punto di dover nascere), nor the delivering-stool
(Targum), like mashber shel-chayyah, the delivering-stool of the
midwife (Kelim xxiii. 4); but as the subject is the children, and
not the mother, the matrix or mouth of the womb, as in Hos_13:13,
He (Ephraim) is an unwise child; when it is time does he not stop
in the children's passage (mashber banm), i.e., the point which a
child must pass, not only with its head, but also with its
shoulders and its whole body, for which the force of the pains is
often not sufficient? The existing condition of the state resembled
such unpromising birth-pains, which threatened both the mother and
the fruit of the womb with death, because the matrix would not open
to give birth to the child. like in Isa_11:9. The timid inquiry,
which hardly dared to hope, commences with 'ulai. The following
future is continued in perfects, the force of which is determined
by it: and He (namely Jehovah, the Targum and Syriac) will punish
for the words, or, as we point it, there will punish for the words
which He hath heard, Jehovah thy God (hokhach, referring to a
judicial decision, as in a general sense in Isa_2:4 and Isa_11:4);
and thou wilt lift up prayer (i.e., begin to offer it, Isa_14:4).
He will hear, namely as judge and deliverer; He hath heard, namely
as the omnipresent One. The expression, to revile the living God
(le chareph 'Elohm chai), sounds like a comparison of Rabshakeh to
Goliath (1Sa_17:26, 1Sa_17:36). The existing remnant was Jerusalem,
which was not yet in the enemy's hand (compare Isa_1:8-9). The
deliverance of the remnant is a key-note of Isaiah's prophecies.
But the prophecy would not be fulfilled, until the grace which
fulfilled it had been met by repentance and faith. Hence Hezekiah's
weak faith sues for the intercession of the prophet, whose personal
relation to God is here set forth as a closer one than that of the
king and priests. 7. PULPIT, Spiritual advice in, time of need not
to be despised even by great kings. The great of the earthkings,
princes, nobles, statesmen, generalsare too apt to rest upon their
own internal gifts of wisdom, talent, sagacity, cleverness, and to
place little reliance upon others. Especially are they apt to feel
a jealousy towards "the spiritualty," and to hold themselves above
the necessity of seeking aid from persons whom they view as
unpractical, ignorant of worldly business, flighty,
4. enthusiastic, fanatical. Ahab, when he determined to renew
the Syrian war, and to attempt the recovery of Ramoth-Gilead, took
no counsel, so far as appears, with any one but himself, and
certainly neglected to ask the advice of the only true prophet of
Jehovah living within reach (1Ki_22:3-8). Josiah failed to take the
advice of Jeremiah before going out to meet Necho (2Ch_35:20-24);
Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah went against his advice in
resisting Nebuchadnezzar. It has become almost a principle of
modern politics that the spiritualty are not to advise except on
matters closely connected with religion or morals, and even on such
matters their advice is looked upon with suspicion. The cuckoo-cry
of "priestcraft" is raised, and the spiritualty is bidden to
confine its, If strictly to its own sphere, and not to intermeddle
in the ordinary politics of a nation. Hezekiah's conduct suggests a
contrary lesson, seeming to teach I. THAT THE SPIRITUALTY ARE THE
BEST ADVISERS EVEN IN TEMPORAL MATTERS. For, first, they have a
less direct interest in such matters, and so are likely to give
more unbiased counsel. Secondly, they are accustomed to take into
account remoter eventualities, as well as immediate results, and
are therefore likely to entertain broader views than others.
Thirdly, they are more keenly alive than laics to the moral aspect
of political questions, which is often a most important aspect, and
one that deserves to have a preponderating weight in determining
action. II. THAT IN CONSULTING THEM IT IS WELL TO SHOW THEM DUE
RESPECT. Disrespect is the ordinary rule when the politicians of
the world condescend to make any reference at all to the
spiritualty. "Hasten hither Micaiah, the son of Imlah," strikes the
keynote of their utterances (1Ki_22:9). It is not uncommon for them
even to dictate what the spiritualty shall say (1Ki_22:13).
Hezekiah was more respectful, and more wise. He sent his highest
officers of state to the house of the prophet, and humbly asked his
prayers and his advice. No doubt there is a wide difference between
such a prophet as Isaiah and a modern bishop, or archbishop, or
conclave of bishops. Still, if there is to be consultation of these
last, a show of respect for them should at least be maintained. It
cannot be expected that otherwise they will regard their advice as
of importance, or apply their minds very carefully to give the best
advice in their power. III. THAT IN THE WORST STRAITS THEY CAN GIVE
VALUABLE HELP, IF NOT BY ADVICE, YET BY PRAYER. "Wherefore lift up
thy prayer," said Hezekiah, "for the remnant that is left" (verse
4). God might not have thought fit to "reprove the words of
Sennacherib." His patience might have been exhausted, and he might
have been about to allow the conquest of Judaea by Sennacherib, as
he afterwards allowed its conquest by Nebuchadnezzar. Hezekiah
could not be sure that there was any escape. But in the worst case,
"the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man would avail much."
It would avail to mitigate, if not to prevent, the sufferings of
the people, to support them under misfortune, it not to save them
from it. In times of national Deed and distress, wise kings and
governments do well to ask the prayers of the Church, not that God
will not hear them if they address themselves directly to him, but
that he may be besieged, as it were, on all sides by prayer, and so
prevailed upon to have mercy. The force of prayer is greatly
augmented by the prayer being multiplied. "Where two," or more,
"agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall
be done for them of my Father which is in heaven" (Mat_18:19). 8.
CALVIN, 1.And it came to pass. The Prophet declares that the only
hope of safety that was left to the pious king was to bring his
complaints before God as a righteous judge; as it is said in the
Psalm, that the same manner as servants or handmaids, when they are
injured, look to the protection of their master
5. or mistress, so the eyes of believers are fixed on the
assistance of God. (Psa_123:2.) Thus, when Jerusalem appears to be
completely ruined, Hezekiah, being bereft of earthly assistance,
betakes himself to the protection of God, and thus acknowledges
that there is no other remedy for heavy distresses. Hence also the
grace of God shone more brightly, so that it was evidently
miraculous, when the pious king was rescued from the jaws of that
lion. We ought, therefore, to observe this circumstance, that we
may better understand the great excellence of the work of God. Here
we are also taught what we ought to do in the most desperate
circumstances, not to be indolent or sluggish in supplicating the
assistance of God, who himself invites us to come to him. We must
not tremble or despair, but, on the contrary, ought to be
stimulated by the necessity which presses upon us to seek his aid;
as we see what Hezekiah did, who immediately betook himself to the
temple in the same manner as to a place of safety, that he and all
his people might take refuge under the shadow of God. That King
Hezekiah rent his clothes. He likewise adds the outward expressions
of repentance, the of the clothes and wearing sackcloth, sprinkling
of ashes, and other things of the same kind; for these were the
ordinary signs of repentance, when, under the weight of any
calamity by which they were afflicted, they confessed their guilt
before God and implored pardon from him. Wonderful is the modesty
of the holy king, who, after having performed so many illustrious
works, and after having been adorned by the excellence of so many
virtues, does not hesitate to prostrate himself humbly before God;
and, on the other hand, wonderful is his courage and the
steadfastness of his faith, in not being hindered by the weight of
so heavy a temptation from freely seeking God by whom he was so
severely smitten. Scarcely do we find one man in a hundred who does
not murmur if God treats him with any degree of severity, who does
not bring forward his good deeds as a ground of complaint, and
remonstrate that he has been unjustly rewarded. Other men, when God
does not comply with their wishes, complain that their worship of
God has served no good purpose. We perceive nothing of this kind in
Hezekiah, who, though he is conscious of possessing uncommon piety,
does not shrink from a confession of guilt, and therefore if we
desire to turn away God anger, and to experience his favor in
adversity, we must testify our repentance and sincerely acknowledge
our guilt; for adversity does not fall out to us by chance, but is
the method by which God arouses us to repentance. True, indeed,
sackcloth and ashes will be of little avail, if they be not
preceded by the inward feelings of the heart; for we know that
hypocrites are abundantly liberal in the use of ceremonies; but as
we have formerly said, the Holy Spirit justly commends those
exercises, when they are directed to their proper object. And
indeed it was a proof of uncommon piety and modesty, that the pious
king and the whole nation excited themselves in this manner to fear
God, and that he made a voluntary acknowledgment of guilt in a form
attended by wretched filthiness; for we know how unwilling kings
are to let themselves down from their rank. 9. PULPIT, Hezekiah's
resources. The conduct of the king on hearing the haughty message
of the Assyrian is that of a man of habitually religious mind and
religious practice. 1. He rends his garments and covers himself
with sackcloth. This was significant of sorrow and of self-
humiliation: "Humble yourselves beneath the mighty hand of God, and
he will exalt you in due time."
6. Instead of searching far and wide for the causes of our
distress, it were well to look first into our own hearts, and that
closely. There, where the mischief has begun, the remedy and the
hope may be revealed. 2. He sends a deputation to the minister of
God; also clothed in sackcloth. They give the king's message to
Isaiah, "This day is a day of trouble, punishment, and contumely."
