1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.
5 The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
9 The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.
11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
21 But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
1 Woe H1945 to thee that spoilest, H7703 and thou wast not spoiled; H7703 and dealest treacherously, H898 and they dealt not treacherously H898 with thee! when thou shalt cease H8552 to spoil, H7703 thou shalt be spoiled; H7703 and when thou shalt make an end H5239 to deal treacherously, H898 they shall deal treacherously H898 with thee.
2 O LORD, H3068 be gracious H2603 unto us; we have waited H6960 for thee: be thou their arm H2220 every morning, H1242 our salvation H3444 also in the time H6256 of trouble. H6869
3 At the noise H6963 of the tumult H1995 the people H5971 fled; H5074 at the lifting up H7427 of thyself the nations H1471 were scattered. H5310
4 And your spoil H7998 shall be gathered H622 like the gathering H625 of the caterpiller: H2625 as the running to and fro H4944 of locusts H1357 shall he run H8264 upon them.
5 The LORD H3068 is exalted; H7682 for he dwelleth H7931 on high: H4791 he hath filled H4390 Zion H6726 with judgment H4941 and righteousness. H6666
6 And wisdom H2451 and knowledge H1847 shall be the stability H530 of thy times, H6256 and strength H2633 of salvation: H3444 the fear H3374 of the LORD H3068 is his treasure. H214
7 Behold, their valiant ones H691 shall cry H6817 without: H2351 the ambassadors H4397 of peace H7965 shall weep H1058 bitterly. H4751
8 The highways H4546 lie waste, H8074 the wayfaring man H5674 H734 ceaseth: H7673 he hath broken H6565 the covenant, H1285 he hath despised H3988 the cities, H5892 he regardeth H2803 no man. H582
9 The earth H776 mourneth H56 and languisheth: H535 Lebanon H3844 is ashamed H2659 and hewn down: H7060 Sharon H8289 is like a wilderness; H6160 and Bashan H1316 and Carmel H3760 shake off H5287 their fruits.
10 Now will I rise, H6965 saith H559 the LORD; H3068 now will I be exalted; H7426 now will I lift up H5375 myself.
11 Ye shall conceive H2029 chaff, H2842 ye shall bring forth H3205 stubble: H7179 your breath, H7307 as fire, H784 shall devour H398 you.
12 And the people H5971 shall be as the burnings H4955 of lime: H7875 as thorns H6975 cut up H3683 shall they be burned H3341 in the fire. H784
13 Hear, H8085 ye that are far off, H7350 what I have done; H6213 and, ye that are near, H7138 acknowledge H3045 my might. H1369
14 The sinners H2400 in Zion H6726 are afraid; H6342 fearfulness H7461 hath surprised H270 the hypocrites. H2611 Who among us shall dwell H1481 with the devouring H398 fire? H784 who among us shall dwell H1481 with everlasting H5769 burnings? H4168
15 He that walketh H1980 righteously, H6666 and speaketh H1696 uprightly; H4339 he that despiseth H3988 the gain H1215 of oppressions, H4642 that shaketh H5287 his hands H3709 from holding H8551 of bribes, H7810 that stoppeth H331 his ears H241 from hearing H8085 of blood, H1818 and shutteth H6105 his eyes H5869 from seeing H7200 evil; H7451
16 He shall dwell H7931 on high: H4791 his place of defence H4869 shall be the munitions H4679 of rocks: H5553 bread H3899 shall be given H5414 him; his waters H4325 shall be sure. H539
17 Thine eyes H5869 shall see H2372 the king H4428 in his beauty: H3308 they shall behold H7200 the land H776 that is very far off. H4801
18 Thine heart H3820 shall meditate H1897 terror. H367 Where is the scribe? H5608 where is the receiver? H8254 where is he that counted H5608 the towers? H4026
19 Thou shalt not see H7200 a fierce H3267 people, H5971 a people H5971 of a deeper H6012 speech H8193 than thou canst perceive; H8085 of a stammering H3932 tongue, H3956 that thou canst not understand. H998
20 Look H2372 upon Zion, H6726 the city H7151 of our solemnities: H4150 thine eyes H5869 shall see H7200 Jerusalem H3389 a quiet H7600 habitation, H5116 a tabernacle H168 that shall not be taken down; H6813 not one of the stakes H3489 thereof shall ever H5331 be removed, H5265 neither shall any of the cords H2256 thereof be broken. H5423
21 But there the glorious H117 LORD H3068 will be unto us a place H4725 of broad H7342 H3027 rivers H5104 and streams; H2975 wherein shall go H3212 no H1077 galley H590 with oars, H7885 neither shall gallant H117 ship H6716 pass H5674 thereby.
