Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Vers. 16. ^*For before the Child shall have knowledge to eschew the evil and to choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest, shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Vers. 16. ^*For before the Child shall haue knowledge to eschue the euill and to choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest, shall be forsaken of both her kings.

1. *Or, Truly.Or, Truely.

Many are here deceived when they will conjoin this present sentence with the former, as if it were spoken of the same child, and so make it an exposition of the former, as if the particle Ci were rational. But if we more narrowly weigh the Prophets meaning it will sufficiently appear, that having left the general doctrine, from which he had made some digression, he now returns to the matter again; for having grounded the hope of Jerusalems deliverance upon the promised Messiah, now he teacheth how it shall be delivered. I expound not this verse then of Christ, but of all children in general; and herein I differ in opinion from all others which think it should be spoken here of some certain child. But for mine own part I take the word Hannar generally, so as the letter He should be added for the better understanding, rather to show the age, then some special child, as we commonly say, The child, adding this article The, for the clearer understanding of the matter; which also is very usual in the Scripture. Now if the word the had marked out some particular child, he would rather have said, this child, as in other places. Neither is it likely that this promise touching the ruin of the kingdoms of Syria and Samaria (which followed not long after) should be deferred five hundred years, that is, to the coming of Christ: we know this were too great an absurdity. The sense then is, Before the children which shall be borne hereafter shall know to discern evil from good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken.