《Unabridged Commentary Critical and Explanatory on Isaiah (Vol. 1)》(Robert Jamieson) Commentator

22 Chapter 22
Verse 1

The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

Isaiah 22:1-14.-PROPHECY AS TO AN ATTACK ON JERUSALEM: that by Sennacherib, in the 14th year of Hezekiah; Isaiah 22:8-11, the preparations for defense and securing of water exactly answer to those in 2 Chronicles 32:4-5; 2 Chronicles 32:30. "Shebna," too (Isaiah 22:15), was scribe at this time (Isaiah 36:3) (Maurer). The language of Isaiah 22:12-14, as to the infidelity and consequent utter ruin of the Jews, seems more fully to foreshadow the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in Zedekiah's reign, and cannot be restricted to Hezekiah's time (Lowth.)

The burden of the valley of vision - i:e., the weighty prophecy respecting the valley of visions-namely, Jerusalem, the seat of divine revelations and visions, 'the nursery of prophets' (Jerome). Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 29:1; Ezekiel 23:4, margin; Luke 13:33. It lay in a "valley" surrounded by hills higher than Zion and Moriah (Psalms 125:2; Jeremiah 21:13).

What aileth thee - the people of Jerusalem personified.

Gone up to the house-tops? Panic struck, they went up on the flat balustraded roofs to look forth and see whether the enemy is near, and partly to defend themselves from the roofs, (Judges 9:51, etc.)

Verse 2

Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

Thou that art - rather, wast, for it could not now be said to be "a joyous city" (Isaiah 32:13). The cause of their joy (Isaiah 22:13) may have been because Sennacherib had accepted Hezekiah's offer to renew the payment of tribute, and they were glad to have peace on any terms however humiliating (2 Kings 18:14-16), or on account of the alliance with Egypt. If the reference be to Zedekiah's time, the joy and feasting are not inapplicable, because this recklessness was a general characteristic of the unbelieving Jews (Isaiah 56:12).

Thy slain (men are) not slain with the sword - but with the famine and pestilence about to be caused by the coming siege (Lamentations 4:9). Maurer refers this to the plague by which he thinks Sennacherib's army was destroyed, and Hezekiah was made sick (Isaiah 37:36; Isaiah 38:1). But there is no authority for supposing that the Jews in the city suffered such extremities of plague at that time, when God destroyed their foes. The prophecy therefore stretches on to the siege of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah 14:18; Jeremiah 38:2, states that famine and pestilence were the main cause of deaths in the city. The antithetical contrast to the previous joyousness may imply also that overwhelming fear and anxiety slew many-the same cause which led their "rulers" to "flee" (Isaiah 22:3).

Verse 3

All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

All thy rulers - or generals (Joshua 10:24; Judges 11:6; Judges 11:11); Hebrew, quatzin.

They are bound. So Hebrew, ussaru; i:e., 'are taken captive.'

By the archers - literally, by the bow. So Isaiah 21:17. Syriac translation, 'are retarded from laying hold of the bow'-literally, 'are bound (Hebrew, min (Hebrew #4480)) from the bow;' i:e., are so paralyzed as not to use the bow. So Junius and Tremellius. The English version is better: as "bound" ( 'ucaaruw (Hebrew #631)) is used in this sense in this same verse. Bowmen were the light troops, whose province it was to skirmish in front and (2 Kings 6:22) pursue fugitives. This verse applies better to the attack of Nebuchadnezzar than that of Sennacherib (2 Kings 25:5).

All ... in thee are bound together - all found in the city (Isaiah 13:15), not merely the "rulers" or generals.

(Which) have fled from far - those who had fled from distant parts to Jerusalem as a place of safety.

Verse 4

Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

Look away from me. Deep grief seeks to be alone; while others feast joyously, Isaiah mourns in prospect of the disaster coming on Jerusalem (Micah 1:8-9).

Daughter of my people - (note, Isaiah 1:8; Lamentations 2:11).

Verse 5

For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains. For (it is) a day of trouble ... by the Lord God of hosts - literally, 'for l

Verse 6

And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

Elam - the country stretching east from the Lower Tigris, answering to what was afterward called Persia (note, Isaiah 21:2). Later, Elam was a province of Persia (Ezra 4:9). In Sennacherib's time Elam was subject to Assyria (2 Kings 18:11), and so furnished a contingent to its invading armies. Famed for the bow (Isaiah 13:18; Jeremiah 49:35), in which the Ethiopians alone excelled them.