22 For the LORD H3068 is our judge, H8199 the LORD H3068 is our lawgiver, H2710 the LORD H3068 is our king; H4428 he will save H3467 us.
23 Thy tacklings H2256 are loosed; H5203 they could not well H3653 strengthen H2388 their mast, H8650 they could not spread H6566 the sail: H5251 then is the prey H5706 of a great H4766 spoil H7998 divided; H2505 the lame H6455 take H962 the prey. H957
24 And the inhabitant H7934 shall not say, H559 I am sick: H2470 the people H5971 that dwell H3427 therein shall be forgiven H5375 their iniquity. H5771
1 Woe to thee that destroyest, and thou wast not destroyed; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou hast ceased to destroy, thou shalt be destroyed; and when thou hast made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
2 O Jehovah, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations are scattered.
4 And your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathereth: as locusts leap shall men leap upon it.
5 Jehovah is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah is thy treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: `the enemy' hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man.
9 The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon is confounded and withereth away; Sharon is like a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shake off `their leaves'.
10 Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted.
11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you.
12 And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.
13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?
15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking a bribe, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil:
16 He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given `him'; his waters shall be sure.
17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a land that reacheth afar.
18 Thy heart shall muse on the terror: Where is he that counted, where is he that weighed `the tribute'? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that thou canst not comprehend, of a strange tongue that thou canst not understand.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
21 But there Jehovah will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
22 For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver, Jehovah is our king; he will save us.
23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not strengthen the foot of their mast, they could not spread the sail: then was the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame took the prey.
24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
1 Wo, spoiler! and thou not spoiled, And treacherous! and they dealt not treacherously with thee, When thou dost finish, O spoiler, thou art spoiled, When thou dost finish dealing treacherously, They deal treacherously with thee.
2 O Jehovah, favour us, for thee we have waited, Be their arm, in the mornings, Yea, our salvation in time of adversity.
3 From the voice of a multitude fled have peoples, From thine exaltation scattered have been nations.
4 And gathered hath been your spoil, A gathering of the caterpillar, As a running to and fro of locusts is he running on it.
5 Set on high is Jehovah, for He is dwelling on high, He filled Zion `with' judgment and righteousness,
6 And hath been the stedfastness of thy times, The strength of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge, Fear of Jehovah -- it `is' His treasure.
7 Lo, `Their Ariel,' they have cried without, Messengers of peace do weep bitterly.
8 Desolated have been highways, Ceased hath he who passeth along the path, He hath broken covenant, He hath despised enemies, He hath not esteemed a man.
9 Mourned, languished hath the land, Confounded hath been Lebanon, Withered hath been Sharon as a wilderness, And shaking are Bashan and Carmel.
10 Now, do I arise, saith Jehovah, Now I am exalted, now I am lifted up.
11 Ye conceive chaff, ye bear stubble, Your spirit! -- fire devoureth you.
12 And peoples have been `as' burnings of lime, Thorns, as sweepings, with fire they burn.
13 Hear, ye far off, that which I have done, And know, ye near ones, My might.
14 Afraid in Zion have been sinners, Seized hath trembling the profane: Who doth dwell for us -- consuming fire, Who doth dwell for us -- burnings of the age?
15 Whoso is walking righteously, And is speaking uprightly, Kicking against gain of oppressions, Shaking his hands from taking hold on a bribe, Stopping his ear from hearing of blood, And shutting his eyes from looking on evil,
16 He high places doth inhabit, Strongholds of rock `are' his high tower, His bread hath been given, his waters stedfast.
17 A king in his beauty, see do thine eyes, They see a land afar off.
18 Thy heart doth meditate terror, Where `is' he who is counting? Where `is' he who is weighing? Where `is' he who is counting the towers?
19 The strong people thou seest not, A people deeper of lip than to be understood, Of a scorned tongue, there is no understanding.
20 See Zion, the city of our meetings, Thine eyes see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, A tent not taken down, Not removed are its pins for ever, And none of its cords are broken.
21 But there mighty `is' Jehovah for us, A place of rivers -- streams broad of sides, No ship with oars doth go into it, And a mighty ship doth not pass over it.
