S A I A H. 



then follows a prf diftion of the ill fucccfs of the dellgns of 

 the Ifraelites and Syrians againft Judah ; and a denunci.ition 

 of the calamities to be brought upon the king and people of 

 Judah by the Aflyrians, whom they had now hired to affift 

 them, 'J'he 8th chapter is clofely ccnneCted with the fore- 

 going, aid contains a confirmation of the prophecy before 

 given of the approaching deflrudion of the kingdoms of 

 Ifrael and .'^yria by the Affyrians, of the denunciation of the 

 invafion of Judah by the fame AfTyrians ; together with a 

 repeated gt-r.eral affurance, that all the defigns of the ene- 

 mies of God's people (hall be in the end difappointcd and 

 brought to r.ought, concluding, after admonitions and 

 threatenings, with an illuftrious prophecy of the manifefta- 

 tion of the Mefliah, the tranfcendent dignity of his cha- 

 rafter, and the imiverfality and eternal duration of his king- 

 dom. This prophecy concludes at the 6th verfe of the 

 9th chapter. The whole pafTage from chapter ix. 7. to 

 chapter x. 4, contains a diftinft prophecy, and a juil poem ; 

 remarkable for the regularity of its difpofition ?nd the ele- 

 gance of its plan ; it is addrefled exclufively to the kingdom 

 of Ifrael, and the fubjeft of it is a denunciation of vengeance 

 awaiting their enemies. The ^th verfe of the loth chapter be- 

 gins with a new and diftinft prophecy, which is continued 

 to the end of the 12th chapter. It appears that it was deli- 

 vered after the taking of Samaria by Shalmanefer, in the 

 6th year of the reign of Hezekiah, and as the former part 

 of it foretels the invafion of Senacherih, and the dellruftion 

 of his armv, which makes the whole fubjecl of this chap- 

 ter, it muii have been delivered before the 14th year of the 

 fame reign. Then, according to Ifaiah's ufual method, he 

 takes occafion, from the mention of a great temporal deli- 

 verance by the dcftrutlion of the Affyrian army, to launch 

 out into the difplay of the fpiritual deliverance of God's 

 people by the Meffiah, to whom this prophecy relates. (See 

 Rom. XV. 12) The hymn in the 12th chapter fcems, by 

 its whole tenor, as well as by many exprefiions in it, much 

 better calculated for the ufe of the Chriftian church, than 

 for the Jewilh in any circumftances, or at any time, that 

 can be afllgned ; and the Jews themfelves feem to have ap- 

 plied it to the times of the Mefhali. The '13th and 14th 

 chapters (excluding the five lad verfes of the latter, which 

 belong to a quite different fubjedl) contain one entire pro- 

 phecy, foretelling the deftrutlion of Babylon by the Medes 

 and Perfians ; delivered probably in the reign of Ahaz (fee 

 Vitringa, i. 380.) about 200 years before the completion of 

 it. The former part of this prophecy, fays biihop Lowth, 

 is one of the moll beautiful examples, that can be given, of 

 elegance of compofition, variety of imagen", and fublimity 

 of fentiment and diftion in the prophetic ftyle ; and the 

 latter part confifts of an ode of fupreme and fingnlar ex- 

 rellence. The 15th and i6th chapters, which ought not to 

 have been feparated, taken together, make one entire pro- 

 phecy, deUvered, moll probably, foon after the foregoing, 

 in the ill year of Kczekiah, and accomplifhcd in his 4th 

 year, when Shabnanefer invaded the kingdom of Ifrael. 