The outward forms and shows of grief could not denote them truly.
They had "That within which passed show, Beneath the trappings and
the suits of woe." The mourning garb expresses the need of the
rending of the heart, and the bowing down of its pride before the
judgments of God. Human extremity is confessed: "There is no
strength to bring forth." The toil over insoluble problemsthe
matching of one's strength against a superhuman enterprise, the
comparison of one's idea of what should be with one's sense of the
absence of resources for its accomplishment, brings utter
exhaustion. It is under such conditions that men learn that
whatever strength they had at any time is from God, that whatever
help is needed must come from him now. In the house of God, in the
attitude of humility and penitence, in communion with men of God,
let us be found in the day of distress. I. THE HUMAN INTERCESSOR.
In common life we recognize the principle of intercession. We
shelter ourselves behind the worth of another; we seek to gain
interest with the powerful and the good. To carry things by
personal interest and partiality doubtless opens the door to
abuses; but alter all it is founded itself upon love. Logic says,"
Let every case be judged by its merits, every man stand or fall by
merit or demerit of his person." Love, softening down the hard
lines of logical principle, or concealing them with flowing
ornament, says, "Let fellow-feeling and pity, kinship of blood or
of mind, have their influence on the decision." The great truth of
the mediation of Christ is reflected in a weaker but still emphatic
way in the office of an Abraham, a Moses, a Samuel. Scripture
expressly recognizes: "The prayer of a righteous man availeth much"
(cf. Jer_15:1). Our objection to the Romish doctrine of the
intercession of saints should not carry us too far. It might lead
us to a cold denial of the influence of loving thought upon one
another's weal. What limit is there to the far-reaching influences
of love? Because some assume to know too much of those influences
and the manner in which they may be secured, that is no reason why
we should ignore them. "An interest in the prayers of good men," it
is natural to seek, and blessed to have secured. The belief in the
intercession of good men rests on the belief that some men stand
nearer to God than others. They have a firmer faith, a steadier
insight into the methods of Providence, and therefore a clearer
outlook into the future, and a courage which is inspiring to
others. On this occasion Isaiah is found to be calm and undisturbed
by the revilings of the Assyrian. He can speak of his officers with
contempt as the "minions of the King of Assyria." He can foretell
that a "spirit" will be put in the enemyan impulse quite contrary
to that now animating him; he will hear ill news, will return to
his own land, and will fall by the sword. The prophet sustains the
king; Hezekiah leans on Isaiah; true policy finds its inspiration
in religion. The ministers of state, if wise, will own the worth of
the service of the ministers of God. II. BUSINESS LAID BEFORE GOD.
The threat of the Assyrian, the taunting arguments on which he had
before relied, are repeated. Let Hezekiah beware of trusting in
Jehovah, for he may prove no better resource than the "gods of the
nations" which have been subdued by the Assyrians. Hezekiah takes
the letter, goes up into the house of Jehovah, and spreads it open
before Jehovah. We may be reminded, as we read, of the
prayer-machines of the Buddhists; or of the waxen tablets hung upon
the statues of the
7. gods by the Romans. inscribed with prayers, as alluded to by
Juvenal in his tenth Satire. But where the outward act is similar,
the intention may be widely different. If we look to the essence of
the act, there is nothing in itself more superstitious in laying
open a written letter before God, than in addressing him orally on
its contents. If the spreading out is a "prayer without words," the
prayer with words follows. There is no external form which we may
not fill out with the life of our spirit and make vital and real;
none from which we may not withdraw that life, and so leave dead
and cold. It is idle to suppose that the mere abandonment of
certain forms will remove the foundations of superstition, which is
certain to spring up in a mechanical and lifeless state of mind.
III. HEZEKIAH'S PRAYER. His thoughts of God. He is revealed in
nature and in human life. He is enthroned upon the cherubimthose
mysterious creatures of poetic and plastic fancy, representing
spiritual power revealed in strong wind and cloud, and figured in
the ark. Analogous figures are common in Oriental art. Jehovah is
the God of nature, the Creator of heavens and earth. He is the only
true Ruler of the kingdoms of the earth. The heathen believed that
their gods swayed in the sphere both of nature and of human
lifethat their glory and power was revealed, not only in sun, and
moon, and stars, and wind, but in the might of warriors and the
ascendency of kings. But the contrast is that these pretensions
were unreal, that of Jehovah alone. founded on truth and facts.
Those "gods of the nations" who had been put into the fire by the
Assyrian were no genuine gods, as the result has proved. When the
idol was destroyed, the visible image of the god, the faith of the
worshipper lost its visible support, and his hope fled. There was
no Saviour here. True faith is not dependent on such visible props;
they may failit remains. The symbols of religion may change; old
sanctuaries may fall into decay; Jerusalem may be taken; the
Shechinah-glory may fade from the hallowed spot; but Jehovah
remains. In superstition, when the idols are broken, the false
faith dies; in true religion, when the idols are broken, the true
faith rises into new life. Adversity, fatal to imposture, brings
the genuine tradition to light. The true God is bound by his very
nature to be the Saviour, the Deliverer of men. The cry for
salvation must sooner or later, in one or another way, be answered
from him. If the cry be not answered, it is a proof that we have
not directed it to the true Objectnot to Jehovah, the Alone, the
Eternal, but to some creature, the fabrication, if not of our
hands, of our sensuous and unspiritual fancy.J. 2 He sent Eliakim
the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading
priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
1.BARNES, And he sent Eliakim - (See the note at Isa_36:3). And the
elders of the priests - It was a case of deep importance, and one
that pertained in a special manner to the interests of religion;
and he, therefore, selected the most respectable embassage that he
could to present the case to the prophet. Covered with sackcloth -
Religion had been insulted. The God whom the priests served had
been blasphemed, and the very temple was threatened, and it was
proper that the priests should go with the habiliments of
mourning.
8. Unto Isaiah - It was customary on occasions of danger to
consult prophets, as those who had direct communication with God,
and seek counsel from them. Thus Balak sent messengers to Balaam to
consult him in a time of perplexity (Num_22:5 ff); thus Jehoshaphat
and the king of Israel consulted Micaiah in time of danger from
Syria 1Ki_22:1-13; thus Ahaziah, when sick, sent to consult Elijah
2Ki_1:1-9; and thus Josiah sent an embassage to Huldah the
prophetess to inquire in regard to the book which was found in the
temple of the Lord 2Ki_22:14) 2. PULPIT, He sent Eliakim and Shebna
and the elders of the priests. A dignified embassy, showing how
much Isaiah was held in honour. The prophets, as representatives of
Jehovah, were entitled to respect and observance even from kings.
3. GILL, And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and
Shebna the scribe,.... Two of the commissioners sent to Rabshakeh,
and who heard his insolence and blasphemy, and were capable of
giving a full account of it, to Isaiah the prophet: and the elders
of the priests; as the chief of those that were concerned in civil
affairs, so the chief of those that were employed in sacred things,
were sent: this was a very honourable embassy; and it was showing
great respect to the prophet, to send such personages to him:
covered with sackcloth; as the king himself was, following his
example; and this is to be understood not of the elders of the
priests only, but of Eliakim and Shebna also. These, so clad, were
sent by the king unto Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz; to give
him an account of the present situation of affairs, of the distress
he was in, and to desire his prayers: a very proper person to apply
to, a prophet, one highly dear to God, and honoured by him, had
near access unto him, and knew much of his mind. 4. JAMISON, unto
Isaiah implying the importance of the prophets position at the
time; the chief officers of the court are deputed to wait on him
(compare 2Ki_22:12-14). 5. CALVIN, 2.And he sent Eliakim. This
message was not intended merely to invite Isaiah to join with him
in lamentation, but to request some consolation from his doctrine.
And indeed to no purpose shall prayers be poured into the air, if
they do not rest on the word of God. Thus we see that unbelievers
are exceedingly noisy in their prayers, and yet they flee from God
by despising or disregarding his promises. It was therefore a proof
of sincere piety in Hezekiah, that, while he was earnestly employed
in prayer, he at the same time added a confirmation of his hope,
that he might not yield to temptation. To Isaiah, the son of Amos
the Prophet. He follows the method appointed by God, when he wishes
to hear God speaking by the mouth of Prophet. (Deu_18:15; Mal_2:7.)
Though he relies on God alone, he does not reject the testimony of
a mortal man; and therefore not without reason does he expressly
add the designation Prophet; for he sends to Isaiah, that he may be
confirmed by some new prediction, and names him, not as a private
individual, but as the servant of God, whose duty it was to soothe
the pious king by some consolation.
