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that in that kingdom to which he had main reference all would be safe. They who entered it should be protected; they should be delivered from their fears; they should find security and defence as they travelled that road. And it is true. They who return to God, who enter the path that leads to life, find there no cause of alarm. Their fears subside; their apprehensions of punishment on account of their sins die away; and they walk the path of life with security and confidence. There is nothing in that way to alarm them; and though there may be many foes-fitly represented by lions and wild beasts-lying about the way, yet no one is permitted to " go up thereon." It is a way for the righteous; and they are safe. This is a most beautiful image of the safety of the people of God, and of their freedom from all enemies that could annoy them. But the redeemed shall walk there. The language here refers doubtless to those who would be rescued from the captivity at Babylon; but the main reference is to those who would be redeemed by the blood of the atonement; or who are properly called "the redeemed of the LORD." That Isaiah was acquainted with the doctrine of redemption is apparent from his fifty-third chapter. There is not here, indeed, any express mention made of the means by which they would be redeemed, but the language is so general that it may refer either to the deliverance from the captivity at Babylon, or the future more important deliverance of his people from the bondage of sin by the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah. On the word rendered redeem, see Note ch. xliii. 1. The idea is, that the path here referred to is appropriately designed only for the redeemed of the Lord. It is not for the profane, the polluted, the hypocrite. It is not for those who live for this world, or for those who love pleasure more than they love God. The church should not be entered except by those who have evidence that they are redeemed. None should make a profession of religion who have not evidence that they belong to "the redeemed," and who are not disposed to walk in the way of holiness. But, for all such it is a highway cast up in this world, on which they are to travel. It is made by levelling hills and elevating valleys; it is made across the sandy desert and through the wilderness of this world; it is made through a world infested with the enemies of God and his people. It is made straight and plain so that none need err; it is defended from enemies so that all may be safe; it is rendered se. cure, because "He," their Leader and Redeemer, shall go with them and guard that way.

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VAH.

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

10. And the ransomed of the LORD. Those ransomed by JEHOThe word here rendered ransomed is different from the word rendered redeemed in ver. 9. This word is from ; though it is not easy, perhaps not possible, to designate the difference in the sense. Doubtless there was a shade of difference among the Hebrews, but what it was is not now known. See this word explained in the Note on ch. i. 27. The language here is all derived from the deliv. erance from Babylon, and the images employed by the prophet relate to that event. Still, there can be no doubt that he meant to describe the deliverance under the Messiah. ¶ Shall return, and come to Zion. This language also is that which expresses the return from Babylon. In a more general sense, and in the sense intended particularly by the prophet, it means, doubtless, that all who are the redeemed of God shall come to him; shall be gathered under his protection, and shall be saved. With songs. With rejoicing-as the ransomed captives would return from Babylon, and as all who are redeemed enter the church on earth, and will enter into heaven above. And everlasting joy upon their heads. This may be an expression denoting the fact that joy is manifest in the face and aspect. Gesenius. Thus we say that joy lights up the countenance; and it is possible that the He. brews expressed this idea by applying it to the head. Thus the Hebrews say (Ps. cxxvi. 2):

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.

Or it may refer to the practice of anointing the head with oil and perfume in times of festivity and joy-in contrast with the custom of throwing ashes on the head in times of grief and calamity. Rosenmül

ler. Or it may refer to a custom of wearing a wreath or chaplet of flowers in times of festivity, as is often done now, and as was commonly done among the ancients in triumphal processions. Vitringa. Whichever exposition be adopted, the idea is the same, that there would be great joy, and that that joy would be perpetual and unfading. This is true of all who return to Zion under the Messiah. Joy is one of the first emotions; joy at redemption, and at the pardon of sin; joy in view of the hopes of eternal life, and of the everlasting favor of God. And this joy is not short-lived and fading, like the garland of flowers on the head; it is constant, increasing, everlasting. ¶ And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. See Note on ch. xxv. 8.

