A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Many believe Russia was and still is the main threat to the United States. Others, like John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, give incredible speeches around the world saying China is the main enemy.

And Mearsheimer brilliantly emphasizes the United States are protected by fish to the left and fish to the right, but foolishly negates to address America’s broken border in the South.

And that the Scriptures say that America’s main “enemy” comes from the porous South! At least Colonel Douglas Macgregor got his foresight on target! For more on the enemy from the South, see The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

Isaiah 31

¹ Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and depend upon horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!

— woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; or “O ye that go down.” Such were their desperation for help for their people, or ambassadors sent to the king of Egypt, asking to supply them with men and horses against the king of Assyria, contrary to the express command of God;

— and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; having their dependence upon, and placing their confidence in, the strength and numbers of the cavalry of the Egyptians.

² Yet He also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back His words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the help of them that work iniquity.

— yet he also is wise; that is, God, the Holy One of Israel, whom they disregard; and wiser too than the Egyptians; so wise as to know all their schemes, and able to confound them, as well as most certainly and fully to complete his own; and it would have been therefore the highest wisdom to have attributable to him and not to men;

— but will bring evil; the punishment or affliction on wicked men which he has warned and which they could in no way escape; and will not call back his words; his warnings delivered by the prophets: these, as he does not repent of, he will not revoke or make void, but fulfil and accomplish.

³ Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helpeth shall fall and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

— now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and indeed they are but frail, feeble, mortal, and mutable men, and therefore not to be trusted in, and depended on; or to be put upon an equality with God;

— and the Israelites that are helped shall fall down; helped by the Egyptians, who should also fall and be destroyed, though not now; yet hereafter by the Chaldeans as they were: and they all shall fail together; both the Egyptians and the Jews.

⁴ For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me: As the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them; so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion and for the hill thereof.

— like the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey; or “growling over his prey” for the lion roars when he is hungry and wants a prey and not when he has got one; but when he has one and feeding upon it, he makes a lower noise, a growling one;

— so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion; that is, he shall come down from heaven with his angel and fight against the “Assyrian” army, in favour of the inhabitants of Zion or Jerusalem and deliver them; and there will be no more withstanding him or putting him off from his purpose, or preventing his good designs and resolutions than the shepherds are able to divert a lion from his prey.

⁵ As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending, also He will deliver it; and passing over, He will preserve it.

— as birds in the air at a distance, especially the eagle, have their eye upon their nests and their young ones in them and when in danger fly to their assistance and hover over them to keep off those that would hurt them, so the Lord, on high sees his people when in distress and hastens to surround, protect and defend them.

⁶ Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

— turn ye unto him from the Egyptians to whom they sought for help unto the Lord, whom they had neglected; from evil ways and practices, idolatry and impiety to the true worship of God, to his word and ordinances, statutes and commands;

— the Targum says, “return to the law; for you have multiplied sin,” which they had rejected and broken.

⁷ For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.

— with contempt and abhorrence, everyman shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold; everyman “his” own idol and even those that were of the greatest value, which were made of gold and silver;

— which their own hands have made; their idols were the work of their own hands and were made by them in order to commit sin with, the sin of idolatry; for the punishment which your hands have made; it was a sin to make such idols especially with a view to worship them.

⁸ “Then shall the Assyrian fall by the sword, but not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a lowly man, shall devour him; but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.

— then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, which besieged Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s time; which as soon as the people were brought to a sense of their sin and cast away their idols as a proof of it, were utterly destroyed;

— not by the sword of Hezekiah, nor any of his valiant generals; and the sword, not of a mean man shall devour him; neither the sword of a general, nor of a private soldier, nor indeed of any man but of an angel; see II Kings 19:35;

— but he shall flee from the sword; from the drawn sword of the angel, who very probably appeared in such a form as in 1 Chronicles 21:16 which Sennacherib king of Assyria seeing, as well as the slaughter made in his army by him, fled from it; in the Hebrew text it is added, “for himself” he fled for his life, for his own personal security; see II Kings 19:36;

— and his young men shall be discomfited; his choice ones, the flower of his army, they “melt away” through fear; or die by the stroke of the angel upon them.

