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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Isaiah XX].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>I S A I A H.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XX.</FONT>
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<P>
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This chapter is a prediction of the carrying away of multitudes both of
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the Egyptians and the Ethiopians into captivity by the king of Assyria.
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Here is,
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I. The sign by which this was foretold, which was the prophet's going
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for some time barefoot and almost naked, like a poor captive,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:1,2">ver. 1-2</A>.
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II. The explication of that sign, with application to Egypt and
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Ethiopia,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:3-5">ver. 3-5</A>.
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III. The good use which the people of God should make of this, which is
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never to trust in an arm of flesh, because thus it will deceive them,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:6">ver. 6</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Isa20_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa20_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa20_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa20_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa20_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Isa20_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Threatenings against Egypt.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 713.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the
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king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took
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it;
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2 At the same time spake the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> by Isaiah the son of Amoz,
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saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put
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off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and
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barefoot.
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3 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked
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naked and barefoot three years <I>for</I> a sign and wonder upon Egypt
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and upon Ethiopia;
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4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians
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prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and
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barefoot, even with <I>their</I> buttocks uncovered, to the shame of
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Egypt.
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5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their
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expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
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6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day,
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Behold, such <I>is</I> our expectation, whither we flee for help to be
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delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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God here, as King of nations, brings a sore calamity upon Egypt and
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Ethiopia, but, as King of saints, brings good to his people out of it.
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Observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. The date of this prophecy. It was in the year that Ashdod, a strong
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city of the Philistines (but which some think was lately recovered from
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them by Hezekiah, when he smote the Philistines even unto Gaza,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+18:8">2 Kings xviii. 8</A>),
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was besieged and taken by an army of the Assyrians. It is uncertain
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what year of Hezekiah that was, but the event was so remarkable that
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those who lived then could by that token fix the time to a year. He
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that was now king of Assyria is called <I>Sargon,</I> which some take
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to be the same with Sennacherib; others think he was his immediate
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predecessor, and succeeded Shalmaneser. Tartan, who was general, or
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commander-in-chief, in this expedition, was one of Sennacherib's
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officers, sent by him to bid defiance to Hezekiah, in concurrence with
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Rabshakeh,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+18:17">2 Kings xviii. 17</A>.</P>
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<P>
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II. The making of Isaiah a sign, by his unusual dress when he walked
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abroad. He had been a sign to his own people of the melancholy times
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that had come and were coming upon them, by the sackcloth which for
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some time he had worn, of which he had a gown made, which he girt about
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him. Some think he put himself into that habit of a mourner upon
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occasion of the captivity of the ten tribes. Others think sackcloth was
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what he commonly wore as a prophet, to show himself mortified to the
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world, and that he might learn to endure hardness; soft clothing better
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becomes those that attend in king's palaces
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+11:8">Matt. xi. 8</A>)
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than those that go on God's errands. Elijah wore hair-cloth
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+1:8">2 Kings i. 8</A>),
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and John Baptist
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+3:4">Matt. iii. 4</A>)
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and those that pretended to be prophets supported their pretension by
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wearing rough garments
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+13:4">Zech. xiii. 4</A>);
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but Isaiah has orders given him to <I>loose his sackcloth from his
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loins,</I> not to exchange it for better clothing, but for none at
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all--no upper garment, no mantle, cloak, or coat, but only that which
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was next to him, we may suppose his shirt, waistcoat, and drawers; and
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he must <I>put off his shoes,</I> and go barefoot; so that compared
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with the dress of others, and what he himself usually wore, he might be
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said to go <I>naked.</I> This was a great hardship upon the prophet; it
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was a blemish to his reputation, and would expose him to contempt and
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ridicule; the boys in the streets would hoot at him, and those who
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sought occasion against him would say, <I>The prophet is</I> indeed
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<I>a fool, and the spiritual man is mad,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+9:7">Hosea ix. 7</A>.
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It might likewise be a prejudice to his health; he was in danger of
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catching a cold, which might throw him into a fever, and cost him his
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life; but God bade him do it, that he might give a proof of his
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obedience to God in a most difficult command, and so shame the
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disobedience of his people to the most easy and reasonable precepts.
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When we are in the way of our duty we may trust God both with our
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credit and with our safety. The hearts of that people were strangely
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stupid, and would not be affected with what they only heard, but must
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be taught by signs, and therefore Isaiah must do this for their
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edification. If the dress was scandalous, yet the design was glorious,
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and what a prophet of the Lord needed not to be ashamed of.</P>
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<P>
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III. The exposition of this sign,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:3,4"><I>v.</I> 3, 4</A>.
