Isaiah 39:1
Envoys From Babylon
Read Isaiah 39:1 Using Other Translations
What does Isaiah 39:1 mean?
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.
F26 Onomast. Sacr. p, 603.
F1 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 2. sect. 2.
F2 Annales Vet. Test. p. 87, 88.
F3 Ibid.