22 For Jehovah our judge, Jehovah our lawgiver, Jehovah our king -- He doth save us.
23 Left have been thy ropes, They strengthen not rightly their mast, They have not spread out a sail, Then apportioned hath been a prey of much spoil, The lame have taken spoil.
24 Nor doth an inhabitant say, `I was sick,' The people that is dwelling in it, is forgiven of iniquity!
1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and that dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; when thou shalt make an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
2 Jehovah, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be their arm every morning, yea, our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the peoples fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
4 And your spoil shall be gathered [like] the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running of locusts shall they run upon it.
5 Jehovah is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
6 and he shall be the stability of thy times, the riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah shall be your treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, the wayfaring man ceaseth. He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
9 The land mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon is ashamed, is withered; the Sharon is become as a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped.
10 Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.
11 Ye shall conceive dry grass, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath shall devour you [as] fire.
12 And the peoples shall be [as] burnings of lime, [as] thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
13 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath surprised the hypocrites: Who among us shall dwell with the consuming fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting flames?
15 -- He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from taking hold of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil:
16 he shall dwell on high, the fortresses of the rocks shall be his high retreat; bread shall be given him, his water shall be sure.
17 Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty; they shall behold the land that is far off.
18 Thy heart shall meditate on terror: Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt no more see the fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst comprehend, of a stammering tongue that cannot be understood.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereof shall never be pulled up, neither shall any of its cords be broken;
21 but there Jehovah is unto us glorious, -- a place of rivers, of broad streams: no galley with oars shall go there, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
22 For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah, our lawgiver, Jehovah, our king: he will save us.
23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they strengthen not the socket of their mast, they cannot spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven [their] iniquity.
1 Woe to you who destroy, and you weren't destroyed; and deal treacherously, and they didn't deal treacherously with you! When you have ceased to destroy, you shall be destroyed; and when you have made an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you.
2 Yahweh, be gracious to us; we have waited for you: be our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the thunder the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of yourself the nations are scattered.
4 Your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathers: as locusts leap shall men leap on it.
5 Yahweh is exalted; for he dwells on high: he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 There shall be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
7 Behold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: [the enemy] has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he doesn't regard man.
9 The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shake off [their leaves].
10 Now will I arise, says Yahweh; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted.
11 You shall conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you.
12 The peoples shall be as the burning of lime, as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.
13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? who among us can dwell with everlasting burning?
15 He who walks righteously, and speaks blamelessly; he who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands from taking a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking on evil:
16 He shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given [him]; his waters shall be sure.
17 Your eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall see a land that reaches afar.
18 Your heart shall muse on the terror: Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed [the tribute]? where is he who counted the towers?
19 You shall not see the fierce people, a people of a deep speech that you can not comprehend, of a strange language that you can not understand.
20 Look on Zion, the city of our solemnities: your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes of it shall never be plucked up, neither shall any of the cords of it be broken.
21 But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, in which shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
22 For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; he will save us.
23 Your rigging is untied; they could not strengthen the foot of their mast, they could not spread the sail: then was the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame took the prey.
24 The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people who dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
1 Ho! you who make waste those who did not make you waste; acting falsely to those who were not false to you. When you have come to an end of wasting, you will be made waste, and after your false acts, they will do the same to you.
2 O Lord, have mercy on us; for we have been waiting for your help: be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of trouble.
3 At the loud noise the peoples have gone in flight; at your coming up the nations have gone in all directions.
4 And the goods taken in war will be got together like the massing of young locusts; men will be rushing on them like the rushing of locusts.
5 The Lord is lifted up; his place is on high: he has made Zion full of righteousness and true religion.
6 And she will have no more fear of change, being full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is her wealth.
7 See, the men of war are sorrowing outside the town: those who came looking for peace are weeping bitterly.
8 The highways are waste, no man is journeying there: the agreement is broken, he has made sport of the towns, he has no thought for man.
9 The earth is sorrowing and wasting away; Lebanon is put to shame and has become waste; Sharon is like the Arabah; and in Bashan and Carmel the leaves are falling.
10 Now will I come forward, says the Lord; now will I be lifted up; now will my power be seen.
11 Your designs will be without profit, and their effect will be nothing: you will be burned up by the fire of my breath.
12 And the peoples will be like the burning of chalk: as thorns cut down, which are burned in the fire.
13 Give ear, you who are far off, to what I have done: see my power, you who are near.
14 The sinners in Zion are full of fear; the haters of God are shaking with wonder. Who among us may keep his place before the burning fire? who among us may see the eternal burnings?