 The prophecy in the i7tli chapter comprehends the kingdom 

 of Samaria and the Ifraelites, confederated with Damafcus 

 and the Syrians againtl the kingdom of Judah. It was de- 

 livered probably foon after the prophecies of the 7th and 8th 

 chapters, in the beginning of the reign of Ahaz, and was 

 fulfilled by Tiglath-Pilefer's taking Damafrus, (2 Kings, 

 xvi 9.) overrunning a great part of the kingdom of Ifrael, 

 and carrying a great number of the Ifraelites alfo captives to 

 Aflyria ; and liiU more fully in regard to Ifrael, by the con- 

 quell of the kingdom, and the captivity of the people, 

 effecled a few years after by Shalmanefer. The prophecy 

 in the 1 8th chapter i? in all its cir«umilancc3 obfcure and 



doubtfuL In the 19th ^.-hapter the prophet feems to ha^e 

 had in view the conqucft of the Perfians by Alexander, 

 which was in facl a deliverance to Egypt, together with 

 other preceding ajid collateral incidents, and tlic favour 

 granted to the Jews by Alexander and the Ptolemies. The 

 20th cliapter refers to the taking cf Aflidod or Azotus, 

 and warns the Jews againfl depending too much on tl<eafiiil- 

 ance of Egypt. The ten firfl verfes of the 2 ill chapter 

 contain a prcdiftion of the capture of Babylon by the Mcde.-i 

 and Perfians ; the remainin^r prediftion is obfcure. Tlie 

 prophecy, ending with the 14th verfe of the 2 2d chapter, 

 foretels the invafion of Jerufalem by the Affyrians under 

 Senacherih, or by the Chaldajans under Nebuchadnezzar. 

 Vitringa thinks that the prophet had both in view ; that of 

 the Chaldoeans in the firll part, verfe i — 5, and that of the 

 AlTyriansin the latter part, v. 8 — 11. The prophecy in 

 the 23d chapter denounceth the deftruction of Tyre by Ne- 

 buchadnezzar. From the 13th chapter to the 2jd incfufive, 

 the fate of fevcral cities and nations is denounced; of Baby- 

 lon, of the Philiilines, Moab, Damafcus, Egypt, Tyre. The 

 prophet then proceeds, in the 24th and three following chap- 

 ters, to declare the judgments impending upon the people o'f 

 God themfelves, for their wickednels and apoilacy ; and 

 the defolation that fliall be brought on their whole country. 

 The particular fubjeft of the 24th chapter has been differ- 

 ently afligned by interpreters ; fome refer it to she dclolation 

 occafioned by the invafion of Shalmanefer; others to the in- 

 vafion of Nebuchadnezzar ; and olhers to the dcilrnction of 

 the city and nation by the Roma^is. Vitringa is fingu!ar in 

 referring it to the perfecution of Antiochus Epiphanes. 

 Bilhop Lowth thinks it may have a view to all the three 

 great defolations of the country by Shalmanefer, by Nebu- 

 chadnezzar, and by the Romans, efpeeially the lall. The 23 th 

 chapter contains a fong of praife, diflaled more by t.'.e pro- 

 fpeCt of future mercies, than by'the recolleclion of palt events. 

 The fubj*ft of the 27th chapter feems to be the ni;ture, the 

 mcafure, and the defign of God s d-.aiings with his people; 

 The prophecy in the 2Sth chapter, as far as the fifth vc*fe, 

 relates to the Ifraelites, and manifeiUy denounces their de- 

 (Iruftion by Shalmanefer. It then turns to the two tribes of 

 Judah and Benjamin, the remnant of God's peoj.le, who were 

 to continue a kingdom after the final captivity of the 

 Ifraelites. It begins with a favourable prognoilication of 

 their affairs under Hezekiah ; but foon changes to reproofs 

 and threatenings, for their intemperance, dilobedience, and 

 profanenefs. The fubjeft of the 29th and four following 

 chapters is the invafion of Senacherih ; the great diftrefs cf 

 the Jews while it continued ; their unexpefted and fuddea 

 dclivi-rance by Gods interpofition in their favour ; the fub- 

 fequent profperous Hate of the kingdom under Hezekiah ; 

 interiperfed with reproofs and threatenings, and alio with 

 promifes of better times. The 34th ami j^th chapters make 

 one dillinft prophecy ; an entire, regular, and beautiful 

 poem, confiding of two parts ; the firll containing a denun- 

 ciation of divine vengeance againll the enemies of tlie people, 

 or church of God : the fecond defcribing the fiouridiing 

 ihite of the church of God, confequent upon the execution. 

 of thofe judgments. The. 36th chapter contains a hillory 

 of the invafion of Senacherih, and of the miraculous de- 

 itruftion of his army, as a proper introdiiftion to the proplie- 

 cy in the 37th chapter, which is the anfwer of God to He- 

 zekiah's prayer, which could not be well underllood without 

 it. The narration of llie 38th and 39th chapters feems to 

 be in feme parts an abridgment of that of 2 Kings, xx. 

 The courfe of prophecies which follow from the 40th ciiap- • 

 ter to the end of the book, and which, taken together, con- 

 ftitute the moll elegatst part of the writings of the Old Tif- 



tament, . 