9. There are therefore two remedies that deserve our attention,
by which we are soothed in affliction. First, we ought to call on
God to deliver us; and, secondly, we ought to consult the prophets,
at least, if we can obtain them, that they may bring us some
comfort out of the word of God; for it is their duty to encourage
and comfort the afflicted by promises, and if they fail to do so,
still abundant consolation is communicated to us from the word. And
we ought to consult the prophets, who were appointed, not only for
their own age, but also for posterity and for every age; for
although the men are dead, yet their books survive; their doctrine
lives and shall never die. We shall never, therefore, be destitute
of true remedies, if we do not reject them; but, in a word, we
ought always to consult God. It may be asked, not Hezekiah
abundantly supplied and fortified by the promises of God? Was it
not a sign of distrust to seek new promises from the Prophet? I
reply, it ought not to be ascribed to unbelief or distrust, that he
seeks a new promise; for, being conscious of his weakness, he does
not scruple to ask new confirmations. The flesh always excites us
to distrust, and therefore we ought not to despise additional aid;
on the contrary, we ought always to seek every kind of assistance,
by which we may resist various temptations; for on all sides Satan
attacks and besieges us in such a manner that, if we are not
strongly fortified, we shall scarcely be able to escape his snares
and devices till the end. Although, therefore, we have been taught
by the word of God that he will assist us in adversity, yet when we
are engaged in any arduous contest, it is proper that we should
again and again ask at the mouth of the Lord, and seek new
confirmations for the purpose of strengthening our faith. There are
indeed no prophecies of the same kind that are given to us in the
present day; but we ought to apply to our use the general
prophecies, which were also written for our benefit. (Rom_15:4.) As
to the reason why Hezekiah sent ambassadors, and did not himself go
to Isaiah, it was obviously because he was praying in the Temple;
for the circumstance, that all the elders and counsellors were
clothed with sackcloth, shews clearly that the mourning was
general; and it is probable that prayers were publicly offered by
the command of the king. Yet it ought to be observed, that the
Prophet did not remain at home for his own ease or pleasure, but by
his absence God intended to try the faith of the pious king. 3 They
told him, This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress
and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of
birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 1.BARNES, This is a
day of rebuke - This may refer either to the reproaches of
Rabsbakeh, or more probably to the fact that Hezekiah regarded the
Lord as rebuking his people
10. for their sins. The word which is used here ( tokechah),
means more properly chastisement or punishment Psa_149:7; Hos_5:9.
And of blasphemy - Margin, Provocation. The word used here ( ne
'atsah), means properly reproach or contumely; and the sense is,
that God and his cause had been vilified by Rabshakeh, and it was
proper to appeal to him to vindicate the honor of his own name
Isa_37:4. For the children are come ... - The meaning of this
figure is plain. There was the highest danger, and need of aid. It
was as in childbirth in which the pains had been protracted, the
strength exhausted, and where there was most imminent danger in
regard to the mother and the child. So Hezekiah said there was the
most imminent danger in the city of Jerusalem. They had made all
possible preparations for defense. And now, in the most critical
time, they felt their energies exhausted, their strength
insufficient for their defense, and they needed the interposition
of God. 2. PULPIT, A day of rebuke; rather, of reproof, or
punishment (comp. Psa_149:7 and Hos_5:9). That God should have
allowed such an insulting embassy to come and go in safety was a
mode of reproving his people, and to some extent punishing them for
their sins. Even Hezekiah himself deserved reproof for having so
long placed his reliance upon Egypt (Isa_20:5, Isa_20:6; Isa_30:1-
4; Isa_36:6, Isa_36:9), though now apparently he had turned to
Jehovah, and relied on him only (Isa_36:7, Isa_36:15). Blasphemy.
So Delitzsch. Mr. Cheyne suggests "contumely," and Dr. Kay
"contempt." But the meaning "blasphemy," which Mr. Cheyne confesses
to "suit the context," is required in all the other passages where
(substantially) the same word occurs (Neh_9:18, Neh_9:26;
Eze_35:12). Hezekiah calls the day one "of blasphemy," on account
of Rabshakeh's impious utterances (Isa_36:15, Isa_36:18,
Isa_36:20). The children are come to the birth, etc. This was a
proverbial phrase for a time of extreme difficulty (see Hos_13:13),
and is not to be pressed as embodying at all a close analogy. Judah
was in sore trouble, and was expecting deliverance. It seemed now
as if she would not have strength to go through the crisis, but
would perish through weakness. 3. GILL, And they said unto him,....
The messengers to the prophet: thus saith Hezekiah; this is the
message he has sent us with; this is what he would have us lay
before thee, and has given us in charge to say unto thee: this day
is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy; it was a "day
of trouble" to Hezekiah and his people, because it was a "day of
rebuke", in which God rebuked them for their sins; or of "reproach
and reviling", as the Targum and Septuagint, in which the Assyrians
reviled and reproached both God and them; and especially because it
was a "day of blasphemy" against God: for the children are come to
the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth; which is to be
understood not of the reformation within themselves, happily begun
and carried on, but now hindered from being brought to perfection,
by the Assyrian army being so near them; nor of their attempt to
cast off the Assyrian yoke, which was thought to be just upon
finishing, but now despaired of, unless divine assistance be given;
nor of their inability to punish the blasphemy that so much
affected them; but of the deplorable condition they were now in.
Hezekiah compares himself and his people to a woman in travail,
that has been some time in it, and the child is fallen down to the
place of the breaking forth of children, as the word (p) used
11. signifies, but unable to make its way, and she having
neither strength to bear it, nor to bring it forth, nature being
quite exhausted, and strength gone, through the many pains and
throes endured: and just so it was even with him and his people,
they were in the utmost pain and distress; they could not help
themselves, nor could he help them; and therefore must perish,
unless they had immediate assistance and relief. Jarchi interprets
the children of the children of Israel, the children of God. 4.
JAMISON, rebuke that is, the Lords rebuke for His peoples sins
(Psa_149:7; Hos_5:9). blasphemy blasphemous railing of Rab-shakeh.
the children, etc. a proverbial expression for, We are in the most
extreme danger and have no power to avert it (compare Hos_13:13).
5. BI, Hezekiahs day of trouble Ahaz the father and immediate
predecessor of Hezekiah on the throne of Judah, engaged himself,
and virtually his successors, to pay tribute to the kings of
Assyria. Such a state of vassalage Hezekiah no doubt rightly though
hazardously declined to continue, and this is what is meant when it
is said of him that he rebelled gains the king of Assyria and
served him not (2Ki_18:7). Any such refusal on the part of Hezekiah
to acknowledge the despotic king of Assyria as his lordparamount we
may be sure would not be allowed to pass unchallenged, and hence
Sennacheribs invasion of the kingdom of Judah in order to compel
submission to what the king of Judah objected to and declined to
do. This is what constituted Hezekiahs day of trouble. (W.
Alnwick.) Days of trouble 1. Hezekiah but represents what has been
the general experience of man, for there has probably never lived a
man on the face of the earth whose lot it has not been to have some
days of trouble and annoyance. 2. If we cannot entertain a
reasonable hope of any such thing as immunity from trouble, we can,
however, endeavour to live and act so that our troubles may not be
more than they need to be. It cannot be doubted that many bring
much trouble on themselves, and subject themselves to many
heart-aches and heart burns, which they ought never to have known,
and probably would not have experienced had a different course of
conduct been pursued, a course, perhaps, pointed out to them by
those gifted with greater wisdom, prudence, and foresight than they
themselves were possessed of, but which by their obstinacy of will
and unjustifiable determination to take their own way, they were
led to reject. 3. We are not, of course, to think that because many
and great troubles fall to the-lot of a man, he has necessarily
acted foolishly, acted in opposition to any law of God, either
natural, religious, or spiritual. This was just the grievous
mistake Jobs friends fell into. 4. It is only in heaven that
trouble will be a thing unknown, and where all tears will for ever
be wiped away. 5. We cannot but see the importance of being well
prepared for days of trouble before we are made sensible of their
presence with us. If we are wise enough to prepare ourselves for
them their approach will be no surprise to us, and we shall be the
better able to battle with them,
12. and to turn that which is an evil in itself into a
blessing, and so much help to us in our journey heavenward. 6.
There can be no doubt that troubles are often sent by a wise and
gracious providence for this very purpose. 7. It now only remains
for me to make a few further remarks on how to deal with days of
trouble when from being matters of prospect or future contingents,
they have become translated into actual and stern facts. In dealing
with such days we shall find much instruction and guidance afforded
us by the example of Hezekiah in dealing with his day of trouble.
As soon as Hezekiah became acquainted with the invasion of
Sennacherib, he went into the house of the Lord, the sure resort of
Gods people in the time of distress, there in prayer to lay both
his trouble and its cause before God, and at the same time he sent
Eliakim and Shebna unto the prophet Isaiah to desire that man of
God to lift up his prayer in behalf of the remnant that was left.