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It was intended to signify that the Egyptians and the Ethiopians should
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be led away captive by the king of Assyria, thus stripped, or in rags,
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and very shabby clothing, as Isaiah was. God calls him his <I>servant
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Isaiah,</I> because in this matter particularly he had approved himself
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God's willing, faithful, obedient servant; and for this very thing,
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which perhaps others laughed at him for, God gloried in him. To obey is
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better than sacrifice; it pleases God and praises him more, and shall
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be more praised by him. Isaiah is said to have <I>walked naked and
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barefoot three years,</I> whenever in that time he appeared as a
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prophet. But some refer the three years, not to the sign, but to the
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thing signified: <I>He has walked naked and barefoot;</I> there is a
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stop in the original; provided he did so once that was enough to give
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occasion to all about him to enquire what was the meaning of his doing
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so; or, as some think, he did it three days, a day for a year; and this
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for a three years' sign and wonder, for a sign of that which should be
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done three years afterwards or which should be three years in the
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doing. Three campaigns successively shall the Assyrian army make, in
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spoiling the Egyptians and Ethiopians, and carrying them away captive
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in this barbarous manner, not only the soldiers taken in the field of
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battle, but the inhabitants, young and old; and it being a very piteous
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sight, and such as must needs move compassion in those that had the
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least degree of tenderness left them to see those who had gone all
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their days well dressed now stripped, and scarcely having rags to cover
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their nakedness, that circumstance of their captivity is particularly
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taken notice of, and foretold, the more to affect those to whom this
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prophecy was delivered. It is particularly said to be <I>to the shame
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of Egypt</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>),
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because the Egyptians were a proud people, and therefore when they did
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fall into disgrace it was the more shameful to them; and the higher
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they had lifted up themselves the lower was their fall, both in their
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own eyes and in the eyes of others.</P>
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<P>
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IV. The use and application of this,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:5,6"><I>v.</I> 5, 6</A>.
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1. All that had any dependence upon, or correspondence with, Egypt and
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Ethiopia, should now be ashamed of them, and afraid of having any thing
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to do with them. Those countries that were in danger of being overrun
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by the Assyrians expected that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, with his
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numerous forces, would put a stop to the progress of their victorious
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arms, and be a barrier to his neighbours; and with yet more assurance
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they gloried that Egypt, a kingdom so famous for policy and prowess,
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would do their business, would oblige them to raise the siege of Ashdod
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and retire with precipitation. But, instead of this, by attempting to
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oppose the king of Assyria they did but expose themselves and make
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their country a prey to him. Hereupon all about them were ashamed that
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ever they promised themselves any advantage from two such weak and
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cowardly nations, and were more afraid now than ever they were of the
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growing greatness of the king of Assyria, before whom Egypt and
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Ethiopia proved but as briers and thorns put to stop a consuming fire,
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which do but make it burn the more strongly. Note, Those who make any
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creature their expectation and glory, and so put it in the place of
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God, will sooner or later be ashamed of it, and their disappointment in
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it will but increase their fear. See
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+29:6,7">Ezek. xxix. 6, 7</A>.
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2. The Jews in particular should be convinced of their folly in resting
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upon such broken reeds, and should despair of any relief from them
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+20:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>):
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<I>The inhabitants of this isle</I> (the land of Judah, situated upon
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the sea, though not surrounded by it), of this country (so the margin);
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every one shall now have his eyes opened, and shall say, "<I>Behold,
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such is our expectation,</I> so vain, so foolish, and this is that
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which it will come to. We have fled for help to the Egyptians and
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Ethiopians, and have hoped by them to be delivered from the king of
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Assyria; but, now that they are broken thus, how shall we escape, that
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are not able to bring such armies into the field as they did?" Note,
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(1.) Those that confide in creatures will be disappointed, and will be
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made ashamed of their confidence; <I>for vain is the help of man, and
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in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills or the height and
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multitude of the mountains.</I>
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(2.) Disappointment in creature confidences, instead of driving us to
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despair, as here (<I>how shall we escape?</I>), should drive us to God;
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for, if we flee to him for help, our expectation shall not be
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frustrated.</P>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!--Matthew_Henry's_Commentary_on_the_Whole_Bible:_Isaiah_XX.--><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank"><b>Back to Bibles Net . Com - Online Christian Library </b></a><br>
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