Chapter 18
18:1 Woe to the land, the winged cymbal, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,
18:2 That sends ambassadors in the sea, and in vessels of papyrus upon the waters. Go, you swift angels, to a nation rent and torn in pieces: to a terrible people, after which there is no other: to a nation expecting and trodden underfoot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the mountain of the name of the Lord of hosts, mount Zion.
18:3 All you inhabitants of the world, who dwell on the earth, when the sign shall be lifted up on the mountains, you shall see, and you shall hear the sound of the trumpet.
18:4 For thus says the Lord to me: I will take my rest, and consider in my place, as the noon light is clear, and as a cloud of dew in the day of harvest.
18:5 For before the harvest it was all flourishing, and it shall bud without perfect ripeness, and the sprigs thereof shall be cut off with pruning hooks: and what is left shall be cut away and shaken out.
18:6 And they shall be left together to the birds of the mountains, and the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall be upon them all the summer, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
18:7 At that time shall a present be brought to the Lord of hosts, from a people rent and torn in pieces: from a terrible people, after which there has been no other: from a nation expecting, expecting and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to mount Zion.
474 . Woe to the land, the winged cymbal . Here he threatens against the Egyptians.
And first, he threatens their punishment through comparison to what merits the punishment;
in the second part, he describes the manner of the punishment: the burden of Egypt (ch. 19);
in the third part, he designates the time of the punishment: in the year (ch. 20).
Concerning the first, he sets out three things:
first, he designates the fault, which merits the punishment;
second, he threatens the punishment: all you inhabitants (Isa 18:3);
third, he shows the fruit of the punishment: at that time (Isa 18:7).
475 . Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he describes the location of the land which they trusted in proudly, saying, woe , namely, it is near at hand, to the land , Egypt, the winged cymbal , so-called because of the sound of the Nile, whose swiftness is compared to the movement of wings because of their swiftness, or because of the multitude of the peoples, or because of the help of protection, which they resounded to the people of the two tribes; which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia , that is, beyond the Nile, which comes from Ethiopia: behold, I come against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great dragon that lies in the midst of your rivers (Ezek 29:3). Nevertheless, the Jews explain this as referring to Gog, who lives beyond Ethiopia, against whom the prophet Ezekiel testifies (Ezek 38).
476 . Second, he describes the help which they promised to the two tribes.
And first, he describes the manner of announcing, saying: they that , namely, the Egyptian people, sends ambassadors , that is, messengers, to the two tribes, in the sea , that is, through the sea, and upon the waters , of the river or the sea, in vessels of papyrus , a kind of rush, from which they made small boxes for carrying letters, or reeds so large that they made ships from them, as is written in the history of Alexander: the word comes from pyr , which means “fire.”
477 . Second, he sets out the command given to the ambassadors, in which he determines two things.
First, the manner of announcing, saying: O angels , that is, O my messengers, go, swift , that is, swiftly.
Second, the motive: to a nation , namely, the nation of the two tribes, which he shows to be miserable from four things.
First, from the magnitude of their affliction: rent , from its proper strength by subjugation, and torn in pieces , by affliction of punishment.
Second, from its former dignity: a terrible people , formerly, after which there is no other , to be compared in power, but now, expecting , foreign help, trodden underfoot , as though reduced to baseness.
Third, from the power or iniquity of its enemies: whose land the rivers , the kings of Assyria, have spoiled , unjustly.
Fourth, from the holiness of the place: to the mountain . And they were punished because they drew them away from the worship of God: they shall be no more a confidence to the house of Israel (Ezek 29:16).
478 . All you inhabitants of the world . Here he threatens the punishment, and concerning this, he does two things.
First, he shows the manifestation of the punishment: you shall see , that is, it will be known to you, the sign , the flag of Nabuchodonosor: the nations have heard of your disgrace, and your howling has filled the land (Jer 46:12); or, you shall see the abundance of the enemy, appearing in his army: the strongest of nations, shall be brought to destroy the land (Ezek 3:11).
479 . Second, he takes away their confidence in divine defense: for thus says the Lord .
And first, because he takes away the help of his defense from them: I will take my rest , as though not helping you; and consider , I will see what you can do: I will consider what their last end shall be (Deut 32:20).
Second, because he will give help to the enemy in fighting, as to counsel in doubtful things: as the noon light is clear , so clearly will what they should do be shown to them; as to relief in labors, as a cloud : you have set up the right hand of them that oppress him (Ps 88:43[89:42]).
480 . Third, where it says, before the harvest , he describes a metaphor of the punishment, namely through the destruction of fruit in the field, and he sets out three things.
First, as to the ruin of the fruit which is ruined in the flower, when it begins to flower too quickly, for before the harvest it was all flourishing ; similarly, before Egypt had power, it showed the flower of its glory: concerning which it says below: all the glory thereof as the flower of the field (Isa 40:6). It is also ruined in the bud, when the humor from which the fruit ought to arise is not yet ripe: and it shall bud without perfect ripeness ; similarly, Egypt presumed beyond the power which it had. It is also ruined in the fruit, when the branches on which the fruit hangs are cut off: cut off , before the maturation of the fruit: he shall be blasted as a vine when its grapes are in the first flower (Job 15:33); substance got in haste shall be diminished (Prov 13:11); the inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning, in the end shall be without a blessing (Prov 20:21).
Second, he sets out removal of the remaining fruit: what is left finished by the Egyptians, by the Assyrians shall be cut away from its own strength, and shaken out from its place by the Chaldeans, below: as if a few olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree (Isa 24:13).
Third, he places the abandonment of the field itself: and they shall be left , like an uncultivated field, which signifies the slaughter of men, after there were many beasts in the land of Egypt: these things says the Lord God, say to every fowl, and to all the birds, and to all the beasts of the field: assemble yourselves, make haste, come together from every side to my victim, which I slay for you, a great victim upon the mountains of Israel: to eat flesh, and drink blood (Ezek 39:17).
481 . At that time . Here the fruit of the punishment is set out, namely, that the people of the two tribes shall trust in God and shall call on his help with offerings of presents, above: and it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that shall escape of the house of Jacob, shall lean no more upon him that strikes them: but they shall lean upon the Lord the Holy One of Israel (Isa 10:20).
482 . Note on the words, it shall bud without perfect ripeness (Isa 18:5), that perfection is manifold:
first, the perfection of nature: so the heavens and the earth were finished (Gen 2:1);
second, of knowledge: can man be compared with God, even though he were of perfect knowledge? (Job 22:2);
third, of grace: perfect charity casts out fear (1 John 4:18);
fourth, of glory: but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away (1 Cor 13:10).
483 . Note on the words, its bud , that there is
first, the bud of depraved authority: woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning (Eccl 10:16);
second, of teaching of error: but these men blaspheme whatever things they know not (Jude 1:10);
third, of presumptuous conjecture: God has divided to every one (Rom 12:3);
fourth, of present consolation: remember that you didst receive good things in your lifetime (Luke 16:25).
484 . Note on the words, shall a present be brought (Isa 18:6), that the present is manifold:
first, that of fervent love: a secret present quenches anger (Prov 21:14);
second, of devout prayer: let my prayer rise as incense in your sight (Ps 140[141]:2);
third, of perfect action: I will not receive a gift of your hand (Mal 1:10);
fourth, of due oblation: vow and pay to the Lord your God: all you that are round about him bring presents. To him that is terrible (Ps 75:12[76:11]).