of them as if they were to be confin'd to their Beds, by fome painful Disease under which they should pine away, without any hopes of recovery: And muft be understood of those wicked Jews, who died in Captivity.

The ARGUMENT of Chapter LI.

The Prophet Speaks in the Perfon of God to the Jewish Captives, bids them not be cast down at the thoughts of their decreafing Numbers, fince if they were fewer he could restore them to their Ancient Grandeur, as he rais'd them at first from a very unpromising beginning to vie with the Stars for Number. And he affures them as he had promis'd to deliver them, it was not in his Nature to change his Mind, or : be worse than his Word. Then in a lofty Strain he recollects the great performances of God in former Ages; and from thence infers the certainty of that Redemption fo often promis'd Then He directs himself to Jerufalem, and def cribes Her as having drunk off the Cup of God's Anger, and promises to take the ungrateful Cup out of her Hands; fill it up with the fame bitter Ingredients, and cause it to be drunk in the fame manner, and with the fame dreadful conLequences, by her Oppreffors

Verse 1.

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CHAP. Lk.

Earken to me, ye that follow after righteousness ye that feek the Lord look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.] He fpeaks to thofe Captives, who remain'd faithful to God, in fluctuating hopes of a speedy Deliverance, who confidering the Numbers which were every Year carry'd off by natural Deaths, and the barbarous Treatment of their Oppreffors, could not but now and then reflect with Chagrin on their decreafing Tribes, and be apt to fancy it almoft impoffible to be reftor'd to their former populoufnefs; he therefore puts them in Mind of their Original, which was far more unpromising than the Condition they were now in.

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Ver. 2. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.] As if he had faid, Fear not because you fee a fenfible decreafe of your Numbers, confider the Head of your Nation Abraham, out of whofe Loins I brought you forth, and made you a People as numerous as the Stars of Heaven, when to outward appearance, and according to the common Courfe of Nature, there was no probability of his having any Children at all.

Ver. 3. For the Lord fhall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her defert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness fhall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.] Since God was able to raise out of Abraham, old and decrepit as he was, ifo populous a Nation, fear not but he can do the fame again: Fear not, I fay, and be not dejected, For God will certainly comfort Sion, he will comfort all her wafte places, by reftoring their inhabitants to them, and building them up as before; he will make her which for many Years has been like a barren uncultivated Heath, like a beautiful Paradife, that curious Garden of the Lords own planting; and when the happy Captives are return'd, nothing but loud Acclamations of Joy fhall be heard in her Streets. Here, fays Sanctius, it is doubtful whether the Prophet fpeaks of the Earthly for Heavenly Ferufalem. St. Thomas understands it of the Earthly. Hugo fubfcribes the fame Opinion, neither is Pintus at all averse to it. All the reft of Interpreters understand it of the Church; nevertheless I think it not improbable that the Prophet may mean Jerufalem, restor'd to her Splendor after the Babylonian Captivity. Thus he, but I fee no reason why he might not be very fure, that the Prophet cannot be understood otherwife, fince the Hea venly Jerufalem cannot with any propriety be faid to have her waste places comforted.

Ver. 4. Hearken unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.] Torah, which we Tranflate Law, fignifies Inftruction in general; and the Hebrew Phrafe here is of the fame import, as Documenta dare of the Latins: Hearken unto me my People,

for

for I will make the Chaldeans fenfible that I am God, the juft Judgments which I will inflict on them, fhall be a Light to the People, by which they fhall be brought to acknowledge me the only true God.

Ver. 5. My righteousness is near my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms fhall judge the people: the ifles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they truft.] That is, the time approaches wherein I will make good my Promife to you; My Salvation, that is, my faving Power, shall go forth, and be exerted in redeeming you out of the Hands of the Babylonians, and I will punish and fmite the Nations, which afflicted my Servants. The ifles fhall wait on me, that is, the Heathen when they fhall behold this dazling inftance of Omnipotence, fhall know that I am God, forfake their Idols and wait upon me for Salvation in their diftrefs.

Ver. 6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth fhall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my falvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.] The fame in lofty Terms, which in other places is exprefs'd in a more humble Style, Heaven and Earth fhall pass away, but my word fhall not pass away.

