and the recompense, which he bestows, and which he will pay to bis faithful servants: this he has ready at hand with him, and holds it out before him, to encourage those who trust in him, and wait for him. 11. The nursing ewes shall he gently lead] A beautiful image, expressing, with the utmost propriety as well as elegance, the tender attention of the shepherd to his flock. That the greatest care in driving the cattle in regard to the dams and their young was necessary, appears clearly from Jacob's apology to his brother Esau, Gen. xxxiii. 13. "The flocks and the herds giving suck to their young are with me; and if they should be overdriven, all the flock will die." Which is set in a still stronger light by the following remark of Sir John Chardin: "Their flocks," says he, speaking of those who now live in the east after the patriarchal manner, "feed down the places of their encampments so quick, by the great numbers that they have, that they are obliged to remove them too often; which is very destructive to their flocks on account of the young ones, who have not strength enough to follow." Harmer's Observ. i. p. 126. 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient-] The image is beautiful and uncommon; it has been imitated by an apocryphal writer, who, however, comes far short of the original: Judith xvi. 16. "For all sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour unto thee: And all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt-offering." 19. and forgeth-] For 3, the particle, twenty-seven MSS. (five ancient), and three editions, read y, præt. third person. 21. -understood it from the foundation—] The true reading seems to be, to answer to N in the foregoing line. It follows a word ending with ; and out of three mems concurring, it was an easy mistake to drop the middle one. 22. -as a thin veil] "It is usual in the summer season, and upon all occasions, when a large company is to be received, to have the court sheltered from heat, or inclemency of the weather, by a velum, umbrella, or veil, as I shall call it; which, being expanded on ropes from one side of the parapet-wall to the other, may be folded or unfolded at pleasure. The Psalmist seems to allude to some covering of this kind in that beautiful expression of spreading out the heavens like a curtain." Shaw, Trav. p. 274. 24. If he but blow upon them] The LXX, Syr. Vulg. and MS. Bodl. and another, have without the conjunction 1. 28. And that his understanding-] Twenty-four MSS., two editions, LXX, and Vulg. read ), with the conjunction ). 31. They shall put forth fresh feathers.] It has been a common and popular opinion, that the eagle lives and retains his vigour to a great age; and that, beyond the common lot of other birds, he moults in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with them his youth. “Thou shalt renew thy youth like the eagle," says the Psalmist, ciii. 5. on which St. Ambrose notes, "Aquila longam ætatem ducit, dum, vetustis plumis fatiscentibus, nova pennarum successione juvenescit." Phile, de Animalibus, treating of the eagle, and addressing himself to the emperor Michael Palæologus junior, raises his compliment upon the same notion: Τούτου συ, βασιλευ, τον πολυν ζωοις βιον, Αει νέουςγων, και κρατήγων την φυσιν. "Long may'st thou live, O king; still like the eagle Renew thy youth, and still retain thy vigour." To this many fabulous and absurd circumstances are added by several ancient writers and commentators on Scripture: see Bochart, Hieroz. II. ii. 1. Whether the notion of the eagle's renewing his youth is in any degree well founded or not, I need not inquire; it is enough for a poet, whether profane or sacred, to have the authority of popular opinion to support an image introduced for illustration or ornament. CHAP. XLI. 1.-repair to me with new sentiments] Eykaivičɛode, LXX; for wn, be silent, they certainly read in their copy W, be renewed; which is parallel and synonymous with , recover their strength: that is, their strength of mind, their powers of reason; that they may overcome those prejudices, by which they have been so long held enslaved to idolatry. A MS. has upon a rasure. The same mistake seems to have been made in this word, Zeph. iii. 17. יחריש For ,"silebit in dilectionesua," as the Vulgate renders it: which seems not consistent with what immediately follows, "exultabit super te in laude;" LXX and Syr, read NTT, “renovabitur in amore suo." 1 2. --the righteous man.] The Chald. and Vulg. seem to have read py. But Jerom, though his translation has justum, appears to have read PTY; for in his comment he expresses it by justum, sive justitiam. However, I think all interpreters understand it of a person. So the LXX, in MS. Pachom. ɛkaλɛσev avtov, but the other copies have avτny. They are divided in ascertaining this person: some explain it of Abraham; others of Cyrus. I rather think that the former is meant: because the character of the righteous man, or righteousness, agrees better with Abraham than with Cyrus. Besides, immediately after the description of the success given by God to Abraham, and his posterity (who, I presume, are to be taken into the account), the