15 He whose ways are true, and whose words are upright; he who gives no thought to the profits of false acts, whose hands have not taken rewards, who will have no part in putting men to death, and whose eyes are shut against evil;
16 He will have a place on high: he will be safely shut in by the high rocks: his bread will be given to him; his waters will be certain.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his glory: they will be looking on a far-stretching land.
18 Your heart will give thought to the cause of your fear: where is the scribe, where is he who made a record of the payments, where is he by whom the towers were numbered?
19 Never again will you see the cruel people, a people whose tongue has no sense for you; whose language is strange to you.
20 Let your eyes be resting on Zion, the town of our holy feasts: you will see Jerusalem, a quiet resting-place, a tent which will not be moved, whose tent-pins will never be pulled up, and whose cords will never be broken.
21 But there the Lord will be with us in his glory, ... wide rivers and streams; where no boat will go with blades, and no fair ship will be sailing.
22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our king; he will be our saviour.
23 Your cords have become loose; they were not able to make strong the support of their sails, the sail was not stretched out: then the blind will take much property, the feeble-footed will make division of the goods of war.
24 And the men of Zion will not say, I am ill: for its people will have forgiveness for their sin.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 33
Commentary on Isaiah 33 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
We are now in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign. The threatenings of the first years, which the repentance of the people had delayed, are now so far in force again, and so far actually realized, that the Assyrians are already in Judah, and have not only devastated the land, but are threatening Jerusalem. The element of promise now gains the upper hand, the prophet places himself between Asshur and his own nation with the weapons of prophecy and prayer, and the woe turns from the latter to the former. “Woe, devastator, and thyself not devastated; and thou spoiler, and still not spoiled! Hast thou done with devastating? thou shalt be devastated. Hast thou attained to rob? men rob thee.” Asshur is described as not devastated and not spoiled (which could not be expressed by a participle as with us, since bâgad is construed with Beth , and not with the accusative of the person), because it had not yet been visited by any such misfortune as that which had fallen upon other lands and nations. But it would be repaid with like for the like as soon as כּ indicating simultaneousness, as in Isaiah 30:19 and Isaiah 18:5, for example) its devastating and spoiling had reached the point determined by Jehovah. Instead of ב ך , we find in some codd. and editions the reading בו , which is equally admissible. In כּהתימ ך (from תּמם ) the radical syllable is lengthened, instead of having dagesh . כּנּלת ך is equivalent to כּהנלות ך , a hiphil syncopated for the sake of rhythm (as in Isaiah 3:8; Deuteronomy 1:33, and many other passages), written here with dagesh dirmens , from the verb nâlâh , which is attested also by Job 15:29. The coincidence in meaning with the Arab. verb nâl ( fut. i and u ), to acquire or attain (see Comm. on Job , at Job 15:29 and Job 30:24-27), has been admitted by the earliest of the national grammarians, Ben-Koreish, Chayug, etc. The conjecture כּכלּות ך (in addition to which Cappellus proposed כנלאות ך ) is quite unnecessary. The play upon the sound sets forth the punishment of the hitherto unpunished one as the infallible echo of its sin.
In Isaiah 33:2 the prophet's word of command is changed into a believing prayer: “Jehovah, be gracious to us; we wait for Thee: be their arm with every morning, yea, our salvation in time of need!” “ Their arm ,” i.e., the power which shelters and defends them, viz., Thy people and my own. “ Yea ,” 'aph , is emphatic. Israel's arm every morning, because the danger is renewed every day; Israel's salvation, i.e., complete deliverance (Isaiah 25:9), because the culminating point of the trouble is still in prospect.
While the prophet is praying thus, he already sees the answer. “At the sound of a noise peoples pass away; at Thy rising nations are scattered. And your booty is swept away as a swarm of locusts sweeps away; as beetles run, they run upon it.” The indeterminate hâmōn , which produces for that very reason the impression of something mysterious and terrible, is at once explained. The noise comes from Jehovah, who is raising Himself judicially above Assyria, and thunders as a judge. Then the hostile army runs away ( נפצוּ = נפצּוּ , from the niphal נפ ץ , 1 Samuel 13:11, from פּץ = נפו ץ , from פּוּ ץ ); and your booty (the address returns to Assyria) is swept away, just as when a swarm of locusts settles on a field, it soon eats it utterly away. Jerome, Cappellus, and others follow the Septuagint rendering, ὃν τρόπον ἐάν τις συναγάγη ἀκρίδας . The figure is quite as appropriate, but the article in hechâsı̄l makes the other view the more natural one; and Isaiah 33:4 places this beyond all doubt. Shâqaq , from which the participle shōqēq and the substantive m asshâq are derived, is sued here, as in Joel 2:9, to signify a busy running hither and thither ( discursitare ). The syntactic use of shōqēq is the same as that of קרא (they call) in Isaiah 21:11, and sōph e dı̄m (they smite) in Isaiah 32:12. The inhabitants of Jerusalem swarm in the enemy's camp like beetles; they are all in motion, and carry off what they can.
