1The blessings of Christ's kingdom. 9Desolation is foreshewn. 15Restoration is promised to succeed.
1BEHOLD, 1a kinga shall reign in righteousness, and 2princes 3shall rule in judgment.
1 Namely, Christ Jesus. Yet some do understand by this king, king Hezekiah, forasmuch as he was a type and figure of Christ.
a Psalm 45:6; Zech. 9:9.
2 That is, the servants of this King in His spiritual Kingdom.
3 Namely, by the Word of God.
2And a 4man 5shall be 6as an hiding place from 7the wind, and a covert from the tempest; 8as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in 9a weary land.
4 Namely, Jesus Christ.
5 Namely, unto believers.
6 That is, as a place where man may hide and cover himself from the wind. The sense is: The Messiah shall be the true Refuge of all the elect.
7 Understand here the wind of spiritual temptation, and all manner of persecution. Compare Mat. 11:28.
8 That is, He shall bring strong comfort or consolation to the distressed by the powerful working of the Holy Ghost. Compare these words with Mat. 5:6; John 4:10, 14; 7:37, 38, 39.
9 Or, a thirsty land, namely, weary and faint for thirst. See Psalm 143:6; Prov. 25:25; Isa. 29:8.
3And the eyesb10of them that see shall 11not be dim, and the ears of them that hear 12shall hearken.
b Isa. 29:18; 30:21.
10 That is, of the faithful, who shall be all enlightened of the Lord, Isa. 54:13. See also Isa. 29:18; 30:21.
11 That is, shall not look elsewhere, nor look amiss. Understand herewith, but they shall diligently look up to the Lord. Other, not be spread over, or, not grown dusk, not be obscured.
12 Namely, unto that which the Lord says. See Mat. 7:28; Luke 4:22.
4The heart also 13of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak 14plainly.
13 Or, of the imprudent. Hebr. of them that make haste; also Isa. 35:4.
14 Hebr. neatly, namely, words.
515The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churlc said to be 16bountiful.
15 The sense is: Vices or evil deeds shall go no more under the name of virtues, but they shall by the preaching of the Holy Gospel be discovered, and be sharply reproved, evil shall be called evil, and good shall be called good.
c mean, miserly person
16 Or, giving liberally. The Hebrew word does also sometimes signify rich, as Job 34:19.
6For the 17vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter 18error against the LORD, 19to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause 20the drink of the thirsty to fail.
17 Other, But he will be a fool that, etc., and so in the sequel.
18 That is, false doctrine, which leads a man aside from the true way of salvation, and brings him into error.
19 That is, to hinder men from coming to the knowledge of the truth of God; understanding by the soul of the hungry, all them who have an earnest desire and longing to know heavenly and soul saving truth. Compare Mat. 5:6; John 6:32, etc.
20 Or, and to cause the thirsty to lack drink. Hebr. the drink of the thirsty, that is, the drink which ought to be given to the thirsty, or of which the thirsty has need, or which he wishes and desires.
7The 21instruments also 22of the churl are evil: 23he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh 24right.
21 Or, work-implements are evil, that is, his counsels and devices, dealings, weight, measure, etc. are altogether hurtful. Covetousness is the root of all evil, 1 Tim. 6:10.
22 This is the description of the miser.
23 See the annotation at Job 21 on verse 27.
24 The meanings is, that the churl or covetous person regards not the words which the poor alleges in their own behalf and defense, but that he even boldly wrests and perverts judgment. Other, yea, even when the poor speaketh what is right, that is, although he is in the right in that which he says. Other, when the needy speak with judgment, that is, with sound reason and understanding.
8But the 25liberal 26deviseth liberal things; 27and by 28liberal things shall he stand.
25 As verses 5 and 6.
26 Or, maketh proposals, or, intends for himself.
27 That is, he is diligent to show love and liberality to his neighbor.
28 Hebr. voluntary, generous.
9 ¶ 29Rise up, 30ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.
29 Namely, to the honor of the Word of God. See Gen. 49:33; Judges 3:20. Or, Rise up, namely, out of the sleep of sin, namely, to prevent the sore plagues wherewith God the Lord threatens you.
30 Or, careless, secure, presumptuous women, who are at present voluptuous and wanton, feeling and suspecting at present no evil or inconvenience at all. Some do understand by the women here, the cities which were in the land of Judah, and by the daughters the villages, that is, the inhabitants of those cities and villages.
1031Many days and years shall 32ye 33be troubled, ye careless women: for 34the vintage 35shall fail, 36the gathering shall not come.
31 That is, many years one after another, namely, seventy years, for, so long did the Babylonian captivity last. Some extend it further, namely, to the last destruction of the Jews. Compare Hosea 3:4.
32 Namely, who are at present so quiet and careless.
33 Namely, by reason of the fearful plagues that God shall send upon you.
34 This is what God threatens Lev. 26:34, 43.
35 That is, cease, shall not be. Hebr. is out, that is, it shall surely fail.
36 The meaning is: The land shall be so wasted and destroyed that there shall be nothing to be had or gathered from it.
11Tremble, 37ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: 38strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.
