were reserved for Babylon, its fate would extend to all other nations that had oppressed, or should oppress, the Jews. 28. The Philistines, after having been conquered by David, had recovered themselves, and become formidable to the Israelites; but they had been again subdued by Uzziah, (2 Chron. xxvi. 6,) and had probably continued in a state of subjection till the death of Ahaz, on which event they might rejoice, and revolt. In this state of things, the prophet announces their entire and final subjugation. 29. Though Ahaz was dead, his son and successor would be more formidable than he had been. 30. The Israelites would suffer, but it would be only like taking the fruit from a tree, which in due season would produce more; but the sufferings of the Philistines would be like destroying the root of the tree, which could never recover itself. Accordingly, we read that they were conquered by Hezekiah, (2 Kings xviii. 8,) that he smote the Philistines even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen, to the fenced city. But this prophecy was not completely fulfilled till after the conquests of Alexander, and the subjection of what remained of the Philistines to the kings of Judea. XV. This chapter and the following, contain an account of the judgments of God against Moab, to be accomplished in three years; but the prophecy being without a date, history furnishes no light for the interpretation of it. It is only conjectured that it was delivered in the first year of Hezekiah, and fulfilled by Shalmanassar, when he invaded the kingdom of Israel. But, as far as appears, all that the Moabites suffered by the Assyrians was little in comparison to what they suffered by Nebuchadnezzar afterwards; for in the time of Jeremiah they were a powerful nation, and he denounced heavy judgments against them, very much in the manner of this prophecy of Isaiah. I would observe on this occasion, that the difficulties we meet with in reconciling history with prophecy, is a proof that the books of Scripture are no forgeries. The persons who forged them might easily have guarded against any objection of this kind. 1. Instead of, destroyed in the night, a small variation in the Hebrew will make it, completely destroyed.* 2. Mention is here made of particular cities of the Moabites, and of their lamentation at the altars of their gods, who * See Lowth, p. 100; Stock, p. 43. could give them no assistance. To cut off the hair, was a token of mourning in all ancient nations. The object was to neglect and disfigure themselves, as if careless what became of them.* 7.† Moab bordered upon the Arabs, who were always. noted for plundering their neighbours, agreeable to the original prophecy concerning Ishmael. His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. Thus Job is represented as suffering by their incursions. 9. Dimon is from a root which signifies food; and to this there is an allusion after the manner of the Hebrew poets. There is great uncertainty in the reading and interpretation of this passage.+ XVI. 1,8 2. The meaning of this part of the prophecy is very obscure. It probably intimates that not only the chief men, but the son of the king, would flee before the enemy; and that even the women would be obliged to cross the river Arnon, which was the boundary of the country. 4. This seems to imply that they who fled from Moab would take refuge in the kingdom of Judah, and be kindly received there.|| 6. The pride of Moab is noticed by Jeremiah, though it does not appear from history that there was any particular foundation for it.¶ 8. These wines were probably much esteemed, and sent to distant countries.** 12. The Heathens imagined that when they could not succeed in their application to their gods, in one place, they might in another; as we see in the history of Balaam. XVII. 1. This prophecy concerning Damascus, (but which relates as much to the ten tribes,) was probably delivered before the invasion by the Assyrians, and while they were both confederated against the kingdom of Judah. It is thought to have been fulfilled when Tiglath-pilesar took Damascus, and carried the people to Kir, (2 Kings xvi. 9,) and when at the same time the Assyrians overran part of the kingdom of Israel, and carried away many captives: but it was more completely fulfilled on the conquest of that Lowth, pp. 100, 101; Stock, p. 44. "The valley of the Arabians." Marg. See Wall, II. p. 94; Lowth, p. 101; Blayney's "Jeremiah and Lamentations," Ed. 2, 1810, Notes, p. 421. See Lowth, p. 102; Dodson, p. 233; Stock, p. 45. Ibid. "LXX. I will send, as it were, serpents upon the land. Shall the mount of the daughter of Sion be a forsaken rock?'" Wall, II. p. 94. ** See Lowth, pp. 102, 103. Ibid. p. 103; Dodson, p. 233; Blayney (on Jer. xlviii. 29), p. 419. country, and the captivity of the remains of the people, by Shalmanassar.* 2. There is great uncertainty in the rendering of this passage. Our common version has, the cities of Aroer are forsaken. In the Syriac it is, Adoiris is forsaken. In the LXX., Damascus is taken from the cities, and shall be destroyed. As this has not taken place, I prefer the common rendering, though it is no doubt very uncertain. Damascus has never since this time been the seat of an independent empire; but the language of the other part of the prophecy must be hyperbolical, if the present reading be right. 5. Rephaim was a fruitful valley near Jerusalem.‡ 8.