Isa 9:8-10:4 | JFB | STEP | 8. Heading of the prophecy; ( ), the first strophe. unto Jacob-- against the ten tribes [Lowth]. lighted upon-- fallen from heaven by divine revelation ( ).

‏ Isaiah 9:8-21

8. Heading of the prophecy; (Is 9:8-12), the first strophe.

unto Jacob--against the ten tribes [Lowth].

lighted upon--fallen from heaven by divine revelation (Da 4:31).

9. know--to their cost: experimentally (Ho 9:7).

Samaria--the capital of Ephraim (compare as to phrase, Is 1:1).

10. bricks--in the East generally sun-dried, and therefore soon dissolved by rain. Granting, say the Ephraimites to the prophet's threat, that our affairs are in a ruinous state, we will restore them to more than their former magnificence. Self-confident unwillingness to see the judgments of God (Is 26:11).

hewn stones--(1Ki 5:17).

sycamores--growing abundantly on the low lands of Judea, and though useful for building on account of their antiseptic property (which induced the Egyptians to use them for the cases of their mummies), not very valuable. The cedar, on the other hand, was odorous, free from knots, durable, and precious (1Ki 10:27). "We will replace cottages with palaces."

11. adversaries of Rezin--the Assyrians, who shall first attack Damascus, shall next advance "against him" (Ephraim). This is the punishment of Ephraim's pride in making light (Is 9:10) of the judgment already inflicted by God through Tiglath-pileser (2Ki 15:29). A second Assyrian invasion (see on Is 7:1) shall follow. The reading "princes" for "adversaries" in uncalled for.

join--rather, "arm"; cover with armor [Maurer].

his--Rezin's.

12. Syrians--Though now allies of Ephraim, after Rezin's death they shall join the Assyrians against Ephraim. "Together," in Is 9:11, refers to this. Conquering nations often enlist in their armies the subject races (Is 22:6; compare 2Ki 16:9; Jr 35:11), [Aben Ezra, Gesenius]. Horsley less probably takes "Syrians before," as the Syrians to the east, that is, not Rezin's subjects, but the Assyrians: "Aram" being the common name of Syrians and Assyrians.

Philistines--of Palestine.

behind--from the west: in marking the points of the compass, Orientalists face the east, which is before them: the west is behind. The right hand is the south: the left, the north.

devour--as a ravenous beast (Is 1:20; Jr 10:25; 30:16; Nu 14:9).

For all this, &c.--The burden of each strophe.

13-17. Second strophe.

turneth not--the design of God's chastisements; not fulfilled in their case; a new cause for punishment (Jr 2:20; 5:3).

18-21. Third strophe.

burneth--maketh consumption, not only spreading rapidly, but also consuming like fire: sin is its own punishment.

briers ... thorns--emblem of the wicked; especially those of low rank (Is 27:4; 2Sa 23:6).

forest--from the humble shrubbery the flame spreads to the vast forest; it reaches the high, as well as the low.

mount up like ... smoke--rather. "They (the thickets of the forest) shall lift themselves proudly aloft [the Hebrew is from a Syriac root, a cock, expressing stateliness of motion, from his strutting gait, Horsley], in (in passing into) volumes of ascending smoke" [Maurer].

‏ Isaiah 10:1-4

CHAPTER 10 Is 10:1-4. Fourth strophe.

1. them that decree--namely, unrighteous judges.

write grievousness, &c.--not the scribes, but the magistrates who caused unjust decisions (literally, "injustice" or "grievousness") to be recorded by them (Is 65:6) [Maurer], (Is 1:10, 23).

2. To turn aside, &c.--The effect of their conduct is to pervert the cause of the needy [Horsley]. In English Version "from judgment" means "from obtaining justice."

take away the right--"make plunder of the right" (rightful claim) [Horsley].

3. what will ye do--what way of escape will there be for you?

visitation--of God's wrath (Is 26:14; Job 35:15; Ho 9:7).

from far--from Assyria.

leave ... glory--rather, "deposit (for safekeeping) your wealth" [Lowth]. So Psa 49:17.

4. Without me--not having Me to "flee to" (Is 10:3).

bow down--Bereft of strength they shall fall; or else, they shall lie down fettered.

under ... under--rather, "among" (literally, "in the place of") [Horsley]. The "under" may be, however, explained, "trodden under the (feet of the) prisoners going into captivity," and "overwhelmed under the heaps of slain on the battlefield" [Maurer].

Is 10:5-34 and Is 11:12. Destruction of the Assyrians; Coming of Messiah; Hymn of Praise.

Is 10:9, 11 show that Samaria was destroyed before this prophecy. It was written when Assyria proposed (a design which it soon after tried to carry out under Sennacherib) to destroy Judah and Jerusalem, as it had destroyed Samaria. This is the first part of Isaiah's prophecies under Hezekiah. Probably between 722 and 715 B.C. (see Is 10:27).