This is a most beautiful close of this prophecy; and indeed of the series or succession of prophecies which we have been thus far contemplating. The result of all is, that the redeemed of the Lord shall have joy and rejoicing; that all their enemies shall be subdued, and that they shall be rescued from all their foes. In the analysis of the prophecy contained in the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth chapters, it was stated that this prophecy seemed to be a summary of all that Isaiah had before uttered, and was designed to show that all the enemies of the people of God should be destroyed, and that they should be triumphantly delivered and saved. All these minor deliverances were preparatory to and emblematic of the greater deliverance under the Messiah; and accordingly all his predictions look forward to, and terminate in that. In the portions of prophecy which we have been over, we have seen the people of God represented as in danger from the Syrians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Babylonians; and in reference to them all the same result has been predicted, that they would be delivered from them, and that their enemies would be destroyed. This has been, in the chapters which we have passed over, successively foretold of Damascus, of Egypt, of Moab, of Ethiopia, of Babylon, of Edom, and of Sennacherib; and the prophet has reached the conclusion that ALL the enemies of God's people would ultimately be destroyed, and that they would be safe under the reign of the Messiah, to which all their deliverances were preparatory, and in which they all would terminate. Having pursued this course of the prophecy; having looked at all these foes; having seen them in vision all destroyed; having seen the Prince of Peace come; having seen the wonders that he would perform; having seen all dan

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ger subside, and the preparation made for the eternal security and joy of all his people, the prophet closes this series of predictions with the beautiful statement now before us, the redeemed of JEHOVAH shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.'

CHAPTER XXXVI.

ANALYSIS.

THIS chapter commences the historical portion of Isaiah, which continues to the close of the xxxixth chapter. The main subject is the destruction of Sennacherib and his army, ch. xxxvi., xxxvii. It contains also an account of the sickness and recovery of Hezekiah; the song with which Hezekiah celebrated his recovery; and an account of his ostentation in showing his treasures to the ambassadors of the king of Babylon, ch. xxxviii., xxxix. In 2 Chron. xxxii. 32, the following record occurs. "Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold they are written in the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz;" and it is to this portion of Isaiah to which the author of the Book of Chronicles, doubtless refers.

There was an obvious propriety in Isaiah's inserting in his prophecy an account of the invasion and destruction of Sennacherib. That event has occupied a considerable portion of his prophetic announcements; and as he lived to see them fulfilled, it was proper that he should make a record of the event. The prophecy and its fulfillment can thus be compared together; and while there is the strongest internal testimony that the prophecy was uttered before the event, there is also the most striking and clear fulfilment of all the predictions on the subject.

A parallel history of these transactions occurs in 2 Kings xvii-xx.; and in 2 Chron. xxxii. The history in Chronicles, though it contains an account of the same transaction, is evidently by another hand, as it bears no further resemblance to this than that it contains a record of the same transactions. But between the account here and in 2 Kings, there is a most striking resemblance, so much so as to show that they were mainly by the same hand. It has been made a matter of inquiry whether Isaiah was the original author, or whether he copied a history which he found in the book of Kings, or whether both he and the author of the Book of Kings copied from some original document which is now lost, or whether the collectors of the prophetic writings after the return from the captivity at Babylon, judging that such a history would appropriately come in here, and explain the prophecies of Isaiah, copied the account from some historical record, and inserted it among the prophecies of Isaiah. This last is the opinion of Rosenmüller-an opinion which evidently lacks all historical evidence, and indeed all probability. The most obvious and fair supposition undoubtedly is, that this history was inserted here by Isaiah, or that he made this record according to the statement in 2 Chron xxxii. 32.-Gesenius also accords substantially with Rosenmüller in supposing that this history is an elaboration of that in the Book of Kings, and that it was reduced to its present form by some one who collected and edited the Books of Isaiah after the Babylonish captivity. Vitringa supposes that both the accounts in Kings and in Isaiah have been derived from a common historical document, and have been adopted and somewhat abridged or modified by the author of the Book of Kings, and by Isaiah.