With chariots of men (and) horsemen - i:e., they use the bow both in chariots and on horseback. De Dieu takes the Hebrew for "horsemen," " paaraashiym (Hebrew #6571), to be 'on horses,' as the Arabs use the word. So in Isaiah 28:28. "Chariots of men" mean chariots in which men are borne, war-chariots. Or else, rekeb (Hebrew #7393) (the English version, 'chariot') means 'a cavalcade of men,' 'a body of riders:' 'Elam bare the quiver with a cavalcade of men (namely), horsemen.' I prefer this, as the Hebrew for men is not ish, a hero, or warrior; but the general term for men, 'aadaaam (Hebrew #120) (cf. note, Isaiah 21:7; Isaiah 21:9).

Kir - another people subject to Assyria (2 Kings 16:9); the region about the river Kur, between the Caspian and Black Sea.

Uncovered the shield - took off for the battle the leather covering of the shield, intended to protect the embossed figures on it from dust or injury during the march. "The quiver" and "the shield" express two classes-light and heavy armed troops.

Verse 7

And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

Thy choicest valleys - east, north, and south of Jerusalem: Hinnom, on the south side, was the richest valley.

In array at the gate - Rabshakeh stood at the upper pool close to the city (Isaiah 36:11-13).

Verse 8

And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

He discovered the covering of Judah - the veil ( maacaak (Hebrew #4539)) of Judah shall be taken off (Horsley); figurative, for exposing to shame as a captive (Isaiah 47:3; Nahum 3:5). Sennacherib dismantled all "the defensed cities of Judah" (Isaiah 36:1).

Thou didst look in that day. The prophetic preterite: so certain is what God foretells, as though it were already fulfilled.

To the armour of the house of the forest - the house of armoury, built of cedar from the forest of Lebanon by Solomon, on a slope of Zion called Ophel (1 Kings 7:2; 1 Kings 10:17; Nehemiah 3:19). Isaiah says (Isaiah 22:8-13) his countrymen look to their own strength to defend themselves, while others of them drown their sorrows as to their country in feasting, but none look to Yahweh.

Verse 9

Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

Ye have seen. The prophetic preterite.

The breaches of the city of David - the upper city, on Zion, the south side of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7; 2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Kings 8:1); surrounded by a wall of its own; but even in it there shall be "breaches." Hezekiah's preparations for defense accord with this (2 Chronicles 32:4-5).

Ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool - (note, Isaiah 22:11.) Ye shall bring together into the city, by subterranean passages cut in the rock of Zion, the fountain from which the lower pool (only mentioned here) is supplied (note, Isaiah 7:3; 2 Kings 20:20, "he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city." 2 Chronicles 32:3-5 represents Hezekiah as having stopped the fountains to prevent the Assyrians getting water. But this is consistent with the passage here. The superfluous waters of the lower pool usually flowed into Hinnom valley, and so through that of Jehoshaphat to the brook Kedroo. Hezekiah built a wall round it, stopped the outflowing of its waters, to debar the foe from the use of them, and turned them into the city.

Verse 10

And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

Numbered the houses of Jerusalem - namely, in order to see which of them may be pulled down with the least loss to the city, and with most advantage for the repair of the walls and rearing of towers.

The houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall - (2 Chronicles 32:5.)

Verse 11

Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

Ye made also a ditch - a reservoir for receiving the water of the old pool. Hezekiah surrounded Siloah, from which the old (or king's, or upper) pool took its rise, with a wall joined to the wall of Zion on both sides. Between these two walls he made a new pool, into which he directed the waters of the former, thus cutting off the foe from this supply of water also. The opening from which the upper pool received its water was nearer Zion than the other, from which the lower pool took its rise, so that the water which flowed from the former could easily be shut in by a wall, whereas that which flowed from the latter could only be brought in by subterraneous conduits (cf. note, Isaiah 22:9; Isaiah 7:3; 2 Chronicles 32:30; Sirach 48:17). Both were southwest of Jerusalem.

But ye have not looked ... neither had respect - answering by contrast to, 'thou didst look to the armour, ye have seen (had respect, or regard to) the breaches' (Isaiah 22:8-9.)