idolaters are introduced as greatly alarmed at this event. Abraham was called out of the east; and his posterity were introduced into the land of Canaan, in order to destroy the idolaters of that country; and they were established there, on purpose to stand as a barrier against idolatry, then prevailing, and threatening to overrun the whole face of the earth. Cyrus, though not properly an idolater, or worshipper of images, yet had nothing in his character to cause such an alarm among the idolaters, ver. 5-7. Farther, after having just touched upon that circumstance, the prophet with great ease returns to his former subject, and resumes Abraham and the Israelites; and assures them, that as God had called them, and chosen them for this purpose, he would uphold and support them to the utmost, and at length give them a victory over all the heathen nations, their enemies; ver. 8 -16. Ibid. —made them like the dust—] The image is strong and beautiful: it is often made use of by the sacred poets; see Psal. i. 4. xxxv. 5. Job xxi. 18. and by Isaiah himself in other places, chap. xvii. 13. xxix. 5. But there is great difficulty in making out the construction. The LXX read, up, their sword, their bow, understanding it of the sword and bow of the conquered kings: but this is not so agreeable to the analogy of the image, as employed in other places. The Chaldee paraphrast and Kimchi solve the difficulty by supposing an ellipsis of S before those words. It must be owned, that the ellipsis is hard and unusual: but I choose rather to submit to this, than, by adhering with Vitringa to the more obvious construction, to destroy entirely both the image and the sense. But the Vulgate by gladio ejus, and arcui ejus, seems to express and ; the admission of which reading may perhaps be thought preferable to Kimchi's ellipsis. 3. —he passeth in safety] The preposition seems to have been omitted in the text by mistake: LXX and Vulg. seem to have had it in their copies: Ev pnry, in pace, . 4.—and made these things] A word is here lost out of the text. It is supplied by an ancient MS. 8, these things; and, by LXX, ravra; and by Vulg. hæc; and by Chald.. 5. —and they were terrified] Three MSS. have ", adding the conjunction, which restores the second member of the sentence to its true poetical form. ND: 7. —that it shall not move.] Five MSS. (two ancient), and the ancient versions, add the conjunction 1, reading ; which seems to be right. 9. from the extremities thereof] signifies the arm, axilla, ala; and is used like, the wing, for any thing extended from the extremity of another, or joined on to it. It is here parallel and synonymous to D, from the ends, in the preceding member. 28. 15. —a threshing wain,—a corn drag] See note on chap, xxviii. 27, 19. In the wilderness I will give the cedar] The two preceding verses express God's mercy to them in their passage through the dry deserts, in supplying them with abundant water, when distressed with thirst, in allusion to the Exodus: this verse expresses the relief afforded to them, fainting with heat in the journey through that hot country, destitute of shelter, by causing shady trees, and those of the tallest and most beautiful kinds, to spring up for their defence. The apocryphal Baruch, speaking of the return from Babylon, expresses God's protection of his people by the same image: "Even the woods and every sweet-smelling tree shall overshadow Israel by the commandment of God." Chap. v. 8. 20. —and may consider-] The verb, without added, cannot signify to apply the heart, or to attend to a thing, as Houbigant has observed; he therefore reads 10, they shall wonder. The conjecture is ingenious; but it is much more probable that the word is lost out of the text; for all the ancient versions render the phrase to the same sense, as if it were fully expressed, ; and the Chaldee renders it paraphrastically, yet still retaining the very words in his paraphrase, .ut ponant timorem meum in corde suo "וישוון דחלתי על לבהון See also ver. 22. where the same phrase is used. 21. Produce these your mighty powers] "Accedant, inquit, idola vestra, quæ putatis esse fortissima." Hieron. Com. in loc. I prefer this to all other interpretations of this place, and to Jerom's own translation of it, which he adds immediately after, "Afferte, si quid forte habetis." The false gods are called upon to come forth, and appear in person; and to give evident demonstration of their foreknowledge and power, by foretelling future events, and exerting their power in doing good or evil. 23. —and terror] The word is written imperfectly in the Hebrew text: the Masoretes supply at the end; and so it is read in twentytwo MSS. and four editions: that is, and we shall see. But the true reading seems to be, and we shall fear, with supplied, from ירא 24. —than nought] For YDND, read DEND; so Chald. and Vulg. A manifest error of the text; compare chap. xl. 17. The Rabbins acknowledge no such error; but say, that the former word signifies the same with the latter, by a change of the two letters ▷ and y. Sal. b. Melech in loc. 25. —he shall trample-] For N, Le Clerc reads D, from the Chaldee, who seems to read both words. "Forte legend. D, vel DO: sequitur D." SECKER. See Nah. iii. 14. 