He shall pass over to his strong hold; Sennacherib shall flee away, with all speed, from Jerusalem, to his strong city of Nineveh, Isaiah 37:37. Or, as it is in the margin, and as the words lie in the Hebrew text, his rock (i.e. his strength, the greatest champions of his army, to whom he trusted) shall pass away (shall flee with all speed from Jerusalem) for fear, lest the sword of the destroying angel should overtake them. Of the ensign; either,
1. Of any ensign. This dreadful judgment shall strike them with such a terror, that they shall not dare to look any enemy in the face. Or,
2. Of the Lord's ensign, which he hath lifted up against them. Whose fire is in Zion: so the sense is either,
1. Whose fire is continually burning upon the altar in Zion; which signifies his presence and residence there. Or rather,
2. Who is and will appear to be in Zion, like a fire, to defend his people, and to consume their enemies; for which end God promiseth that he would be unto Jerusalem a wall of fire round about, Malachi 2:5, &c.; and that he would make the governor of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and that they should devour all the people round about. Possibly these and the following words may be thus rendered, and that very agreeably to the Hebrew words, who will be a fire (to wit, a consuming fire) to him (to the king of Assyria, of whom he is here speaking) in Zion, (from whence he will send forth that fire which shall consume his army: or, for Zion; for Zion's sake; for the prefix here rendered in frequently signifies for, as hath been proved,) and a furnace to him in or for Jerusalem. But this I only propose, leaving it to the judgment of the intelligent reader. His furnace in Jerusalem; the same thing repeated in other words.