Maker thereof - God, by whose command and aid these defenses were made, and who gave this fountain "long ago."

Verse 12

And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping and to mourning and to baldness and to And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

In that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping. Usually the priests gave the summons to national mourning (Joel 1:13-14); now Yahweh Himself shall give it. The "call" shall consist in the presence of a terrible foe.

And to baldness. Plucking off the hair or shaving the to heed was an emblem of grief (Job 1:20; Micah 1:16.)

Verse 13

And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

And behold (implying amazement at the people's infatuation) joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep. Notwithstanding Yahweh's call to "mourning" (Isaiah 22:12), many shall make the desperate state of affairs a reason for reckless revelry (Isaiah 5:11-12; Isaiah 5:14; Jeremiah 18:12; 1 Corinthians 15:32).

In Isaiah 36:3; Isaiah 36:22; Isaiah 37:2, we find Shebna 'a scribe,' and no longer prefect of the palace ('over the household'), and Eliakim in that office, as is here foretold. Shebna is singled out as the subject of prophecy (the only instance of an individual being so in Isaiah), as being one of the irreligious faction that set at nought the prophet's warnings, (Isaiah 28:1-29; Isaiah 29:1-24; Isaiah 30:1-33; Isaiah 31:1-9; Isaiah 32:1-20; Isaiah 33:1-24.) Perhaps it was he who advised the temporary ignominious submission of Hezekiah to Sennacherib. The un-Hebrew form of his name implies that he was an alien-perhaps introduced by Hezekiah's predecessor Ahaz. He made an ostentatious display of his rank (Isaiah 22:18 : cf. 2 Samuel 15:1), and had hewn out for himself a tomb high in the cliffs, southwest of Jerusalem (cf. margin, 2 Chronicles 32:33).

Verse 14

And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Verse 15

Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

Go, get thee unto - literally, enter into; i:e., Go in to (i:e., into the house to).

This treasurer - `him who dwells in the tabernacle' (Jerome) - namely, in a room of the temple set apart for the treasurer. Hebrew, cokeen (Hebrew #5532), from caakan (Hebrew #5532), to dwell: one dwelling on terms of intimacy; the familiar friend of the king. Rather, 'the king's friend,' or 'principal officer of the court' (1 Kings 4:5; 1 Kings 17:3, "governor of his house;" 1 Chronicles 27:33, "the king's counselor") (Maurer). "This" is prefixed contemptuously (Exodus 31:1).

Unto Shebna. The Hebrew [ `al (Hebrew #5921)] upon, for unto, indicates an accosting of Shebna with an unwelcome message.

Verse 16

What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

What hast thou here, and whom? The prophet accosts Shebna at the very place where he was building a grand sepulchre for himself and his family (cf. Isaiah 14:18; Genesis 23:1; Genesis 49:29; Genesis 50:13). 'What (business) hast thou here, and whom hast thou (of thy family, who is likely to be buried) here, that thou buildest,' etc., seeing that thou art soon to be deposed from office, and carried into captivity (Maurer).

A sepulchre on high. Sepulchres were made in the highest rocks. Hezekiah thus was "buried in the highest of the sepulchres of the sons of David," (2 Chronicles 32:33, margin.)

An habitation for himself - i:e., a house for his dead body: cf. 'his own house,' Isaiah 14:18.

Verse 17

Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

Carry thee away with a mighty captivity - rather, m

Verse 18

He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.

Violently turn and toss thee - literally, whirling, He will whirl thee; i:e., He will, without intermission, whirl thee (Maurer). 'He will whirl thee round and round, and (then) cast thee away' as a stone in a sling is first whirled round repeatedly before the string is let go (Lowth).

Into a large country - perhaps Assyria.

There the chariots ... (shall be) the shame of thy Lord's house - it shall be a reproach to Hezekiah that he had been so weak as to elevate thee, and enable thee to have such chariots; or else thy glorious chariots which formerly thou hadst shall be the shame of thy lord's house, in that thou didst defile that house which was as it were God's sanctuary (Calvin). Rather, 'thy splendid chariots shall be there (or else, shall die with thee), oh then disgrace of thy lord's house (Noyes); "chariots of thy glory," mean 'thy magnificent chariots.' It is not meant that be would have these in a distant land, as he had in Jerusalem, but that he would be borne there in ignominy, instead of in his magnificent chariots. The sense is, I think, the only 'chariots of glory' that thou shalt have "there" will be the reproach which thou shalt bear, of having been "the shame of thy lord's house:" instead of thy former chariots of glory, thou shalt have the reproach of having been the shame of thy lord's house. The Jews say that he was tied to the tails of horses by the enemy, to whom he had designed to betray Jerusalem, as they thought he was mocking them; and so he died.

