a (xxxii. 10-14, xxxiii. 8, 9;) the humiliation of the enemy, (xxx. 27-33, xxxiii. 10-12 ;) reproof for disbelieving prophecies, (xxix. 9, sqq. ;) reproof of a wanton reliance on the friendship and help of Ægypt, (xxx. xxxi. ;) and the promise of happier times after their misfortunes, (xxxii. 1, sqq., xxxiii. 17, sqq.) 2. Chap. x. 3, xii. 6, and perhaps the fragment, xix. 24-27, should be inserted after x. 34. It speaks of the arrogance of the Assyrians, the chastisement they inflict on Judah, their humiliation, and a Messianic prophecy, from the time after the fall of Samaria. (x. 9.) 3. Chap. xx., threat against Ægypt, from the time of Sargon, the predecessor of Sennacherib, and therefore before the fourteenth year of Hezekiah. 4. Chap. xxii. 16-25, the fall of Shebna, the elevation of Eliakim. This is from the time before Sennacherib's invasion. 5. the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians. It was probably written during this invasion. 6. Chap. xvii. 12— 14, the extirpation of the Assyrians. 7. Chap. xviii. an enigmatical passage, relating to the embassy to Ægypt. b § 212. Chap. xxii. 1—14, ON ISAIAH XXXVI.--XXXIX. This historical passage is not the work of Isaiah. Its spuriousness is proved by its relating the murder of Sennacherib, and the succession of Esar-haddon, events These chapters seem to belong together, and to the period before the time when Samaria was taken by Shalmaneser. Hitzig and Hendewerk try to determine the date of the separate chapters. Hitzig erroneously places chap. xxviii. after this event. a much later than Isaiah's time, (xxxvii. 38,) and by its mythical contents, and more modern language. With the exception of Isaiah's song of thanksgiving, (xxxviii. 9, sqq.) it may be found in 2 Kings xviii. 13-xx. 19. The passage, xxxvi. 1, 2, is made more intelligible by referring to 2 Kings xviii. 7, 13-16: Isa. xxxvi. 1-3. "Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field. Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder." " 2 Kings xviii. 7, 13-16. "And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. "Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, 'I have offended; return from me; that which thou puttest on me I will bear.' And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria." , xxxvi. 9;, verse 11. Verse 3 is imperfect. Comp. 2 Kings xviii. 18. 2 Kings xx. 4, 5. "And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.'"'" a The following passage from Kings is more complete than that from Isaiah, and perhaps its author was more fond of the marvellous: 2 Kings xx. 9-11. "And Isaiah said, 'This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?' And Hezekiah answered, 'It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.' And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz." Isa. xxxviii. 7, 8. "And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun-dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.' So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down." Now, since the text of the passage in Kings in many • Comp. Isa. xxxviii. 22. Verses 21, 22, are misplaced. Comp. 2 Kings xviii. 7, 8. Comp. Isa. xxxvi. 21, with 2 Kings xviii. 36, ( is wanting ;) and xxxvii. 25, with 2 Kings xix. 24, D. Explanatory readings occur in Isaiah: 72, for 2; xxxvi. 5. 17 is omitted. Verse 14, 7 is more regular than . ; xxxvii. 17. Verse 24 is like the Keri in 2 Kings. hiszi, for nizin, (a more difficult form ;) verse 26, and many others. places seems to be more correct and original than that in Isaiah, and since the collection of the Isaianic prophecies was made at a later date than the books of Kings, therefore some have maintained that the passage in Isaiah was derived from that. in Kings. Such was the opinion of Gesenius, and expressed in former editions of this work. But, on the other hand, it has been observed that the text in Isaiah, also, has, sometimes, an original character,' and that the song of thanksgiving, (xxxviii. 9, sqq.,) and the whole chapter, must have been derived from one and the same source. Accordingly, it has been maintained that both collectors drew from a larger historical work. But the analogy of Jer. lii. is not favorable to this hypothesis; for that chapter is derived from the second book of Kings, and its text has been subsequently revised and enlarged." § 213. ORIGIN OF THIS MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION. Since in chap. i. xii. there are combined passages that are certainly genuine, all of which relate to the kingdom of Judah, this is, perhaps, the original collection, to which the inscription (chap. li.) belongs. Bertholdt makes use of the account in Baba Bathra to support the opinion that Hezekiah caused this collection to be made. 6 ¬¬ (Isa. xxxvii. 38) is lacking in 2 Kings xix. 37. 177 (Isa. xxxvii. 14) is more difficult than 7, (2 Kings xix. 14.) But compare the following: 7, (xxxvii. 18,) which is more difficult than bia, (2 Kings xix. 17.) [?] C Hitzig, 1. c. p. 411, sq. Keil, Chronik. p. 229, sqq. See below, § 219, b, &c. However, he also, on this account, separates i. 1-ii. 4, from it, which is too hazardous. The prophecies, (xiii.-xxiii.,) with the exception of xiv. 24—27, xvii. 12-xviii. 7, and xx., relate to foreign nations, and bear the title "oracle." Perhaps the miscellaneous collection (xxviii.-xxxiii.) is a separate, small collection of passages that are certainly genuine. The first part (i.-xxxix.) originated from the combination of these independent collections, to which xxiv. -xxvii. xxxiv. xxxv. were added. Then xxxvi.-xxxix. were appended, with the design of collecting together all that related to Isaiah." Finally, the second part (xl.-lxvi.) was added; but it is not clear for what reason. All this was done after the exile, and probably after the redaction of the older historical books." § 214. LITERARY CHARACTER OF ISAIAH. The genuine passages of Isaiah, both in form and substance, are to be ranked with the noblest productions of the golden age of prophetic literature. The discourse is, for the most part, oratorical; it rarely contains symbols or parables. The style is noble, powerful, concise, rich in images and thoughts, and rarely indulging in enumerations or antitheses, as in ii. 12-17, and iii. 1-4, 18—24. It makes 4 . משא Compare Jer. lii. Gesenius, vol. i. p. 19, sqq. See the opinions of Eichhorn, § 526, sqq., and Bertholdt, p. 1393, sqq. [Also, Knobel, 1. c. § 19, 28, 31, 32] Gesenius divides Isaiah into four books, viz., i.—xii., xiii. xxiii., xxiv.—xxxv., and xl.-lxvi. He makes the third consist of supplementary matter. |