⁹ And he shall pass over to his stronghold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign,” saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem.

— and the king of Assyria shall pass over to his stronghold in fear; this is of departing in haste from the siege of Jerusalem to some stronghold in his own country, particularly his strong city Nineveh, for fear of the angel and destruction following him; nor could he think himself safe until he had got there;

— others render it (and the original will bear it), “and his rock shall pass over for fear” his mighty men, his men of valour, in whom he trusted who were his strength upon which he depended; these as many as were left of them, fled away. So the Targum says, “his princes shall flee for fear.”

Isaiah 32

¹ Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgement.

— behold, a King shall reign in righteousness; not Hezekiah as modern Judaism thought; but rather the Son of God, the Messiah who is also “King” not only of Judah, but the whole world, and who “reigns” in and over his Kingdom and people, being set as King by his Father over his holy hill of Zion;

— and princes, the elects of God, shall rule in judgement: who are set over the Kingdom and who rule with righteous judgement when they rule according to the word of God; they who shall teach the truth and administer ordinances, statues and the law.

² And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

— and a man; evidently, the princes referred to in the previous verse; shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, a place where one may take refuge from a violent wind and tempest;

— a covert, a place of shelter and security; wind and tempest are emblematic of calamity and oppression; and the sense is that the princes would be the protector of other people and would save them from the calamities.

³ And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

— and the eyes of them that see; that there shall be, under the reign of this wise and pious prince, on the part of the prophets and teachers, a clear view of divine truth and on the part of the people who hear, a disposition to hearken and to attend to it.

⁴ The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

— the heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge; who have been hasty and who have not given themselves time to consider what they have read or heard, and have hastily received every thing that has been suggested to them,

— especially by carnal sense and reason, shall now sit down, and coolly consider issues, and so gain an understanding of divine and deeper spiritual knowledge, of the knowledge of God, his Son, the Messiah, the Christ, of his person, offices, his righteousness and redemption;

— and the tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak plainly; or “shall make haste to speak neatly” elegantly and politely; such who hesitated in speech, and spoke in a blundering manner, or scarcely intelligibly, especially when they spoke of divine and spiritual things,

— yet now, without the least hesitation, in the freest and most ready manner, with all plainness and propriety shall talk of these things, to the great delight, satisfaction and use of those that hear them.

⁵ The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.

— the vile person; the base and worthless shall be no more called liberal; they shall no longer be reputed honourable, because of their high and honourable places, but wickedness shall be discovered wherever it is, and virtue manifested and rewarded;

— nor the churl said to be bountiful, the sordid and covetous man; but under this one vice all vices are understood, as under the opposite virtue of bountifulness all virtues are comprehended.

⁶ For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry; and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

— for the vile person will speak villainy; men shall no longer be miscalled; for every one will discover what he is by his words and actions. And will work iniquity; he will, from time to time, be devising wickedness, that he may execute it when he hath opportunity;

— to practice hypocrisy; to do bad things, though with a pretence of religion and justice; to utter error; to pass unjust sentences, directly contrary to the command of God; to cause the drink, whereby they take away the bread and drink of the poor.

⁷ The instruments also of the churl are evil; he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.

— the instruments also of the churl are evil; the sense is that such covetous or wicked princes most willingly choose and employ wicked men in their affairs, because such men will, without any regard to conscience or justice: serve all their exorbitant desires;

— he devises wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks right; he consults, contrives and forms schemes with all craft and cunning, on purpose, to corrupt the poor and meek, humble and afflicted souls, with false doctrines;

— even when these poor and needy ones, who want to have sound and comfortable doctrine delivered to them, speak and ask for that which is right and just, agreeably to the oracles of God; therefore such a man is unfit to be a ruler in the house of God.

Man’s wickedness is devising lies, see Who is this lying Ephraim?