Verse 19

And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

State - office.

Shall he (God) pull thee down. A similar change of persons occurs, Isaiah 34:16. The transition from the first to the third person expresses estrangement

Verse 20

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

Eliakim the son of Hilkiah. Supposed by Kimchi to be the same as Azariah, son of Hilkiah, who perhaps had two names, and who was 'over the household' in Hezekiah's time (1 Chronicles 6:13).

Verse 21

And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

Thy robe - of office.

Girdle - in which the purse was carried, and to it was attached the sword, often adorned with gold and jewels.

Father - i:e., a counselor and friend to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Verse 22

And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

The key of the house of David - emblem of his office over the house, to "open" or "shut;" access rested with him.

Will I lay upon his shoulder. So keys are carried sometimes in the East, hanging from the kerchief on the shoulder. But the phrase is rather figurative, for sustaining the government on one's shoulders. Eliakim, as his name implies, is here plainly a type of the God-man Christ, the son of "David," of whom Isaiah (Isaiah 9:6) uses the same language ("the government shall be upon his shoulder"), as the former clause of this verse; and Himself, in Revelation 3:7, the same language as the latter clause (cf. Job 12:14).

Verse 23

And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

Nail in a sure place. Large nails or pegs stood in ancient houses, on which were suspended the ornaments of the family. The sense is, All that is valuable to the nation shall rest securely on him. In Ezra 9:8, "nail" is used of the large spike driven into the ground to fasten the cords of the tent to, and so is used for the tent itself: "grace hath been showed from the Lord our God ... to give us a nail in his holy place."

Throne - i:e., resting-place to his family, as applied to Eliakim; but "throne," in the strict sense, as applied to Messiah the antitype (Luke 1:32-33).

Verse 24

And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

Same image as in Isaiah 22:23. It was customary to "hang" the valuables of a house on nails (1 Kings 10:16-17; 1 Kings 10:21; Song of Solomon 4:4).

The offspring and the issue - rather, 'the offshoots of the family, high and low' (Vitringa). The Hebrew for "issue" [ts

Verse 25

In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Nail that is fastened - Shebna, who was supposed to be firmly fixed in his post.

And the burden that was upon it shall be cut off - all that were dependent on Shebna, all his emoluments and rank, will fail, as when a peg is suddenly "cut" down, the ornaments on it fall with it. Sin reaches in its effects even to the family of the guilty (Exodus 20:5).

Remarks: The joy and the recklessness of the people of the world form a sad contrast to the terrible doom which awaits them. But this ill-seasoned mirth and the love of pleasure and excitement are still more sad to witness when they are seen in the professing people of God. How bitterly the prophet in this chapter weeps not only "because of the spoiling of His people," but especially because of the sin which incurred that divine judgment. Jerusalem has been given up to the "treading down" of the Gentiles for ages, and will be so "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Isaiah 22:5). Her "choicest valleys" have been long desecrated by the Mohammedan. The veil of the daughter of Zion has been rudely torn off, and her shame has been "discovered." What a warning is her case to the professing people of God, that spiritual privileges, so far from securing impunity in sin, will only aggravate the condemnation of those who "hold the truth in unrighteousness."

23 Chapter 23
Verse 1

The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

Menander, the historian, who translated into Greek the Tyrian archives (Josephus, 'Antiquities,' 9: 14, sec. 2), notices a siege of Tyre by Shalmaneser, shortly after his capture of Samaria - i:e., not long after 721 BC Tyre was then in the height of its prosperity. Since the reign of Hiram it had planted the great colony of Carthage, 143 year and 8 months after the building of Solomon's temple (Josephus, 100: 'Apion.,' 1: 18). It had the island of Cyprus, with its valuable mines of the metal which takes its name, 'copper,' from the island. Sidon, Acco, and Old Tyre, on the mainland, were soon reduced; but New Tyre, on an island half a mile from the shore, held out for five years. Sargon probably finished the siege. Sennacherib does not, however, mention it among the cities which the Assyrian kings conquered, (Isaiah 36:1-22; Isaiah 37:1-38.) The expression, "Chaldeans" (Isaiah 23:13), implies an ulterior reference to its siege under Nebuchadnezzar, which lasted thirteen years. Alexander the Great destroyed New Tyre after a seven month's siege.

