Isaiah 9

Isa 9:1-7.

CONTINUATION OF THE

PROPHECY IN THE

EIGHTH

CHAPTER.

1. Nevertheless, &c.--rather, "For darkness shall not

(continually) be on it (that is, the land) on which there is (now)

distress" [HENGSTENBERG and

MAURER]. The "for" refers, not to the words

immediately preceding, but to the consolations in

Isa 8:9, 10, 17, 18.

Do not despair, for, &c.

when at the first, &c.--rather, "as the former time has brought

contempt on the land of Zebulun and Naphtali (namely, the deportation of

their inhabitants under Tiglath-pileser,

2Ki 15:29,

a little before the giving of this prophecy); so shall the after-coming

time bring honor to the way of the sea (the district around the lake of

Galilee), the land beyond (but HENGSTENBERG, "by

the side of") Jordan (Perea, east of Jordan, belonging to

Reuben, Gad, and half-Manasseh), the circle (but HENGSTENBERG, "Galilee") (that is, region) of the

"Gentiles" [MAURER, HENGSTENBERG, &c.]. Galil in Hebrew is a

"circle," "circuit," and from it came the name Galilee. North of

Naphtali, inhabited by a mixed race of Jews and Gentiles of the

bordering Phœnician race

(Jud 1:30;

1Ki 9:11).

Besides the recent deportation by Tiglath-pileser, it had been sorely

smitten by Ben-hadad of Syria, two hundred years before

(1Ki 15:20).

It was after the Assyrian deportation colonized with heathens, by

Esar-haddon

(2Ki 17:24).

Hence arose the contempt for it on the part of the southern Jews of

purer blood

(Joh 1:46; 7:52).

The same region which was so darkened once, shall be among the first to

receive Messiah's light

(Mt 4:13, 15, 16).

It was in despised Galilee that He first and most publicly exercised

His ministry; from it were most of His apostles. Foretold in

De 33:18, 19;

Ac 2:7;

Ps 68:27, 28,

Jerusalem, the theocratic capital, might readily have known Messiah; to

compensate less favored Galilee, He ministered mostly there; Galilee's

very debasement made it feel its need of a Saviour, a feeling not known

to the self-righteous Jews

(Mt 9:13).

It was appropriate, too, that He who was both "the Light to lighten the

Gentiles, and the Glory of His people Israel," should minister chiefly

on the border land of Israel, near the Gentiles.

2. the people--the whole nation, Judah and Israel.

shadow of death--the darkest misery of captivity.

3. multiplied . . . nation--primarily, the rapid increase of

Israelites after the return from Babylon; more fully and exhaustively

the rapid spread of Christianity at first.

not increased the joy--By a slight change in the Hebrew, its (joy) is substituted by some for not, because "not increased the

joy" seems opposite to what immediately follows, "the joy," &c.

HENGSTENBERG, retains not thus: "Whose joy thou hadst not

increased," (that is, hadst diminished). Others, "Hast thou not

increased the joy?" The very difficulty of the reading, not, makes

it less likely to be an interpolation.

HORSLEY best explains it: The

prophet sees in vision a shifting scene, comprehending at one glance the

history of the Christian Church to remotest times--a land dark and

thinly peopled--lit up by a sudden light--filled with new

inhabitants--then struggling with difficulties, and again delivered by

the utter and final overthrow of their enemies. The influx of Gentile

converts (represented here by "Galilee of the Gentiles") soon was to be

followed by the growth of corruption, and the final rise of Antichrist,

who is to be destroyed, while God's people is delivered, as in the case

of Gideon's victory over Midian, not by man's prowess, but by the

special interposition of God.

before thee--a phrase taken from sacrificial feasts; the tithe of

harvest was eaten before God

(De 12:7; 14:26).

as men rejoice . . . divide . . .

spoil--referring to the judgments on the enemies of the Lord and

His people, which usually accompany revelations of His grace.

4. The occasion of the "joy," the deliverance not only of Ahaz and

Judah from the Assyrian tribute

(2Ki 16:8),

and of Israel's ten tribes from the oppressor

(2Ki 15:19),

but of the Jewish Christian Church from its last great enemy.

hast--the past time for the future, in prophetic vision; it expresses

the certainty of the event.

yoke of his burden--the yoke with which he was burdened.

staff of . . . shoulder--the staff which strikes his shoulder

[MAURER];

or the wood, like a yoke, on the neck of slaves, the badge of servitude

[ROSENMULLER].

day of Midian--

(Jud 7:8-22).

As Gideon with a handful of men conquered the hosts of Midian, so

Messiah the "child"

(Isa 9:6)

shall prove to be the "Prince of peace," and the small Israel under Him

shall overcome the mighty hosts of Antichrist (compare

Mic 5:2-5),

containing the same contrast, and alluding also to "the Assyrian," the

then enemy of the Church, as here in Isaiah, the type of the last great

enemy. For further analogies between Gideon's victory and the Gospel,

compare

2Co 4:7,

with Jud 7:22.