⁸ But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

— liberal, or rather “noble-minded” – he who is truly liberal and virtuous will show it by designing and practicing liberal or virtuous actions;

— liberal, who devises liberal things, and persists or continues in liberal things. But the liberal; the word ‘liberal’ means generous, noble, benevolent; a man of large views and of public spirit; a man above covetousness, and self-seeking.

⁹ Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.

— ye women that are at ease; they who are surrounded by the comforts which affluence gives, and that have no fear of being reduced to other than a princess.

— ye careless daughters – Hebrew, ‘Daughters confiding;’ that is, those who felt no alarm, and who did not regard God and his warnings and threats.

¹⁰ Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.

— for the vintage shall fail – a large part of the wealth and the luxury of the nation consisted in the vintage. When the vine failed, there would be, of course, great distress;

— the sense is that in consequence of the invasion of Israel’s enemies, this might occur either from the dread of the invasion or because Israel’s enemies would destroy everything in their march;

— many days and years shall ye be troubled; a year and somewhat more, or days upon a year, year upon year; and so indicates a long duration of their troubles; and so the troubles of the wicked, before their utter destruction that could last a great while; it might be 190 years for Israel and 40 years for Judah?

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline

¹¹ Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones. Strip you and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins;

— tremble, ye women that are at ease; the G7 that are rich and living in comfort; the call to repentance includes their stripping themselves of their costly finery, and putting on the “sackcloth” and put on the habiliments of mourning, indicative of a great calamity.

¹² they shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

— they shall lament for the teats; either of the beasts of the field, that should be dried up; or else of the women, their breasts and teats, which should afford no milk for their infants, through the famine that should press them sore, which would occasion great lamentation, both in mothers and children.

¹³ Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

— upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; the curse of the earth, being uncultivated, and this through want of men, they being destroyed or carried captive by the enemy;

— this is to be understood of the land of Judea and of Samaria; which is mentioned to show the apostasy of both houses, for which ruin came upon their land; upon all the houses of joy; that is, Jerusalem, the joy of the whole earth; and the “houses of joy.”

¹⁴ Because the palaces shall be forsaken, the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks,

— the palaces of the princes and nobles shall be forsaken; they being obliged to flee from the enemy or being taken and either slain or carried captive; “the palaces” meaning the royal palaces; and so of the king’s palace;

— a pasture of flocks; where flocks of sheep feed, instead of being inhabited by men; for the desire or at the will of the Ishmaelites and their army and certain it is that Jerusalem now is in the hands of the Ishmaelites, Turks or Muslims; or by the modern Edomites in the land of Ephraim.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

— the Targum says, “the place which was a house of joy and gladness for kings is now become a spoil for armies.”

¹⁵ until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

— until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high; that is, Jerusalem shall lie in ruins until the effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which, as it was before the destruction of the city by the Romans, so the desolation it was brought on until the fullness of the Gentiles are fulfilled;

— and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest; this will be the consequence, fruit and effect of the effusion of the Spirit in the latter day of even at the beginning of the Millennium.

¹⁶ Then judgement shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

— then judgement shall dwell in the wilderness; in the desert part of the world, inhabited by Gentiles where the Scriptures, the rule of judgement and where the judgement of the Lord had no place, now they shall have one and such as do justice and judgement shall dwell there.

¹⁷ And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever.

— and the work of righteousness; that which righteousness produces at the beginning of the Millennium; or the effect of the prevalence of righteousness on the nation; shall be peace; there shall be no internal agitation and no conflicts with foreign nations.

¹⁸ And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places

— and in quiet resting places where they may sleep and rest quietly and none to disturb them and make them afraid; and where they shall enjoy much spiritual prosperity and safety, great peace and quietness, comfort and rest;

¹⁹ when it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

— when, or rather, and it shall hail; as my blessings shall be poured down upon my people, who, from a wilderness, are turned into a fruitful field so my judgements shall fall upon them who were a fruitful field but are turned into a forest;

— and the city, Jerusalem, which, though now it was the seat of God’s worship and people, yet he foresaw would be the great enemy of the Messiah; shall be low in a low place; that is, shall be greatly humbled or brought very low.

