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2.And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians. Here he describes more particularly the calamity which the Lord had determined to bring on Egypt. By the expression, I will set, he means the internal struggles, in which those who ought to be mutual defenders cut down one another; and no evil can be more destructive than this to a state or a people. It was of importance also to convince the Jews that God, in whose hands are the hearts of men, (Pro_21:1,) could by his unseen influence inflame the Jews to mutual animosities, that they might slay each other, though they were victorious over foreign enemies. Hence we learn that nations never rise in a seditious manner, unless the Lord set them against each other, as when one brings forward gladiators to the place of combat. He inflames their minds for battle, and prompts them to slay each other by mutual wounds; and therefore, as we ought to reckon it an evidence of God’ favor, when friendship is cherished among citizens, so we ought to ascribe it to his vengeance, when they rage against and slay and injure one another.
And they shall fight every one against his brother. For the sake of heightening the picture, he adds what was still more monstrous, that those who were related to them by blood would take up arms to destroy each other; for if men are worse than beasts when, forgetting their common nature, they engage in battle, how much more shocking is it to nature that brethren or allies should fight with each other! But the more monstrous it is, the more ought we to acknowledge the judgment of God and his terrible vengeance.
City against city, and kingdom against kingdom. Isaiah appears to advance by degrees; for he mentions, first, a brother; secondly, a neighbor; thirdly, cities; and, fourthly, kingdoms By kingdoms he means provinces, into which Egypt was divided, which the Greeks called νομοἰ, the term by which the Greek translators have rendered it in this passage. (26)
(26) Καὶ νομὸς ἐπὶ νομόν. The reader will observe the distinction between the paroxytone νόμος, a law, and the oxytone νομός, a field or a dwelling; for it is the latter that is employed by Herodotus to denote a district or province. Herod. 2:164. — Ed.
FT284 “ the spirit of Egypt shall fail. Heb. shall be emptied. ” — Eng. Ver.
FT285 “ the Egyptians will I give over, or, shut up. ” — Eng. Ver. “ I will shut up Egypt in the hand of cruel lords.” — Stock.
FT286 “ fierce king.” — Eng. Ver.
FT287 See vol. 1 p. 266
FT288 “Embanked canals. Rivi aggerum, as the Vulgate has it. The canals by which the waters of the Nile were distributed were fortified by mounds or banks. מצור, (māō) which word Rosenmü vainly endeavors to shew to be another name for Egypt or Mizraim.” — Stock.
FT289 See vol. 1 p. 492
FT290 “ ashamed (disappointed or confounded) are the workers of combed (or hatchelled) flax, and the weavers of white (stuffs.) The older writers supposed the class of persons here described to be the manufacturers of nets for fishing, and took הורי, (hō) in the sense of perforated open work or net-work. The moderns understand the verse as having reference to the working of flax and manufacture of linen. Knobel supposes הורי, (hō) to mean cotton, as being white by nature, and before it is wrought. Some of the older writers identified שריקות, (sĕīō,) with sericum the Latin word for silk. Calvin supposes an allusion in the last clause to the diaphanous garments of luxurious women.” — Professor Alexander.
FT291 Our author is puzzled about this word. In his version he follows the old rendering, “ that make a net,” but his marginal reading is “ that make gain,” and to the latter he adheres in his commentary. Bishops Lowth and Stock render it, “ that make a gain,” and Professor Alexander, “ laborers for hire.” — Ed.
FT292 קרם, (kĕĕ) has two meanings, “” and “ east;” and accordingly Bishop Stock renders this clause, “ son of the kings of the east,” adding the following note: — “Kings of the east. A synonyme for wise men, μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, the quarter of the world where the arts of divination originated, and to whose sovereigns Egyptian sages pretended kindred. Hence the magi, that came to worship Christ, are often denominated the three kings. ” — Ed.
FT293 “ the Tanis of the Greeks, was one of the most ancient cities of Lower Egypt, (Num_13:22,) and a royal residence. The name is of Egyptian origin, and signifies low situation. Noph is the Memphis of the Greek geographers, called Moph, (Hos_9:6.) It was one of the chief cities of ancient Egypt, the royal seat of Psammetichus.” — Alexander.
FT294 “ stay (Heb., corners) of the tribes thereof.” — Eng. Ver.
FT295 Instead of פנת, (pinnă) the construct singular, Grotius, Lowth, and others, prefer the conjectural reading, פנות (pinnō) corners. But Rosenmü removes the difficulty of the Syntax by remarking, that פנה, (pinnā) a collective noun, and agreeably to the frequent usage of the Hebrew tongue, fitly agrees with a plural verb; and he quotes 2Sa_19:41, as a parallel instance. — Ed.