The prophet sees this as he prays, and now feasts himself on the consequences of this victory of Jehovah, prophesying in Isaiah 33:5, Isaiah 33:6 : “Jehovah is exalted; for, dwelling on high, He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And there will be security of thy times, riches of salvation, of wisdom, and knowledge. Fear of Jehovah is then the treasure of Judah.” Exalted: for though highly exalted in Himself, He has performed an act of justice and righteousness, with the sight and remembrance of which Zion is filled as with an overflowing rich supply of instruction and praise. A new time has dawned for the people of Judah. The prophet addresses them in Isaiah 33:6; for there is nothing to warrant us in regarding the words as addressed to Hezekiah. To the times succeeding this great achievement there would belong ' emūnâh , i.e., (durability (Exodus 17:12) - a uniform and therefore trustworthy state of things (compare Isaiah 39:8, “peace and truth”). Secondly, there would also belong to them חסן , a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge (compare the verb in Isaiah 23:18). We regard these three ideas as all connected with chōsen . The prophet makes a certain advance towards the unfolding of the seven gifts in Isaiah 11:2, which are implied in “salvation;” but he hurries at once to the lowest of them, which forms the groundwork of all the rest, when he says, thirdly, that the fear of Jehovah will be the people's treasure. The construct form, chokhmath , instead of c hokhmâh , is a favourite one, which Isaiah employs, even apart from the genitive relation of the words, for the purpose of securing a closer connection, as Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 51:21 (compare pârash in Ezekiel 26:10), clearly show. In the case before us, it has the further advantage of consonance in the closing sound.
The prophet has thus run through the whole train of thought with a few rapid strides, in accordance with the custom which we have already frequently noticed; and now he commences afresh, mourning over the present miserable condition of things, in psalm-like elegiac tones, and weeping with his weeping people. “Behold, their heroes weep without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly. Desolate are roads, disappeared are travellers; he has broken covenant, insulted cities, despised men. The land mourns, languishes; Lebanon stands ashamed, parched; the meadow of Sharon has become like a steppe, and Bashan and Carmel shake their leaves.” אראלּם is probably chosen with some allusion to 'Ariel , the name of Jerusalem in chapter 29; but it has a totally different meaning. We have rendered it “heroes,” because אראל is here synonymous with אראל in the Nibelung -like piece contained in 2 Samuel 23:20 and 1 Chronicles 11:22. This 'ărı̄'ēl , which is here contracted into 'er'el (compare the biblical name 'Ar'ēlı̄ and the post-biblical name of the angels, 'Er'ellı̄m ), is compounded of 'arı̄ (a lion) and ‛El (God), and therefore signifies “the lion of God,” but in this sense, that El (God) gives to the idea of leonine courage merely the additional force of extraordinary or wonderful; and as a composite word, it contents itself with a singular, with a collective sense according to circumstances, without forming any plural at all. The dagesh is to be explained from the fact that the word (which tradition has erroneously regarded as a compound of להם אראה ) is pointed in accordance with the form כּרמל ( כרמלּו ). The heroes intended by the prophet were the messengers sent to Sennacherib to treat with him for peace. They carried to him the amount of silver and gold which he had demanded as the condition of peace (2 Kings 18:14). But Sennacherib broke the treaty, by demanding nothing less than the surrender of Jerusalem itself. Then the heroes of Jerusalem cried aloud, when they arrived at Jerusalem, and had to convey this message of disgrace and alarm to the king and nation; and bitterly weeping over such a breach of faith, such deception and disgrace, the embassy, which had been sent off, to the deep self-humiliation of Judah and themselves, returned to Jerusalem. Moreover, Sennacherib continued to storm the fortified places, in violation of his agreement (on m â'as ‛arı̄m , see 2 Kings 18:13). The land was more and more laid waste, the fields were trodden down; and the autumnal aspect of Lebanon, with its faded foliage, and of Bashan and Carmel, with their falling leaves, looked like shame and grief at the calamities of the land. It was in the autumn, therefore, that the prophet uttered these complaints; and the definition of the time given in his prophecy (Isaiah 32:10) coincides with this. קמל is the pausal form for קמל , just as in other places an ē with the tone, which has sprung from i , easily passes into a in pause; the sharpening of the syllable being preferred to the lengthening of it, not only when the syllable which precedes the tone syllable is an open one, but sometimes even when it is closed (e.g., Judges 6:19, ויּגּשׁ ). Instead of כּערבה we should read כּערבה (without the article), as certain codd. and early editions do.
