1Syria and Israel are threatened. 6A remnant of Israel shall forsake idolatry. 9The desolation of the rest. 12The rebuke of the enemies of Israel.
1THE1 burden of Damascus. Behold, 2Damascus is 3taken away from being a city, and it shall be 4a ruinous heap.
1 See Isa. 13 on verse 1.
2 The capital city in Syria. See Isa. 7:8. Yet here must be understood not only the destruction of the city of Damascus, but also of the kingdom of Syria.
3 That is, it shall be subdued, and the inhabitants carried away captive. This was done by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria.
4 Hebr. an heap of ruin.
25The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for 6flocks, which shall lie down, and 7none shall make them afraid.
5 That is, the cities, which are situated round about or near the city of Aroer, by the brook Jabbok, in the land beyond the Jordan, near the brook Arnon, Deut. 2:36. The Reubenites, Gadites and Manassites had inhabited them in former times.
6 The Hebrew word signifies the flocks, both of small and large animals, as appears Gen. 32:14, 15, 16.
7 Forasmuch as no enemies shall fall into the land, for it shall be waste and desolate after Shalmaneser shall have carried the inhabitants away captive. Read the fulfillment hereof 2 Kings 15:19; 17:6; 1 Chron. 5:26.
38The fortress also shall cease 9from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant 10of Syria: 11they shall be as 12the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.
8 Understand the fenced city of Samaria, and other cities or towns resorting under.
9 That is, from the kingdom, or the ten tribes of Israel.
10 Hebr. Aram; such the Syrians are called, because they sprang from Aram.
11 Namely, the Syrians. They shall be deprived of their glory, as the Israelites. It shall happen to both alike, to the one as well as to the other.
12 Thus the prophet calls all things whereof they were proud, and whereon they relied, as namely, their kingdom, their strong and fair cities, castles, forts, money and goods, also their confederacies with other kings, as Isa. 16:14.
4And in that day it shall come to pass, that 13the glory of Jacob shall 14be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.
13 That is, the glory of the Israelites, or of the ten tribes, as verse 3.
14 That is, their glory shall be impoverished, vanish away, be diminished.
5And 15it shall be as when the 16harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears 17in the valley of Rephaim.
15 Namely, Jacob. The meaning is: that all the ten tribes of Israel shall be carried away captive, as in harvest time all the corn, even to the very kernels, is gathered up, and carried into the barn. Others understand hereby it the king of Assyria.
16 Hebr. the harvest, that is, the man of the harvest.
17 A pleasant and fruitful place situated near Jerusalem, Joshua 15:8.
6 ¶ 18Yet 19gleaning grapes shall be left 20in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost 21fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.
18 Some enclose the 6th, 7th and 8th verse in brackets.
19 That is, some, but very few (who shall likewise afterward be carried away captive by Esar-haddon) shall yet be left in the land. Yet, as in the vintage the grapes, those that at first were passed by, are afterward sought out and plucked off or gleaned, so shall it likewise happen to the Israelites. See the fulfillment of this prophecy 2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2. Other, yet there shall be left branches of grapes. This would then be the sense: In it there shall remain few and those few shall be scattered here and there from one another.
20 Namely, in Jacob, or in Israel, in Samaria.
21 Or, on the branches of the fruitful olive tree.
722At that day shall 23a man 24look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to 25the Holy One of Israel.
22 Namely, when those judgments and plagues shall light upon the people. The prophet intimates here that the chastisements of God shall yet at length bring forth some good effect in His children, in humbling them, and bringing them to a knowledge of their sins.
23 That is, some men, namely, the believing Israelites.
24 Other, let man look, taking it for, a man ought to look to his Maker.
25 That is, upon God, Who is holy, and makes holy, helps, instructs, comforts and delivers all those who come unto Him to seek help and comfort from Him.
8And 26he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, 27neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or 28the images.