As the "dividing of the spoil"

(Isa 9:3)

was followed by that which was "not joy," the making of the idolatrous

ephod

(Jud 8:24-27),

so the gospel victory was soon followed by apostasy at the first, and

shall be so again after the millennial overthrow of Antichrist

(Re 20:3, 7-9),

previous to Satan's last doom

(Re 20:10).

5. every battle, &c.--rather, "every greave of (the warrior who is)

armed with greaves in the din of battle, and the martial garment (or

cloak, called by the Latins sagum) rolled in blood, shall be for

burning, (and) fuel for fire" [MAURER].

All warlike accoutrements shall

be destroyed, as no longer required in the new era of peace

(Isa 2:4; 11:6, 7;

Ps 46:9;

Eze 39:9;

Mic 5:5, 10;

Zec 9:9, 10).

Compare

Mal 4:1,

as to the previous burning up of the wicked.

6. For--the ground of these great expectations,

unto us--for the benefit of the Jews first, and then the Gentiles

(compare "unto you,"

Lu 2:11).

son . . . given--

(Ps 2:7).

God's gratuitous gift, on which man had no claim

(Joh 3:16;

Ro 6:23).

government . . . upon . . . shoulder--The ensign of office used to

be worn on the shoulder, in token of sustaining the government

(Isa 22:22).

Here the government on Messiah's shoulder is in marked

antithesis to the "yoke and staff" of the oppressor on Israel's

"shoulder"

(Isa 9:4).

He shall receive the kingdom of the earth from the Father, to vindicate

it from the misrule of those to whom it was entrusted to hold it for

and under the Most High, but who sought to hold it in defiance of His

right; the Father asserts His right by the Son, the "Heir of all

things," who will hold it for Him

(Da 7:13, 14).

name . . . called--His essential characteristics shall be.

Wonderful--(See on

Isa 8:18;

Jud 13:18,

Margin;

1Ti 3:16).

Counsellor--

(Ps 16:7;

Ro 11:33, 34;

1Co 1:24;

Col 2:3).

mighty God--

(Isa 10:21;

Ps 24:8;

Tit 2:13)

HORSLEY translates: "God the mighty man." "Unto us

. . . God" is equivalent to "Immanuel"

(Isa 7:14).

everlasting Father--This marks Him as "Wonderful," that He is "a

child," yet the "everlasting Father"

(Joh 10:30; 14:9).

Earthly kings leave their people after a short reign; He will reign

over and bless them for ever [HENGSTENBERG].

Prince of Peace--(See on

Isa 9:5;

Ge 49:10;

Shiloh, "The Tranquillizer"). Finally

(Ho 2:18).

Even already He is "our peace"

(Lu 2:14;

Eph 2:14).

7. Of . . . increase . . . no end--His princely rule shall perpetually

increase and be unlimited

(Da 2:44).

throne of David--

(1Ki 8:25;

Ps 2:6; 132:11;

Jer 3:17, 18

Eze 34:23-26; 37:16, 22;

Lu 1:32, 33;

Ac 2:30).

judgment . . . justice--It is not a kingdom of mere might, and triumph

of force over enemies, but of righteousness

(Isa 42:21;

Ps 45:6, 7),

attainable only in and by Messiah.

zeal, &c.--including not only Christ's hidden spiritual victory

over Satan at the first coming, but the open one accompanied with

"judgments" on Antichrist and every enemy at the second coming

(Isa 59:17;

Ps 9:6-8).

Isa 9:8-10:4.

PROPHECY AS TO THE

TEN

TRIBES.

Delivered a little later than the previous one. The ninth and tenth

chapters ought to have been so divided. The present division into

chapters was made by Cardinal Hugo, in A.D. 1250; and into verses, by Robert Stephens, the famous printer of Paris, in 1551. After the

Assyrian invasion of Syria, that of Ephraim shall follow

(2Ki 16:9);

Isa 9:8-11, 17-20,

foretell the intestine discords in Israel after Hoshea had slain Pekah

(A.D. 739), that is, just after the Assyrian

invasions, when for seven years it was stripped of magistrates and torn

into factions. There are four strophes, each setting forth Ephraim's

crime and consequent punishment, and ending with the

formula, "For all this His anger is not turned away," &c.

(Isa 9:12, 17, 21,

and Isa 10:4).

8. Heading of the prophecy;

(Isa 9:8-12),

the first strophe.

unto Jacob--against the ten tribes [LOWTH].

lighted upon--fallen from heaven by divine revelation

(Da 4:31).

9. know--to their cost: experimentally

(Ho 9:7).