We are informed what was the blessed result of this union of prayer
on the part of the king and the prophet. The day of trouble was
removed, and the sun, which one day was shrouded in darkness, the
next, shone forth bright and clear, every cloud being swept from
the sky. The course taken by the king of Judah in his day of
trouble and distress must commend itself to all who are found in
similar circumstances by its marvellous success. It is a fact, in
spite of the sneering scepticism of some people, that prayer is a
really great power, and that as a means for the attainment of ends
consistent with and approved by infinite wisdom and goodness, it
will succeed when other means, such as men in their ignorance
sometimes elect to employ as the best and fittest, utterly fail to
reach the end aimed at. (W. Alnwick.) Hours when prophets have
influence In the midst of his distress Hezekiah sent unto Isaiah
the prophet the son of Amoz. So far Hezekiah was right. He might
have gone himself directly by an act of faith to the living God,
but he had regard to the constitution of Israel, and he availed
himself of the ordinances and institutes appointed of Heaven.
Hezekiah made through Eliakim a pathetic speech to Isaiah This day
is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy. There are
hours when prophets come to the enjoyment of their fullest
influence. Isaiah had been despised and derided, but now his hour
has come, and he stands up as the one hope of Judah. The question
was, What can you, Isaiah, do to extract Israel from all the peril
which now presses upon the people of God? In the sixth verse we see
how nobly the attitude of Isaiah contrasts with the attitude of
Hezekiah. Instead of the word of inspiration proceeding from the,
king it issued from the prophet. (J. Parker, D. D.) A dangerous
crisis The children are come to the birth, &c. Obviously a
proverbial expression for a crisis which becomes dangerous through
lack of strength to meet it (Isa_66:9; Hos_13:13). (Prof. J.
Skinner, D. D.)
13. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of
the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent
to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the
words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant
that still survives. 1.BARNES, It may be the Lord thy God - The God
whom thou dost serve, and in whose name and by whose authority thou
dost exercise the prophetic office. Will hear the words - Will come
forth and vindicate himself in regard to the language of reproach
and blasphemy which has been used. See a similar use of the word
hear in Exo_2:24; Exo_3:7. To reproach the living God - The
revilings of Rabsbakeh were really directed against the true God.
The reproach of the living God consisted in comparing him to idols,
and saying that be was no more able to deleted Jerusalem than the
idol-gods had been able to defend their lands (see the note at
Isa_36:18). The phrase the living God is often applied to Yahweh in
contradistinction from idols, which were mere blocks of wood or
stone. For the remnant that is left - For those who survive; or
probably for those parts of the land, including Jerusalem, that
have not fallen into the hands of the Assyrian. Sennacherib had
taken many towns, but there were many also that had not yet been
subdued by him. 2. PULPIT, It may be the Lord will hear; i.e. "will
notice," or "will punish." If Isaiah laid the matter before God,
and prayed earnestly, it was possible that God would intervene to
save Judah, and punish the blapshemous words uttered. The living
God. In opposition to the dead idols of the heathen, which had
neither life, nor breath, nor perception (see Psa_115:4-8;
Psa_135:15-18). The remnant that is left. It is usual to explain
this of Judah generally, which still survived, although Israel had
been carried away captive. But perhaps the contrast is rather
between the numerous Judaean captives who had been taken and
conveyed to Assyria by Sennacherib when he took the "fenced cities"
(Isa_36:1), and the portion of the nation which still remained in
the land. Sennacherib says, in his annals, that he took "forty-six"
cities, and carried captive to Assyria above two hundred thousand
persons. 3. GILL, It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of
Rabshakeh,.... He had heard them; but the sense is, that it might
be that he would take notice of them, and resent them in a public
manner, and punish for them; and this is said, not as doubting and
questioning whether he would or not, but as hoping and encouraging
himself that he would: and it may be observed, that Hezekiah does
not call the Lord "my God", or "our God", because he and his people
were under the chastening hand of God for their sins, and were
undeserving of such a relation; but "thy God", whose prophet he
was, whom he served, and to whom he was dear, and
14. with whom he had an interest; and therefore it might be
hoped his prayer to him would be heard and accepted, and that
through his interposition God would be prevailed upon to take
notice of the railing speech of Rabshakeh: whom the king of Assyria
his master hath sent to reproach the living God; who has life in
and of himself, and is the fountain, author, and giver of life to
all others; him he reproached by setting him on a level with the
lifeless idols of the Gentiles: and will reprove the words which
the Lord thy God hath heard; reprove him for his words, take
vengeance upon him, or punish him for the blasphemous words spoken
by him against the Lord and in his hearing: to this sense is the
Targum; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions: wherefore lift up
thy prayer for the remnant that is left; lift up thy voice, thy
hands, and thine heart, in prayer to God in heaven; pray earnestly
and fervently for those that are left; the two tribes of Judah and
Benjamin, the other ten having been carried captive some time ago;
or the inhabitants of Jerusalem particularly, the defenced cities
of Judah having been already taken by the Assyrian king. The
fewness of the number that remained seems to be made use of as an
argument for prayer in their favour. In times of distress, men
should not only pray for themselves, but get others to pray for
them, and especially men of eminence in religion, who have nearness
of access to God, and interest in him. 4. HENRY, It is an
encouragement to pray though we have but some hopes of mercy
(Isa_37:4): It may be the Lord thy God will hear; who knows but he
will return and repent? The it may be of the prospect of the haven
of blessings should quicken us with double diligence to ply the oar
of prayer. 5. When there is a remnant left, and but a remnant, it
concerns us to lift up a prayer for that remnant, Isa_37:4. The
prayer that reaches heaven must be lifted up by a strong faith,
earnest desires, and a direct intention to the glory of God, all
which should be quickened when we come to the last stake. 5.
JAMISON, hear take cognizance of (2Sa_16:12). reprove will punish
him for the words, etc. (Psa_50:21). remnant the two tribes of the
kingdom of Judah, Israel being already captive. Isaiah is entreated
to act as intercessor with God. 6. K&D, Isaiah's reply. And the
servants of king Hizkiyahu came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them
( , K. ,) Speak thus to your lord, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not
afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants
of the king of Asshur have blasphemed me! Behold, I will bring a
spirit upon him, and he will hear a hearsay, and return to his
land; and I cut him down with the sword in his own land. Luzzatto,
without any necessity, takes in Isa_37:3 in the modal sense of what
they were to do (e dovevano dirgli): they were to say this to him,
but he anticipated them at once with the instructions given here.
The fact, so far as the style is concerned, is rather this, that
Isa_37:5, while pointing back, gives the ground for Isa_37:6 : and
when they had come to him (saying this), he said to them. we render
servants (Knappen)
15. (Note: Knappe is the same word as Knave; but we have no
word in use now which is an exact equivalent, and knave has
entirely lost its original sense of servant. - Tr.) after Est_2:2;
Est_6:3, Est_6:5; it is a more contemptuous expression than . The
ruach mentioned here as sent by God is a superior force of a
spiritual kind, which influences both thought and conduct, as in
such other connections as Isa_19:14; Isa_28:6; Isa_29:10 (Psychol.
p. 295, Anm.). The external occasion which determined the return of
Sennacherib, as described in Isa_37:36- 37, was the fearful
mortality that had taken place in his army. The she muah (rumour,
hearsay), however, was not the tidings of this catastrophe, but, as
the continuation of the account in Isa_37:8, Isa_37:9, clearly
shows, the report of the advance of Tirhakah, which compelled
Sennacherib to leave Palestine in consequence of this catastrophe.
The prediction of his death is sufficiently special to be regarded
by modern commentators, who will admit nothing but the most misty
figures as prophecies, as a vaticinium post eventum. At the same
time, the prediction of the event which would drive the Assyrian
out of the land is intentionally couched in these general terms.
The faith of the king, and of the inquirers generally, still needed
to be tested and exercised. The time had not yet come for him to be
rewarded by a clearer and fuller announcement of the judgment. 7.
CALVIN, 4.If perhaps Jehovah thy God will hear. Hezekiah appears to
doubt whether, or not the Lord is willing to hear him; for the
particle (ulai) is translated perhaps, and this is the meaning
which it frequently bears in Scripture. But it ought to be observed
that believers, even though they know with certainty that the Lord
will assist them, yet, in consequence of being perplexed by the
difficulty of the case, often speak in this manner. Hezekiah had
reasons for hesitating, if we look at the matter itself; but when
he turns his eyes to the word, he is made certain as to the will of
God, so that he ceases to tremble. But as it is impossible that the
flesh should not retard believers by making them walk in a halting
and staggering manner, (46) they sometimes accommodate their
language to the present appearances of things. It may also be
observed, in other passages of Scripture, that the saints, even
while speaking of what was certain, spoke in this manner; for
Peter, in exhorting Simon, says, If perhaps this thought of thy
heart may be forgiven thee. (Act_8:22.) He does not advise Simon to
tremble and hesitate in prayer; for stroh a supplication would have
been vain; but he points out the heinousness of the offense; that
he may strike his mind more forcibly, and may at length constrain
him to rouse himself that he may approach God with true repentance.