Ver. 7, 8. Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whofe heart is my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth Shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wooll: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my fal vation from generation to generation.] Believe what I fay, ye faithful Captives, who know the way of Righteousness; how to please me, who retain a reverence for my Laws, be not afraid of the difgraceful treatment, and vile reproaches that infulting Conquerors will treat you with: For after they have plagu'd you for a while they themselves fhall be destroy'd; but my Salvation, my faving Power, will never fail, nor my faithfulness. He leaves them to draw the Conclufion, therefore ye shall be deliver'd.

Ver. 9. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the antient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the

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dragon?]

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Chapter dragon?] Here is a noble mixture of lively Figures; LI. the Prophet firft addreffing himself to the Lord, as if he

were faft afleep, tired with fatigue and labour, then painting Him in a Martial posture, dreffing himself in Arms, and putting on his Accoutrements; then railing his courage by a narration of his former valorous performances, Art not Thou that Arm which cut off the Egyptian Rahab, when with all the ftrength of his Kingdom he purfued the naked Ifraelites, to the further banks of the Redfea? Certainly thou art the fame, not at all decay'd in Strength, but able to do as much for thy People now, as for their Fathers then. Rahab fignifies a proud Tyrant, and is almost appropriated to the Kings of Egypt, and Pharoah is called a Dragon, accommodate ad Naturam regionis, the Land of Egypt abounding with thofe fort of Animals.

Ver. 10. Art thou not it which hath dried the fea, the waters of the great deep, that bath made the depths of the fea a way for the ranfomed to pass over ?] Art not thou the fame Arm which dried up the Red-fea, made all the Water in that deep Channel disappear, that made the depths of the Sea a path for the Ranfom'd of the Lord to pafs over?

Ver. 11. Therefore the redeemed of the Lord fhall return, and come with finging unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and forrow and mourning fhall flee away.] That is, therefore fince thou haft done fuch great things, and art ftill able to do the fame or greater,my People shall be again redeem'd,and fhall return to their own Country, Crowns of never fading Flowers fhall adorn the returning Captives, and everlafting Joy fhall be upon their Heads. The Expreffions are very Poetical and Figurative, taken from the Custom obferv'd in thofe days, of adorning the Head, to fhew the inward Joy and lightnefs of the Heart.

Ver. 12, 13. 1, even I am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou fhouldeft be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the Son of man which shall be made as grass? And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth? and haft feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppreffor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppreffor?] As

if he had faid, I the God of Ifrael am he that will comfort you; why then do ye fo much forget your felves, and the Relation ye bear to me, as to be afraid of being quite destroy'd by the Babylonians? who are but Men, and may be cut off in a moment. As if he were ready to destroy, as if it was in his Power to cut you off, whom I have decreed to preferve: And where is the fury of the Oppreffer? He speaks as if the Babylonians were deftroy'd, and his People already at Liberty.

Ver. 14. The captive exile hafteneth, that he may be loofed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.] This Verfe may be thus render'd, God will make hafte to fet the Prifon-doors open to the Exiles, they fhall not die in the Pit, nor fhall their Bread fail them; or, as Mr. Le Maitre de Saci renders it, Celui qui vient ouvrir les prifons arrivera bien-tot: Il ne laiffera point mourir fes ferviteurs. My People, who at prefent are confin'd in Prisons and working Houfes, fhall be speedily fet at liberty: Nor fhall they perish in their confinements for want of fuftenance, Hugo, nor fhall they want conveniencies on the Road. Pagnin

Ver. 15. But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the fea, whofe waves rored: the Lord of hofts is his name.] This is generally referr'd to God's dividing the Red-fea, and making the Waters stand on an heap on each fide, while his People pafs'd through: But I no where find, fays Gataker, that Ragang fignifies to divide, which carrying with it a notion of Quietness or Reft, he thinks it may be render'd, 1 the Lord thy God am he that still the Sea, when the waves thereof roar.

Ver. 16. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the fhaddow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and Jay un

to Zion, Thou art my people.] I concur with (a) thofe who (a) Thomas, take this whole paffage as fpoken to Ifaiah, thereby to Hugo, Montaaffure the Jews of the undoubted performance of the nus, Grotius. things foretold by him,as coming from God himself, who is able to effect them: I have reveal'd to thee, O Isaiah, the particular Circumftances of the Captivity and Redemption of my People, and have protected thee from all danger to which thou haft been expos'd in the Courfe of thy Ministry, that I may give my People full affurance by

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thee,