§ This seems to respect a very distant period, when idolatry will be for ever abolished, though it was, no doubt, true of the Samaritans, who were, and still are, as much devoted to the sole worship of the true God, as the Jews. 12-14. These three verses have no apparent connexion with any thing that precedes or follows them, so that it is doubted whether they be in their proper place. The prophecy is similar to many others, which describe an invasion of Palestine at the final return of the Jews, when their enemies will be defeated with great slaughter. XVIII. Much of the attention of learned Christians has of late been given to that part of the prophecies of Isaiah which is contained in this chapter, which is with justice considered as one of the most obscure of his or any other prophecies; and since the interpretations that have been given of it are very different, I shall hope to be excused if I propose another. Notwithstanding the uncertainty there may be in the sense of particular words and phrases, in this or other prophecies, it may not be difficult to ascertain the general sense of them from collateral evidence; so that though those words and phrases may remain of doubtful interpretation, there may * Lowth, p. 105. + See ibid. pp. 105, 106; Dodson, p. 233; Rosen. in Stock, p. 47. "It is here used poetically for any fruitful country." Lowth, p. 106. § (Marg) Sun-images, "so called from their being placed on the house-top, and consequently exposed to the heat of the sun." Young, I. p. 110. See Lowth, p. 106; Dodson, p. 234, Pliny (N. H. xxvi. 14), in Stock, p. 48. Lowth, p. 107. The Notes on this chapter, in the Northumberland edition, are found verbatim, with enlargements, in the author's "Attempt to explain the Eighteenth Chapter of Isaiah," which was annexed, in 1801, to the "Inquiry into the Knowledge of the Ancient Hebrews concerning a Future State," as edited by Mr. Lindsey in 1801. I have, therefore, here substituted for those Notes the whole of the Attempt. be no great uncertainty with respect to any thing of much importance in the prophecy. There is abundant evidence of the Hebrew text of the prophetical books of Scripture being considerably corrupted by frequent transcribing. To this the necessary obscurity of these parts of Scripture would greatly contribute, while the obvious sense of the historical books would secure their correctness to a transcriber who understood the language. On this account it may be allowed to call in the aid of the ancient versions; since at the time in which they were made, the copies might be more correct. Consequently, if any of them give a clear meaning, consistent with the context, it may be adopted in preference to the Hebrew text, of which no certain or good sense can be made. Even.conjectural emendations, without the authority of any ancient version, or MS., may sometimes be allowed, though this should be done very sparingly; since many of the most plausible of those emendations have appeared, on farther consideration, to be unnecessary; the present text being capable, on a more critical examination, of a clear and unexceptionable interpretation. Having premised these observations, which respect the prophetical writings in general, I shall proceed to others, which may tend to throw some light upon this part of them in particular. At the time that Isaiah began to prophesy, the kingdom of Judah was threatened with an invasion by the kings of Israel and Syria, and afterwards, in the reign of Hezekiah, with a more formidable one by the king of Assyria. But notwithstanding these unfavourable appearances, it is the great burden of the prophecies of Isaiah, that the promises of God to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and repeated by Moses, viz. that they would be the most distinguished and flourishing of all nations, would certainly be fulfilled; that though their sufferings would be great, and they would be dispersed, as Moses had foretold, over all the face of the earth, they would in due time be restored to their own country, and enjoy the unmolested possession of it to the end of time; while all the nations which at that time threatened them, and all others that should hereafter rise to great power, and oppress them, would be exterminated. This fate is particularly announced concerning all the countries that were at that time hostile to the Israelites, though it does not appear in what period of the long continuance of Isaiah's prophesying, those predictions were delivered, and it is not probable that they were given in the order in which they are recorded. The judgments of God against Assyria are contained in Chap. x. and Chap. xiv. 22; against Babylon, Chap. xiii.; against Moab (at that time a powerful and proud nation), Chap. xv.; against the Syrians, Chap. xvii.; against the Egyptians, Chap. xix.; and against the Tyrians, Chap. xxiii. All these predictions of Isaiah concerning the fate of these particular countries, were followed by other similar ones in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and some of them in the minor prophets, about two centuries after him. The most remarkable of these prophecies is that against Babylon, which made no great figure in the time of Isaiah, and had not then been hostile to the Israelites. It is farther remarkable, that the overthrow of Babylon is announced as to be accomplished by the Medes, Chap. xiii. 17; xxi. 2; xxxi. 8; xlvi. 47; a nation then quite inconsiderable; and Cyrus, the conqueror of Babylon, is even mentioned by name, Chap. xliv. 28; xlv. 1; about two hundred years before he was born. The seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of Isaiah contain one of those prophecies. It is entitled, The burden of Damascus, the capital of the kingdom of Syria, which was then a powerful state, and, in conjunction with the kingdom of Israel, threatened the kingdom of Judah. But though, of these two, Damascus is threatened with utter destruction, and the fortress is foretold to cease from Ephraim, yet it is said that a remnant shall be left of Israel. As no new title occurs till the nineteenth chapter, we may conclude that the predictions in the eighteenth cannot relate to Egypt, as Bishop Lowth and most other interpreters suppose, especially as the very next chapter has the title of The burden of Egypt. 1. As the word in Chap. xvii. 12, evidently signifies woe, and announces calamity, the same must, no doubt, be its meaning in Chap. xviii. 1, which is only a continuation of the same prophecy, though it may in other places be a mere interjection, signifying a call to some person or nation. There is great uncertainty in rendering the phrase, bby; but that it is in any respect descriptive of Egypt, cannot be admitted, for the reason just given. And as the verses immediately preceding in the same prophecy, though |