Isaiah 3

FOr behold Look upon it as a thing as certain as if it were already done., the Lord, the LORD of hosts, does take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staf... All the Supports of their State and Church., the whole stay of bread Called elsewhere the staff of bread; whereby is understood, either, 1. the Nourishing power of Bread, which wholly depends upon Gods Blessing; or rather, 2. Bread it self, as this Phrase is understood Levit. 26. 26. Psal. 105. 16. Ezek. 4. 16. and directly explained Ezek. 5. 16. Bread which is the Staff of Life., and the whole stay of water:

The mighty man Strong and valiant Men. and the man of war, the judge The Civil Magistrates., and the prophet Either strictly so called, the want of whom is matter of grief, see Psal. 74. 9. or largely, so as to include all skilful and faithful Teachers., and the prudent Whose Wisdom and Conduct was necessary to preserve them from ruine., and the ancient Whose Wisdom was increased by long Experience.;

The captain of fifty There shall not be a Man left able to command and manage Fifty Soldiers, and much less such as could command Hundreds or Thousands, which yet were necessary., and the honourable man Men of high Birth, and Place, and Power, and Reputation., and the counsellor Wise and Learned Statesmen., and the cunning artificer Who could make either Ornaments for Times of Peace, or Instruments for War; which therefore Conquerors took away from those Nations whom they subdued, 1 Sam. 13. 19, 20. 2 Kings 24. 14., and the eloquent oratour Heb. The skilful of charm. Whereby he understands either 1. Charmers, whom he threatens to take away, not as if such Persons were Blessings to a People, or the removing of such were a Curse, but only because they made great use of them, and trusted to them. And so he signifies that God would remove all the Grounds of their Confidence, both right and wrong, and make their Case desperate. As in like manner, and for the same reason, God threatens the Israelites that they should be as without a sacrifice, so without Teraphim, Hos. 3. 4. or, 2. as most understand it, such as could powerfully persuade, and, as it were, charm that ungovernable Beast the Multitude of Common People, by their Eloquence, to do those things which were necessary for their Peace and Safety: For this word may be taken in good sense, as divination is, Prov. 16. 10..

And I will give children Either 1. in Age, whose Minority corrupt Ministers of State commonly abuse to great Mischiefs; or, 2. in Understanding, Experience, and Manners, foolish, froward, unteachable, &c. to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

And the people shall be oppressed By the command or connivence of such Childish Rulers., every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable Foolish and unworthy Men shall by wicked Arts gain the Favour and abuse the Power of the Prince, and thereby behave themselves insolently towards their Betters..

When a man shall take hold of his brother, of the house of his father Whereas Envy ordinarily reigns in near Relations, when one Brother is advanced far above all the rest., saying, Thou hast cloathing We are utterly undone, and have neither Food nor Raiment; but thou hast something yet left to support the Dignity which we offer to thee, and to enable thee to execute thine Office., be thou our ruler He shows, that Misgovernment should cause the Dissolution of the Government, and that the former Governours should be removed either by Foreign Force, or by Domestick Insurrection., and let this ruine be under thine hand To wit, to heal it, as it is explained in the next Verse. Undertake the Charge of this tottering State..

In that day shall he swear Heb. he shall l... ft up; understand either i. his Voice; he shall cry aloud, to show his earnestness in refusing the Offer; or 2. his Hand, which was the usual gesture in Swearing, Gen. 14. 22. Deut. 32. 40. &c. to show his Resolvedness., saying, I will not be an healer A Repairer of the Ruines of the State.: for in my house is neither bread nor cloathing I have not sufficient Provisions either of Food or Raiment for my own Family; much less, as you falsely suppose, for the Discharge of so high a Trust.: make me not a ruler of the people.

For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory Of his glorious Majesty, whom they ought to reverence and adore..

¶ The show of their countenance does witness against them Their Pride, and Wantonness, and Impiety manifestly shows it self in their very Looks and Carriages, and will be a swift Witness against them both before God and Men., and they declare their sin They act it publickly, casting off all Fear of God, and Reverence to Men, and they glory in it. as Sodom, they hide it not As Men do who have any remainders of Modesty or Ingenuity.: wo unto their soul, for they have rewarded i. e. Procured a fit Re... ompence for their Wickedness, even utter Ruine. Or, they have done: for this Word is oft so used, without any signification of a Recompence, as Psal. 7. 4. They cannot blame me but themselves: their Destruction is wholly from themselves. Compare Hos. 13. 9. evil unto themselves.

Say ye God has said it, and does now by me say it; and you O ye Priests and Levites, say it in your Sermons to the People. to the righteous, That it shall be well with him: for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings Let not them fear, for God will be their Safeguard and Portion in the common Calamity..

Wo unto the wicked These heavy Judgments are designed against them, and shall certainly find them out though here they be mixed with the Righteous., it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hand shall be given him.