(Note: We find the same in Zechariah 14:10, and כּערבים in Isaiah 44:4, whereas we invariably have בּערבה (see Michlol , 45 b ), just as we always find בּאבנים , and on the other hand כּבנים .)
Isaiah having mourned in the tone of the Psalms, now comforts himself with the words of a psalm. Like David in Psalms 12:6, he hears Jehovah speak. The measure of Asshur's iniquity is full; the hour of Judah's redemption is come; Jehovah has looked on long enough, as though sitting still (Isaiah 18:4). Isaiah 33:10 “Now will I arise, saith Jehovah, now exalt myself, now lift up myself.” Three times does the prophet repeat the word ‛ attâh (now), which is so significant a word with all the prophets, but more especially with Hosea and Isaiah, and which always fixes the boundary-line and turning-point between love and wrath, wrath and love. ארומם (in half pause for ארוממא is contracted from עתרומם (Ges. §54, 2, b ). Jehovah would rise up from His throne, and show Himself in all His greatness to the enemies of Israel.
After the prophet has heard this from Jehovah, he knows how it will fare with them. He therefore cries out to them in triumph (Isaiah 33:11), “Ye are pregnant with hay, ye bring forth stubble! Your snorting is the fire that will devour you.” Their vain purpose to destroy Jerusalem comes to nothing; their burning wrath against Jerusalem becomes the fire of wrath, which consumes them (for chashash and qash , see at Isaiah 5:24).
The prophet announces this to them, and now tells openly what has been exhibited to him in his mental mirror as the purpose of God. “And nations become as lime burnings, thorns cut off, which are kindled with fire.” The first simile sets forth the totality of the destruction: they will be so completely burned up, that nothing but ashes will be left, like the lump of lime left at the burning of lime. The second contains a figurative description of its suddenness: they have vanished suddenly, like dead brushwood, which is cut down in consequence, and quickly crackles up and is consumed (Isaiah 5:24, cf., Isaiah 9:17): kâsach is the Targum word for zâmar , amputare , whereas in Arabic it has the same meaning as sâchâh , verrere .
But the prophet, while addressing Asshur, does not overlook those sinners of his own nation who are deserving of punishment. The judgment upon Asshur is an alarming lesson, not only for the heathen, but for Israel also; for there is no respect of persons with Jehovah. “Hear, ye distant ones, what I have accomplished; and perceive, ye near ones, my omnipotence! The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the hypocrites: who of us can abide with devouring fire? who of us abide with everlasting burnings?” Even for the sinners in Jerusalem also there is no abiding in the presence of the Almighty and Just One, who has judged Asshur (the act of judgment is regarded by the prophet as having just occurred); they must either repent, or they cannot remain in His presence. Jehovah, so far as His wrath is concerned, is “a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24; Deuteronomy 9:3); and the fiery force of His anger is “everlasting burnings” ( mōkedē ‛ ōlâm ), inasmuch as it consists of flames that are never extinguished, never burn themselves out. And this God had His fire and His furnace in Jerusalem (Isaiah 31:9), and had just shown what His fire could do, when once it burst forth. Therefore do the sinners inquire in their alarm, whilst confessing to one another ( lânū ; cf., Amos 9:1) that none of them can endure it, “Who can dwell with devouring fire?” etc. ( gūr with the acc. loci, as in Psalms 5:5).
