Comentários bíblicos

Syria and Israel should be subdued by Assyria, Isaiah 8:1-4. Judah also should be afflicted, Isaiah 8:5-8, God’s judgments irresistible, and to be feared, Isaiah 8:9-13. The Lord is a sanctuary to the godly, a stone of stumbling to the wicked, Isaiah 8:14,15. The prophecy sure; God to be waited on; necromancers not to be consulted, but the prophecy; their misery, Isaiah 8:16-22.

A great roll; or, a great volume, because the prophecy to be written in it was large, and God would have it written in very large and legible characters.

With a man’s pen; with such a pen as writers use, Psalm 41:6 Jeremiah 8:6, that so all may read and understand it.

Concerning Maheshalal-hash-baz; concerning that thing which is signified by the name of thy child, which is here mentioned by way of anticipation, as not being given him till Isaiah 8:3, i.e. concerning that which God is making haste to do, the giving p the kingdoms of Syria and Israel for a prey to the Assyrian, as this name is explained, Isaiah 8:4.

Persons of unquestionable reputation, who should bear witness that the following name and prophecy was written and published by me, according to God’s command.

I went unto, Heb. I came near to her. A modest expression of the conjugal act.

The prophetess; so called, partly as she was the prophet’s wife, wives being frequently denominated from their husbands’ titles, as the wives of mayor, or doctor, &c, are commonly called mayoress, doctoress, &c.; and partly because she did concur with the prophet to the procreation of this prophetical child.

To cry, My father, and my mother; to speak, and to know his parents; which is within the space of two years. And this agrees with the other prophecy, Isaiah 7:16,

Before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, which requires a longer time than to distinguish his parents from strangers; which suits well to Shear-jashub, who, being born some years before this, was capable of that further degree of knowledge as soon as this was capable of the lower degree.

The riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away; the kingdoms of Syria and Israel, here signified by their two capital cities, shall be stripped of their wealth and power, as they were by Tiglath-pileser, within the time here limited, 2 Kings 15:29.

Before the king of Assyria; in his presence, and by himself and his forces; for in Scripture use that is said to be before a man, which is in or is put into a man’s power, as Genesis 13:9 20:15, &c.; and men are said to be smitten before their enemies, when they are smitten by them, as Numbers 14:42 Deu 1:42 Judges 20:39, and oft elsewhere. Others refer this phrase to the ancient custom of conquerors, of sending or carrying their spoils before them into their own country.

No text from Poole on this verse.

This people; either,

1. The people of Judah, which are supposed to have grown weary of their present government, and out of distrust of God’s protection designed to revolt from God, and from the house of David, and to put themselves under the power and protection of the kings of Syria and Israel. But there are no footsteps of any such design or practice of that people. And the following clause of rejoicing in Bezin, &c. cannot with any colour be ascribed to the Jews, whom at this time they sought to destroy. Or rather,

2. The people of Israel, of whom he last spake, Isaiah 8:4, and who are the chief subject of this whole prophecy, contained in this and the foregoing chapter; and who did rejoice not only in their own king Pekah, but also in the assistance of go powerful an ally as Rezin was.

Refuseth; or rather, despiseth, as the word properly and most frequently signifies.

The waters of Shiloah; that small and contemptible river or brook which ran by that city, which is here secretly opposed to the great rivers of Tigris and Euphrates, by which the Assyrian empire was fortified. Hereby he understands the munitions and strength of the Jews, which their enemies derided and contemned.

That go softly; gently, as little rivers do.

Therefore; because they despise the opposition which they have from Shiloah and Jerusalem, they shall have a more potent enemy.

Upon them; upon Israel. See on the foregoing verse. Of the river of Euphrates, oft called

the river, for its eminent greatness; whereby he understands the Assyrian forces, as the next words explain the metaphor.

All his glory; his numerous and puissant army, in which he gloried. See Isaiah 10:8.

He shall come up over all his channels; this great river shall overflow its own proper channels. The meaning is, This great monarch shall enlarge his dominions, and add the lands of Syria and Israel to them. Some render the words, he shall come up with all his channels or streams; for the Hebrew particle all sometimes signifies with, as Job 38:30. But it seems hard to understand the same particle one way in this clause, and another in the last clause. Besides, the last clause favours the former interpretation, the same thing being repeated in it, as is usual in the sacred writings. Or this may be understood of the channels and banks of the people or land of Israel. The enemy being represented under the metaphor of a river breaking in upon their land, may fitly be said to overflow all their channels and banks, to wit, all places, both low and high, so that nothing shall be able to withstand his fury.

He; or, it, to wit, the river, Isaiah 8:7 which yet designs the same person and thing, to wit, the invasion of the king of Assyria.

Shall pass through Judah; and when he shall have finished his work against you, he shall invade the land of Judah, as Sennacherib did some few years after his conquest of Samaria, 2 Kings 18:9,13.

He shall reach even to the neck; so as they shall be in great danger of being drowned or destroyed. He persists in the metaphor of a river swelling so high as to reach to a man’s neck, and be ready to overwhelm him. Such was the danger of Judah’s land,

when Sennacherib took all the fenced cities of Judah, 2 Kings 18:13, and sent his army against Jerusalem.

Of his wings; of his forces, or of the wings of his army, as they anciently were and still are called.

Of thy land, O Immanuel; of the land of Judah, so called because the Messiah, who is called by God himself Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14, should certainly be born, and live, and die there. And this is added emphatically for the consolation of God’s people, to assure them, that notwithstanding this dreadful scourge, yet God would make a difference between Israel and Judah; and whereas Israel should be so broken by the Assyrian, that they should not be a people, as was threatened, Isaiah 7:8, Judah should be restored and preserved, for the sake of the Messiah, to be the place of his birth and ministry, according to that famous prophecy, Genesis 49:10.