11  Christ, a branch cut of the root of Jesse, endued with the spirit of the Lord, should set up a kingdom by the preaching of his word, Isa 11:1-5.
The members of his church should live in peace and unity, Isa 11:6-9.
And be victorious over their enemies: and to him should the Gentiles seek, Isa 11:10-16.

11:10 A root - A branch growing upon the root. Ensign - Shall grow up into a great tree, shall become an eminent ensign. The people - Which not only the Jews, but all nations, may discern, and to which they shall resort. Rest - His resting - place, his temple or church, the place of his presence and abode. Glorious - Shall be filled with greater glory than the Jewish tabernacle and temple were; only this glory shall be spiritual, consisting in the plentiful effusions of the gifts, and graces, of the Holy Spirit.

11:11 The second - The first time, to which this word second relates, seems to be the deliverance out of Babylon: and then this second deliverance must be in the days of the Messiah.To recover - From all places far and near, into which either the ten tribes or the two tribes were carried captives. Pathros was a province in Egypt.

11:12 Nations - All nations, Jews and Gentiles.Out - casts - That were driven out of their own land, into foreign parts.Israel - Of the ten tribes.

11:13 Ephraim - Of the ten tribes, frequently called by the name of Ephraim. Of enemies they shall be made friends. The adversaries - Not the body of Ephraim, for they are supposed to be reconciled, and they shall not be cut off, but live in love with Judah, as we see by the next clause; but those few of them who continue in their enmity together with all the rest of their adversaries.

11:14 Fly - It is a metaphor from birds and beasts of prey.Spoil - They shall subdue them, which is to be understood of the spiritual victory which the Messiah shall obtain by his apostles and ministers over all nations.

11:15 Destroy - Shall not only divide it, as of old, but dry it up, that it may be an high - way. The sea - The Red Sea, which may well be called the Egyptian sea, both because it borders upon Egypt, and because the Egyptians were drowned in it, which is called a tongue in the Hebrew text, Jos 15:2, Jos 15:5, as having some resemblance with a tongue: for which reason the name of tongue hath been given by geographers to promontories of land which shoot forth into the sea, as this sea did shoot out of the main ocean into the land. Rivers - Nile.Seven streams - For which it is famous in all authors.

11:16 As it was - As there was another high - way from Egypt. All impediments shall be removed, and a way made for the return of God's Israel from all parts of the world. He mentions Assyria, because thither the ten tribes were carried, whose case seemed to be most desperate.

12  A thanksgiving of the faithful for their redemption, Isa 12:1-6.

12:1 In that day - When this great work of the reduction of Israel, and conversion of the Gentiles is fulfilled.

12:2 God - My salvation hath not been brought to pass by man, but by the almighty power of God.

7 We have in this chapter,

1. God's gracious call to Noah to come into the ark, Gen 7:1.
   and to bring the creatures that were to be preserved alive, with him, Gen 7:2-3.
   in consideration of the deluge at hand, Gen 7:4.
   
2. Noah's obedience, Gen 7:5.
   he came with his family into the ark, Gen 7:6-7.
   and brought the creatures with him, Gen 7:8-9.
   An account of which is repeated, Gen 7:13-16.
   to which is added God's tender care to shut him in.
3. The coming of the threatened deluge, Gen 7:10.
   the causes of it, Gen 7:11-12.
   the prevalency of it, Gen 7:17-20.
   
4. The dreadful desolations that were made by it, in the death of every living creature upon earth, except what were in the ark, Gen 7:21-23.
   
5. The continuance of it in full sea, before it began to ebb, 150 days, Gen 7:24.
   

7:11 The six hundredth year of Noah's life, was 1656 years from the creation. In the second month, the seventeenth day of the month - Which is reckoned to be about the beginning of November; so that Noahhad had a harvest just before, from which to victual his ark. The same day the fountains of the great deep were broken up - There needed no new creation of waters; God has laid up the deep in store - houses, Psa 33:7, and now he broke up those stores. God had, in the creation, set bars and doors to the waters of the sea, that they might not return to cover the earth, Psa 104:9 Gen 7, Job 38:9-11, and now he only removed these ancient mounds and fences, and the waters of the sea returned to cover the earth, as they had done at first, Gen 1:9.And the windows of heaven were opened - And the waters which were above the firmament were poured out upon the world; those treasures which God has reserved against the time of trouble, the day of battle and war, Job 38:22-23. The rain, which ordinarily descends in drops, then came down in streams. We read, Job 26:8.That God binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them; but now the bond was loosed, the cloud was rent, and such rains descended as were never known before or since.

7:12 It rained without intermission or abatement, forty days and forty nights - And that upon the whole earth at once.

7:14 And every beast after his kind - According to the phrase used in the history of the creation, Gen 1:21, Gen 1:24-25, to intimate, that just as many species as were created at first were saved now, and no more.