The prophet answers their question. “He that walketh in righteousness, and speaketh uprightness; he that despiseth gain of oppressions, whose hand keepeth from grasping bribes; he that stoppeth his ear from hearing murderous counsel, and shutteth his eyes from looking at evil; he will dwell upon high places; rocky fastnesses are his castle; his bread is abundant, his waters inexhaustible.” Isaiah's variation of Psalms 15:1-5 and Psalms 24:3-6 (as Jeremiah 17:5-8 contains Jeremiah's variation of Psalms 1:1-6). Ts e dâqōth is the accusative of the object, so also is m ēshârı̄m : he who walks in all the relations of life in the full measure of righteousness, i.e., who practises it continually, and whose words are in perfect agreement with his inward feelings and outward condition. The third quality is, that he not only does not seek without for any gain which injures the interests of his neighbour, but that he inwardly abhors it. The fourth is, that he diligently closes his hands, his ears, and his eyes, against all danger of moral pollution. Bribery, which others force into his hand, he throws away (cf., Nehemiah 5:13); against murderous suggestions, or such as stimulate revenge, hatred, and violence, he stops his ear; and from sinful sights he closes his eyes firmly, and that without even winking. Such a man has no need to fear the wrath of God. Living according to the will of God, he lives in the love of God; and in that he is shut in as it were upon the inaccessible heights and in the impregnable walls of a castle upon a rock. He suffers neither hunger nor thirst; but his bread is constantly handed to him ( nittân , partic. ), namely, by the love of God; and his waters never fail, for God, the living One, makes them flow. This is the picture of a man who has no need to be alarmed at the judgment of God upon Asshur.
Over this picture the prophet forgets the sinners in Zion, and greets with words of promise the thriving church of the future. “Thine eyes will see the king in his beauty, will see a land that is very far off.” The king of Judah, hitherto so deeply humbled, and, as Micah instances by way of example, “smitten upon the cheeks,” is then glorified by the victory of his God; and the nation, constituted as described in Isaiah 33:15, Isaiah 33:16, will see him in his God-given beauty, and see the land of promise, cleared of enemies as far as the eye can reach and the foot carry, restored to Israel without reserve, and under the dominion of this sovereign enjoying all the blessedness of peace.
The tribulation has passed away like a dream. “Thy heart meditates upon the shuddering. Where is the valuer? where the weigher? where he who counted the towers? The rough people thou seest no more, the people of deep inaudible lip, of stammering unintelligible tongue.” The dreadful past is so thoroughly forced out of mind by the glorious present, that they are obliged to turn back their thoughts ( hâgâh , meditari , as Jerome renders it) to remember it at all. The sōphēr who had the management of the raising of the tribute, the shōqēl who tested the weight of the gold and silver, the sōpher 'eth hammigdâl who drew up the plan of the city to be besieged or stormed, are all vanished. The rough people ( נועז עם , the niphal of עזז , from יעז ), that had shown itself so insolent, so shameless, and so insatiable in its demands, has become invisible. This attribute is a perfectly appropriate one; and the explanation given by Rashi, Vitringa, Ewald, and Fürst, who take it in the sense of lō‛ēz in Psalms 114:1, is both forced and groundless. The expressions ‛imkē and nil‛ag refer to the obscure and barbarous sound of their language; missh e mōă to the unintelligibility of their speech; and בּינה אין to the obscurity of their meaning. Even if the Assyrians spoke a Semitic language, they were of so totally different a nationality, and their manners were so entirely different, that their language must have sounded even more foreign to an Israelite than Dutch to a German.
And how will Jerusalem look when Asshur has been dashed to pieces on the strong fortress? The prophet passes over here into the tone of Psalms 48:1-14 (Psalms 48:13, Psalms 48:14). Psalms 46:1-11 and Psalms 48:1-14 probably belong to the time of Jehoshaphat; but they are equally applicable to the deliverance of Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah. “Look upon Zion, the castle of our festal meeting. Thine eyes will see Jerusalem, a pleasant place, a tent that does not wander about, whose pegs are never drawn, and none of whose cords are ever broken.” Jerusalem stands there unconquered and inviolable, the fortress where the congregation of the whole land celebrates its feasts, a place full of good cheer (Isaiah 32:18), in which everything is now arranged for a continuance. Jerusalem has come out of tribulation stronger than ever - not a nomadic wandering tent ( tsâ‛am , a nomad word, to wander, lit., to pack up = tâ‛an in Genesis 45:17), but one set up for a permanent dwelling.