FT296 Professor Alexander prefers the literal rendering, “ before the shaking of the hand,” and thus explains the passage: “ מפני, (mippĕē,) may be rendered, on account of, which idea is certainly included, but the true force of the original expression is best retained by a literal translation. תנופת יד, (tĕūă yă,) is not the act of beckoning for the enemy, but that of threatening or preparing to strike. The reference is not to the slaughter of Sennacherib’ army, but more generally to the indications of Divine displeasure.”
FT297 The only passage which occurs to my remembrance as likely to be in the author’ eye is, “ thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb and a bye-word, among all the nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.” (Deu_28:37.) — Ed.
FT298 Heliopolis is a Greek word, and signifies “ city of the sun.” It is the name of a famous city of Lower Egypt, in which there was a temple dedicated to the sun. — Ed.
FT299 “Pillar. ” — Eng. Ver.
FT300 The name “ē” which means “ his mother,” was ironically given to him on account of his known hatred of his mother Cleopatra. — Ed
FT301 “Sous ceste pedagogie de la Loy.”
FT302 “Les signes et sacramens.”
FT303 Of one clause in this verse, rendered by our translators “ a great one,” Calvin takes no notice. Rosenmü considers רב (rā) to be the participle Kal of רוב, (rū,) and assigns to Cocceius the honor of having discovered that the punctuation, which the Masoretic annotators have set aside, in the parallel passage of Deuteronomy, as a peculiarity for which they could not account, was the key to the true interpretation. Almost all the commentators, Cocceius excepted, render רב (rā) “ great one,” some of them supposing that Ptolemy the Great, the son of Lagus, and others that Alexander the Great, was meant. But Cocceius was the first to perceive that the signification “” does not agree with the context, and has justly remarked that the word רב (rā) with a Kametz, ought not to be confounded with רב (rā,) with a Pathach, but that its meaning should be sought from the verb רוב (rū) or ריב (rī,) “ contend, to argue, to defend one’ cause in a court of justice;” and he quotes a parallel passage, in which Moses, while he blesses Judah, speaking of God, says, ידיו רב לו (yā rā lō) “ hands shall be his protector.” (Deu_33:7.) See Robertson’ Clavis Pentateuchi, p. 561. The ancients appear to have taken a similar view. The Septuagint renders it thus. Καὶ ἀποστελεῖ αὐτοῖς ἄνθρωπον ὃς σώσει αὐτοὺς κρίνων σώσει αὐτούς. The Chaldee and Syriac render it, “ deliverer and a judge,” and Jerome’ rendering is, propuqnatorem , “ defender or champion” Rosenmü Scholia. “ Savior and a vindicator” Lowth. “ advocate” Stock. “ explanation of רב, (rab) as a participle,” says Professor Alexander, “ found in all the ancient versions, and is adopted by most modern writers.” — Ed.
FT304 The words of the Apostle are, “ shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? ” But Calvin’ remark, which immediately follows, vindicates the appropriateness, though not the verbal accuracy, of the quotation. — Ed.
FT305 “La doctrine de salut;” “ doctrine of salvation.”
FT306 “Ce sera un preparatif pour les amener à repentance;” — “ will be a preparation to lead them to repentance.”
FT307 “Pourvenu que notre repentance ne soit hypocritique;” — “ that our repentance be not hypocritical.”
FT308 “D’ù viennent les chastimens, si non de nos pechez? S’ sont pardonnez, aussi le sont les chastimens meritez a cause d’ “ — “ come chastisements but from our sins? If they are remitted, so are also the chastisements deserved on account of them.”
FT309 See vol. 1 p. 101
FT310 This is the Author’ version. See p. 48
FT311 The particle את (ĕth) does not decide the question, for it may either be the sign of the accusative case, or a preposition signifying with. Professor Alexander adopts the latter view, and argues powerfully in favor of the rendering, “ shall serve God,” in which he concurs with Lowth, “ the Egyptian shall worship with the Assyrian,” and with Stock, “ Egypt shall serve [God] with Assyria.” — Ed.
FT312 “De la crainte de Dieu,” — “ the fear of God.”
FT313 “ is the lot (Heb. cord) of his inheritance.” — Eng. Ver.
FT314 “ meaning obviously is,” says Professor Alexander, “ Israel should be one of three, or a party to a triple union.” By an analagous idiom of the Greek language, Peter calls Noah ὄγδοον, “ eighth,” that is, “ of eight persons.” (2Pe_2:5.) From classical writers other instances might be given, such as εἰς οἰκίαν δωδέκατος “ went to his house the twelfth,” or, “ of twelve,” that is, “ with eleven other persons.” — Ed.
FT315 “ the Lord of hosts shall bless.” — Eng. Ver.
FT316 Our Author perhaps refers to his expository remarks on Eph_2:10, Isa_17:7, Isa_64:7, See p. 26