Yǐsaìyàshū 39:1

1 Nàshí Bābǐlún wáng Bālā dàn de érzi mǐ luó dá Bālā dàn , tīngjian Xīxījiā bìng ér quányù , jiù sòng shūxìn hé lǐwù gĕi tā .

Yǐsaìyàshū 39:1 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 39:1

At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king
of Babylon
The same is called Berodach, ( 2 Kings 20:12 ) which, according to Hillerus ^F26, is the same with Barmerodach, the son of Merodach; though it is generally took to be a slip of the scribe's there, or a change of letter, as is common in names; he was either afterwards made a god of, or he had his name from an idol of the Babylonians so called, ( Jeremiah 50:1 ) , which signifies "a pure lord." Jerom observes it, as the opinion of the Jews, that he was the father of Nebuchadnezzar, which is not probable. Kimchi takes him to be the same with Esarhaddon, the son of Sennacherib; but he was king of Assyria, not of Babylon; it is most likely that he is the Assyrian king, whom Ptolemy in his canon calls Mardocempad; his other name Baladan, which is compounded of two words, "bal" and "adan", and both of them signify lord, he took from his father, for he is called the son of Baladan; by Josephus ^F1 he is called Baladas, who says that Berosus the Chaldean makes mention of a king of Babylon by this name. Bishop Usher ^F2 thinks he is the same that is called by profane writers Belesis, and Belessus, and Nabonasarus; his name consists of the names of three idols, Merodach, an idol of the Babylonians, as before observed, and Bal, the contraction of Baal, and Adon, the same with Adonis: he sent letters and a present to Hezekiah;
by his ambassadors, which was always usual in embassies and visits, and still is in the eastern countries; the purport of which embassy was to congratulate him upon his recovery, and to inquire concerning the miracle that was wrought in his land; either the destruction of the Assyrian army in one night by an angel, or rather the sun's going back ten degrees, ( 2 Chronicles 32:31 ) and, as Josephus ^F3 says, to enter into an alliance with him; and this seems to be the true reason of sending these ambassadors; or the king of Babylon had lately fallen off from the Assyrian monarch, and therefore was desirous of entering into a league with Hezekiah the king of Assyria's enemy, in order to strengthen himself against him, and secure his liberty he had just gained: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered;
which both gives a reason of the embassy, and points at the time when it was; very probably the same year of his sickness and recovery.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 Onomast. Sacr. p, 603.
F1 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 2. sect. 2.
F2 Annales Vet. Test. p. 87, 88.
F3 Ibid.

Yǐsaìyàshū 39:1 In-Context

1 Nàshí Bābǐlún wáng Bālā dàn de érzi mǐ luó dá Bālā dàn , tīngjian Xīxījiā bìng ér quányù , jiù sòng shūxìn hé lǐwù gĕi tā .

2 Xīxījiā xǐhuan jiàn shǐzhĕ , jiù bǎ zìjǐ bǎo kù de jīnzi , yínzi , xiāngliào , guìzhòng de gāo yóu , hé tā wǔ kù de yīqiè jūn qì , bìng suǒyǒude cáibǎo dōu gĕi tāmen kàn . tā jiā zhōng hé quán guó zhī neì , Xīxījiā méiyǒu yíyàng bù gĕi tāmen kàn de .

3 Yúshì xiānzhī Yǐsaìyà lái jiàn Xīxījiā wáng , wèn tā shuō , zhèxie rén shuō shénme , tāmen cóng nàli lái jiàn nǐ . Xīxījiā shuō tāmen cóng yuǎnfāng de Bābǐlún lái jiàn wǒ .

4 Yǐsaìyà shuō , tāmen zaì nǐ jiā lǐ kànjian le shénme . Xīxījiā shuō , fán wǒ jiā zhōng suǒyǒude , tāmen dōu kànjian le , wǒ cáibǎo zhōng méiyǒu yíyàng bù gĕi tāmen kàn de .

5 Yǐsaìyà duì Xīxījiā shuō , nǐ yào tīng wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá de huà .