37 As verse 9.
38 Or, put off your clothes, namely, your usual elegant apparel. As if he said: The time is now at hand that you shall have to put off your elegant and costly apparel, and instead thereof, you shall have to put on sacks or mourning garments. See Isa. 3:24.
12They shall lament 39for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
39 That is, because the children have nothing to suck; the breasts of the mothers, being dried up by reason of the great hunger or famine. Some are of the opinion that here by teats are to be understood the fields and vines (as it follows in the text) which are like two breasts out of which food or nourishment for necessity is sucked or drawn, and then this is the sense: As the children shall have no milk, so neither shall adults have either meat or drink.
13Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, 40upon all the houses of joy in 41the joyous city:
40 That is, upon all places where the houses have stood, wherein they were wont to be jovial and merry; for, all those houses would be burnt down and destroyed by the enemy. See 2 Kings 25:9; 2 Chron. 36:19.
41 That is, Jerusalem; see Isa. 22:2.
14Because 42the palaces shall be 43forsaken; 44the multitude of the city shall 45be left; 46the forts and 47towers shall be 48for dens 49for ever, 50a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
42 Namely, the king’s palace.
43 Or, stand empty.
44 Or, the stir.
45 Or, cease.
46 Or, Ophel. See 2 Chron. 27:3, and the annotation there; 2 Chron. 33:14; Neh. 3:26; 11:21.
47 Hebr. watchtower; called in Neh. 3:26 the tower that lieth out.
48 That is, for places where no men but snakes and toads shall dwell.
49 That is, a long while.
50 The senses is: The wild asses, which love to be in desert places, shall find good pasture there.
15Until 51the spirit 52bed poured upon us 53from on high, and 54the wildernesse be 55a fruitful field, 56and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
51 Namely, the Holy Ghost, Whom the Messiah will send unto us from the Father. See Luke 24:49; John 14:26.
52 Hebr. be made bare; because the bottom of a vessel is made bare when the water is poured out of it.
d Joel 2:28; John 7:37, 38; Acts 2:17, 18.
53 That is, from heaven.
54 That is, those who by nature are useless and unsound for anything that is good, they shall be made useful and sound, especially the Gentiles.
e Isa. 29:17.
55 Or, land, or, meadow. Hebr. unto a Carmel; see the annotations at 2 Kings 19 on verse 23; Isa. 29 on verse 17; Jer. 2 on verse 7.
56 That is, the land and the people of the Jews, which are here called the fruitful field, because God then called them before the Gentiles and did choose and did call them for His own people, and because the law of God was and continued long among them. That shall be as desolate and barren.
16Then 57judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness 58remain 59in the fruitful field.
57 That is, the Gentiles, who were formerly like a wilderness, shall turn unto the Lord, and live according to His laws and commandments, being justified and sanctified.
58 Or, dwell, or, abide with the habitation.
59 That is, in the congregation of believing Jews and Gentiles. See Isa. 29 on verse 17.
17And 60the work of righteousness shall be 61peace; and 62the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
60 Or, the thing made or formed, that is, the fruit. See Psalm 1:3.
61 Namely, peace of conscience, Rom. 5:1.
62 Or, the wrought out fruit of righteousness.
18And 63my people shall dwell in af64peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in 65quiet resting places;
63 The prophet delivers in this eighteenth verse in other words the very same matter whereof he has spoken in the 15th, 16th and 17th verses.
f Jer. 33:16.
64 Understand here the peace of conscience which believers enjoy under the protection of their supreme Shepherd, the Messiah.
65 Or, in quiet rest, or, in great stillness and quietness.
19When 66it shall hail, 67coming down on the forest; and 68the city shall be low in a low place.
66 That is, God will cause His judgments to come upon the forest, that is, upon wild, savage, disobedient men. Compare Joshua 10:11; Ezek. 38:22; Rev. 8:7; 16:21. Some take it thus, that the hail, that is, the plague, shall do as little harm as if it fell upon a forest, where it can do but little harm.
67 Others thus: it shall hail in the descent or going down, or, in the lowermost part of the forest, as if the prophet wanted to say: Where a man was wont to be protected from the hail, there shall it (namely, the hail) pierce through to the very bottom, or lowermost part of all. Other, so that the forest shall fall down. Compare Deut. 28:52.
68 That is, rebellious Jerusalem together with all disobedient and unthankful persons shall be humbled and brought low. See verse 14, and compare Mat. 11:23.
2069Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, 70that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.
69 Here the prophet turns himself to all faithful teachers and ministers of the Word, and he compares them to the fortunate husbandmen, who, tilling a watery or fruitful field, look for a good crop in harvest. As if he said: Blessed are ye that preach the Word of God with joy in the congregation of the Lord, which in Christ’s time shall be gathered in all places of the world, and which shall bring forth much fruit, as a field that is situated by the waterside. Compare further Psalm 72 on verse 16; Luke 8:11. Some understand by the waters all kinds of nations (as elsewhere besides has happened) to whom the Gospel in the time of the New Testament would be preached.
70 That is, ye who till the fruitful field, while ye may certainly look for much benefit and advantage from this; for, in the land of the Jews, the oxen and the asses did pull the plough, and did the work of husbandry. And understand here by the feet of the ox and the ass the ox and the ass themselves.