This word perhaps,therefore, does not imply doubt, but is
equivalent to an expression which we commonly use, if it be
possible, when we venture to hope and promise to ourselves
something. And Hezekiah did not speak as if God were deaf to the
words of the ungodly, or as if anything escaped his notice; but
because it was a fixed principle in his heart that is near to all
that truly call upon him, (Psa_145:18,) he determines to strive
against despondency, and arms himself by prayer; and because he
does not expect to gain the conquest without difficulty, he says,
If perhaps. (47) Besides, he mentions two kinds of hearing, which
in some measure removes the difficulty.
16. If perhaps Jehovah, thy God shall hear the words which
Jehovah thy God hath heard. At first sight there is some apparent
contradiction in these words; but the manner of speaking is highly
appropriate, because Hezekiah was assuredly and beyond all
controversy convinced that nothing is hidden from God; only he
argues with himself on this point, whether or not, God determines
to call in question the blasphemy of this filthy dog; because
frequently he delays and conceals vengeance for a time, and thus
seems to shut his eyes and overlook it. In short, taking for
granted that things are open and manifest to God, (Heb_4:13,) he
only asks with earnestness whether or not God actually shews that
he is so highly offended by the blasphemies of Rabshakeh that he
determines not to allow them to remain unpunished. In a word, he
wishes God to hear effectually, that is, by restoring those things
which were scattered and confused, and shewing himself to be a
judge; for then do we know that he actually sees and observes all
things. In this manner Hezekiah asks, not the Lord heard the
blasphemies of Rabshakeh, to take vengeance on them, and to shew
that he hath a regard to the glory of his name? Jehovah thy God. By
calling him God of Isaiah, Hezekiah does not mean that there is
only one man who worships God, nor does he exclude himself from the
number of the godly; but because prayers flowed from doctrine, the
pious king wished to speak in commendation of the ministry of the
Prophet, and to testify that he was a true servant of God. That
relation is somewhat more extensive; for all believers call on God,
and, on the other hand, God reckons them among his people; but God
is reckoned in a peculiar manner to be the God of Isaiah and Paul,
because they have a special calling. In a word, these words
expressly contain praise and commendation of Isaiah calling. Thou
wilt therefore lift up a prayer. This is the second reason why
Hezekiah sent messengers to Isaiah; namely, that he also would pray
along with others. Hence we learn that it is the duty of a prophet,
not only to comfort the afflicted by the word of the Lord, but also
to offer his prayers for their salvation. Let not pastors and
ministers of the word, therefore, think that they have fully
discharged their duty, when they have exhorted and taught, if they
do not also add prayer. This indeed is what all ought to do; but
Hezekiah sent to Isaiah in a particular manner, because he ought to
lead the way to others by his example. Besides, lift up a prayer is
nothing else than pray, but the mode of expression deserves
attention; for it shews how our feelings ought to be regulated when
we pray. Scripture everywhere enjoins us to up our hearts to
heaven, (Lam_3:41;) for otherwise we would have no fear of God.
Moreover, our stupidity is so great that we are immediately seized
by gross imaginations of God; so that if he did not bid us look to
heaven, we would choose rather to seek him at our feet. lift up a
prayer, therefore, is to pray in such a manner that our hearts may
not grovel on the earth, or think anything earthly or gross about
God, but may ascribe to him what is suitable to his majesty, and
that our warm and earnest affections may take a lofty flight. In
this sense it is said in the Psalm, my prayer come up before thee
as incense, and as the evening sacrifice. (Psa_141:2.) For the
remnant that is still left. When he desires that prayer should be
offered the remnant of the people that was left, this circumstance
was fitted powerfully to move the Lord; not that he is moved after
the manner of men, but he acts towards us in this manner, and
accommodates himself to our weakness. Thus when our affairs are
brought to such an extremity that we are not far from destruction,
we ought to spread our misery before God, that our minds may
receive some consolation; for God declares that he hath regard to
poor and afflicted. (Psa_22:24.) And the nearer we appear to be to
destruction, so much
17. the more warmly and earnestly ought we to implore that he
would render assistance to us, as we see here that Hezekiah did
when matters were desperate. (46) Tellement qu ne marchent qu
trainant les jambes ou a clochepied, that they walk only by
dragging their limbs or limping. (47) Paraventure, ou possible. or
possible. 5 When King Hezekiahs officials came to Isaiah, 1.GILL,
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And delivered the
above message to him from the king: these servants are mentioned
Isa_37:2. Musculus thinks that the third and fourth verses are the
words of the king to the messengers, and not of the messengers to
the prophet; and that the first clause of the "third" verse should
be rendered, "that they might say unto him", &c.; and having
received their instructions, here is an account of their going to
the prophet with them, which they delivered to him, and which it
was not necessary to repeat. The Arabic version reads this verse in
connection with the following, thus, "when the servants of King
Hezekiah, came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them", &c. 2. HENRY,
Isaiah's reply. And the servants of king Hizkiyahu came to Isaiah.
And Isaiah said to them ( , K. ,) Speak thus to your lord, Thus
saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard,
with which the servants of the king of Asshur have blasphemed me!
Behold, I will bring a spirit upon him, and he will hear a hearsay,
and return to his land; and I cut him down with the sword in his
own land. Luzzatto, without any necessity, takes in Isa_37:3 in the
modal sense of what they were to do (e dovevano dirgli): they were
to say this to him, but he anticipated them at once with the
instructions given here. The fact, so far as the style is
concerned, is rather this, that Isa_37:5, while pointing back,
gives the ground for Isa_37:6 : and when they had come to him
(saying this), he said to them. we render servants (Knappen) (Note:
Knappe is the same word as Knave; but we have no word in use now
which is an exact equivalent, and knave has entirely lost its
original sense of servant. - Tr.) after Est_2:2; Est_6:3, Est_6:5;
it is a more contemptuous expression than . The ruach mentioned
here as sent by God is a superior force of a spiritual kind, which
influences both thought and conduct, as in such other connections
as Isa_19:14; Isa_28:6; Isa_29:10 (Psychol. p. 295, Anm.).
18. The external occasion which determined the return of
Sennacherib, as described in Isa_37:36- 37, was the fearful
mortality that had taken place in his army. The she muah (rumour,
hearsay), however, was not the tidings of this catastrophe, but, as
the continuation of the account in Isa_37:8, Isa_37:9, clearly
shows, the report of the advance of Tirhakah, which compelled
Sennacherib to leave Palestine in consequence of this catastrophe.
The prediction of his death is sufficiently special to be regarded
by modern commentators, who will admit nothing but the most misty
figures as prophecies, as a vaticinium post eventum. At the same
time, the prediction of the event which would drive the Assyrian
out of the land is intentionally couched in these general terms.
The faith of the king, and of the inquirers generally, still needed
to be tested and exercised. The time had not yet come for him to be
rewarded by a clearer and fuller announcement of the judgment. 3.
CALVIN, 5.And the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. As the
Prophet formerly related that the pious king had no other refuge
than to consult the mouth of the Lord, so he now shews that he did
not consult in vain; for he received the consolation which he
desired. Instructed by this example, if we seek relief from him by
pouring our cares and anxieties into the bosom of God, our hope
shall never be disappointed; and although there will not always be
prophets in the world, such as Isaiah was, yet he will come forth
seasonably to render assistance in an appropriate manner. 6 Isaiah
said to them, Tell your master, This is what the Lord says: Do not
be afraid of what you have heardthose words with which the
underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 1.BARNES,
Wherewith the servants ... - Hebrew, naarey - The youth, or the
young men. The word properly denotes boys, youths, young men; and
is used here probably by way of disparagement, in contradistinction
from an embassy that would be truly respectable, made up of aged
men. Have blasphemed me - God regarded these words as spoken
against himself and he would vindicate his own honor and name. 2.
CLARKE, Thus shall ye say - ko tomerun, thus shall ye (explicitly,
earnestly, and positively) say. The paragogic nun deepens and
increases the sense. 3. GILL, And Isaiah said unto them, thus shall
you say unto your master,.... Or, "your lord" (q); King Hezekiah,
whose ministers and messengers they were:
19. thus saith the Lord, be not afraid of the words thou hast
heard; be not not terrified by them, they are but words, and no
more, and will never become facts: wherewith the servants of the
king of Assyria have blasphemed me; by representing him as no
better than the gods of the Gentiles, and as unable to deliver out
of the hands of the king of Assyria the city of Jerusalem, when he
had said he would. The word (r) for "servants" signifies boys,
lads, young men; so Rabshakeh and his two companions, Rabsaris and
Tartan, are called, by way of contempt, they acting a weak and
childish part as well as a wicked one. 4. HENRY, Those that have
made God their enemy we have no reason to be afraid of, for they
are marked for ruin; and, though they may hiss, they cannot hurt.
