Matthew Poole and continuators on Isaiah 41

1 KEep silence before me ▪ O islands , and let the people renew their strength : let them come near , then let them speak : let us come near together to judgment.

Attend diligently to my plea, and then answer it if you can.

O you Inhabitants of Islands, as the next clause explains this. By [illegible: 1+ letters]ands he here means, as he doth Chap. 40. 15. and elsewhere. Countries remote from Iudea, inhabited by the Idolatrous Gentiles, with whom he here debateth his cause.

Strengthen themselves to maintain their cause against me, let them unite all their strength together.

Unto me that we may stand together, and plead our cause before any indifferent Judge.

I will give them free liberty to say what they can on their own behalf.

Marginal references: Heb. people.

2 Who raised up the righteous man from the East , called him to his foot gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings ? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.

What man or God? Was it not my alone work? The Idols were so far from assisting me, that they did their utmost to oppose me in it.

Into Being and Power, stirring up his Spirit, and strengthning him to the work.

Heb. Righteousness, which is put for a man of Righteousness, as Pride is put for a proud man, Psal. 36. 11. and Deceit for a deceitful man, Psal. 109. 2. For it is evident from the following words, that he spake here of a person: But who this person is, is much disputed by interpreters. Some understand it of Christ. And doubtless the Person here spoken of was an eminent Type of Christ, and so in a mystical sence it may belong to him. But the things here said to be done by this Righteous Man, seems to agree much better unto a man of War, than unto the Prince of Peace. And therefore this place is immediately understood either. 1. Of Abraham, who was a Person eminently Righteous, and came out of Chaldea, which sometimes seems to be called the East, as Isa. 2. 6. Zech. 8. 7. who did the things here mentioned; partly in his own person, conquering five Kings and the Nations with them, Gen. 14. and following God he knew not whither; and partly by his posterity; whose exploits may well be ascribed to him, not onely because he came out of his Loynes, but also and especially, because all their successes and vistories were given to them for Abrahams sake, and by the vertue of Gods promise and Covenant made with Abraham, for the giving of Canaan to him and to his Seed for ever. And this Interpretation may seem to receive some countenance from ver. 5▪ 6. which agrees well to the practice of the Canaa[illegible: 1+ letters]ites and Neighbouring Nations; who upon Israels March towards th[illegible: 1+ letters] were filled with great co[illegible: 1+ letters]ternation, and used all possible diligence in seeking both to their Idols, and to men for help against them, as we read in that sacred History. And thus Gods argument against Idolatry, is taken from an illustrious example of Gods infinite Power, put forth in saving his people, and destroying their enemies before them; and of the impotency of Idols to hinder him in that work: Or, 2. Of Cyrus, who might be called a Righteous man: Or, as it is in the Hebrew, a man of Righteousness, because he was Raised up in Righteousness, as it is said of him, Isa. 45. 13. and was Gods great Instrument to manifest his Righteousness; both his Faithfulness, in fulfilling his promise of delivering his people out of Babylon after seventy years (Righteousness being often put for Faithfulness) and his Justice, in Punishing the Enemies and Oppressors of his People, the wicked Babylonians; upon which account the Medes, who served under Cyrus in his expedition against the Babylonians, are called Gods Sanctified Ones, Isa. 13. 3, 17. And all the other expressions here used are very applicable to him, and were verified in him. He came from the East, from Persia which was directly eastward, both from Iudea and from Babylon, and which is called the East in this very case, Isa. 46. 11. He was raised up by God in an eminent and extraordinary manner, as is noted both by sacred and profane Historians; and therefore this very word is used concerning him and his Army, not onely here, but elsewhere; as Isa. 13. 17. Ier. 50. 9. and 51. 1, 11. To him also all the following passages agree, as we shall see. And although this great person & action were yet to come▪ yet the Prophet speaks of them as if they were already past, as the Prophets most frequently do. And as in the clause of the former Chapter he speaks of Gods People, as if they were actually in the captivity of Babylon, ver. 27. so here he speaks of them, as if they were actually brought out of Babylon by Cyrus. And by this instance he pleads his cause against the Gentiles and their Idols; because this was an evident proof of Gods Almighty Power, and of the vanity and weakness of Idols, which eminently appeared in the destruction of the Babylonians, who were a People mad upon their Idols, as is said, Ier. 50. 38. and yet were destroyed together with their Idols, Ier. 51. 47.