It is also a great Lord who dwells therein, a faithful and almighty defender. “No, there dwells for us a glorious One, Jehovah; a place of streams, canals of wide extent, into which no fleet of rowing vessels ventures, and which no strong man of war shall cross. For Jehovah is our Judge; Jehovah is our war-Prince; Jehovah is our King; He will bring us salvation.” Following upon the negative clauses in Isaiah 33:20 , the next v. commences with kı̄ 'im ( imo ). Glorious ( 'addı̄r ) is Jehovah, who has overthrown Lebanon, i.e., Assyria (Isaiah 10:34). He dwells in Jerusalem for the good of His people - a place of streams, i.e., one resembling a place of streams, from the fact that He dwells therein. Luzzatto is right in maintaining, that בּו and יעברנּוּ point back to מקום , and therefore that m e kōm is neither equivalent to loco ( tachath , instead of), which would be quite possible indeed, as 1 Kings 21:19, if not Hosea 2:1, clearly proves (cf., 1 Kings 22:38), nor used in the sense of substitution or compensation. The meaning is, that, by virtue of Jehovah's dwelling there, Jerusalem had become a place, or equivalent to a place, or broad streams, like those which in other instances defended the cities they surrounded (e.g., Babylon, the “twisted snake,” Isaiah 27:1), and of broad canals, which kept off the enemy, like moats around a fortification. The word יארים was an Egyptian word, that had become naturalized in Hebrew; nevertheless it is a very natural supposition, that the prophet was thinking of the No of Egypt, which was surrounded by waters, probably Nile-canals (see Winer, R.W. Nahum 3:8). The adjective in which yâdaim brings out with greater force the idea of breadth, as in Isaiah 22:18 (“on both sides”), belongs to both the nouns, which are placed side by side, ὰσυνδέτως (because permutative). The presence of Jehovah was to Jerusalem what the broadest streams and canals were to other cities; and into these streams and canals, which Jerusalem had around it spiritually in Jehovah Himself, no rowing vessels ventured בּ הל ך , ingredi ). Luzzatto renders the word “ships of roving,” i.e., pirate ships; but this is improbable, as shūt , when used as a nautical word, signifies to row. Even a majestic tsı̄ , i.e., trieris magna , could not cross it: a colossal vessel of this size would be wrecked in these mighty and dangerous waters. The figure is the same as that in Isaiah 26:1. In the consciousness of this inaccessible and impenetrable defence, the people of Jerusalem gloried in their God, who watched as a shōphēt over Israel's rights and honour, who held as m e choqēq the commander's rod, and ruled as melekh in the midst of Israel; so that for every future danger it was already provided with the most certain help.
Now indeed it was apparently very different from this. It was not Assyria, but Jerusalem, that was like a ship about to be wrecked; but when that which had just been predicted should be fulfilled, Jerusalem, at present so powerless and sinful, would be entirely changed. “Thy ropes hang loose; they do not hold fast the support of thy mast; they do not hold the flag extended: then is booty of plunder divided in abundance; even lame men share the prey. And not an inhabitant will say, I am weak: the people settled there have their sins forgiven.” Nearly every commentator (even Luzzatto) has taken Isaiah 33:23 as addressed to Assyria, which, like a proud vessel of war, would cross the encircling river by which Jerusalem was surrounded. But Drechsler has very properly given up this view. The address itself, with the suffix ayikh (see at Isaiah 1:26), points to Jerusalem; and the reference to this gives the most appropriate sense, whilst the contrast between the now and then closes the prophecy in the most glorious manner. Jerusalem is now a badly appointed ship, dashed about by the storm, the sport of the waves. Its rigging hangs loose (Jerome, laxati sunt ); it does not hold the kēn tornâm fast, i.e., the support of their mast, or cross beam with a hole in it, into which the mast is slipped (the mesodme of Homer, Od . xv 289), which is sure to go to ruin along with the falling mast, if the ropes do not assist its bearing power ( malum sustinentes thecae succurrant , as Vitruvius says). And so the ropes of the ship Jerusalem do not keep the nēs spread out, i.e., the ἐπίσημον of the ship, whether we understand by it a flag or a sail, with a device worked upon it (see Winer, R.W. s. v. Schiffe ). And this is the case with Jerusalem now; but then ( ' âz ) it will be entirely different. Asshur is wrecked, and Jerusalem enriches itself, without employing any weapons, from the wealth of the Assyrian camp. It was with a prediction of this spoiling of Asshur that the prophet commenced in Isaiah 33:1; so that the address finishes as it began. But the closing words of the prophet are, that the people of Jerusalem are now strong in God, and are עון נשׂא (as in Psalms 32:1), lifted up, taken away from their guilt. A people humbled by punishment, penitent, and therefore pardoned, would then dwell in Jerusalem. The strength of Israel, and all its salvation, rest upon the forgiveness of its sins.