*H In the year that Tharthan entered into Azotus, when Sargon the king of the Assyrians had sent him, and he had fought against Azotus, and had taken it:
Ver. 1. Year. Eighteen after the preceding predictions. C. — Sargon. Sennacherib, (S. Jer.) Salmanasar, (Sanct.) or Assaradon, who intended to revenge Sennacherib, and sent his "collector of taxes" to take Azotus from Ezechias, and then to proceed farther. C. — Psammitichus having obtained the sole dominion of Egypt, besieged Azotus for 29 years. Herod. ii. 157. Amos i. 8.
*H At that same time the Lord spoke by the hand of Isaias the son of Amos, saying Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and take off thy shoes from thy feet. And he did so, and went naked, and barefoot.
Ver. 2. Sackcloth. The prophets lived in poverty. Zac. xiii. 4. Their persons were prophetic. It is not agreed whether Isaias went quite naked, or only without his upper garment. The former supposition would represent better the condition of slaves, (v. 4.) and is adopted by S. Jerom, &c. C. — People are said to be naked when they are almost so. 2 K. vi. Jo. xxi. H. — Yet "nothing is more honest than to obey God." S. Jer. W.
* Footnote * Zacharias 13 : 4
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be confounded, every one by his own vision, when he shall prophesy, neither shall they be clad with a garment of sackcloth, to deceive:* Footnote * Matthew 3 : 4
And the same John had his garment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and his meat was locusts and wild honey.*H And the Lord said: As my servant Isaias hath walked, naked and barefoot, it shall be a sign and a wonder of three years upon Egypt, and upon Ethiopia,
Ver. 3. Years. Isaias went so long, or perhaps only three days undressed. Num. xiv. 34. Ezec. iv. 5. Egypt and the Arabian Ethiopia were to be abandoned to the Assyrians, in or during three years.
*H So shall the king of the Assyrians lead away the prisoners of Egypt, and the captivity of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt.
Ver. 4. Shame. Thus captives were generally exposed to sale. C. xlvii. 2. Nah. iii. 5.
*H And they shall be afraid, and ashamed of Ethiopia their hope, and of Egypt their glory.
Ver. 5. Glory. The alliance of these nations shall not avail the Jews, who are said to inhabit an island, because they neglected God's service no less than the most distant and abandoned nations. C. — The changes in empires must convince us to depend only on God, since Damascus and Egypt could not save the Hebrews, nor even themselves. W.