From a Country Eastward from Iudea, as Chaldea was in part, but Persia more directly.

To march after him, and under Gods Banner against Babylon. Thus Baraks Army is said to be at his feet, Iudg. 4. 10. Compare, also Gen. 30. 30.

Subdued Nations and their Kings before him.

To be beaten by him as small as dust, as is said, Psal. 18. 42. Or, to be put to flight as easily as the dust is scattered by the wind, as the following clause expounds this.

Marginal references: Heb. righteousness.; Chap. 46. 12, 11.; See Gen. 14. 14, &c.

3 He pursued them and passed safely ; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet .

VVent on in the pursuit with great ease and safety, and success.

VVhich is added as a further evidence of Gods wonderful providence, in encouraging and inabling him to march by unknown paths; which hath oft proved dangerous and destructive to great Armies. This also was verified both in Abraham, and in Cyrus, as is well known.

Marginal references: Heb. in peace▪

4. Who hath wrought and done it , calling the generations from the beginning ? I the Lord, the first, and with the last , I am he.

Whose work was this but mine?

Either 1. Calling them out of nothing, giving to them breath and being: Or, 2▪ Calling them to his foot, as he said above, ver. 2. disposing and employing them as he sees fit, sending them upon his errands.

All Persons and Generations of mankind from the beginning of the VVorld to the end of it.

VVho was before all things, even from Eternity, and shall be unto Eternity; whereas the Idols, to whom God herein opposeth himself, were but of yesterday, being made by mens hands, and shall within a little time vanish, and be destroyed.

Marginal references: Chap. 4[illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ 10.; Chap. 43. 10. & 44. 6. & 48. 12. Rev. 1. 17. & 22. 13.

5. The isles saw it , and feared , the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came .

Even remote Countries, as ver. 1.

Discerned the mighty VVork of God in delivering his people, and overthrowing their enemies, in so wonderful a manner.

Left they should be involved in the same Calamity, as being conscious to themselves, that they also were enemies to Gods people.

They gathered themselves together to consult for their common safety, and to maintain the cause of their Idols, whom by this instance they preserved in great Jeopardy.

6. They helped every one his neighbour, and every one said to his Brother, Be of good courage .

They encouraged and assisted one another in their Idolatrous practices.

Marginal references: Chap. 40. 19. & 44. 12.; Heb. be strong.

7. So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith , and he that smootheth with▪ the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering : and he fastned it with nails that it should not be moved.

VVho brought wood to compose the body of the Idol.

VVho was to prepare golden plates for covering, and ado[illegible: 1+ letters]ning of the Image, which some of them beat out upon the Anvil, and others smoothed or polished, as it follows.

That we may put the several parts together, and set it up to be worshiped.

d To the VVall or Pillar, least it should fall down, or go, or be carryed away from them. See Isa. 40. 19, 20.

Marginal references: Or, founder.; Or, saying of the soder, It is good.; Or, the smiting.

8. But thou Israel art my Servant , Jacob whom I have chosen , the seed of Abraham my friend .

Thus the Gentiles shew themselves to be the Servants of their Idols, and own them for their God, but thou art my people and I am and will be thy God.

Out of the heap of the Idolatrous Nations to be my peculiar People.

VVith whom I made a strict league of perpetual friendship; of which see Gen. 12. 2, 3. and 15. 1, 8.

Marginal references: Deut. 7. 6. & 10. 15. & 14. 2. Psal. 135. 4. Chap. 43. 1. & 44. 1.; 2 Chr. 20. 7. [illegible: 1+ letters]am. 2. 23.

9. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth , and called thee from the chief men thereof , and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away .

Thou Israel, whom I took to my self, and brought hither in the loins of thy Father Abraham from a remote Country; to wit, Chaldea: Or, whom I brought back out of Babylon into thine own Land, VVhich though yet to come, he may speak of as of a thing past, as the Prophets use to do, as was noted before. But the former interpretation seems to agree better with the foregoing verse.

From the midst of many great and noble persons among whom he lived in Chaldea. So this notes Gods singular mercy to Abraham, and consequently to the Israelites descended from him, that he passed by many of Abrahams betters, and called him into fellowship with himself.

I have chosen thee not for a small moment, but for ever, by making an everlasting Covenant with thee and thy Seed through all Generations. Or the sence is this: As I have chosen thee at first, so I have not since that time cast thee off, as thou hast frequently given me sufficient occasion to do. Or, and did not refuse thee, as this word is elsewhere used. So the same thing is repeated in other words, not without some emphasis; for he intimates that he chuse them when he had just cause of refusing them.

10. Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness .

VVhich I do and will manage with Righteousness, whereby I will deliver thee, and destroy thine and mine enemies, as it follows.

11. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee, shall be ashamed and confounded : they shall be as nothing , and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Both because their hopes and designes shall be utterly disappointed, and because the mischief which they contrived against thee shall fall upon themselves.

Shall come to nothing, or perish, as the next clause explaines it.

Marginal references: Exod. 23. 22. Chap. 45. 24. & 60. 12. Zech. 12. 3.; Heb. the men of thy strife.

12. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them , even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought .

They shall be so totally consumed, that although thou searchest for them, thou shalt not be able to find them any where in the VVorld.

Shall be utterly brought to nought. The thing is twice repeated, to shew the certainty, and greatness of their destruction.

Marginal references: Heb. the men of thy contention.; Heb. the men of thy war.

13. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand , saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.

Or, will strengthen, &c. as this word properly signifieth, will assist and enable thee to vanquish all thine enemies.

14. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel: I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the holy One of Israel.

VVho art weak in thy self, and despised and trodden under foot by thy proud and potent enemies.

Marginal references: Or, few men

15. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth : thou shalt thresh the mountains , and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

And therefore sharper and stronger than another which hath been much used.

Such as were usual in those times and places: of which see on Isa. 28. 25, 28.

The great and lofty potentates of the World which set themselves against thee, such persons being frequently expressed in Scripture under the notion of Hills and Mountains.

Marginal references: Heb. mouths

16. Thou shalt fan them , and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoyce in the LORD, and shalt glory in the holy One of Israel .

When thou hast beaten them as small as dust or chaff.

For to him, and not to thy self, thou shalt ascribe thy victory over thine enemies.

17. When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue falleth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them .

When my poor people are come to the greatest extremity of danger and misery; then will I appear for their relief.

18. I will open rivers in high places , and fountains in the midst of the Valleys : I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water .

Upon the Mountains where by the course of nature there are no Rivers.

Or, in the Vallies, to wit, in such of them as are not well watered.

These people who were like a dry and barren Wilderness, I will abundantly water with my Blessing, and make them fruitful and beuatiful, as the next verse sheweth: which may be understood, either of the Iews who were in a Wilderness condition, till God brought them out of it; Or, of the Gentiles converted to the true Religion under the Gospel.

Marginal references: Chap. 30. 25 & 35. 7. & 44. 3.; Psal. 107. 35.

19. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah-tree, and the myrtle, and the oyl-tree: I will set in the desert the fir-tree, and the pine, and the box-tree together :

Trees which are both useful and pleasant to the eye, and giving a good shadow to the traveller, which in those hot and parched Countryes was very comfortable. Thus much is evident and confessed: But what particular Trees these Hebrew words signifie, seems to me improper to discourse here, because onely the Learned are capable of judging in this case, and they may consult my Latin Synopsis upon this, and other places of Scripture where they are mentioned.

