Vers. 21. Then hee that is afflicted and famished, shall* 1.1 goe to and fro in it: and when he shall be hungry, he shall euen fret himselfe, and curse his King and his gods, and shall looke vpward.
LEst the faithfull should suffer themselues to be enwrapped in the common errors, hee addes how horrible the punishment is which threatneth the wicked when they shall be once reuolted from God, and also shall in∣force themselues to draw others to the same reuolt with them. The place is somewhat ob∣scure, but the cause thereof proceeds of this, that some haue not weighed ye words as they ought to haue done. Now the verb Abar hath great weight: for by this word To passe, he sig∣nifies the giddinesse which causeth men to wander, so as they are altogether disquieted, not being able to stay lōg in any place what∣soeuer. We must supplie a noune to the verb indefinit, to wit, The Iewes shall passe. By the pronoune in it, he vnderstands the countrie of Iudea, which the Lord had preferred a∣boue all other regions: and therefore this may be well inough vnderstood, albeit the Prophet hath not expressed it. As if he should say, I haue promised indeed that this region should be the perpetuall heritage of my peo∣ple,* 1.2 but they shall be as restles vagabonds; and it shall fare with them as with those who being driuen out of their countrie, being af∣flicted with pestilence, famine, and all maner of miseries, do seeke euery where for some place of abode better then their owne, but can no where finde it. Thus these words are opposed to that singular benefit of God, whereof Moses makes mention so often, to wit, that they should dwell perpetuallie in Iudea: for he foretelles here that they shall be vvanderers and vagabonds not in their countrie, but in a strange region, so as in whatsoeuer place they should ariue, they should be assailed and vexed with infinite calamities.
Affamished.] It seemes the Prophet speakes of the Iewes conuersion, as if he should say, After they haue bin thorowly humbled with Gods iudgements, they will come to repen∣tance: and questionlesse this is the true re∣medie whereby God for the most part heales the o••stinacie of men. Notwithstanding if any t••inke that by the word hunger the Pro∣phet describes the wrath and stubborne yel∣ling of the wicked, it must be obserued that he not only comprehends hunger and thirst, but (by the figure called Synecdoche) all other calamities also. By the word To prouoke, he signifies that which we haue in our com∣mon speech, they fret, or chafe. The meaning is, that they shall begin to be displeased in themselues, and shall also detest all those suc∣cors in which they trusted before: and this in deed is the beginning of conuersion; for in prosperitie we flatter our selues, but being oppressed, we abhorre whatsoeuer is about vs. Now if any had rather referre this to the reprobate, then this word fret shall note out that gall and bitternes which rather pricks them forward to a furious raging, then to a calme and quiet humbling of themselues.
They shall curse their king.] By king, some vn∣derstand God. And Zophonie takes Malchom in this sense, Zoph. 1.5. that is to say, their king. But I here put a distinction between king and God, for the wicked are first blinded with the false trust which they put in Idols, and by and by after they ground and establish their strength vpon earthlie things. The Iewes ha∣uing a king, were puffed vp with his glorie and power: and when Isaiah preached, the wicked exasperated the king against him, and they moued all the people to imitate their king, who was as it were the standard-bearer. In as much then as they were puffed vp as wel in regard of their idols as of their king, he shewes that they shall be oppressed with so many calamities, that they shall be constrei∣ned to curse their gods, and their king. And be∣hold heere the beginning of repentance, namely, to detest and put farre away all im∣pediments which turne vs away from God.
Lifting vp their face on high.] He heere de∣scribes an affrighted and perplexed consci∣ence, which vexeth the afflicted so long till they haue learned to lift vp their eyes boldly on high. It is some beginning of repentance, as I haue touched a little before, to endeuor to seeke true remedies, hauing been instru∣cted and awakened by calamities and cha∣stisements. But we must goe a step further, to wit, that resting our selues vpon God only we gaze not here and there, neither yet be tossed to and fro with all winds. To be short, Isaiah threatneth the Iewes with an vtter