It is impossible now to determine the truth in regard to this subject; nor is it of much importance. Those who are desirous of seeing the subject discussed

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more at length may consult Vitringa, Rosenmüller, and Gesenius. view of Gesenius is chiefly valuable because he has gone into a comparison of the account in Isaiah with that in Kings. The following remarks are all that occur to me as desirable to make, and express the conclusion which I have been able to form on the subject.

(1.) The two accounts have a common origin, or are substantially the production of the same hand. This is apparent on the face of them. The same course of the narrative is pursued, and the same expressions occur, and the same mode and style of composition are found. It is possible, indeed, that the Holy Spirit might have inspired two different authors to adopt the same style and expressions in recording the same events, but this is not the mode elsewhere observed in the Scriptures. Every sacred writer is allowed to pursue his own mode of narration, and to express himself in a style and manner of his own.

(2.) There is no evidence that the two accounts were abridged from a more full narrative. Such a thing is possible; nor is there any impropriety in the supposition. But it lacks historical support. That there were histories among the Jews which are now lost; that there were public records which were the fountains whence the authors of the histories which we now have, drew their information, no one can doubt who reads the Old Testament. Thus we have accounts of the writings of Gad, and Iddo the seer, and Nathan, and the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and of the Book of Jehu the prophet (2 Chron. ix. 29, xx. 34, 1 Kings xvi. 1), all of which are now lost except so far as they are incorporated in the historical and prophetical books of the Old Testament. It is possible, therefore, that these accounts may have been abridged from some such common record, but there is no historical testimony to the fact.

(3.) There is no evidence that these chapters in Isaiah were inserted by Ezra, or the other inspired men who collected the sacred writings, and who formed them into a volume, and published a recension, or an edition of them after the return from Babylon. That there was such a work performed by Ezra and his contemporaries is the testimony of all the Jewish historians. See Dr. Alexander on the canon of Scripture. But there is no historical evidence that they thus introduced into the writings of Isaiah an entire historical narrative from the previous histories, or that they composed this history to be inserted here. It is done no where else. And had it been done on this occasion, and in this manner, we should have had reason to expect that they would have inserted historical records of the fulfillment of all the other prophecies which had been fulfilled. We should have looked, therefore, for historical statements of the downfall of Damascus, and Syria; of the destruction of Samaria, of Moab, of Babylon, &c., as proofs of the fulfilment of the predictions of Isaiah. There can be no reason why the account of the destruction of Sennacherib should have been singled out and inserted in preference to others. And this is especially true in regard to Babylon. The prophecy of Isaiah (ch. xiii, xiv.) had been most striking, and clear; the fulfilment had also been most remarkable; Ezra and his contemporaries must have felt a much deeper interest in that than in the destruction of Sennacherib; and it is unaccountable, therefore, if they inserted this narrative respecting Sennacherib, that they did not give us a full account also of the overthrow of Babylon, and of their deliverance as showing the fulfillment of the prophecies on that subject.

(4.) The author of the Books of Kings is unknown. There is reason to believe that these books, as well as the Books of Chronicles, and some other of the historical books of the Old Testament were written by the prophets; or at least compiled and arranged by some inspired man from historical sketches that were made by the prophets. To such sketches or narratives we find frequent reference in the books themselves. Thus Nathan the prophet, and Ahijah the Shilonite, and Iddo the seer, recorded the acts of Solomon (2 Chron. ix. 29); thus the same Iddo the seer and Shemaiah the prophet recorded the acts of Rehoboam (2 Chron. xii. 15); thus the acts of Jehoshaphat were written in the Book of Jehu (2 Chron. xx. 34); and thus Isaiah wrote the acts of king Uzziah (2 Chron. xxvi. 22), and also of Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxxii. 32). Many of these historical sketches or fragments have not come down to us; but

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