²⁰ Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

— at the onset of the Millennium, a golden age of agriculture receives its final touch of waters: the whole land should be irrigated by calmly flowing streams and men should cast their seed broadcast and the oxen and the asses should draw the plough over a rich and fertile land. Amen.

Posted in Isaiah

The Scriptures are often shrouded in cryptic languages; as usual a prophecy of Isaiah will start with the house of Judah and Jerusalem then spread to the house of Israel and soon it includes many prophecies concerning other nations surrounding the region.

However the following may provide a clue:

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20;

“In latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means as a whole, we wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until we’re living in the latter days; after God had executed his judgement in anger and performed the thoughts of his heart!

Our challenge is to de-encrypt them, especially as it relates to the latter days, our days.

Isaiah 29

¹ “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

— Woe to Ariel; the name Ariel interpreted as “the lion of God” or “the hearth of God,” and belongs to the same poetic synonym the Valley of Vision (Psalm 22:1);

— so called because Jerusalem was the place in the observance of the feasts: the Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles; burnt-offering, or of the public worship of God; the place where the Sanctuary is, the Shekinah and fire is, as on a hearth, continually burned on the altar.

² Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow; and it shall be unto Me as Ariel.

— yet God will distress Ariel; or “straiten” it by causing it to be besieged; and this he would do, notwithstanding their yearly sacrifices and their observance of their solemn feasts;

— and there shall be heaviness and sorrow; on account of the siege; by reason of the devastations of enemies from every side, invading all the cities and towns in Judea round about; and because of the famine and bloodshed in the city;

— and it shall be unto me as Ariel; the whole city shall be as the altar, a sacrifice; as that was covered with the blood and carcasses of slain beasts, so this with the blood and carcasses of men;

— and so the Targum says, “and I will distress the city where the altar is, and it shall be desolate and empty; and it shall be surrounded before me with the blood of the slain, as the altar is surrounded with the blood of the holy sacrifices on a solemn feast day;”

— this maybe where Judah shall bear his iniquity for forty days: I have appointed thee a day for a year. Ezekiel 4:4-6; Septuagint; after the start of the 10 tribes house of Israel and last for 150 years, the house of Judah shall join in for 40 years.

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline

³ And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mound, and I will raise forts against thee.

— and God will camp against thee, that is, by those enemies whom God will assist and enable to take and destroy thee; this may refer to different sieges of Jerusalem, that of Sennacherib, that of the Chaldeans to that of the Romans, or perhaps even another at the endtime?

⁴ And thou shalt be brought down and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.”

— thou shalt be brought down; thy speech shall be low; thou, who now speaks loftily, shalt be humbled, and in a submissive manner, and with a low voice, shalt beg the favour of thine enemies as one that hath a familiar spirit out of the ground.

⁵ Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away; yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

— moreover the multitude of thy enemies shall be like small dust, or fine dust that is easily dissipated by the wind; and the multitude of an invading, besieging army, the terrible ones shall be as chaff that are blown away:

— yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly; like the angel of the Lord slew 185,000 of Sennacherib’s forces in a single night.

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. II Kings 19:35

⁶ Thou shalt be visited by the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire.

— but thou, that is, Ariel, or Jerusalem, shalt be visited by the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire; revisiting of the days as was before Mount Sinai;

⁷ And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her fortifications, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

— and the multitude of all the nations that fight against Jerusalem, perhaps a new revived “Roman army” which consisted of men of all nations, that fought against Jerusalem; the city in which was the altar;

— as the Targum paraphrases it:

“And the multitude of all the nations, that are gathered together against the city, and the altar which is in her, and all their camps and their armies, that are oppressing her, shall be like a phantom of the night.”

⁸ It shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty. Or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint and his soul hath appetite. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

— his soul of Israel’s enemy is empty; his appetite or desire is unsatisfied. Or his stomach or body is empty; so shall all the multitude from all nations that fight against Mount Zion; either shall quickly perish;

— or having raised their expectations and pleased themselves with the booty they should obtain, of which they thought themselves sure, shall find themselves mistaken and all like an illusive dream.