Rabshakeh has blasphemed God, and therefore let not Hezekiah be
afraid of him, Isa_37:6. He has made God a party to the cause by
his invectives, and therefore judgment will certainly be given
against him. God will certainly plead his own cause. 7. Sinners'
fears are but prefaces to their falls. He shall hear the rumour of
the slaughter of his army, which shall oblige him to retire to his
own land, and there he shall be slain, Isa_37:7. The terrors that
pursue him shall bring him at last to the king of terrors,
Job_18:11, Job_18:14. The curses that come upon sinners shall
overtake them. 5. JAMISON, servants literally, youths, mere lads,
implying disparagement, not an embassy of venerable elders. The
Hebrew is different from that for servants in Isa_37:5. blasphemed
me (Isa_36:20). 6. PULPIT, The servants of the King of Assyria. Mr.
Cheyne translates, "the minions of the King of Assyria," remarking
truly that the word used is not the ordinary one for "servants,"
but "a disparaging expression." Perhaps the best translation would
be lackeys. 6B, PULPIT, Caution against fear. "Be not afraid of the
words that thou hast heard." We are often afraid of whispers; we
often suffer severely through words. It is not surprising. Words
are winged, and fly across oceans. Words are penetrating, and enter
into the secret places of the heart. Words are indestructible, and,
once uttered, who but God can restrain their power? I. THESE WERE
WORDS AGAINST GOD. Alas! there have been many such in every age.
This is part of the perils of moral government, which leaves the
creature "free." But God has set in order a universe of men, and
not of machines, and he is too wise not to have ordered all things
wisely and well. Man is evidently a being born to the perils which
beset all freedom. Thus he can speak against the Most High. "I am
equal to the sad occasion," says in effect Jehovah to Isaiah. "The
servants of the King of Assyria have blasphemed me, but I will send
a blast upon them." No more solemn thought can occupy our minds
than the consideration how every day blasphemous, false, and base
words are spoken against our Father in heaven. II. THESE WORDS ARE
OFTEN DESIGNED TO HURT HIS CHILDREN. "Fear them not," says God;
"they cannot hurt you." We are thankful for this revelation of the
impotence of evil. If your character is falsely traduced, God can
"bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as
the noonday." If
20. your influence is injured for a time, God has so ordered
the world that evil men reveal their true character. They are not
good, and they know it; "and they that be otherwise cannot be hid."
Let not the friends of God tremble in the presence of infidel
insinuation or sceptical scorn. God's nature has been revealed. His
wonderful works attest his power and goodness. Christ and the cross
are the revelation of his love. III. THESE WORDS ARE SURE TO BE
HEARD. We cannot at times help the entrance of evil, but we can
help the entertainment of it. We must treat all the evil surmises
of wicked men with the disdain that they deserve. We can, as
Solomon suggests, "turn from it and pass away." Besides, just as
there is in love what Dr. Chalmers calls "the expulsive power of a
new affection," so there is in love to God a power to banish all
that old love of the world which makes men mingle with the
irreverent and undevout. The syren voice of evil whisperings will
have no charm for us when we hide God's Word in our heart. The
great lesson is not to be afraid of the wickedness of the wicked,
or to make their words of account by taking too great note of them.
Many malignant words would have perished at their birth if they had
not been made much of by argument and reply. The best answer is to
trust in God and do the right.W.M.S. 7. CALVIN, 6.Thus saith
Jehovah. Isaiah begins by saying that he gives the reply in the
name of God, and expressly declares that the oracle comes from God,
both because prophets ought always to beware of bringing forward
anything of their own, and because in so difficult a matter the
authority of God was needful. In this manner also, the Prophet
shewed that he met the prayers of the pious king. Even false
prophets, indeed, boast of the name of God, but falsely. Isaiah was
truly the organ of the Holy Spirit, and therefore he has a right to
mention the holy name of Him that sent him. Fear not. When he bids
him fear, he exhorts Hezekiah to be of a courageous or, at least, a
calm disposition. Whenever we hear this word, let us be reminded
that we are enjoined to cultivate that peace which faith produces
in our hearts; for all who trust in God, and expect from him
deliverance from their distresses, rise superior to all fears by
the exercise of patience, so that even in the midst of affliction
they have peace. Besides, in order that the pious king may continue
cheerfully to expect a joyful issue, he plainly declares that God
conducts his own cause which he has undertaken to defend, because
he cannot permit wicked men unpunished to dishonor his name without
making it appear at length that he is a righteous judge. (48) The
servants of the king of Assyria. By calling them servants, he
presents in a stronger light the baseness of the action; for
although the king himself had spoken in this manner, still it would
have been intolerable that the Lord should be despised and so
shamefully attacked by a mortal man. Hence it might easily be
concluded that much less would he endure to be so highly insulted
by (49) and therefore the rank of the person increases the
heinoushess of the attack. (48) En les punissant. punishing them.
(49) word translated servants, is not the same with that in the
preceding verse, but strictly means young men or boys, and is so
translated in the Targ. and Vulg. Many interpreters regard it as a
contemptuous description, and it is so translated by Hitzig, (
knappen attendants.) Umbreit, ( buben boys or lads,) Henderson,
(striplings,) and in other modern versions. Alexander.
21. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him
want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut
down with the sword. 1.BARNES, Behold, I will send a blast upon him
- Margin, Put a spirit into him. The word rendered blast ( ruach)
is commonly rendered spirit. It may denote breath, air, soul, or
spirit. There is no reason to think that the word is used here in
the sense of blast of wind, as our translators seem to have
supposed. The sense is probably, I will infuse into him a spirit of
fear, by which be shall be alarmed by the rumour which he shall
hear, and return to his own land. The word is often used in this
sense (compare 1Sa_16:14; see also Isa_31:8-9). Gesenius
understands it here in the sense of will or disposition. I will
change his will or disposition, so that he will return to his own
land. And he shall hear a rumour - The rumour or report here
referred to, was doubtless that respecting Tirhakah king of
Ethiopia Isa_37:9. It was this which would alarm him, and drive him
in haste from the cities which he was now besieging, and be the
means of expelling him from the land. And I will cause him ... -
This is said in accordance with the usual statements in the
Scriptures, that all events are under Gods providential control
(compare the note at Isa_10:5- 6). By the sword in his own land -
(See the note at Isa_37:38). 2. CLARKE, I will send a blast I will
infuse a spirit into him - nothen bo roach never signifies any
thing but putting a spirit into a person: this was , the spirit of
deceit. - Secker. I will send a blast - I do not think that
Archbishop Secker has hit the true meaning of these words. I
believe ruach means here a pestilential wind, such as the Arabs
call simoom, that instantly suffocates both man and beast; and is
what is termed the angel of the Lord, Gods messenger of death to
the Assyrians, Isa_37:36. 3. GILL, Behold, I will send a blast upon
him,.... The king of Assyria; a pestilential one, as he afterwards
did, which destroyed his army: or,
22. I will put a spirit into him (s); a spirit of fear and
dread, which will oblige him to desist from his purposes, and flee;
though some interpret it only of an inclination, a will (t) in him,
to return: it may be understood of an angel, a ministering spirit,
and be rendered "I will send a spirit against him"; an angelic
spirit, as he did, which cut off his army in one night: and he
shall hear a rumour; of the sudden and total destruction of his
army; though some refer this to the rumour of the king of Ethiopia
coming out to make war against him, Isa_37:9, but upon this he did
not return to his own land, nor was he slain with the sword, as
follows: and return to his own land; as he did, immediately upon
the slaughter of his army by the angel: and I will cause him to
fall by the sword in his own land: as he did, being slain by his
own sons, Isa_37:37. 4. HENRY, Sinners' fears are but prefaces to
their falls. He shall hear the rumour of the slaughter of his army,
which shall oblige him to retire to his own land, and there he
shall be slain, Isa_37:7. The terrors that pursue him shall bring
him at last to the king of terrors, Job_18:11, Job_18:14. The
curses that come upon sinners shall overtake them. 5. JAMISON,
blast rather, I will put a spirit (Isa_28:6; 1Ki_22:23) into him,
that is, so influence his judgment that when he hears the report
(Isa_37:9, concerning Tirhakah), he shall return [Gesenius]; the
report also of the destruction of his army at Jerusalem, reaching
Sennacherib, while he was in the southwest of Palestine on the
borders of Egypt, led him to retreat. by the sword (Isa_37:38). 6.
