Cap. 14, 28. In the year that King Ahaz died.
1. the chapters are divided unrhymed, therefore we want to make a small change with the beginning of the chapters.
2 Above he spoke about Sanherib; this story happened in the fifteenth or sixteenth year of Hezekiah. Now he returns from the first year of Hezekiah, prophesying against the Philistines, who rejoiced at the death of Ahaz. For they were afraid of this king, because of the alliance with the Assyrians. For after he has punished his people according to the teaching of the gospel, which commands that we should first pull the beam out of our eyes [Matth. 7, 5.], he now digresses in several chapters and turns to the neighbors of the Jews, proclaiming to them their future misfortune, until he finally comes back to the king of Assyria.
Furthermore, the Philistines were the most hostile to the Jews among all the other neighbors. For the devil did not like the word of God and the works of God among this people. Therefore, as often as the Jews were oppressed by a calamity, they rejoiced over it, as we see in the books of Kings, after Saul fell in battle. It is the same for us today: although we have to suffer from many enemies, the red spirits, as the Sacramentans and Anabaptists are, harbor the bitterest hatred against us before others. Therefore, the prophet comforts his people here.
V. 29. That the rod that smote thee is broken.
4 This is that Ahaz, the very powerful king, died.
For from the root of the serpent will come a basilisk.
This is a sweet consolation, with which he sends out the faith of the frightened people, who were distrustful of the powers of their young king. h) But he calls Ahaz a serpent, and Hezekiah a basilisk, because he would be much harder on the Philistines than Ahaz had been. For he smote the Philistines as far as Gaza, as we read in the other book of Kings [Cap. 18:8].
(6) But this is a proverbial saying, by which is signified that things are easily changed, but seldom for the better. Thus we have changed the seducers, but not improved them. For they have become heretics instead of papists [which they were]. Thus hypocrites are mistaken for hypocrites, tyrants for tyrants. So this saying serves against the excess. For this is how it is: no one considers the goodness of the thing he owns until it is gone. So also in the house a servant, a maid, for the sake of a grievous fault, gets her parting, and in her place another maid or servant is hired, who has twofold inconvenience and far less good in himself.
7 Furthermore, the prophet applies this saying against presumption, as if to say:
h) Instead of the preceding in § 5, the 1532 edition has: This is a spprüchwörtlicher Ausspruch.
You are sure, you think you have now survived all danger after the death of Ahaz. But it will not happen 2c. But it is asked here, why the pious king Hezekiah is called a basilisk? I answer: So also Christ calls himself a death by the prophet, and a pestilence of death [Hos. 13, 14.].
V. 30. For the firstfruits of the meager shall feed.
The Jews are like a small and poor herd, the Philistines are mighty; yet the Jews have this, that they are "firstfruits," that is, beloved and chosen of God, who, as God's own, though poor, shall be quiet and secure in hope.
V. 31. Howl, Thor.
9. where there is only a public place, a gate or a stage, there run together.
Not to rejoice, as you are doing now, but to weep over your misfortune. This seems to be impossible in an active and in a suffering way (active et passive) before it happens.
From midnight comes a smoke.
This is a description of the Assyrian war army. But in German, too, we use "fire" figuratively for misfortune.
V. 32. Zion was founded by the Lord.
(11) This is a great comfort to the afflicted kingdom of Judah, that the mightiest enemy should perish, but they should be preserved. For in prophesying evil to the neighboring nations, he does not intend both to frighten them and to comfort his people and set them on fire against their enemies with whom they were surrounded.