ISAIAH XXXII.8.
In the former part of this Chapter, we have a prophetical description of the happy state of the Iewish Church and Nation under the reign of King Hezekiah, who was in this respect a type of Christ, as to his government in the times of the Gospel.
And whereas the former state of things, was under many wild confusions, by reason of violence in the governours, and slavish flattery and ignorance in the people, they should now be restored unto a due order and decorum.
That this Prince should by the justice of his government afford a security and refuge, against that general irregularity and oppression, which had before abounded: And after his delivery from Sennacherib, and recovery from sickness, should effectually apply himself to the regulating of all publick violence and disorder in government; which are here metaphorically described by those inconveniences of weather to which the inhabitants of that Country were most lyable, winds, and tempests, and drought, and heats. He shall be a hiding place from the wind, and a cover[…] from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, v. 2.
- And as for that gross ignorance and servile flattery, which this people had before been guilty of, in styling evil good, and vile persons by honourable names, this should now be rectified: Their eyes shall not be dimn, and they shall understand knowledge, v. 3.4. The vile person shall no more be called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful, v. 5. Such kind of persons shall not any longer be in repute and esteem; men shall not either by mistake or flattery, sooth up others in their vices. That which we translate vile, is elsewhere rendered foolish: Nabal נבל, 1 Sam. 25.25. Nabal is his name and folly is with him, but being here opposed to liberal, it may signifie a foolish niggard, not without some allusion to the story of Nabal, whose name might in those days be used as a by-word. In the original there is an elegant paranomasia: Nabal shall not be Nadib. Though their names be somewhat near, yet their natures are vastly distant: Because such vile persons will both speak and contrive and practise vile, disingenuous, false, unworthy things, v. 6.7. Whereas on the contrary, the liberal deviseth liberal things, &c.
That’s the scope of the place, and the connexion of the words: In them, we have these three parts or terms to be explained.
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The subject, or person spoken of, the liberal man.
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The property ascribed to him, deviseth liberal things.
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The benefit or advantage promised to it, and by liberal things shall he stand.
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For the subject, or person spoken of; the liberal נדיב: The vulgar translates it the Prince; the LXX. and the Arabick, the Religious; the Syriac, the Great man.1 The original verb signifies properly to give with a ready willing mind,2 voluntariness, freeness, generosity, largeness of heart, a cheerful, bountiful giver. ‘Tis frequently used in Seripture for a Prince,3 or a Lord, because such kind of persons are by their conditions, more peculiarly obliged to be so: answerable to the Greek εὐεργέτης, which we translate benefactor, Luke 22.25. And equivalent to those English phrases, a man of honour, a generous person, one that is truly noble and worthy, of a free ingenuous spirit, without any tincture of servility or baseness. In opposition to a narrow, abject, sordid mind.
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The Property ascribed to this liberal person: He deviseth liberal things; wherein there is an Act and Object.
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The Act, he deviseth, יעץ. Consulit, meditatur; the bent and inclination of his mind is set this way; his thoughts are continually working upon it. The word may denote two things: Either serious deliberation about it, or readiness of mind to it.
I. Serious deliberation about it; he deviseth, that is, he imploys his most serious thoughts in this business, consulting and contriving in his mind, the most proper and effectual ways for it: This is styled, v. 6. The working of the heart; speaking of the vile person, his heart doth work iniquity. And ‘tis elsewhere said of the wicked, that he deviseth mischief upon his bed,4 and sets himself in a way that is not good: The expression doth denote a purposed application of the thoughts, when men are studious and inquisitive how to effect and contrive things to the best advantage.