PULPIT, Behold, I will send a blast upon him; rather, I will put a
spirit within him; i.e. I will take away from him the spirit of
pride and arrogance by which he has been hitherto actuated, and I
will infuse into his heart, instead, a spirit of hesitation and
fear. He shall hear a rumour; literally, as Delitzsch translates,
he shall hear a hearsay;i.e. "a report," or "tidings." It is
uncertain what "tidings" are intended. Some suppose "tidings of the
movements of Tirhakah;" others, "tidings of the destruction of his
host;" a few, "tidings of an insurrection in some other part of the
Assyrian empire." This last supposition is wholly gratuitous, since
we have no indication, either in Scripture or in the inscriptions,
of any such insurrection. The choice lies between the other two, or
between one or other of them, and the two combined. The vagueness
is owing, not to the time at which the present narrative took
shape, but to the fact that a vague promisequite sufficient for its
purposewas given at first, the filling in of the details being
reserved for a later period (see Isa_37:22-35). I will cause him to
fall by the sword (see Isa_37:38). 7. CALVIN, 7.Behold, I will
bring a wind upon him. Others translate it, will put my Spirit in
him, as if the Prophet were speaking of a secret influence of the
heart; but that is a forced interpretation. It is a highly
appropriate metaphor that there is in the hand of God a wind or
whirlwind to drive Sennacherib in another direction. To compare
wicked men to or chaff, (Psa_1:4) is a mode of expression
frequently employed in Scripture, because God easily drives them
wherever he thinks proper, when they think that
23. they are standing very firm. The commotion that arose in
the kingdom of Sennacherib is compared by the Prophet to a or which
drove him out of Judea, and then he shews that the Lord will find
no more difficulty in repelling that enemy than if he wished to
move straw or chaff; and the very same thing might be said of all
tyrants, however powerful. For he shall hear a report. The words he
shall hear are evidently added for the sake of explanation, and
therefore I have chosen to interpret them as assigning a reason, he
shall hear. (50) This is the wind by the raising of which
Sennacherib was suddenly driven away; for a report which he heard
about the kings of Egypt and Ethiopia constrained him to return to
his own country. And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his
own land. This means as if he had said, now annoys and harasses
others, and endeavors to extend widely the limits of his empire;
but I will raise up enemies to him, in the very bosom of his own
land, who shall discomfit him. Some expound it to mean the land of
Israel, but that is an excessively forced interpretation; for he
speaks of the land of the king of Assyria himself, and there is an
implied contrast, who subdued other men cities and kingdoms shall
not be able to defend his own country, but shall be destroyed and
perish in it. (50) heard a message. (lang. it) Havendo inteso un
certo grido, heard a certain noise. Ital. Uno foll etmas heren,
shall hear something. Luth. Germ. 8 When the field commander heard
that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found
the king fighting against Libnah. 1.BARNES, So Rabshakeh returned -
Returned from Jerusalem to the camp of his master. He had received
no answer to his insulting message Isa_36:21; he saw there was no
prospect that the city would surrender; and he therefore returned
again to the camp. And found the king of Assyria warring against
Libnah - He had departed from Lachish. Why he had done this is
unknown. It is possible that he had taken it, though this is not
recorded anywhere in history. Or it is possible that he had found
it impracticable to subdue it as speedily as he had desired; and
had withdrawn from it for the purpose of subduing other places that
would offer a more feeble resistance. Libnah was a city in the
south of Judah Jos_15:42, given to the priests, and declared a city
of refuge 1Ch_6:54, 1Ch_6:57. Eusebius and Jerome say it was in the
district of Eleutheropolis (Calmet). It was about ten miles to the
northwest of Lachish. This city was taken by Joshua, and all its
inhabitants put to the sword After taking this. Joshua next
assaulted and took Lachish Jos_10:29-32.
24. 2. CLARKE, Rabshakeh returned - From Isa_36:2, we learn
that the king of Assyria had sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to
Jerusalem; now it is likely that Rabshakeh had besieged that place,
and that the king of Assyria had taken his station before this
city, and dispatched Rabshakeh against Jerusalem. But, as in the
verse above it is said, he had departed from Lachish, probably he
had been obliged to raise the siege, and sat down before Libnah,
which promised an easier conquest. 3. GILL, So Rabshakeh
returned,.... To the king of Assyria his master, to give him an
account how things went at Jerusalem, and that he could get no
direct answer from the king of Judah, and to consult with him what
was proper to be done in the present situation of things; leaving
the army before Jerusalem, under the command of the other two
generals. For that he should take the army with him does not seem
reasonable, when Hezekiah and his people were in such a panic on
account of it; besides, the king of Assyria's letters to Hezekiah
clearly suppose the army to be still at Jerusalem, or his menacing
letters would have signified nothing; and after this the
destruction of the Assyrian army before Jerusalem is related: and
found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; a city in the
tribe of Judah, Jos_10:29, and lay nearer to Jerusalem than
Lachish, where Rabshakeh left him; so that he seemed to be drawing
his army towards that city, on which his heart was set. Josephus
(u) makes him to be at this time besieging Pelusium, a city in
Egypt, but wrongly; which has led some into a mistake that Libnah
and Pelusium are the same: for he had heard that he was departed
from Lachish; where he was, when he sent him to Jerusalem,
Isa_36:2, having very probably taken it. 4. HENRY, We may observe
here, 1. That, if God give us inward satisfaction in his promise,
this may confirm us in our silently bearing reproaches. God
answered Hezekiah, but it does not appear that he, after
deliberation, sent any answer to Rabshakeh; but, God having taken
the work into his own hands, he quietly left the matter with him.
So Rabshakeh returned to the king his master for fresh
instructions. 5. JAMISON, returned to the camp of his master.
Libnah meaning whiteness, the Blanche-garde of the Crusaders
[Stanley]. Eusebius and Jerome place it more south, in the district
of Eleutheropolis, ten miles northwest of Lachish, which
Sennacherib had captured (see on Isa_36:2). Libnah was in Judea and
given to the priests (1Ch_6:54, 1Ch_6:57). 6. K&D, Rabshakeh,
who is mentioned alone in both texts as the leading person engaged,
returns to Sennacherib, who is induced to make a second attempt to
obtain possession of Jerusalem, as a position of great strength and
decisive importance. Rabshakeh thereupon
25. returned, and found the king of Asshur warring against
Libnah: for he had heard that he had withdrawn from Lachish. And he
heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, (K. Behold), he has
come out to make war with thee; and heard, and sent (K. and
repeated, and sent) messengers to Hizkiyahu, saying. Tirhakah was
cursorily referred to in Isa_18:1-7. The twenty- fifth dynasty of
Manetho contained three Ethiopian rulers: Sabakon, Sebichos ( = ,)
although, so far as we know, the Egyptian names begin with Sh), and
Tarakos (Tarkos), Egypt. Taharka, or Heb. with the tone upon the
penultimate, Tirhaqah. The only one mentioned by Herodotus is
Sabakon, to whom he attributes a reign of fifty years (ii. 139),
i.e., as much as the whole three amount to, when taken in a round
sum. If Sebichos is the biblical So', to whom the lists attribute
from twelve to fourteen years, it is perfectly conceivable that
Tirhakah may have been reigning in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah.
But if this took place, as Manetho affirms, 366 years before the
conquest of Egypt by Alexander, i.e., from 696 onwards (and the
Apis-stele, No. 2037, as deciphered by Vic. de Roug, Revue archol.
1863, confirms it), it would be more easily reconcilable with the
Assyrian chronology, which represents Sennacherib as reigning from
702- 680 (Oppert and Rawlinson), than with the current biblical
chronology, according to which Hezekiah's fourteenth year is
certainly not much later than the year 714. (Note: On the still
prevailing uncertainty with regard to the synchronism, see Keil on
Kings; and Duncker, Geschichte des Alterthums. pp. 713-4.) It is
worthy of remark also, that Tirhakah is not described as Pharaoh
here, but as the king of Ethiopia (melekh Kush; see at Isa_37:36).
Libnah, according to the Onom. a place in regione
Eleutheropolitana, is probably the same as Tell es-Safieh (hill of
the pure = of the white), to the north-west of Bet Gibrin, called
Alba Specula (Blanche Garde) in ten middle ages. The expression
(and he heard), which occurs twice in the text, points back to what
is past, and also prepares the way for what follows: having heard
this, he sent, etc. At the same time it appears to have been
altered from . 7. PULPIT, Rabshakeh found the King of Assyria
warring against Libnah. Libnah was a town at no great distance from
Lachish (Jos_10:31; Jos_15:39-42). It was also near Mareshah
(Jos_15:42-44), and must therefore have belonged to the more
southern portion of the Shefeleh, and probably to the eastern
region, where the hills sink down into the plain. The exact site is
very uncertain, and still remains to be discovered. Sennacherib's
object in moving upon Libnah is doubtful; hut it would seem, from
his monuments, that he had captured Lachish, and had gone on to
Libnah, as the next stronghold on the way to Egypt. 8. CALVIN,
8.And Rabshakeh having returned. He now declares how Rabshakeh,
without doing anything, returned to his king, not to the same place
where he had left him; for he understood that he had raised the
siege of Lachish, and had departed into Egypt for the purpose of
attacking Libnah. Some think that this city is Pelusium, others
choose rather to assign it to Judea. It is, indeed, probable that,
in consequence of a report that reached him about the approach of
enemies, he moved his camp towards Egypt, that by meeting them he
might prevent them from advancing. Though God restrained the
violence of the tyrant by a new war, in order to give some relief
to the Jews, yet he did not wish to conquer the tyrant by the hand
of man, but only to shew openly and, as it were, to display on a
theater his unconquerable pride; because, even when he was in great
danger, he did not cease to vomit out the same blasphemies, as we
shall soon see.