⁹ Stay yourselves, and wonder! Cry ye out, and cry! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

— true shepherd of Israel should cry ye out and cry: his people are drunk but not with wine; they stagger but not with strong drink; consider yourselves the case and circumstances of these people and wonder at their stupidity.

¹⁰ For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered.

— the Lord hath poured out upon the people of Israel the spirit of deep sleep; of spiritual blindness, a reprobate mind, a mind void of sound judgement and sense by their shepherds and the seers;

— a hardness of heart and insensibility to dangers, by their rulers, magistrates and ministers and other chief of the people what we call a judicial blindness that they which might be made blind against the light.

¹¹ And the vision of all has become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, “Read this, I pray thee”; and he saith, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

— and the vision of all, even the learned, the scholarly; all the prophetic books, plus the book of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah; and Revelations, every vision by these writers; is unto them as the words of a book that is sealed;

— which no man can read while it is sealed up, being in the form of rolls, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, read this, but he replied, I cannot; for it is sealed. Ordinary learning, without supernatural light, will not be to understand the word of God and things divine;

— for example, without knowing who modern Ephraim is, most of the prophecies in the OT remains sealed! But you can have a more indepth studies here:

(1) The Birthrights (2) Ephraim and Manasseh (3) Ephraim as the Thirteenth Tribe (4) Who is this lying Ephraim? (5) The Ox with horns of a Unicorn

¹² And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, “Read this, I pray thee”; and he saith, “I am not learned.”

— the Scriptures is a sealed book to every man, learned or unlearned; it is encrypted with signs and symbols; unless he begins to study it with a simple heart and a teachable spirit, and only upon God’s spirits, that he may thence learn the truth and the will of God; otherwise he would be blinded.

¹³ Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men,

— but there are many whose religion is lip-service only, they pretend to be speaking to God, they are pranks, they mix some truths with a thousand foolish things; honouring Astarte from the Egyptians and Mithra from the Persian as they worship the God of Israel according to their own devices;

¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”

— therefore, God will proceed to do a marvellous work among these people, perhaps referring to the captivity of Israel for 190 years and Judah 40; even an wonderful work and a wonder:

— for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden, because of their disobedience, idolatry and wickedness, their regard to men’s doctrines and commandments, and not to the will and Word of God, therefore he determines “to deal marvellously and a wonder with this people.”

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For another on the South, The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

¹⁵ Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark, and they say, “Who seeth us?” and, “Who knoweth us?”

— woe unto them, or “O ye” that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord; which though they consulted in private, and formed deep schemes, imagining they were not observed by the Lord, yet he that sits in the heaven saw them and laughed at their vain imaginations, Psalm 2:1;

— and their works are in the dark; in the dark night as if the darkness could conceal them from the all seeing eye of God; such works are truly works of darkness but cannot be hidden, though they flatter themselves;

— and they muse, Who see us? and who know us? as no man, they imagine, but not God himself could; into such atheism do wicked men sink when desirous of bringing their schemes into execution;

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¹⁶ Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay; for shall the work say of him that made it, “He made me not?” Or shall the thing formed say of him that formed it, “He had no understanding?”

— your turning of things upside down is a reinstatement of Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter;

— thus reversing all principles of Godly morality; that is, that excuse the one and reproach the other; that put darkness for light and light for darkness, particularly in palliating the wickedness of sin, in representing avarice, luxury, the lust of the flesh as harmless;

— and pervert the order which God hath appointed; witness what LGBTQIA lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), intersex, and asexual (or allies) has progressed!

— “He made me not”? shall the potter be counted as the clay? The words bring out the character of the perversity, the upside-downness of which the prophet denounces; the men whom he condemns were inverting the relations of the Creator and the creature,

— the potter and the clay, acting practically as arrogant atheists, denying that there was a Divine order of which they formed a part.

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

— is it not yet a very little while; the projection in time is here foretold, when there would be a strange change and alteration made in the world, and by which it would appear, that the Lord not only knows, but foretells all things;

— when Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; that is, that the Gentile world, perhaps the times of the Gentiles, and full of fruited trees, should through the preaching of the Gospel be manured, become God’s husbandry and be like a fruitful field, abounding with fruits and be part of the Kingdom of God.