¶ As for my people, children are their oppressours, and women Either 1. properly so called, by their Favour and Power with the Rulers; or, 2. weak and effeminate Rulers, such being called Women both in Sacred and Profane Writings. rule over them: O my people, they which lead thee Thy Rulers Civil and Ecclesiastical, whose Duty it is to show thee th... right way. Or, as others, They that bless thee, i. e. thy false Prophets, which flatter thee, and speak Peace to thee. cause thee to erre, and destroy the way of thy paths Keep thee from the Knowledge or Practice of that Way which leads to thy Salvation, and mislead thee into evil Courses, by their wicked Counsels or Examples..

The LORD standeth up He will shortly and certainly stand up as a Judge, to enquire into the Cause, and to give Sentence. to plead, and standeth to judge the people i. e. To def... nd and deliver them, or to judge for them, as this Phrase is oft used..

The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients The Princes or Rulers, as it is explained in the next Clause, who are oft called Elders, because such were commonly and fitly chosen out of those who were ripe in years. of his People, and the Princes thereof: for ye have eaten up Destroyed in stead of preserving and dressing it, as you should have done. the vineyard The Church and Commonwealth of Israel, which is oft called Gods Vineyard, as Psal. 80. 8, 14, 15. Isa. 5. 1. Ier. 2. 21. &c. and here the vineyard, by way of eminency: or, the vineyard which was committed to your care to keep.; the spoil of the poor The Goods which you have violently taken away from the Poor. is in your houses.

What mean ye What Warrant have ye for it? How durst you presume to do it? that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind Or, bat... er, as the Word is used Exod. 32. 20. Smite them cruelly. See Chap. 58. 4. the faces of the poor? says the Lord GOD of hosts.

¶ Moreover, the LORD says, Because the daughters of Zion The Women; as hitherto he reproved the Men. are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks Affecting Stateliness, Psal. 75. 5. and to seem tall., and wanton eyes Or, as others, twinkling with their eyes in a lascivious manner., walking and mincing as they go After the manner of loose and wanton Persons., and making a tinkling with their feet By some Ornaments which they wore upon their Shoes.:

Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head Will by sending Scabs, or by other ways, take off the Hair of their Head, which is a Womans Glory, 1 Cor. 11. 15 and which doubtless ministred to their Pride and Wantonness. Others render it, He will make bald, &c. of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts By giving her into the power of those Enemies that shall either strip her of all her Raiments, not leaving her sufficient to cover her Nakedness; or otherwise abuse her, by such immodest and contemptuous Actions Compare Isa. 47. 3 Ezek. 16. 37. & 23 10, 26.

In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls As for this and the other Hebrew words here following, I judge it unnecessary and improper to trouble the English Reader with the differing Interpretations given of them by Learned Men, which the Curious may find in my Latin Synopsis. It is agreed by all, that they were Ornaments used by that People in those Times, and made Fewel to their Lusts. And it is of no concernment to the Direction either of our Faith or Manners, exactly to understand the Nature and Differences of them. And therefore I shall take them as they are in our Translation., and their round tires like the moon There were in ancient Times, and at this day there are some Jewels or other Ornaments worn, which carry a manifest resemblance to the Moon or Half-moon. Compare Iudg. 8. 21, 26.,

The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers.

The bonnets These were Ornaments to cover the Head, common both to Men, as Exod. 39. 28. and to Women, as here., and the ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the tablets Heb. the houses of the soul, or, of l... fe, or, of breath. Whereby he seems to mean Boxes of excellent Perfumes, which are of great efficacy to revive our drooping Spirits, and to that end are oft applied to such as are ready to saint away., and the ear-rings,

The rings, and the nose-jewels Which were fastned to the Head, and hung down upon the Forehead to the beginning of the Nose. Of which see Gen. 24. 22, 47. Iudg. 8. 24. &c.,

The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins Of Silver or Gold, either used to curl the Hair, or rather fastned and worn in the Hair; which Custom is not altogether disused at this day..

The glasses The Looking-glasses, as we call them, though in truth they were not made of Glass, but of bright and burni... ed B... ass., and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

And it shall come to pass, that in stead of sweet smell Those Perfumes mentioned v. 20., there shall be stink From their scabs mentioned v. 17. or from other ill usages of their Enemies.; and in stead of a girdle Which were fine and costly, and useful to gird their Garments about them., a rent Either the rending of their Garments for grief; or torn and tattered Garments, not sufficient to cover their Bodies.; and in stead of wellset hair, baldness; and in stead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; and burning By the heat of the Sun, to which they are now commonly exposed, from which they used formerly to guard themselves with great care., in stead of beauty.

Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

And her gates The Gates of Zion or Ierusalem, which, by a Figure very usual in Sacred Scripture, and all Authors, are said to lament, to imply the great Desolation of the Place, that there should be no People to go out and come in by the Gates, or to meet together in the Gates, as they used to do. shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate, shall sit upon the ground Like a mournful Woman bewailing the loss of her Husband and Children..