Marginal references: Chap. 55. 1[illegible: 1+ letters]

20. That they may see , and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the holy One of Israel hath created it.

Or, That men may see: for it is an indefinite expression. The sence is, That all that see this wonderful change may consider it, and may know that this is the work of God alone.

21. Produce your cause , saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons , saith the King of Jacob.

The Prophet having pleaded Gods cause against the Idolatrous Gentiles, whom he challenged to a dispute ver. 1. he now reneweth the Challenge, and gives them liberty and invitation to speak whatsoever they can on the behalf of their Idols.

To prove the Divinity of your Idols.

Marginal references: Heb. cause to come near.

22. Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen : let them shew the former things what they be, that we may consider them , and know the latter end of them ; or declare us things for to come .

Either the Idols: Or, which is all one, the Idolaters in the name and by the help of their Idols.

All future events; which he divides into two sorts in the following clause, the former and the later, as we shall see.

Which is not to be understood of such things as are past, for such things might easily be known by men from History, much more by the Devils who possessed and acted in their Idols, but of such things as should shortly come to pass, which may be better discerned, than those things which are yet at a great distance. So he propounds the easiest part first. Let us try whether they can foretel those things which are eve[illegible: 1+ letters] at the door, and if so we will try them further. Let them tell us what things shall happen, and in what order, which first, and which last.

Heb. and we will set our heart to it; we will allow the argument its due weight, and either fairly answer it, or give up our cause against Idols.

That we may know, or let us know by their information.

The consequence of them, whether the events did answer to their predictions: Or, what things happened next after those former things.

To wit, hereafter, or after a long time; which limitation may be easily gathered, both from the opposition of this clause to the former, and from the next following clause, where it is so limited and explained.

Marginal references: Chap. 45. 21 & 46. 10.; Heb. set ou[illegible: 1+ letters] heart upon them.

23. Shew the things that are to come hereafter: that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil , that we may be dismayed, and behold it together .

That we may have, if not a certain proof, yet at least a probable argument of your Deity. It may be Objected that the Devil hath foretold future events by Idols: but it may be answered, that such predictions were but rare, and oftentimes w[illegible: 1+ letters]re false, and confuted by the event; and generally were dark, and doubtful, as hath been noted; and when they were verified by the event, that was onely done by Divine Permission and revelation, for the tryal or punishment of wicked men, of which we have an instance, Deut. 13. 1, 2, 3. and therefore doth no more prove them to be Gods, than the predictions made known by God unto the Prophets, proved them to be Gods.

Protect and Bless your Worshippers whom I intend to destroy, and destroy my People whom I design to save, and then you have some colour to assert your Deity. But alas! You can neither do good nor evil.

That I and my People may be astonished, and confounded, and forced to acknowledg your Godhead.

Marginal references: Jer. 10. 5.

24. Behold, ye are of nothing , and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you .

You lately were nothing, without any Being at all, and now you have nothing at all of Divinity or Vertue in you.

Either 1. Passively, your workmanship, all the cost and art which is laid out upon you. Or, 2. Actively, all that you can do. Your Operations are like your Beings, there is no reality in your Beings, nor efficacy in your Actions.

He that chuseth you for his Gods, is most abominable for his folly, as well as his wickedness.

Marginal references: Chap. 44. 9. 1 Cor. 8. 4.; Or, Worse than nothing.; Or, worse than of a viper.

25. I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the Sun shall he call upon my name , and he shall come upon princes as upon morter , and as the potter treadeth clay.

You neither foreknow nor can do any thing. But I do now foretell, and will certainly effect a great revolution and change in the World, which you shall not be able to hinder.