Tyre (Hebrew, Tzor) - i:e., Rock; now Sur.

Ships of Tarshish - ships of Tyre returning from their voyage to Tarshish, or Tartessus in Spain, with which the Phoenicians had much commerce (Ezekiel 27:12-25). "Ships of Tarshish" is a phrase also used of large and distant-voyaging merchant vessels (Isaiah 2:16; 1 Kings 10:22; Psalms 48:7).

There is no house - namely, left: such was the case as to Old Tyre after Nebuchadnezzar's siege.

No entering in - there is no house to enter (Isaiah 24:10). Or rather, Tyre is so laid waste that there is no possibility of entering the harbour: which is appropriate to the previous "ships." Literally, 'it is laid waste, from (Hebrew, min (Hebrew #4480)) there being a house, from there being an entrance:' which probably means, Tyre, once the emporium of all nations, is now laid waste, so that it is no longer a house with an open entrance to all. G. Robinson says, 'The harbour is a small circular basin, now quite filled up with sand and broken columns, leaving scarcely space enough for small boats to enter.'

From the land of Chittim it is revealed to them - Cyprus: of which the cities, including Citium in the South (whence came "Chittim"), were mostly Phoenician (Ezekiel 27:6). The ships from Tarshish on their way to Tyre learn the tidings

(It is revealed to them) of the downfall of Tyre. At a later period Chittim denoted the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean (Daniel 11:30). The Chittians (i:e., the Cyprians) had revolted from Tyre: upon which the Tyrian King Eluloeus sailed against them and reduced them. But the King of Assyria attacked all Phoenicia; and with the help of 60 ships and 800 rowers of Sidon, Acco (Acre), and Old Tyre, and the Phoenicians in general, who submitted to him, he attacked Tyre. The Tyrian archives represent themselves as victorious, and as having still held out five years, in spite of the Assyrian king's placing of guards at their rivers and aqueducts. But national vanity would prompt them to hide their own defeat, which they might the more safely do, as Tyre still remained a powerful state with its own kings (Jeremiah 25:22; Jeremiah 27:3; Ezekiel 28:2-12), after its temporary humiliation, until the siege under Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

Verse 2

Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

Be still - struck dumb with awe. Addressed to those already in the country, eye-witnesses of its ruin (Lamentations 2:10); or, in contrast to the busy din of commerce once heard in Tyre, now all is hushed and still.

Ye inhabitants of the isle - strictly applicable to New Tyre: in the sense coast, to the mainland city, Old Tyre (cf. Isaiah 23:6; Isaiah 20:6).

Zidon - of which Tyre was a colony, planted when Zidon was conquered by the Philistines of Ascalon (Justin, 18: 3). Zidon means a fishing station: this was its beginning.

Replenished - with wealth and an industrious population (Ezekiel 27:3; Ezekiel 27:8; Ezekiel 27:23). Here "Zidon" as the oldest city of Phoenicia, includes all the Phoenician towns on the strip of 'coast.' Thus, Ethbaal, King of Tyre (Josephus, 'Antiquities,' 8: 3, 2), is called king of the Sidonians (1 Kings 16:31); and on coins Tyre is called the metropolis of the Sidonians. Zidon was "the first-born of Canaan" (Genesis 10:15), and is called 'Great Zidon' -

i.e., the metropolis Zidon-in Joshua 11:8; Joshua 19:28. In Joshua 13:6; Judges 18:7, "Zidonians" is the generic name for the Phoenicians or Canaanites. Moreover, the reason assigned for there being no deliverer to Laish is, 'they were far from the Zidonians;' whence it follows that Tyre was not then the main city. So Homer does not mention Tyre, but does Zidon ('Odyssey,' 15: 425; 13: 285; 'Iliad,' 23: 743): he praises the Zidonians as skilled workmen; the Phoenicians as skilled mariners.

Verse 3

And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. By great waters - the wide waters of the sea.

Seed - the grain, or crop, as in 1 Samuel 8:15; Job 39:12.