26 Others place the words thus: And let him not look to the altars, etc.
27 Other, namely.
28 See the 44th annotation at Lev. 26 on verse 30.
9 ¶ 29In that day shall 30his 31strong cities be as 32a forsaken bough, and 33an uppermost branch, which 34they left 35because of the children of Israel: and there shall be 36desolation.
29 Namely, when the enemy comes marching on.
30 Namely, of Israel and of Syria.
31 Hebr. the cities of his strength, whereon he had relied more than on God Almighty.
32 Hebr. the forsaking of a bush.
33 That is, as a branch in the uppermost part of the tree, which the pruner of trees either regard not or which they are not able to reach. So shall it happen to the Israelites, and to the Syrians.
34 Namely, the Assyrians.
35 That is, because God the Lord would at that time yet spare some Israelites. The Assyrians did indeed not wittingly and willingly let these few Israelites remain, but this is here said in respect of the purpose of God, Who would yet reserve a remnant among the Israelites. Therefore God thus inclined the hearts of the Assyrians, that they spared yet some, namely, those whom God would have to be spared in Israel. As for the Hebrew phrase which is used here in the text, see similar in Gen. 36:6, 7: Exod. 9:11; Job 37:18, 19.
36 Namely, upon Israel and Syria.
10Because 37thou hast forgotten 38the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful 39of the rock of thy strength, therefore 40shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt 41set 42it with strange slips:a
37 Namely, thou daughter of Israel, that is, thou people of Israel.
38 That is, that God, Who is the Author both of thy temporal and eternal welfare.
39 That is, of the strong God, unto Whom thou mightest have fled, and oughtest to flee for refuge and safety.
40 The sense is: although your land is diligently sown and planted upon hopes of enjoying much fair and precious fruit.
41 Hebr. sow.
42 Namely, your vineyard.
a stems or roots cut from a plant and used for grafting or planting
11In the day 43shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and 44in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but 45the harvest shall be a heap 46in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
43 That is, you shall indeed do your utmost endeavor to cause your plantings to grow, namely, by watering and other ways.
44 That is, in due season, without neglecting any occasion or opportunity.
45 The sense is: You may have used all diligence and industry according to your utmost power and ability, yet when the army of the Assyrians shall invade you, all that you have sown and planted shall be for such a large army as an heap of corn, which they shall eat up and devour as it were in a moment.
46 That is, in the time of the destruction of the land, of the invasion, of the siege, which the Assyrians shall commit. Other, in the days of anguish.
12 ¶ 47Woe to 48the multitude 49of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
47 Some begin here the 18th chapter, because here begins a prophecy against the Assyrians and the Ethiopians.
48 The prophet foretells here that indeed many strange nations would assault the people of God, but that it would at length tend to their own destruction.
49 Who shall serve the king of Assyria in his army against the Israelites.
13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but 50God shall 51rebuke 52them, and 53they shall flee 54far off, and shall be 55chased asb56the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like 57a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
50 Or, he, namely, the Lord.
51 See the annotation Psalm 9 on verse 5.
52 Or, him, namely, the king of Assyria, Other, it, namely, the people, or, them, namely, the nations.
53 Or, he, namely, the king of Assyria. See 2 Kings 19:36.
54 Namely, right into Assyria.
55 Namely, by the angel that pursued and smote the army of Sennacherib.
b Job 21:18; Psalm 1:4; 35:5; 83:13; Hosea 13:3.
56 That is, as the chaff or dust which lies upon the mountains, where the wind may easily come at it.
57 Or, round globe, or, ball, or, ball of yarn, or, clew. Other, as a round thing. See Psalm 83:13.
14And behold at 58eveningtide 59trouble; and before the morning 60he is not. 61This is 62the portion of them that 63spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.
58 Or, in the night.
59 Namely, risen in the army of Sennacherib when the destroying angel came.
60 Namely, Sennacherib, who fled away when he perceived that his army was smitten by the angel of the Lord, 2 Kings 19:35.
61 These are the words of the people of God.
62 That is, punishment, which God inflicts upon them. See Job 20 on verse 29.
63 Or, have trodden us under foot.