27. I first to Sion-] This verse is somewhat obscure by the transposition of the parts of the sentence, and the peculiar manner in which it is divided into two parallel lines. The verb at the end of the sentence belongs to both parts; and the phrase, Behold, they are here! is parallel to the messenger of glad tidings; and stands, like it, as the accusative case to the verb. The following paraphrase will explain the form and the sense of it. "I first, by my prophets, give notice of these events, saying: Behold, they are at hand! and I give to Jerusalem a messenger of glad tidings." 28. And among the idols-] For D), I read □bNpi, with the LXX, KAι ATTO TWY εidwλwv. See Exod. xv. 11. Isa. lvii. 5. CHAP. XLII. THE prophet, having opened his subject with the preparation for the return from captivity at Babylon, and intimated that a much greater deliverance was covered under the veil of that event; proceeded to vindicate the power of God, as creator and disposer of all things: and his infinite knowledge, from his prediction of future events, and in particular of that deliverance: he went still farther, and pointed out the instrument by which he should effect the redemption of his people the Jews from slavery; namely, a great conqueror, whom he would call forth from the north and the east to execute his orders. In this chapter he proceeds to the greater deliverance; and at once brings forth into full view, without throwing any veil of allegory over the subject, the Messiah. "Behold, my servant, Messiah," says the Chaldee. St. Matthew has applied it directly to Christ; nor can it with any justice or propriety be applied to any other person or character whatever. 1. And he shall publish judgment] Four MSS. (two ancient) add the conjunction, W. See Matt. xii. 18. The word DVD, judgment, like Y righteousness, is taken in a great latitude of signification. It means, rule, form, order, model, plan; rule of right, or of religion; an ordinance, institution; judicial process, cause, trial, sentence, condemnation, acquittal, deliverance, mercy, &c. It certainly means in this place the law to be published by Messiah; the institution of the gospel. 4. His force shall not be abated nor broken] cum istum, ut post addat "Rabbi Meir ita citat lo , robur ejus, quod hodie non comparet in textu Hebræo, sed addendum videtur, ut sensus fiat planior." Capell. Crit. Sac. p. 382. For which reason I had added it in the translation, before I observed this remark of Capellus. 6. —a covenant to the people] For Oy, two MSS. ready, the covenant of the age to come, or the everlasting covenant: which seems to give a clearer and better sense. 7. To open the eyes of the blind-] In this verse the prophet seems to set forth the spiritual redemption, under images borrowed from the temporal deliverance. Ibid. —and from the dungeon--] The LXX, Syr. and four MSS. (one ancient), add the conjunction ), M'ADI. 10. Ye that go down upon the sea] This seems not to belong to this place: it does not well consist with what follows: "and the fulness thereof." They that go down upon the sea, means navigators, sailors, traders, such as do business in great waters: an idea much too confined for the prophet, who means the sea in general; as it is used by the Hebrews, for the distant nations, the islands, the dwellers on the sea-coasts, all over the world. I suspect that some transcriber had the 23d verse of Psal. cvii. running in his head, IN) 0% "771'; and wrote in this ,let the sea roar * ;ירן or יריע or ירעם הים instead of יורדי הים place or shout, or exult." But as this is so different in appearance from the 11. Let the desert-] The most uncultivated countries, and the most rude and uncivilized people, shall confess and celebrate with thanksgiving the blessing of the knowledge of God graciously imparted to them. By the desert is meant Arabia Deserta; by the rocky country, Arabia Petræa; by the mountains, probably those celebrated ones Paran, Horeb, Sinai, in the same country; to which also belonged Kedar, a clan of Arabians, dwelling for the most part in tents: but there were others of them, who inhabited or frequented cities and villages, as may be collected from this place of the prophet. Pietro della Valle, speaking of the people of Arabia Deserta, says, "there is a sort of Arabs of that country called Maédi, who with their herds, of buffalocs for the most part, sometimes live in the deserts, and sometimes in cities; from whence they have their name, which signifies wandering, going from place to place; they have no professed houses: nor are they properly Bedaui, or Beduui, that is, Deserticoli, who are the most noble among them, and never abide within walls, but always go wandering through the open country, with their black tents; nor are they properly Hhadesi, as they call those who dwell in cities and lands with fixed houses: these by the latter are csteemed ignoble and base; but by both are considered as of low condition." Viaggi, parte iii. lett. 2. 14. shall I keep silence for ever?] After by, in the copy which the LXX had before them, followed the word, anoa et |