Isaiah 30:18-33
18. therefore—on account of your wicked perverseness (Isa 30:1, 2, 9, 15, 16), Jehovah will delay to be gracious [HORSLEY]. Rather, wait or delay in punishing, to give you time for repentance (Isa 30:13, 14, 17) [MAURER]. Or, "Yet therefore" (namely, because of the distress spoken of in the previous verses; that distress will lead the Jews to repentance, and so Jehovah will pity them) [GESENIUS].
be exalted—Men will have more elevated views of God's mercy; or else, "He will rise up to pity you" [G. V. SMITH]. Or (taking the previous clause as MAURER, "Therefore Jehovah will delay" in punishing you, "in order that He may be gracious to you," if ye repent), He will be far removed from you (so in Ps 10:5, far above out sight); that is, He will not immediately descend to punish, "in order that He may have mercy," &c. judgment—justice; faithfulness to His covenant. wait—compare Isa 30:15, wait, namely, for His times of having mercy.19. (Isa 65:9). The restoration from Babylon only typifies the full accomplishment of the prophecy (Isa 30:18-33).
weep no more— (Isa 25:8). thy cry— (Isa 26:8, 9; Jer 29:12-14).20. Rather, "The Lord will give"; the "though" is not in the original.
bread of adversity—He will not deny you food enough to save you in your adversity (1Ki 22:27; Ps 127:2). be removed—rather, "hide themselves"; they shall no more be forced to hide themselves from persecution, but shall be openly received with reverence [MAURER]. Contrast with this Ps 74:9; Am 8:11.21. word—conscience, guided by the Holy Spirit (Joh 16:13).
22. covering of . . . images—rather, "images" (formed of wood or potter's clay, and) "covered with silver." Hezekiah, and afterwards Josiah, defiled them (2Ki 23:8, 10, 14, 16; 2Ch 31:1; compare Isa 2:20; De 7:25).
23. rain of—rather, "for thy seed." Physical prosperity accompanies national piety; especially under the Old Testament. The early rain fell soon after the seed was sown in October or November; the latter rain in the spring, before the ripening of the corn. Both were needed for a good harvest.
increase—the produce. fat—bread made of the best wheat flour (compare Ge 49:20; De 32:14).24. ear—that is, till. Asses were employed in tillage, as well as oxen (De 22:10).
clean—rather, salted provender [GESENIUS]. The Arab proverb is, "Sweet provender is as bread to camels—salted provender as confectionery." The very cattle shall share the coming felicity. Or else, well-fermented maslin, that is, provender formed of a mixture of various substances: grain, beans, vetches, hay, and salt. winnowed—not as it is usually given to cattle before it is separated from the chaff; the grain shall be so abundant that it shall be given winnowed. shovel—by which the grain was thrown up in the wind to separate it from the chaff. fan—an instrument for winnowing.25. Even the otherwise barren hills shall then be well-watered (Isa 44:3).
the day, &c.—when the disobedient among the Jews shall have been slain, as foretold in Isa 30:16: "towers," that is, mighty men (Isa 2:15). Or else, the towers of the Assyrian Sennacherib, or of Babylon, types of all enemies of God's people.26. Image from the heavenly bodies to express the increase of spiritual light and felicity. "Sevenfold" implies the perfection of that felicity, seven being the sacred number. It shall also be literally fulfilled hereafter in the heavenly city (Isa 60:19, 20; Re 21:23, 24; 22:5).
breach—the wound, or calamity, sent by God on account of their sins (Isa 1:5).27. name of . . . Lord—that is, Jehovah Himself (Ps 44:5; 54:1); represented as a storm approaching and ready to burst over the Assyrians (Isa 30:30, 31).
burden . . . is heavy—literally, "grievousness is the flame," that is, the flame which darts from Him is grievous. Or else (as the Hebrew means an "uplifting") the uprising cloud is grievous [G. V. SMITH]; the gathering cloud gradually rising till it bursts.28. (Isa 11:4; 2Th 2:8).
reach . . . neck—the most extreme danger; yet as the head, or capital of Judah, was to be spared (Isa 8:8), so the head, or sovereign of Assyria, Sennacherib, should escape. sieve of vanity—Rather, "the winnowing fan of destruction" [LOWTH] (Isa 41:16). bridle in . . . jaws—as prisoners are represented in the Assyrian inscriptions (Isa 37:29). causing . . . to err— (Isa 63:17). "People," Hebrew, "peoples," namely, the various races composing the Assyrian armies (Isa 5:26).29. the night . . . solemnity—As in the passover night ye celebrate your deliverance from Egypt, so shall ye celebrate your rescue from Assyrian bondage. Translate, "the solemnity" (Ex 12:42).
goeth with a pipe—or flute. They used to go up to Jerusalem ("the mountain of the Lord," Zion) at the three feasts with music and gladness (De 16:16; Ezr 2:65; Ps 122:1-4).30. Jehovah's "glorious voice," raised against the enemy (Isa 30:27), is again mentioned here, in contrast to the music (Isa 30:29) with which His people shall come to worship Him.
lighting down of . . . arm— (Isa 30:32; Ps 38:2). The descent of His arm in striking. scattering—namely, a blast that scatters, or an "inundation" [MAURER].31. The Assyrian rod which beat shall itself be beaten, and that by the mere voice of the Lord, that is, an unseen divine agency (Isa 10:5, 24).
32. grounded—rather, "decreed," "appointed" [MAURER].
staff—the avenging rod. him—the Assyrian; type of all God's enemies in every age. Margin and MAURER construe, "Every passing through (infliction, Isa 28:15) of the appointed rod, which, &c., shall be with tabrets," that is, accompanied with joy on the part of the rescued peoples. battles of shaking—that is, shock of battles (Isa 19:16; compare "sift . . . sieve," Isa 30:28). with it—namely, Assyria.33. Tophet—literally, "A place of abomination"; the valley of the sons of Hinnom, southeast of Jerusalem, where Israel offered human sacrifices to Moloch by fire; hence a place of burning (2Ki 23:10; Jer 7:31). Latterly Gehinnom or Gehenna, that is, valley of Hinnom, was the receptacle of the refuse of the city, to consume which fires were constantly burning. Hence it came to express hell, the place of torment. In the former sense it was a fit place to symbolize the funeral pyre of the Assyrian army (not that it actually perished there); the Hebrews did not burn, but buried their dead, but the heathen Assyrians are to be burnt as a mark of ignominy. In the latter sense Tophet is the receptacle "prepared for the devil (antitype to the king, Isa 14:12-15) and his angels," and unbelieving men (Mt 5:22; 25:41; Mr 9:43, 44).