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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Isaiah, Introduction].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3>Isaiah</FONT></P>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="4%">&nbsp;
</TD>
<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
<LI><A HREF="MHC23001.HTM">Chapter 1</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23002.HTM">Chapter 2</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23003.HTM">Chapter 3</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23004.HTM">Chapter 4</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23005.HTM">Chapter 5</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23006.HTM">Chapter 6</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23007.HTM">Chapter 7</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23008.HTM">Chapter 8</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23009.HTM">Chapter 9</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23010.HTM">Chapter 10</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23011.HTM">Chapter 11</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23012.HTM">Chapter 12</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23013.HTM">Chapter 13</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23014.HTM">Chapter 14</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23015.HTM">Chapter 15</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23016.HTM">Chapter 16</A>
</TD>
<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
<LI><A HREF="MHC23017.HTM">Chapter 17</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23018.HTM">Chapter 18</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23019.HTM">Chapter 19</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23020.HTM">Chapter 20</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23021.HTM">Chapter 21</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23022.HTM">Chapter 22</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23023.HTM">Chapter 23</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23024.HTM">Chapter 24</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23025.HTM">Chapter 25</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23026.HTM">Chapter 26</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23027.HTM">Chapter 27</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23028.HTM">Chapter 28</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23029.HTM">Chapter 29</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23030.HTM">Chapter 30</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23031.HTM">Chapter 31</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23032.HTM">Chapter 32</A>
</TD>
<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
<LI><A HREF="MHC23033.HTM">Chapter 33</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23034.HTM">Chapter 34</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23035.HTM">Chapter 35</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23036.HTM">Chapter 36</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23037.HTM">Chapter 37</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23038.HTM">Chapter 38</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23039.HTM">Chapter 39</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23040.HTM">Chapter 40</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23041.HTM">Chapter 41</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23042.HTM">Chapter 42</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23043.HTM">Chapter 43</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23044.HTM">Chapter 44</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23045.HTM">Chapter 45</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23046.HTM">Chapter 46</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23047.HTM">Chapter 47</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23048.HTM">Chapter 48</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23049.HTM">Chapter 49</A>
</TD>
<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
<LI><A HREF="MHC23050.HTM">Chapter 50</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23051.HTM">Chapter 51</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23052.HTM">Chapter 52</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23053.HTM">Chapter 53</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23054.HTM">Chapter 54</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23055.HTM">Chapter 55</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23056.HTM">Chapter 56</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23057.HTM">Chapter 57</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23058.HTM">Chapter 58</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23059.HTM">Chapter 59</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23060.HTM">Chapter 60</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23061.HTM">Chapter 61</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23062.HTM">Chapter 62</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23063.HTM">Chapter 63</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23064.HTM">Chapter 64</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23065.HTM">Chapter 65</A>
<LI><A HREF="MHC23066.HTM">Chapter 66</A>
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<P><B>AN</B></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=+2>EXPOSITION,</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=+1>W I T H &nbsp; P R A C T I C A L &nbsp; O B S E R V A T I O N S,</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=-1>OF THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=+3><B>I S A I A H.</B></FONT>
<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=150>
</P></CENTER>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
P<FONT SIZE=-1>ROPHET</FONT> is a title that sounds very great to those
that understand it, though, in the eye of the world, many of those that
were dignified with it appeared very mean. A prophet is one that has a
great intimacy with Heaven and a great interest there, and consequently
a commanding authority upon earth. Prophecy is put for all divine
revelation
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Pe+1:20,21">2 Pet. i. 20, 21</A>),
because that was most commonly by dreams, voices, or visions,
communicated to prophets first, and by them to the children of men,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+12:6">Num. xii. 6</A>.
Once indeed God himself spoke to all the thousands of Israel from the
top of Mount Sinai; but the effect was so intolerably dreadful that
they entreated God would for the future speak to them as he had done
before, by men like themselves, <I>whose terror should not make them
afraid, nor their hands be heavy upon them,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+33:7">Job xxxiii. 7</A>.
God approved the motion (<I>they have well said,</I> says he,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+5:27,28">Deut. v. 27, 28</A>),
and the matter was then settled by consent of parties, that we must
never expect to hear from God any more in that way, but by prophets,
who received their instructions immediately from God, with a charge to
deliver them to his church. Before the sacred canon of the Old
Testament began to be written there were prophets, who were instead of
Bibles to the church. Our Saviour seems to reckon Abel among the
prophets,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+23:31,35">Matt. xxiii. 31, 35</A>.
Enoch was a prophet; and by him <I>that</I> was first in prediction
which is to be last in execution--the judgment of the great day.
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jude+1:14">Jude 14</A>,
<I>Behold, the Lord comes with his holy myriads.</I> Noah was a
preacher of righteousness. God said of Abraham, He <I>is a prophet,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+20:7">Gen. xx. 7</A>.
Jacob foretold things to come,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+49:1">Gen. xlix. 1</A>.
Nay, all the patriarchs are called <I>prophets.</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+105:15">Ps. cv. 15</A>,
<I>Do my prophets no harm.</I> Moses was, beyond all comparison, the
most illustrious of all the Old-Testament prophets, for with him the
Lord spoke <I>face to face,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+34:10">Deut. xxxiv. 10</A>.