Of Sihor - literally, dark-coloured, from shahhar, to be black; applied to the Nile, as the Greek, melas, anciently Kmelas: Latin, melo (Servius, 'Georgics,' 4: 291; 'AEneid,' 1: 745), to express the dark turbid colours given to its waters by the fertilizing soil which it deposits at its yearly overflow (Jeremiah 2:18). The name Nilus is akin to the Sanskrit, Nilah, blue. In hieroglyphics the name of the country is KEM - i:e., black. In painted sculptures the Nile-god is coloured red during the inundation, and during the rest of the year blue.

The harvest of the river - the growth of the Delta; the produce due to the overflow of the Nile: Egypt was the great granary of grain in the ancient world (Genesis 41:1-57; Genesis 42:1-38; Genesis 43:1-34.)

(Is) her revenue. Tyrian vessels carried Egyptian produce, gotten in exchange for wine, oil, glass, etc., into various lands, and so made large profits.

And she is a mart of nations - (Ezekiel 27:3.) No city was more favourably situated for commerce.

Verse 4

Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

Be thou ashamed, O Zidon - called on, as being the parent country of Tyre (Isaiah 23:12), and here representing Phoenicia in general, to feel the shame (as it was esteemed in the East) of being now as childless as if she never had any.

I travail not, nor bring forth children - `I (no more now) travail nor bring forth,' etc. 'The strength of the sea' - i:e., the stronghold-namely, New Tyre, on a rock (as "Tyre" means) surrounded by the sea (Ezekiel 26:4; Ezekiel 26:14-17 : so Venice was called 'Bride of the sea;' Zechariah 9:3).

Verse 5

As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

As at the report concerning Egypt, (so) shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre - rather, 'When the report (namely, concerning Tyre) (shall reach) the people of Egypt, they shall be sorely pained at the report concerning Tyre' (namely, its overthrow). So Jerome 'When the Egyptians shall hear that so powerful a neighbouring nation has been destroyed, they must know their own end is near.' So the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Arabic, (Lowth, etc.) The sense of the English version is, As the neighbouring peoples shall be sorely pained at the report of Egypt's disaster, so shall they be at the report of Tyre's. But Tyre's disaster came before that of Egypt, not after it. Ezekiel 29:18-20 translates, therefore, as Jerome above. The disaster was to be to Tyre and Egypt in common: both were enemies of the covenant people-Egypt avowedly; Tyre secretly (Calvin).

Verse 6

Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

Pass ye over to Tarshish. Escape from Tyre to your colonies, as Tarshish (cf. Isaiah 23:12). The Tyrians fled to Carthage and elsewhere, both at the siege under Nebuchadnezzar and that under Alexander.

Verse 7

Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

(Is) this your joyous (city)? Is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city? (Isaiah 23:12.)

Antiquity. The Tyrian priests boasted in Herodotus' time that their city had already existed 2,300 years: an exaggeration, but still implying that it was ancient even then.

Her own feet - walking on foot as captives to an enemy's land.

Verse 8

Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

Who - Answered in Isaiah 23:9, "The Lord of hosts."

The crowning city - crown-giving: i:e., the city from which dependent kingdoms had arisen, as Tartessus in Spain, Citium in Cyprus, and Carthage in Africa (Ezekiel 27:33).

Whose traffickers - literally, Canaanites, who were famed for commerce, (cf. Hosea 12:7, margin.)

Verse 9

The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

The Lord of hosts. Whoever be the instruments in overthrowing haughty sinners, God, who has all hosts at His command, is the First cause (Isaiah 10:5-7).

Stain - "to stain:" Hebrew, le-challeel, to profane as in Exodus 31:14, the Sabbath, and other objects of religious reverence: so here, "the pride of all glory" may refer to the Tyrian temple of Hercules, the oldest in the world, according to Arrian (Isaiah 2:16): the prophet of the true God would naturally single out for notice the idol of Tyre (G.V. Smith). But the parallelism between "to stain the pride of all glory," and the following,

To bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth - shows that the former clause refers, like the latter, to the pride of wealth which characterized the Tyrian merchants, The repetition of "the honourable of the earth" in Isaiah 23:9 from Isaiah 23:8 confirms this. The destruction of Tyre will exhibit to all how God mars the luster of whatever is haughty (Isaiah 2:11).

