Bibelkommentare

God's judgments against oppressive rulers, Isaiah 10:1-4. The prophet foretells the invasion of Sennacherib, and the destruction of his army. That mighty monarch is represented as a rod in the hand of God to correct his people for their sins; and his ambitious purposes, contrary to his own intentions, are made subservient to the great desires of Providence, Isaiah 10:5-11. Having accomplished this work, the Almighty takes account of his impious vauntings, Isaiah 10:12-14; and threatens utter destruction to the small and great of his army, represented by the thorns, and the glory of the forest, Isaiah 10:15-19. This leads the prophet to comfort his countrymen with the promise of the signal interposition of God in their favor, Isaiah 10:24-27. Brief description of the march of Sennacherib towards Jerusalem, and of the alarm and terror which he spread every where as he hastened forward, Isaiah 10:28-32. The spirit and rapidity of the description is admirably suited to the subject. The affrighted people are seen fleeing, and the eager invader pursuing; the cries of one city are heard by those of another; and groan swiftly succeeds to groan, till at length the rod is lifted over the last citadel. In this critical situation, however, the promise of a Divine interposition is seasonably renewed. The scene instantly changes; the uplifted arm of this mighty conqueror is at once arrested and laid low by the hand of heaven; the forest of Lebanon, (a figure by which the immense Assyrian host is elegantly pointed out, is hewn down by the axe of the Divine vengeance; and the mind is equally pleased with the equity of the judgment, and the beauty and majesty of the description, Isaiah 10:33, Isaiah 10:34.

My people - Instead of עמי ammi, my people, many MSS., and one of my own, ancient, read עמו ammo, his people. But this is manifestly a corruption.

Without me - That is, without my aid: they shall be taken captive even by the captives, and shall be subdued even by the vanquished. "The י yod in בלתי bilti is a pronoun, as in Hosea 13:4." - Kimchi on the place. One MS. has לבלתי lebilti.

As the people had hitherto lived without God in worship and obedience; so they should now be without his help, and should perish in their transgressions.

O Assyrian "Ho to the Assyrian" - Here begins a new and distinct prophecy, continued to the end of the twelfth chapter: and it appears from Isaiah 10:9-11 of this chapter, that this prophecy was delivered after the taking of Samaria by Shalmaneser; which was in the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah: and as the former part of it foretells the invasion of Sennacherib, and the destruction of his army, which makes the whole subject of this chapter it must have been delivered before the fourteenth of the same reign.

The staff in their hand "The staff in whose hand" - The word הוא hu, the staff itself, in this place seems to embarrass the sentence. I omit it on the authority of the Alexandrine copy of the Septuagint: nine MSS., (two ancient), and one of my own, ancient, for ומטה הוא umatter hu, read מטהו mattehu, his staff. Archbishop Secker was not satisfied with the present reading. He proposes another method of clearing up the sense, by reading ביום beyom, in the day, instead of בידם beyadam, in their hand: "And he is a staff in the day of mine indignation."

The Lord "Jehovah" - For אדני Adonai, fourteen MSS. and three editions read יהוה Yehovah.

The fruit "The effect" - "פרי peri, f. צבי tsebi, vid. Isaiah 13:19, sed confer, Proverbs 1:31; Proverbs 31:16, Proverbs 31:31." - Secker. The Chaldee renders the word פרי peri by עיבדי obadey, works; which seems to be the true sense; and I have followed it. - L.

Like a valiant man "Strongly seated" - Twelve MSS. agree with the Keri in reading כביר kabbir, without the א aleph. And Sal. ben Melec and Kimchi thus explain it:" them who dwelled in a great and strong place I have brought down to the ground."

No wood "Its master" - I have here given the meaning, without attempting to keep to the expression of the original, לא עץ lo ets, "the no-wood;" that which is not wood like itself, but of a quite different and superior nature. The Hebrews have a peculiar way of joining the negative particle לא lo to a noun, to signify in a strong manner a total negation of the thing expressed by the noun. "How hast thou given help (ללא כח lelo choach) to the no-strength?

And saved the arm (לא עז lo oz) of the no-power?

How hast, thou given counsel (ללא חכמה lelo chochmah) to the no-wisdom?" Job 26:2, Job 26:3.

That is, to the man totally deprived of strength, power, and wisdom. "Ye that rejoice (ללא דבר lelo dabar) in nothing." Amos 6:13.

That is, in your fancied strength, which is none at all, a mere nonentity. "For I am God, (ולא איש velo ish), and no-man;

The Holy One in the midst of thee, yet do not frequent cities." Hosea 11:9. "And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword (לא איש lo ish) of no-man;

And a sword of (לא אדם lo adam) no-mortal, shall devour him." Isaiah 31:8. "Wherefore do ye weigh out your silver (בלוא לחם belo lechem) for the no-bread." Isaiah 55:2.

So here לא עץ lo ets means him who is far from being an inert piece of wood, but is an animated and active being; not an instrument, but an agent.

The Lord "Jehovah" - For אדני Adonai, fifty-two MSS., eleven editions, and two of my own, ancient, read יהוה, Yehovah, as in other cases.

And under his glory - That is, all that he could boast of as great and strong in his army, (Sal. ben Melec in loc.), expressed afterwards, Isaiah 10:18, by the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field.