Isaiah 25

Isa 25:1-12.

CONTINUATION OF THE

TWENTY-FOURTH

CHAPTER.

THANKSGIVING FOR THE

OVERTHROW OF THE

APOSTATE

FACTION, AND THE

SETTING

UP OF

JEHOVAH'S

THRONE ON

ZION.

The restoration from Babylon and re-establishment of the theocracy was a

type and pledge of this.

1. wonderful--

(Isa 9:6).

counsels of old--

(Isa 42:9; 46:10).

Purposes planned long ago; here, as to the deliverance of His people.

truth--Hebrew, Amen; covenant-keeping, faithful to

promises; the peculiar characteristic of Jesus

(Re 3:14).

2. a city . . . heap--Babylon, type of the seat of

Antichrist, to be destroyed in the last days (compare

Jer 51:37,

with Re 18:1-24,

followed, as here, by the song of the saints' thanksgiving in

Re 19:1-21).

"Heaps" is a graphic picture of Babylon and Nineveh as they now are.

palace--Babylon regarded, on account of its splendor, as a vast

palace. But MAURER translates, "a citadel."

of strangers--foreigners, whose capital pre-eminently Babylon was, the

metropolis of the pagan world. "Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,

strangers from the covenants of promise"

(Isa 29:5;

Eph 2:12;

see in contrast,

Joe 3:17).

never be built--

(Isa 13:19, 20,

&c.).

3. strong people--This cannot apply to the Jews; but other nations

on which Babylon had exercised its cruelty

(Isa 14:12)

shall worship Jehovah, awed by the judgment inflicted on Babylon

(Isa 23:18).

city--not Babylon, which shall then be destroyed, but collectively for

the cities of the surrounding nations.

4. the poor . . . needy--the Jews, exiles from their country

(Isa 26:6; 41:17).

heat--calamity

(Isa 4:6; 32:2).

blast--that is, wrath.

storm--a tempest of rain, a winter flood, rushing against and

overthrowing the wall of a house.

5. Translate, "As the heat in a dry land (is brought down by the

shadow of a cloud, so) thou shalt bring down the tumult

(the shout of triumph over their enemies) of strangers

(foreigners); and as the heat

(the offspring) of the terrible ones shall be brought low."

PARKHURST

translates the Hebrew for "branch," the exulting song.

JEROME

translates the last clause, "And as when the heat burns under a cloud,

thou shalt make the branch of the terrible ones to wither"; the branch

withering even under the friendly shade of a cloud typifies the wicked

brought to ruin, not for want of natural means of prosperity, but by the

immediate act of God.

6. in this mountain--Zion: Messiah's kingdom was to begin, and is to

have its central seat hereafter, at Jerusalem, as the common country of

"all nations"

(Isa 2:2,

&c.).

all people--

(Isa 56:7;

Da 7:14;

Lu 2:10).

feast--image of felicity

(Ps 22:26, 27;

Mt 8:11;

Lu 14:15;

Re 19:9;

compare

Ps 36:8; 87:1-7).

fat things--delicacies; the rich mercies of God in Christ

(Isa 55:2;

Jer 31:14;

Job 36:16).

wines on the lees--wine which has been long kept on the lees; that

is, the oldest and most generous wine

(Jer 48:11).

marrow--the choicest dainties

(Ps 63:5).

well refined--cleared of all dregs.

7. face of . . . covering--image from mourning, in which it was usual

to cover the face with a veil

(2Sa 15:30).

"Face of covering," that is, the covering itself; as in

Job 41:13,

"the face of his garment," the garment itself. The covering or veil is

the mist of ignorance as to a future state, and the way to eternal

life, which enveloped the nations

(Eph 4:18)

and the unbelieving Jew

(2Co 3:15).

The Jew, however, is first to be converted before the

conversion of "all nations"; for it is "in this

mountain," namely, Zion, that the latter are to have the veil taken off

(Ps 102:13, 15, 16, 21, 22;

Ro 11:12).

8. Quoted in

1Co 15:54,

in support of the resurrection.

swallow up . . . in victory--completely and permanently "abolish"

(2Ti 1:10;

Re 20:14; 21:4;

compare

Ge 2:17; 3:22).

rebuke--(Compare

Mr 8:38;

Heb 11:26).

9. And it shall be said in that day, &c.--"After death has been

swallowed up for ever, the people of God, who had been delivered from

the hand of death, shall say to the Lord, Lo, this is our God, whom

unbelievers regarded as only a man"

[JEROME]. "The words are so

moulded as to point us specially to the person of the Son of God, who

'saves' us; as He vouchsafed to Israel temporal saving, so to His elect

He appears for the purpose of conferring eternal salvation"

[VITRINGA].

The Jews, however, have a special share in the words, This is

our God (see on

Isa 25:6).

we have waited--"Waited" is characteristic of God's people in all ages

(Ge 49:18;

Tit 2:13).

we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation--compare

Ps 118:24,

which refers to the second coming of Jesus (compare

Ps 118:26,

with Lu 13:35).

10. rest--as its permanent protector; on "hand" in this

sense; compare

Ezr 7:6, 28.

Moab--while Israel is being protected, the foe is destroyed; Moab is

the representative of all the foes of God's people.

under him--Rather, "in his own place" or "country"

(Ex 10:23; 16:29).

for the dunghill--Rather, "in the water of the dung heap," in which

straw was trodden to make it manure

(Ps 83:10).

HORSLEY translates either, "in the waters of

Madmenah," namely, for the making of bricks; or as the

Septuagint, "as the threshing-floor is trampled by the

corn-drag" (see Margin;

Mic 4:11-13).

11. he--Jehovah shall spread His hands to strike the foe

on this side and on that, with as little effort as a swimmer spreads

forth his arms to cleave a passage through the water

[CALVIN].

(Zec 5:3).

LOWTH takes "he" as Moab, who, in danger of

sinking, shall strain every nerve to save himself; but Jehovah

(and "he") shall cause him to sink ("bring down the pride" of Moab,

Isa 16:6).

with the spoils of . . . hands--literally, "the craftily acquired

spoils" of his (Moab's) hands [BARNES].

Moab's pride, as well as the

sudden gripe of his hands (namely, whereby he tries to save himself from

drowning) [LOWTH].

"Together with the joints of his hands," that is,

though Moab struggle against Jehovah hand and foot

[MAURER].

12. fortress--the strongholds of Moab, the representative

of the foes of God's people [BARNES]. Babylon

[MAURER]. The society of infidels represented as a

city

(Re 11:8).