Isaiah 37:22

This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. THE VIRGIN THE DAUGHTER OF ZION HATH DESPISED THEE ... Transition to poetry: in parallelism. VIRGIN ... DAUGHTER - honourable terms. "Virgin" implies that the city is as yet, inviolate. "Daughter" is an abstract collective feminine personification of the population, the child of the place denoted (note, ; ): Zion and her inhabitants. SHAKEN HER HEAD AT THEE-IN SCORN ...

22._The virgin daughter of Zion. _There is greater emphasis in this address to the whole Church than if he had said the same tiring to Hezekiah as a private individual; for this circumstance heightens the baseness of treating with scorn the defencelessness of a wretched people, as if the aid of heaven had been of no avail. Thus he censures the blindness of Sennacherib, in disregarding God and haughtily despising an afflicted Church. Cities are frequently called _daughters. _(Psalms 9:14.) Sometimes also, as we have formerly seen, delicate cities are called _virgins. _(Isaiah 1:8.) But here he intended to express the weakness of the city of Jerusalem, because she was like an orphan and destitute _virgin, _who was insulted by this base ruffian and infamous robber; while God, as the father to whom this insult is o

THE VIRGIN, THE DAUGHTER OF ZION - Jerusalem (see the note at Isaiah 1:8; compare the note at Isaiah 23:12). The parallelism in this and the following verses shows that the poetic form of speech is here introduced. HAST DESPISED THEE - That is, it is secure from thy contemplated attack. The idea is, that Jerusalem would exult over the ineffectual attempts of Sennacherib to take it, and over his complete overthrow. HATH LAUGHED THEE TO SCORN - Will make thee an object of derision. HATH SHAKEN HER HEAD AT THEE - This is an indication of contempt and scorn (compare Psalms 22:7

EXPOSITION This chapter is the sequel of the preceding, and is so closely connected with it that the two really constitute but one narrative. Isaiah 37:22 of Isaiah 36:1. is more closely connected with Isaiah 37:1, than with the position of the narrative to which it is attached. ISAIAH 37:1 WHEN KING HEZEKIAH HEARD IT; rather, _heard them_;_ i.e._ the "words of Rabshakeh," which his officials reported to him. HE RENT HIS CLOTHES. He did as they had done (Isaiah 36:22

THIS IS THE WORD WHICH THE LORD HATH SPOKEN CONCERNING HIM,.... The sentence he has pronounced upon him, the punishment he has determined to inflict on him, in answer to Hezekiah's prayer against him: THE VIRGIN, THE DAUGHTER OF ZION; HATH DESPISED THEE; AND LAUGHED THEE TO SCORN; that, is the inhabitants of Zion, particularly of the fort of Zion, called a "virgin", because it had never been forced, or taken and to show that it was a vain thing in Sennacherib to attempt it, as well as it would have been an injurious one, could he have accomplished it; since God, the Father of this virgin, would carefully keep her from such a rape; and he who was her husband to whom she was espoused as a chaste virgin, would defend and protect her; and the whole is designed to show the impotent malice of the king of Assyria; otherwise, at the time when these words were spoken, the daughter of Zion was in...

CHAPTER 37 Hezekiah in the House of the Lord and Sennacherib's Second Attempt 1. _Hezekiah's humiliation and Isaiah sent for (Isaiah 37:1)_ 2. _The message from the prophet (Isaiah 37:6)_ 3. _Rabshakeh's letter (Isaiah 37:8)_ 4. _Hezekiah's prayer (Isaiah 37:14)_ 5. _The prayer answered (Isaiah 37:21)_ 6. _The army of Sennacherib judged (Isaiah 37:36)_ 7. The judgment upon Sennacherib ...

ISAIAH 36-39. This section has been extracted from 2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 20:19, and the Song of Hezekiah has been added. For an exposition see the notes on 2 K.; here we have simply to deal with the Song of Hezekiah. ISAIAH 38:10. THANKSGIVING FOR DELIVERANCE FROM IMMINENT DEATH. This is now generally regarded as a post-exilic psalm. Its absence in the parallel narratine in Kings is significant. Apparently it was inserted here by an editor who thought it suitable to Hezekiah's circumstances. If, as seems likely, it has been influenced by the Book of Job, it must be post-exilic. The title cannot, any more than the Psalm titles, weigh against internal evidence. Hezekiah's writing after his recov

SHAKEN. WAGGED. Denoting derision and scorn....

The answer to the prayer comes in the form of a message from Isaiah. The message as here given really consists of two distinct oracles: (1) a poem, on the pride and the approaching humiliation of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:22); to which is appended a short passage in a different rhythm addressed to Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:30); (2) a definite prediction, in a less elevated style, of the deliverance of Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:33). The lyrical passage (Isaiah 37:22) appears to have been inserted in the narrative from some independent source. Although probably a genuine work of Isaiah, the recitation of a somewhat elaborate poem is hardly a natural form for a

THE VIRGIN, THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, &C.— Well-formed cities and states, flourishing, free, and obedient to honest and legal rule, are every where in Scripture compared to _virgins._ By _the daughter of Zion,_ and of _Jerusalem,_ are meant the people, inhabitants of Zion and Jerusalem. The image is extremely fine, whereby the contempt of Sennacherib's threats is expressed....