Which word, though not expressed in the Hebrew must necessarily be understood, as being oft designed in the following words by the pronoun He. He understands one People: Or, rather one Person, Prince or General together with his People or Forces, as appears from the latter part of the verse. Some conceive that the Prophet in this place speaks of two several persons; in the first clause of Nebuchadnezzar, who in Scripture is commonly said to come from the North, as Ier. 1. 13, 15. & 4. 6. and in the next clause of Cyrus who came from the East, Isa. 46. 11. And then the words may be thus rendred, one from the North, and he shall come: and one from the rising of the Sun, He shall call, &c. But it seems more natural and easy to understand the whose context of one and the same Person, even of Cyrus, of whom he spake before, ver. 2, &c. who might well be said to come, both from the North, and from the East; from the North rather, because he was a Mede by his Mother, as he was a Persian by his Father; or because a great part of his Army was gathered out of Media, which was, and in Scripture is said to be Northward in reference to Iudea, Ier. 50. 9, 41. and 51. 48. and because Darius the Mede was joyned with him in this expedition: and from the East, because Persia was directly eastward from Iudea. And peradventure this work of calling upon or proclaiming Gods Name, is here ascribed to him as he came from the East, rather than as he came from the North, because that work was not done by Darius the Mede, but by Cyrus the Persian.

Or rather, as others render it, who shall call upon: Or rather, proclaim my name, which Cyrus did in express and emphatical terms, Ezra 1. 1, 2.

Treading them down, as easily as a man treadeth down morter.

Marginal references: Or, proclaim

26. Who hath declared from the beginning , that we may know? and before time , that we may say , He is righteous ? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words .

Which of all your Idols did or could fortell such things as this from the beginning of the World unto this day? They never yet did nor can foreknow and foretell any such things, further than▪ I think fit to reveal it to them.

Either in time past: Or, before the things came to pass.

That we may be convinced and forced to acknowledge.

His Cause now pleaded is just and good: He is a God indeed as he pretends to be, he claims his divinity by a good title.

Heb. Surely there is none of your Gods that hath done or can do this, and therefore their claim to the deity is false and foolish.

None of your Worshippers ever heard any such thing either from you or of you: nor indeed doth any man hear your words, because you are dumb and cannot speak.

27. The first shall say to Zion , Behold, behold them , and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings .

I who am the first, as I said before, ver. 4. and therefore capable of declaring or foretelling things to come from the beginning, which your Idols cannot do, ver. 26.

Do and will foretell unto my people by my Prophets things to come.

I represent things future as if they were present, and to be beheld with your eyes. By them he means either. 1. These things which are to come: Or, 2. These men, either Cyrus and his Forces who came to deliver the Iews out of Babylon: Or, which is the same thing in effect, the Iews returning from their captivity in Babylon.

A Messenger or Messengers, the singular number being here put for the plural, as it is in many other places, to wit, my Prophets who shall foretell the good tidings of their deliverance from Captivity.

Marginal references: verse [illegible: 1+ letters].

28. For I beheld , and there was no man , even amongst them, and there was no counseller , that when I asked of them, could answer a word .

Heb. And I beheld, I looked about me to see if I could find any of them that could certainly, and of themselves foretell such future events.

Not any, to wit, of the idols; for the word Man is sometimes used by the Hebrews of brute creatures, and even of lifeless things, as Isa. 34. 15. and 40. 26. and elsewhere.

Though these Idols were oft consulted, and by the help of the Devil did sometimes deliver Oracles, yet none of them were able to give any solid and certain advice concerning future things.

When I tried their divinity by this character, they had nothing to say for themselves.

Marginal references: Heb. return.

29. Behold, they are all vanity , their works are nothing : their molten Images are wind , and confusion .

This is the conclusion of the whole dispute, and the just sentence which God passeth upon Idols after a fair trial; they are vain things, and are falsly called Gods.

See ver. 24.

Which he mentions, because their materials were most precious, and more cost and art was commonly bestowed upon them, for after they had been molten they used to be carved or polished and adorned: but under these he synecdochically comprehends all Images whatsoever.

Empty and unsatisfying things, which also like the wind, do quickly pass away and come to nothing.

Confused and deformed and useless things, like that rude heap in the beginning of Gods Creation, of which this very word is used, Gen. 1. 2.