Verse 10

Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

A river - Hebrew, Cayeor, 'as the river Nile.'

O daughter of Tarshish - Tyre and its inhabitants, about henceforth, owing to the ruin of Tyre, to become inhabitants of its colony, Tartessus: they would pour forth from Tyre, as waters flow on when the barriers are removed (Lowth). Rather, Tarshish, or Tartessus and its inhabitants, as the phrase usually means (cf. Isaiah 1:8, "the daughter of Zion" - i:e., Zion's citizens personified as the daughter of Zion): they had been kept in hard bondage, working in silver and lead mines near Tarshish, by the parent city (Ezekiel 26:17); but now

There is no more strength - i:e., the bond of restraint (for so "strength," margin, girdle, i:e., bond, Psalms 2:3, ought to be translated) is removed, since Tyre is no more. Compare Menander, in Josephus' 'Antiquities,' 9: 14, 2; Diodorus, 5: 38; Herodotus, 1: 163.

Verse 11

He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

He - Yahweh.

He shook the kingdoms - the Phoenician cities and colonies, Tyre, Sidon, Arad, Arce, etc.

The merchant city - Hebrew, Canaan, meaning the north of it; namely, time Phoenice of the Greeks, at the foot of Lebanon. On their coins they call their country Canaan.

Verse 12

And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

And he said. "He," God.

No more rejoice - riotously (Isaiah 23:7).

O thou oppressed virgin - `deflowered virgin (Lowth): laying aside the figure, thou city taken by storm. The Arabs compare a city never taken to an undefiled virgin, (cf. Nahum 3:5, etc.)

Daughter of Zidon - Tyre; or else, sons of Zidon; i:e., the whole land and people of Phoenicia (note, Isaiah 23:2) (Maurer).

Chittim - Citium in Cyprus (Isaiah 23:1).

There also shalt thou have no rest - thy colonies, having been harshly treated by thee, will now repay thee in kind (note, Isaiah 23:10). But Vitringa refers it to the calamities which befell the Tyrians in their settlements subsequently-namely, Sicily, Corcyra, Carthage, and Spain, all flowing from the original curse of Noah against the posterity of Canaan (Genesis 9:25-27).

Verse 13

Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

Behold the land of the Chaldeans. Calling attention to the fact so humiliating to Tyre, that a people of yesterday, like the Chaldees, should, first as mercenaries in the Assyrian king's army, then as the army of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, in the next siege, destroy the most ancient of cities, Tyre.

This people was not - had no existence as a recognized nation; the Chaldees were previously but a rude predatory people (Job 1:17.)

(Till) the Assyrian founded it. The Chaldees ("them that dwell in the wilderness") lived a nomadic life in the mountains of Armenia originally (The name "Arphaxad," in Genesis 10:22, refers to such a region of Assyria near Armenia; from Arabic, 'arap, to bind, and kard, kurd - i:e., the stronghold of the Chaldees) north and east of Assyria proper. Some may have settled in Mesopotamia and Babylonia very early, and given origin to the astrologers, called Chaldees in later times. But most of the people had been transferred only a little before the time of this prophecy from their original seats in the North to Mesopotamia, and soon afterward to South Babylonia. "Founded it," means, 'assigned it (the land) to them who had (heretofore) dwelt in the wilderness' as a permanent settlement (so in Psalms 104:8) (Maurer). It was the Assyrian policy to infuse into their own population of the plain the fresh blood of hardy mountaineers, for the sake of recruiting their armies. Ultimately the Chaldees, by their powerful priest-caste, gained the supremacy, and established the later or Chaldean empire.

They set up the towers thereof - namely, of Babylon. Herodotus (I 84) says its towers were 'set up' by the Assyrians (Barnes). Rather, 'the Chaldees set up their siege-towers' against Tyre, made for the attack of high walls, from which the besiegers hurled missiles, as depicted in the Assyrian sculptures (Maurer).

They raised up the palaces thereof - rather [`owr

Verse 14

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

Your strength is laid waste - your stronghold (cf. Ezekiel 26:15-18).

Verse 15

And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

Tyre shall be forgotten. Having lost its former renown, Tyre shall be in obscurity. Seventy years - the duration of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon (so Jeremiah 25:11-12; Jeremiah 29:10). This proves that the capture of Tyre here meant ultimately is that by Nebuchadnezzar.

