nations and kings, would perish, and that the Israelites would be helped by God alone, he employed figurative language, and said:" See how the heavens decay and the earth withers away, and all beings on the earth die, and you are saved": that is to say, those who have filled the earth, and have been considered, to use an hyperbole, as permanent and stable as the heavens, will quickly perish and disappear like smoke: and their famous power, that has been as stable as the earth, will be destroyed like a garment. The passage to which I refer begins:" For the Lord hath comforted Zion: He hath comforted all her waste places," etc." Hearken unto me, my people," etc." My righteousness is near: my salvation is gone forth," etc. It continues thus:" Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; for my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished" (Isa. li. 3-6). The restoration of the kingdom of Israel, its stability and permanence, is described as a creation of heaven and earth. For Isaiah frequently speaks of the land of a king as if it were the whole Universe, as if heaven and earth belonged to him. He therefore comforts Israel and says: be