He was the first writing prophet, and by his hand the first foundations
of holy writ were laid. Even those that were called to be his
assistants in the government had the spirit of prophecy, such a
plentiful effusion was there of that spirit at that time,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+11:25">Num. xi. 25</A>.
But after the death of Moses, for some ages, the Spirit of the Lord
appeared and acted in the church of Israel more as a martial spirit
than as a spirit of prophecy, and inspired men more for acting than
speaking. I mean in the time of the judges. We find the Spirit of the
Lord coming upon Othniel, Gideon, Samson, and others, for the service
of their country, with their swords, not with their pens. Messages were
then sent from heaven by angels, as to Gideon and Manoah, and to the
people,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jdg+2:1">Judges ii. 1</A>.
In all the book of judges there is never once mention of a prophet,
only Deborah is called a prophetess. Then the word of the Lord was
precious; there was no open vision,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+3:1">1 Sam. iii. 1</A>.
They had the law of Moses, recently written; let them study that. But
in Samuel prophecy revived, and in him a famous epocha, or period of
the church began, a time of great light in a constant uninterrupted
succession of prophets, till some time after the captivity, when the
canon of the Old Testament was completed in Malachi, and then prophecy
ceased for nearly 400 years, till the coming of the great prophet and
his forerunner. Some prophets were divinely inspired to write the
histories of the church. But they did not put their names to their
writings; they only referred for proof to the authentic records of
those times, which were known to be drawn up by prophets, as Gad, Iddo,
&c. David and others were prophets, to write sacred songs for the use
of the church. After them we often read of prophets sent on particular
errands, and raised up for special public services, among whom the most
famous were Elijah and Elisha in the kingdom of Israel. But none of
these put their prophecies in writing, nor have we any remains of them
but some fragments in the histories of their times; there was nothing
of their own writing (that I remember) but one epistle of Elijah's,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+21:12">2 Chron. xxi. 12</A>.
But towards the latter end of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, it
pleased God to direct his servants the prophets to write and publish
some of their sermons, or abstracts of them. The dates of many of their
prophecies are uncertain, but the earliest of them was in the days of
Uzziah king of Judah, and Jeroboam the second, his contemporary, king
of Israel, about 200 years before the captivity, and not long after
Joash had slain Zechariah the son of Jehoiada in the courts of the
temple. If they begin to murder the prophets, yet they shall not murder
their prophecies; these shall remain as witnesses against them. Hosea
was the first of the writing prophets; and Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,
published their prophecies about the same time. Isaiah began some time
after, and not long; but his prophecy is placed first, because it is
the largest of them all, and has most in it of him to whom all the
prophets bore witness; and indeed so much of Christ that he is justly
styled the <I>Evangelical Prophet,</I> and, by some of the ancients,
<I>a fifth Evangelist.</I> We shall have the general title of this book
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+1:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>)
and therefore shall here only observe some things,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. Concerning the prophet himself. He was (if we may believe the
tradition of the Jews) of the royal family, his father being (they say)
brother to king Uzziah. He was certainly much at court, especially in
Hezekiah's time, as we find in his story, to which many think it is
owing that his style is more curious and polite than that of some other
of the prophets, and, in some places, exceedingly lofty and soaring.
The Spirit of God sometimes served his own purpose by the particular
genius of the prophet; for prophets were not speaking trumpets,
<I>through</I> which the Spirit spoke, but speaking men, <I>by</I> whom
the Spirit spoke, making use of their natural powers, in respect both
of light and flame, and advancing them above themselves.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. Concerning the prophecy. It is transcendently excellent and useful;
it was so to the church of God then, serving for conviction of sin,
direction in duty, and consolation in trouble. Two great distresses of
the church are here referred to, and comfort prescribed in reference to
them, that by Sennacherib's invasion, which happened in his own time,
and that of the captivity in Babylon, which happened long after; and in
the supports and encouragements laid up for each of these times of need
we find abundance of the grace of the gospel. There are not so many
quotations in the gospels out of any, perhaps not out of all, the
prophecies of the Old Testament, as out of this; nor such express
testimonies concerning Christ, witness that of his being born of a
virgin
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+7:1-25"><I>ch.</I> vii.</A>)
and that of his sufferings,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+53:1-12"><I>ch.</I> liii</A>.
The beginning of this book abounds most with reproofs for sin and
threatenings of judgment; the latter end of it is full of wood words
and comfortable words. This method the Spirit of Christ took formerly
in the prophets and does still, first to convince and then to comfort;
and those that would be blessed with the comforts must submit to the
convictions. Doubtless Isaiah preached many sermons, and delivered
many messages to the people, which are not written in this book, as
Christ did; and probably these sermons were delivered more largely and
fully than they are here related, but so much is left on record as
Infinite Wisdom thought fit to convey to us <I>on whom the ends of the
world have come;</I> and these prophecies, as well as the histories of
Christ, are written <I>that we might believe on the name of the Son of
God, and that, believing, we might have life through his name; for to
us is the gospel here preached as well as unto those</I> that lived
then, and more clearly. O that it may be mixed with faith!</P>
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