Days of one king. - i:e., dynasty. The Babylonian monarchy lasted properly but 70 years. From the first year of Nebuchadnezzar to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, was 70 years; then the subjected nations would be restored to liberty. Tyre was taken in the middle of that period, but it is classed in common with the rest, some conquered sooner and others later-all, however, alike about to be delivered at the end of the period. So "king" is used for dynasty (Daniel 7:17; Daniel 8:20). Nebuchadnezzar, his son Evil-merodach, and his grandson Belshazzar, formed the whole dynasty (Jeremiah 25:11-12; Jeremiah 27:7; Jeremiah 29:10).

After the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot - it shall be to Tyre as the song of the harlot-namely, a harlot that has been forgotten, but who attracts notice again by her song. Large marts of commerce are often compared to harlots seeking many lovers - i:e., they court merchants of all nations, and admit any one for the sake of gain (Nahum 3:4; Revelation 18:3). The image is appropriate, as covetousness, the besetting sin of Tyre, is closely akin to idolatry and licentiousness (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5 : cf. Isaiah 2:6-8; Isaiah 2:18).

Verse 16

Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

Sing ... that thou mayest be remembered. Same figure, to express that Tyre would again prosper and attract commercial contact of nations to her, and be the same joyous, self-indulging city as before.

Verse 17

And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

The Lord will visit Tyre - not in wrath, but mercy.

Hire - image from a harlot; her gains by commerce. After the Babylonian dynasty was ended, Tyre was rebuilt; also, again, after the terrible destruction under Alexander.

Verse 18

And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

Her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord - her traffic and gains shall at last (long after the restoration mentioned, in Isaiah 23:17) be consecrated to Yahweh. Eusebius, 'History,' 10:, Isaiah 4:1-6, says, 'When the Church of God was founded in Tyre, much of its wealth was consecrated to God, and was brought as an offering to the Church for the support of the ministry.' Jesus Christ visited the neighbourhood of Tyre (Matthew 15:21): Paul found disciples there (Acts 21:3-6): it early became a Christian bishopric; but the full evangelization of that whole race, as of the Ethiopians (Isaiah 18:1-7), of the Egyptians and Assyrians (Isaiah 19:1-25), is yet to come (Isaiah 60:5).

It shall not be treasured - but freely expended in His service.

Her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord - the ministers of religion. But Horsley translates, 'for them that sit before Yahweh' as disciples.

And for durable clothing. Changes of raiment constituted much of the wealth of former days.

Remarks: The 'prince-merchants' of our commercial nation have much to learn from the doom of Tyre, once the "mart of nations." Commerce is, doubtless, one earthly basis of national prosperity; but it affords no safeguard against national ruin, when the favour of the Lord does not accompany it. The largest 'revenue' comes to nought at the command of the Almighty. In vain did Tyre look for help to her many colonies, as well as to the mother city, Zidon, in the day of her distress. Zidon herself was put to shame, so that she could afford no succour; and the Tyrians could only flee to Tarshish and elsewhere, as exiled fugitives. Tyre, that was once so "joyous," as now "still," and void of national life. "Antiquity" will not avail when it has arrayed against it, "the Ancient of days." So far are "the honourable of the earth" from being able to counteract the "purpose" of "the Lord of hosts," that it is their very pride which brings down His wrath; for his 'purpose' is "to stain" or pollute "the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth." Let us learn that the true blessedness of the possession of wealth, great or small, consists in the dedication of it to the glory of God, the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, and the temporal and spiritual relief of our fellow-men.

The four chapters, 24-27, form one continuous poetical prophecy, descriptive of the dispersion and successive calamities of the Jews (Isaiah 24:1-12); the preaching of the Gospel by the first Hebrew converts throughout the world (Isaiah 24:13-16); the judgments on the adversaries of the Church, and its final triumph (Isaiah 24:16-23); thanksgiving for the overthrow of the apostate faction (Isaiah 25:1-12), and establishment of the righteous in lasting peace (Isaiah 26:1-21); judgment on leviathan and entire purgation of the Church, (Isaiah 27:1-13.) Having treated of the several nations in particular-Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Edom, and Tyre (the miniature representative of all, as all kingdoms flocked into it) - he passes to the last times of the world at large, and of Judah, the representative and future head of the Churches.