Samaria--the capital of Ephraim (compare as to phrase,

Isa 1:1).

10. bricks--in the East generally sun-dried, and therefore soon

dissolved by rain. Granting, say the Ephraimites to the prophet's

threat, that our affairs are in a ruinous state, we will restore them to

more than their former magnificence. Self-confident unwillingness to

see the judgments of God

(Isa 26:11).

hewn stones--

(1Ki 5:17).

sycamores--growing abundantly on the low lands of Judea, and though

useful for building on account of their antiseptic property (which

induced the Egyptians to use them for the cases of their mummies), not

very valuable. The cedar, on the other hand, was odorous, free from

knots, durable, and precious

(1Ki 10:27).

"We will replace cottages with palaces."

11. adversaries of Rezin--the Assyrians, who shall first attack

Damascus, shall next advance "against him" (Ephraim). This is the

punishment of Ephraim's pride in making light

(Isa 9:10)

of the judgment already inflicted by God through Tiglath-pileser

(2Ki 15:29).

A second Assyrian invasion (see on

Isa 7:1)

shall follow. The reading "princes" for "adversaries" in uncalled for.

join--rather, "arm"; cover with armor [MAURER].

his--Rezin's.

12. Syrians--Though now allies of Ephraim, after Rezin's death they

shall join the Assyrians against Ephraim. "Together," in

Isa 9:11,

refers to this. Conquering nations often enlist in their armies the

subject races

(Isa 22:6;

compare

2Ki 16:9;

Jer 35:11),

[ABEN EZRA, GESENIUS]. HORSLEY less probably

takes "Syrians before," as the Syrians to the east, that is, not

Rezin's subjects, but the Assyrians: "Aram" being the common

name of Syrians and Assyrians.

Philistines--of Palestine.

behind--from the west: in marking the points of the compass,

Orientalists face the east, which is before them: the west is

behind. The right hand is the south: the left, the north.

devour--as a ravenous beast

(Isa 1:20;

Jer 10:25; 30:16;

Nu 14:9).

For all this, &c.--The burden of each strophe.

13-17. Second strophe.

turneth not--the design of God's chastisements; not fulfilled in their

case; a new cause for punishment

(Jer 2:20; 5:3).

14. head and tail--proverbial for the highest and lowest

(De 28:13, 44).

branch and rush--another image for the same thought

(Isa 19:15).

The branch is elevated on the top of the tree: the rush is coarse and

low.

15. ancient--the older.

honourable--the man of rank.

prophet . . . lies, . . . tail--There were many such in Samaria

(1Ki 22:6, 22, 23;

compare as to "tail,"

Re 9:19).

16. leaders, &c.--(See

Isa 3:12,

Margin, and see on

Isa 3:12.)

17. no joy--the parallelism, "neither . . . mercy," shows that this

means, He shall have no such delight in their youthful warriors,

however much they be the nation's delight and reliance, as to save them from the enemy's sword

(Isa 31:8;

compare

Jer 18:21).

fatherless, &c.--not even the usual objects of His pity

(Ps 10:14, 18; 68:5;

Jer 49:11;

Ho 14:3)

shall be spared.

hypocrite--rather, a libertine, polluted [HORSLEY].

folly--wickedness

(Ps 14:1).

still--Notwithstanding all these judgments, more remain.

18-21. Third strophe.

burneth--maketh consumption, not only spreading rapidly, but also

consuming like fire: sin is its own punishment.

briers . . . thorns--emblem of the wicked; especially those of low rank

(Isa 27:4;

2Sa 23:6).

forest--from the humble shrubbery the flame spreads to the vast

forest; it reaches the high, as well as the low.

mount up like . . . smoke--rather. "They

(the thickets of the forest) shall lift themselves proudly aloft

[the Hebrew is from a Syriac root, a cock, expressing

stateliness of motion, from his strutting gait, HORSLEY], in

(in passing into) volumes of ascending smoke" [MAURER].

19. darkened--namely, with smoke

(Isa 9:18).

The Septuagint and Chaldee render it, "is burnt up," so

MAURER, from an Arabic

root meaning "suffocating heat."

no man . . . spare . . . brother--intestine discord snapping asunder

the dearest ties of nature.

20. hungry--not literally. Image from unappeasable hunger, to picture

internal factions, reckless of the most tender ties

(Isa 9:19),

and insatiably spreading misery and death on every side

(Jer 19:9).

eat--not literally, but destroy

(Ps 27:2;

Job 19:22).

flesh of . . . arm--those nearest akin: their former support (helper)

(Isa 32:2)

[MAURER].

21. Manasseh, Ephraim--the two sons of Joseph. So closely united as to

form between them but one tribe; but now about to be rent into factions,

thirsting for each other's blood. Disunited in all things else, but

united "together against their brother Judah"

(2Ki 15:10, 30).