¹⁸ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

— and soon during the Millennium, the deaf shall hear the words of the law; they would also have the Scriptures, its prophecies and concerning the fulfilment of the Messiah; and those who do not understand it, the people who seem to be deaf to all that God says, shall hear and understand it;

— shall see out of obscurity; that is, their eyes closed and ignorant, the darkness being removed, they shall clearly see the truth of God, and discern and love its beauty. Their eyes are now blinded, but then they shall see clearly.

¹⁹ The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

— during the Millennium, the meek, rather, the afflicted, the idea is, virtuous suffering; poor among men, that is, the pious poor; rejoice when they see the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰ For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off

— for the terrible one, led by Satan, the violent one, the oppressor, who had exercised cruelty over them, refers to those who held offices of power, and who abused them to oppress the poor and needy;

— and the scorner is consumed; shall be entirely destroyed; and all that watch for iniquity, that is, those who seek anxiously for opportunities to commit iniquity.

²¹ who make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

— that make a man an offender, literally, ‘who cause a man to sin’ who hold a man to be guilty, or a criminal;

— the Targum says, they “turn aside the just by false judgment” they that turn away their judgement, decline doing them justice, and condemn them.

²² Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

— the One who redeemed Abraham; that is, who brought him out of a land of idolaters, and rescued him from the abominations of idolatry. The word ‘redeem,’ here properly indicates to ransom, that is, to redeem a captive, or a prisoner with a price paid;

— so Jacob shall not be ashamed, that is, the posterity of Jacob, who had great cause to be ashamed for their infidelity, for their persecutions of God’s prophets and righteous servants,

— and for their rejection of their own Messiah, who also has redeemed them, shall, at last, be brought back unto the God of their fathers and be their Messiah.

²³ But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

— when he sees his children; when the believing seed of Jacob see those children, whom they have begotten to God by the preaching of the gospel, even the Gentiles, converted by their ministry;

— the work of mine hands; the children, not of the flesh, but of the promise, whom I, by my almighty power and grace, have created or regenerated, of stones raising up the children to Abraham. In the midst of him; which Gentiles shall be incorporated with the Jews into one and the same body and Kingdom;

— they shall sanctify my name; the name Yehovah; they shall not despise and hate the Gentiles, but shall praise and glorify God with them and for them, as all the believing Israelites and Gentiles would.

²⁴ They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.”

— shall learn doctrine; the doctrines and teachings of the prophets and the Messiah, the truth; they “shall receive discipline” or “instruction,” that is, come to understanding and learn true doctrines of the law and true justice.

Isaiah 30

¹ “Woe to the rebellious children,” saith the Lord, “that take counsel, but not of Me, and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;

— woe to the rebellious children, of the house of Jacob, saith the Lord, who were the “children” of God, but had turned their backs upon him, and departed from his worship and ordinances; and therefore a woe is pronounced against them;

— that take counsel, but not of me; they met and consulted together about their safety, when in danger, but did not ask counsel of the Lord; they did not consult his word, nor his prophets, nor by Urim and Thummim, as in case of whether to go to war;

— that they may add sin on top of other sins, the sins of rebellion and apostasy: so wicked men, who are enemies in their minds, by wicked works, to God, and commit acts of hostility against him;

² that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at My mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

— they strengthen themselves with the might of Pharaoh, by forming an alliance with earthly kings, that thus they hoped to repel the threatened invasion, putting their thrust in the emptiness of shadows.

³ Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

— therefore they shall be disappointed of the help and assistance they expected from earthly alliances and be ashamed of their ally and the trust in the shadow of Egypt and their confusion; and be confounded.

⁴ For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

— for Pharaoh’s princes were at Zoan, known as “the royal city of the Pharaohs” which is the same as Tanis, the metropolis of one of the provinces of Egypt; but both the Targum and Septuagint versions render it, “Tanes;”

— the Jews say there is not a more excellent place in all Egypt than Zoan, because kings were brought up in it, as it is said here, “his princes were at Zoan,”

— and more on Zoan: today, Gypsies are known as Roma, but in Hebrew, their name is derived from the Egyptian city of Zoan, or Tanes, Tanis, at one time the royal and capital of the country; and this is from Wikipedia (Romani people);

The English term Gypsy (or Gipsy) originates from the Middle English gypcian, short for Egipcien.