26. 9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king
of Cush,[a] was marching out to fight against him. When he heard
it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 1.BARNES, And he
heard say - The report or rumour referred to in Isa_37:7. In what
way he heard this is not intimated. It is probable that the
preparations which Tirhakah had made, were well known to the
surrounding regions, and that he was already on his march against
Sennacherib. Tirhakah - This king, who, by Eusebius and by most
ancient writers, is called Tarakos, was a celebrated conqueror, and
had subdued Egypt to himself. He reigned over Egypt eighteen years.
When Sennacherib marched into Egypt, Sevechus or Sethon was on the
throne. Sennacherib having laid siege to Pelusium, Tirhakah came to
the aid of the city, and, in consequence of his aid, Sennacherib
was compelled to raise the siege and returned to Palestine, and
laid siege to Lachish. Tirhakah succeeded Sevechus in Egypt, and
was the third and last of the Ethiopian kings that reigned over
that country. He probably took advantage of the distracted state
that succeeded the death of Sevechus, and secured the crown for
himself. This was, however, after the death of Sennacherib. The
capital which he occupied was Thebes (see Prideauxs Connection,
vol. i. pp. 141, 145, 149. Ed. 1815). As he was celebrated as a
conqueror, and as he had driven Sennacherib from Pelusium and from
Egypt, we may see the cause of the alarm of Sennacherib when it was
rumoured that he was about to follow him into Palestine, and to
make war on him there. He is come forth - He has made preparations,
and is on his way. He sent messengers ... - With letters or
despatches Isa_37:14. Hezekiah was probably ignorant of the
approach of Tirhakah, or at all events Sennacherib would suppose
that he was ignorant of it; and as Sennacherib knew that there
would be no hope that Hezekiah would yield if he knew that Tirhakah
was approaching to make war on him, he seems to have resolved to
anticipate the intelligence, and to see if it were possible to
induce him to surrender. He, therefore, sent substantially the same
message as before, and summoned him to capitulate. 2. CLARKE, He
heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia - When he heard that
Tirhakah king of Ethiopia had come out against him, then he sent
that blasphemous manifesto which is contained in Isa_37:10-13, to
terrify Hezekiah into submission. How much was this like, in words
and spirit, to the manifesto sent to the Parisians by the late Duke
of
27. Brunswick, from the plains of Champaigne, in 1792, which
was the forerunner of the mighty torrents of human blood which was
shed in the French revolution! And what a blast of God fell upon
him and his army - nearly like that which fell on the army of
Sennacherib! He sent messengers He sent messengers again - The word
vaiyishma, and he heard, which occurs the second time in this
verse, is repeated by mistake from the beginning of the verse. It
is omitted in an ancient MS. It is a mere tautology, and
embarrasses the sense. The true reading instead of it is, veyesheb,
and he returned, which the Septuagint read in this place, , and
which is preserved in the other copy, 2Ki_19:9 : He returned and
sent, that is, according to the Hebrew idiom, he sent again. 3.
GILL, And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia,....
Not Rabshakeh, but the king of Assyria heard a rumour of this
Ethiopian king coming out to war against him: his name, in Josephus
(w), is Tharsices; in the Septuagint version it is Tharaca; and by
Africanus (x) he is called Taracus; and is the same, who, by Strabo
(y), out of Megasthenes, is named Tearcon the Ethiopian: the
Ethiopia of which he was king was either the upper Ethiopia or that
beyond Egypt; to which agrees the Arabic version, which calls him
Tharatha king of the Abyssines; but others take it for Cush, or
rather Ethiopia in the land of Midian, or Arabia, as Bochart; which
lay nearer to Judea than the other Ethiopia. Now the report that
was brought to the king of Assyria of him was, he is come forth to
make war with thee; not by assisting the Egyptians, as Josephus,
but rather the Jews; or by making an irruption into the king of
Assyria's country in his absence: this some think to be the rumour
predicted, Isa_37:7. and when he heard it, he sent messengers to
Hezekiah; with terrifying letters, to frighten him into an
immediate surrender of the city, that he might withdraw his army,
and meet the king of Ethiopia with the greater force; and the
rather he dispatched these messengers in all haste to Hezekiah,
that his letters might reach him before he had knowledge of the
king of Ethiopia, asking a diversion in his favour, which would
encourage him to hold out the siege the longer: saying; as follows:
4. HENRY, Those that delight in war shall have enough of it.
Sennacherib, without provocation given to him or warning given by
him, went forth to war against Judah; and now with as little
ceremony the king of Ethiopia goes forth to war against him,
Isa_37:9. Those that are quarrelsome may expect to be quarrelled
with; and God sometimes checks the rage of his enemies by giving it
a powerful diversion. 3. It is bad to talk proudly and profanely,
but it is worse to write so, for this argues more deliberation and
design, and what is written spreads further, lasts longer, and does
the more mischief. Atheism and irreligion, written, will certainly
be reckoned for another day. 4. Great successes often harden
sinners' hearts in their sinful ways and make them the more daring.
Because the kings of Assyria have destroyed all lands (though, in
fact, they were but a few that fell within their reach), therefore
they doubt not but to destroy God's land; because the gods of the
nations were unable to help they conclude the God of Israel is so;
because the idolatrous kings of Hamath and Arphad became an easy
prey to them therefore they doubt not but to destroy God's land;
because the idolatrous kings of Hamath and Arphad became an easy
prey to them therefore the religious reforming king of Judah must
needs
28. be so too. Thus is this proud man ripened for ruin by the
sunshine of prosperity. 5. Liberty of access to the throne of
grace, and liberty of speech there, are the unspeakable privilege
of the Lord's people at all times, especially in times of distress
and danger. Hezekiah took Sennacherib's letter, and spread it
before the Lord, not designing to make any complaints against him
but those grounded upon his own handwriting. Let the thing speak
itself; here it is in black and white: Open thy eyes, O Lord! and
see. God allows his praying people to be humbly free with him, to
utter all their words, as Jephthah did, before him, to spread the
letter, whether of a friend or an enemy, before him, and leave the
contents, the concern of it, with him. 6. The great and fundamental
principles of our religion, applied by faith and improved in
prayer, will be of sovereign use to us in our particular exigencies
and distresses, whatever they are; to them therefore we must have
recourse, and abide by them; so Hezekiah did here. He encouraged
himself with this, that the God of Israel is the Lord of hosts, of
all hosts, of the hosts of Israel, to animate him, of the hosts of
their enemies, to dispirit and restrain them, - that he is God
alone, and there is none that can stand in competition with him, -
that he is the God of all the kingdoms of the earth, and disposes
of them all as he pleases; for he made heaven and earth, and
therefore both can do any thing and does every thing. 7. When we
are afraid of men that are great destroyers we may with humble
boldness appeal to God as the great Saviour. They have indeed
destroyed the nations, who had thrown themselves out of the
protection of the true God by worshipping false gods, but the Lord,
the God alone, is our God, our King, our lawgiver, and he will save
us, who is the Saviour of those that believe. 8. We have enough to
take hold of, in our wrestling with God by prayer, if we can but
plead that his glory is interested in our case, that his name will
be profaned if we are run down and glorified if we are relieved.
Thence therefore will our most prevailing pleas be drawn: Do it for
thy glory's sake. 5. JAMISON, Tirhakah (See on Isa_17:12; see on
Isa_18:6). Egypt was in part governed by three successive Ethiopian
monarchs, for forty or fifty years: Sabacho, Sevechus, and
Tirhakah. Sevechus retired from Lower Egypt owing to the resistance
of the priests, whereupon Sethos, a prince-priest, obtained supreme
power with Tanis (Zoan in Scripture), or Memphis, as his capital.
The Ethiopians retained Upper Egypt under Tirhakah, with Thebes as
the capital. Tirhakahs fame as a conqueror rivaled that of
Sesostris; he, and one at least, of the Pharaohs of Lower Egypt,
were Hezekiahs allies against Assyria. The tidings of his approach
made Sennacherib the more anxious to get possession of Jerusalem
before his arrival. sent 2Ki_19:9 more fully expresses Sennacheribs
eagerness by adding again. 6. PULPIT, Rabshakeh found the King of
Assyria warring against Libnah. Libnah was a town at no great
distance from Lachish (Jos_10:31; Jos_15:39-42). It was also near
Mareshah (Jos_15:42-44), and must therefore have belonged to the
more southern portion of the Shefeleh, and probably to the eastern
region, where the hills sink down into the plain. The exact site is
very uncertain, and still remains to be discovered. Sennacherib's
object in moving upon Libnah is doubtful; hut it would seem, from
his monuments, that he had captured Lachish, and had gone on to
Libnah, as the next stronghold on the way to Egypt. 7. CALVIN,
9.And hearing concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia. From what
follows we may conjecture the reason why the king of Assyria
suddenly departed from Judea; for the kings of Egypt and Ethiopia
had formed a league with each other against Sennacherib, because
they saw that his power was
29. becoming excessive, and that his invasion of other
countries had no limit, and therefore they readily concluded that,
unless they opposed his violence at an early period, they also
would be in imminent danger from him. These kings did not intend to
provide for the safety of Judea at their own loss, but looked to
thems