Matthew Poole and continuators on Isaiah 45:14

14. Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt , and merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature shall come over unto thee , and they shall be thine, they shall come after thee, in chains they shall come over : and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee saying, Surely God is in thee , and there is none else, there is no God .

The wealth gotten by their labour.

A tall and strong people, who yet shall use their strength not to oppose thee but to serve thee, and to bring their labour to thee.

Either, 1. To thee O Cyrus: Because thou wast so generous as to dismiss my people freely, I will give thee another, and a better recompence, even the labour of Egypt, &c. Or, 2. to thee, O my City, or my Captivity or Captive People. For it is not to be neglected, that there are no less than six pronouns in this verse, all which are of the feminine gender; which seems not to agree to Cyrus. It is true which is objected by the most learned Author of this part of the English Annotations, that the Scripture oft speaks of States and Kingdoms in the Feminine gender; but when it speaks of any particular King or Emperour, it constantly speaks of him in the Masculine gender, as it doth of Cyrus in this very Chapter, ver. 1. and elsewhere. And thus the sence of the place seems to be this, Ierusalem shall not onely be rebuilt, but the Wealth and Glory of other Countryes shall be brought to it again, as it was in former times. Which although it was in part verified in Ierusalem, yet it was much more fully accomplished in the Church of the Gospel, which is oft expressed in Scripture under the name of Ierusalem; and in the Accession of the Gentiles to that Church which began in Ierusalem, and from thence spread it self into all the parts of the World. And this sence seems best to agree with the latter part of this and with the following verse, as we shall see.

They shall be taken captive by thee, and willingly submit themselves to thee. Which was accomplished in the Conversion of the Gentiles, whose Subjection to Gods Church is oft expressed in Scripture under such Metaphors as this; as Psal. 45. 5. and 149. 8, &c. Psal. 68. 18. compared with Eph. 4. 8.

To obtain thy favour and society.

Or, with thee. We plainly discern that God is on thy side, or in the midst of thee; and therefore we desire to joyn our selves with thee.

We are now convinced, that thou art the onely true God, and that Idols are vain and empty nothings. Which was but very obscurely fulfilled in Cyrus his time, but was most evidently and eminently accomplished in the days of the Messiah, of whom Cyrus was a Type; as also this deliverance of the Iews from Babylon by Cyrus, was a Type of the Redemption of Gods People by Christ.

Marginal references: Or, and the Sabeans, men of stature, so Gr.; Chap. 60. 14; 1 Cor. 14. 25 Ver. 5.