Chapter Ver. 17. Until I come and take you away to a land like XXXVI your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.] If they would feek the Favour of the King of Affyria by making him a Present, and delivering themfelves up to his Mercy, he promises they fhould be tranfported to a better Country than that to which the Ifraelities were carry'd, and in the mean time every one enjoy his own Poffeffions.

Ver. 18. Beware left Hezekiah perfwade you, faying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Affyria?] He was afraid Hezekiah's avowed Confidence in God would prevail with them to trust to him for deliverance, which makes him fo often defire them not to depend upon that. He argues very popularly and ftrongly, if his Suppofition had been true, That the God of Ifrael, the God of the whole Earth (yea, of Heaven and Earth) was like thofe of all other Nations, who prefided only over one Country or City.

Ver. 19. Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?] Hamath and Arphad were Cities or Countries which the King of Affyria had conquer'd: Some think Hena and Iva were the Gods of Sepharvaim, which is confuted by 2 Kings 17. 31. They were rather Cities whofe Gods could not protect them; and the Gods of Samaria he tells them had been able to do no more than the rest.

Ver. 20. Who are they amongst all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the Lord Should deliver Jerufalem out of my hand?] He defires an inftance of one God that had been able to fave his Country, when his Mafter invaded it, and therefore it was best for them to yield their City up to him, fince God himself could not preferve it, unless he could do more than any other had done, which he concluded was unlikely. It must be acknowledg'd that Rabshakeh was an excellent Orator, as well as a Soldier; not inferiour in Eloquence to Julius Cafar.

Ver. 21. But they held their peace, and answered him not a Chapter word: for the Kings commandment was, faying, Answer him XXXVI. not.] This was a very wife Order, because he might have made fome Advantage by a fudden Anfwer, and it • was no less pious. For Hezekiah believed God would anfwer for himfelf; not in Words, but in fuch Deeds as would demonftrate he was above all Gods.

Ver. 22. Then came Eliakim the fon of Hilkiah, that was over the houfhold, and Shebna the fcribe, and foah the son of Afaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.] It was the Custom of the Jews to rend their Cloaths when they heard a Man blafpheme God's Name. And if we will believe them, when the Witnesses of a Blafphemy did but repeat the words before the Judges, they rent their Cloaths. Accordingly Hezekiah, when his Commiffioners gave an account of Rabfbakeh's words to him, did fo. But they have determin'd, that they were not bound to rend their Cloaths unless he were an Ifraelite that blafphem'd; therefore they have noted (as I faid before) that RabShakeh was an Apoftate Ifraelite. And this Custom was common to all Nations (as appears from Homer, Herodotus, and Virgil) who exprefs'd great Grief in this

manner.

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The

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The ARGUMENT of Chapter XXXVII. Hezekiah having receiv'd an Account of the Conference, difpatches his Commiffioners to Ifaiah' to acquaint him of the Particulars, and to defire him in the Name of his Majesty, to recommend their Caufe to God. The Prophet advises the King not to be concern'd, and gives him affurance that God would make the prefumptuous Tyrant fly to his own Country precipitately, and there meet his Death. Rabfhakeh returns to Sennacherib, and met him before Libnah, of which probably he was obliged to raise the Siege, and go against Tirhaka, who was approaching to give him Battle: But before he went, he fent a menacing Letter to Hezekiah, to the fame purpofe as Rabshakeh's Speech; which being full of Blafphemy, he laid before God in the Temple, and earnestly implored his Protection: To which God returns a favourable Answer by his Prophet, threatning to put a Hook in the Tyrant's Nofe, and make him fly to his own Country dishonou. rably and promifing a Succeffion of happy Years, and plenty of all Things to Hezekiah and his Subjects, tho the Land of Judah had been lamentably ravag'd by the Allyrians, the Fruit deftroy'd, and the Fields lain uncultivated, which night otherwife have occafion'd a Famine among them, had not God given an extraordinary Bleffing to it. And then at the 17th Verfe, he gives a brief Account of that fainous Overthrow, and of the Death of Sennacherib in the Temple of Nifroc his God.

XXXVII. Verse 1.

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CHA P. XXXVII.

