Vers. 15. The Lord also shall vtterlie destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and with his mightie wind shall lift vp his hand ouer the riuer, and shall smite him in his seauen streames, and cause men to walke therein with shooes.
He meanes nothing else in this verse but to shew that the Lord by his admirable power will open a way vnto his people which seemed to be shut vp before. Now he speakes by a figure, for one side of the sea is called a tongue, because when the sea enters vpō both lands, and occupies one part, it seemes like a tongue thrust out. He speakes of the Egyptian sea then, yea of Egypt it selfe, which he yet more plainly declares hereafter. But he prin∣cipallie names the sea and the riuers, because these be fortresses of the regions and the clo∣sings in of all passages.
Vpon the riuer.] No doubt but he meanes the riuer Nilus, which watereth and compas∣seth all Egypt in many places, by meanes whereof they might haue shut vp the passage before the people returning into Iudea. I doubt not but the word Ruach is here taken for wind, although these words of the Lord be ioyned therewith: for all the winds are the Lords, seeing he gouernes and guides them as it pleaseth him, and especiallie a vehement whirlewind raised vp miraculouslie is so taken when this word is vsed.
Now he alludes to the first deliuerance of the Church whē it was brought out of Egypt. For whē it pleased God to giue them passage, he dried vp the sea by the violence and force of the winds, Exod. 14.21. I grant that God needed not the help of winds, because he was able to haue done it of himselfe: but when he vseth ordinarie meanes, first from thence [ 1] wee learne that all creatures are readie to yeeld obedience vnto him. And howsoeuer they haue their naturall course, yet are they all in his hands, so as he will turne their force and violence which way soeuer it shall please him. For example, when the wind ariseth, it takes his beginning of a naturall cause: all the winds also haue their seuerall proprie∣ties: the south wind is moyst, the north wind cold, and the effects which proceed from them are altogether alike: for the south wind makes the bodies moist, and the north wind dries them. The Lord shewes by admirable miracles that he hath a superior power, and an ouerruling hand farre aboue these natu∣rall causes, so as nature (that is to say, the dis∣position of things, as prophane men haue i∣magined) ouerrules not, but he only. Se∣condly [ 2] he shewes, that when he thinks good he changeth the nature and order of things, to the end he may be acknowledged the au∣thor of them, because such a change doth the better set forth his power and domination. This is the cause why Isaiah speakes not of the wind alone, but of the wind of the Lord, to the end we might know that the wind is not raised vp by chance, but is directed by the hand of the Lord.
And he shall smite him in his seuen streames.] Others translate floods, and expound it thus, He will diuide Nilus into seuen parts. Now although this exposition be receiued of all, yet I approue not of it; and as I take it, they haue failed here by forgetfulnes rather then by ignorance, for I hold them learned men notwithstanding, and such as are well exer∣cised in reading the ancient writers. It is well enough knowne by histories, that Nilus hath seuen principall mouthes; others were called false mouthes, because they had no name. Look then how many armes or mouths it had, so many streames and riuers it made as it seemes; and his riuers would haue been so many lets and impediments to slacken the voyage. Now Isaiah did purposely name thē, because of the great fame of this flood. More∣ouer, although this flood was deepe, yet not∣withstanding he saith, it shall be so dried vp, that one shall not neede to pull off his shoes to passe ouer it: which yet they must needs haue done if there had been neuer so little water remaining.
The Prophet then vnder these borowed speeches meanes nothing else but to certifie them, that no power whatsoeuer shall be able to let God, when it pleaseth him to deliuer his people out of captiuitie. He touched the historie of the first deliuerance, to the end they might know that the same should now befall them which had hapned to their fa∣thers