Isaiah 20:6 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

Of this isle; of this land, in which the prophet was, and to whose inhabitants these words were uttered. For the title of isles or islands in Scripture is frequently given not only to lands encompassed with the sea, but also to such countries as lay upon the sea-coasts, as Psalms 72:10 Ezekiel 26:15,18, as Palestine or Canaan did, yea, to such countries as are remote or separated from that place in or of which the words are spoken, as Esther 10:1 Isaiah 24:15, Isaiah 42:4,10, &c, as Canaan was from Egypt, or at least from Ethiopia. Add to this, that Canaan had some resemblance with an isle, either because it was almost encompassed with the Midland Sea on one side, and with the Dead Sea, and the Sea of Galilee or Tiberius and Jordan on the other side; or because, as isles are separated from other lands by the sea, so this land and people were seoarated from all the rest of the world by God's special providence, and presence, and worship. Such is our expectation; so vain is our hope placed upon such a people as are unable to deliver themselves, and much more to deliver us. Whither we flee for help; to whom we now and usually trust; for this was the common disease of the people of Israel, although Hezekiah was in a good measure free from it, as we read, 2 Kings 18:5. How shall we escape? either by their help, who cannot defend themselves; or by our own strength, seeing they who were much more potent than we are could not escape.

Isaiah 20:6

6 And the inhabitant of this islec shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?