ND it came to pass when Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himfelf with fackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.] See the laft Verfe of the foregoing Chapter. He fafted and mourn'd, and went into the Temple to pray. Sometimes they put on Sackcloath next their Skin, inftead of a Shirt: But here it seems to fignify only that he was cloathed in this vile Habit in token of his great Trouble and Sorrow. Ver. 2. And he fent Eliakim who was over the houshold, and Shebnah the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sack

cloth,

cloth, unto Ifaiah the Prophet the fon of Amoz.] In the fame Chapter mournful Habit to beg his Prayers to God for them. XXXVII.

Ver. 3. And they faid unto him, Thus faith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blafphe my: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not Strength to bring forth.] They reprefent to him the great Straits in which they were, and the Reproaches caft upon them; and which was worst of all, the Blafphemy they had heard against God: They were in the fame danger of perishing as a Woman whofe Child being fallen down after many Throws to the place of Birth, she was fo spent that he had no Strength left to bring it forth; or as Procopius Gazans expounds it, We are in pain to hear fuch blafphemous Words, and have no power to punish thofe wicked Wretches as they deferve.

Ver. 4. It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabfbakeh, whom the King of Affyria his master bath fent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.] Ludovicus de Dieu following R. Solomon Farchi, thinks that the word we tranflate Reprove, fignifies to Prove, to Prove, and by Arguments to demonftrate, and fo refers it to Rabfbakeh in this manner, It may be the Lord will hear all the words of Rabfhakeh, whom the King of Affyria hath fent to reproach the living God; and that openly, with a bold Face, fearing nothing, because all things fucceed according to their hearts defire. And he faith he fhall wonder if this fenfe difplease any Bódy.

Ver. 5, 6, 7. So the fervants of King Hezekiah came to Ifaiah. And Ifaiah faid unto them, Thus fhall ye fay unto my master, Thus faith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the fervants of the King of Affyria have blafphemed me. Behold, I will fend a blast upon him, and he shall bear a rumour, and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the fword in his own land. A Peftilential Blaft which deftroy'd his Army in one Night, v. 35. Others tranflate it a Spirit, which is the fame, for God fent an Angel which fmote them with that Peftilence. The Report perhaps was renew'd after that stroke, that Tirhaka” (of whom he had heard before, v. 9.) was coming against M m 2

him,

Chapter him, which made him hafte away with the fmall Remains XXXVII. of his Army to his own Country.

Ver. 8. So Rabhakeh returned, and found the King of Affyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachifh.] Not with the Hoft that he brought with him, but he himself return'd to give his Master an account of what he had done, and left Rabfaris to carry on the Siege, and ftraiten the City, 'till he could come with the whole Army against it. He found Sennacherib at Libnah, for he had left Lachish, unable, I fuppofe, to make himself Master of it.

Ver. 9. And he heard say concerning Tirhakah King of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee: and when be heard it, he fent meffengers to Hezekiah, saying,] Whether he fought with Tirhakah or no, and what the Succefs was, does not appear: But it is to be noted, that there were two Countries called Cush, which we translate Ethiopia; one in Africa beyond Egypt, the other in Arabia, which is the Ethiopia here meant. For the King of the other was far, off, and muft have march'd through Egypt before he could come to fight with Sennacherib. But this was near, and was able to raise a powerful Army, as appears by the vaft Forces which Zarah brought against Afa, 2 Chron. 14. 9. And thus the 2 Chron. 21. 16. as Bochart obferves, muft neceffarily be understood, where the Arabians whom God ftirr'd up against Jehoram are faid to be near to the Ethiopians. Which cannot be true of those beyond Egypt. See his Phaleg. Lib. 4. Ch. 2.

Ver. 10. Thus fhall ye fpeak to Hezekiah King of Judah, faying, Let not thy God in whom thou truftest deceive thee, faying, Ferufalem fhall not be given into the hand of the King of Affyria.] They could not come to the Speech of him, but fent him a Letter containing their Meflage: He had heard, I fuppofe, that Hezekiah declar'd he trusted in the Lord, and had Affurance from him, that the King of Affyria fhould not prevail against him.

Ver. 11. Behold, thou hast heard what the Kings of Affyria have done to all lands, by deftroying them utterly, and fhalt thou be delivered?] This Letter is of the fame import with the former Meffage, prefuming the God of Ifrael was like the gods of other Countries, and had no

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