7:20 The mountains were covered - Therefore there were mountains before the flood.

7:21 All flesh died, all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was on the dry land, every living substance - And why so? Man only had done wickedly, and justly is God's hand against him, but these sheep what have they done? I answer, 1. We are sure God did them no wrong. He is the sovereign Lord of all life, for he is the sole fountain and author of it. He that made them as he pleased, might unmake them when he pleased, and who shall say unto him, What dost thou? 2. God did admirably serve the purposes of his own glory by their destruction, as well as by their creation. Herein his holiness and justice were greatly magnified: by this it appears that he hates sin, and is highly displeased with sinners, when even the inferior creatures, because they are the servants of man, and part of his possession, and because they have been abused to be the servants of sin, are destroyed with him. It was likewise an instance of God's wisdom. As the creatures were made for man when he was made, so they were multiplied for him when he was multiplied; and therefore, now mankind was reduced to so small a number, it was fit that the beasts should proportionable be reduced, otherwise they would have had the dominion, and would have replenished the earth, and the remnant of mankind that was left would have been overpowered by them.

8 We have here,

1. The earth made anew, by the recess of waters, and the appearing of the dry land a second time.
   1. The increase of the waters is stayed, Gen 8:1-2.
      
   2. They begin sensibly to abate, Gen 8:3.
      
   3. After fifteen days ebbing the ark rests, Gen 8:4.
      
   4. After sixty days ebbing the tops of the mountains appear, Gen 8:5.
      
   5. After forty days ebbing, and twenty days before the mountains appeared, Noah begins to send out his spies, a raven and a dove to gain intelligence, Gen 8:6-12.
      
   6. Two months after the appearing of the tops of the mountains the waters were gone, and the face of the earth was dry, Gen 8:13.
      tho' not dried so as to be fit for man 'till almost two months after, Gen 8:14.
      
2. Man placed anew upon the earth. In which,
   1. Noah's discharge and departure out of the ark, Gen 8:15-19.
      
   2. His sacrifice of praise which he offered to God upon his enlargement, Gen 8:20.
      
3. God's acceptance of his sacrifice; and the promise he made thereupon not to drown the world again, Gen 8:21-22.
   And thus at length mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

8:1 And God remembered Noah and every living thing - This is an expression after the manner of men, for not any of his creatures, much less any of his people are forgotten of God. But the whole race of mankind, except Noah and his family, was now extinguished, and gone into the land of forgetfulness, so that God's remembering Noah was the return of his mercy to mankind, of whom he would not make a full end. Noah himself, tho' one that had found grace in the eyes of the Lord, yet seemed to be forgotten in the ark; but at length God returned in mercy to him, and that is expressed by his remembering him.

8:3 The waters returned from off the earth continually - Heb. they were going and returning; a gradual departure. The heat of the sun exhaled much, and perhaps the subterraneous caverns soaked in more.

10  Here the Proverbs, properly so called, begin. They are short, but weighty sentences, most of which are two sentences in one verse, illustrating each other. But it is seldom there is any coherence between the verses, much less any thread of discourse.

10:2 Of wickedness - Such as are got by any sort of wicked practices.Death - Often from temporal, and always from eternal death.

10:5 Gathereth - The fruits of his field. In summer - In harvest.He that improved the opportunities of doing good to himself and others.

10:6 Violence - Their own violence or injustice. This may be an allusion to the ancient custom of covering the mouths and faces of condemned malefactors.

10:8 Who receive - Is ready to hear and obey the precepts of God and men. Fall - Into mischief.

10:9 Surely - Or, securely, or confidently, as the word properly signifies; quietly resting upon God's favour and gracious providence for his protections. Known - His wickedness shall be publickly discovered.

10:10 Winketh - That secretly designs mischief against others, as this phrase is used, Psa 35:19.

10:13 Wisdom - This wisdom shews itself in his speech.A rod - Rebukes from God and men.

10:14 Lay up - In their minds, to be brought forth upon fit occasions.Knowledge - Whereby they may be enabled to speak both what, and when it is seasonable. But - Fools are more forward to lay out than to lay up, and for want of knowledge speak much and foolishly, whereby they frequently bring destruction upon themselves.

10:15 Wealth - It often redeems him from dangers and calamities.Poverty - Is the cause of their ruin.

10:16 The labour - The fruit of his labour, to the preservation of this life, and obtaining eternal life. Fruit - The fruit of all their labour tends to sin, and serves only for fuel to mens pride and luxury.

10:18 Lying lips - With flattering words. He here condemns two opposite vices, secret hatred, and manifest slander.

10:20 Is - Of great worth and use. Heart - And consequently the tongue.

10:21 Feed - By their wise discourses and counsels. Die - They have not wisdom to preserve themselves, much less to feed others.