Hebrew: צוענים‎, romanized: Tzoanim. Derives either from the biblical Egyptian city of Zoan, or from the linguistic root צ־ע־נ‎, meaning “wander.”

— the other called “Hanes” and here the Targum calls it Taphnes; which is the same with Tahapanes in Jeremiah 2:16 and Tahpanhes, Jeremiah 43:7; where Pharaoh had a house or palace; see Jeremiah 43:9;

— and this is the reason of the ambassadors (the Jeremiah’s entourage and the king’s daughters, after escaping from Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, who smote Gedaliah the governor and who might also kill them) from the “children of God” had gone there;

— but God pursued them there in Egypt:

Ezekiel 29:12 “and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries.”

⁵ They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be a help nor profit, but a shame and also a reproach.”

— they (Judah’s princes that appeared in Zoan; and his ambassadors in Hanes) were all ashamed of a people (Pharaoh and his princes) that could not help them; the princes, the ambassadors that were sent unto them, and the king or people, or both, that sent them, who hoped for and expected great things from them, but being disappointed, were filled with shame;

— nor be an help, nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach: so far from being of any advantage to them, by helping and assisting them against their enemy, wanting either inclination or capacity, or both, that it not only turned to their shame, but even was matter of reproach to them, that ever they made any application to them, or placed any confidence in them for help.

⁶ The burden of the beasts of the South: Into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

— the burden of the beasts of the south, the word ‘South’ here refers to the South of Judea; and particularly to Egypt; but could also be Edom; and today as Spain and Mexico/Latin Americas (South of the children of Joseph!)

— from whence come the young and old lion, the viper, and fiery flying serpent; creatures with which Egypt abounded as historians relate and where some of them at least were worshipped and where men also dwelt comparable to these creatures as for craft and cruelty.

⁷ For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose; therefore have I cried to her concerning this, “Their strength is to sit still.”

— for the Egyptians shall help in vain; that is, if they enter into the alliance, they shall not be able to defend them from the invader, though they may make a show of force and attempted to help them or seemed to do so, yet failed to do it;

— their strength is to sit still; either concerning this embassy, that it would be better for the ambassadors to have spared all their toil and labour and strength and have remained quiet and easy in their own country than going down to Egypt.

⁸ Now go, write it before them on a tablet and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever,

— now go, write it before them; write this prophecy and warning, which Isaiah have now delivered, in their presence; in a table and in a book;

— so it was to be written twice over, once in a table, to be hung up in some public place, for the people then at that time might read it; and again in a book, that it might be kept for the use of posterity; that is to us at a latter day, because prophecies are often dual in purposes;

— that it may be for the time to come, as a witness for me and against them, that God have given them fair warning, and they have wilfully run upon their own ruin;

— so the Targum confirms, “that it may be for a witness before me in the day of judgment forever.”

⁹ that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord,

— that they are lying children, who tell lies as easily as one breaths; and they lied without feeling any guilt of lying, not only to God but to everyone; they that will not hear the law of the Lord, either contained in the Scriptures, or delivered by the mouth of the prophets, whereby these warnings are expressly concerning them;

¹⁰ who say to the seers, “See not,” and to the prophets, “Prophesy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things; prophesy deceits.

— speak unto us smooth things; that is, those things which are in accordance with our good feelings, prejudices and desires; which assure us of prosperity and success and which will not disturb us with the apprehension of punishment;

— prophesy deceits, not that they would openly and avowedly demand to be deceived, but they demanded that which the prophet says would be deceits. No man “professedly” desires to be deceived; yet many a man is willing to put himself under that kind of teaching which is deceit and which he might know to be falsehood if he would examine it.

¹¹ Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”

— get ye out of the way: turn aside out of the path; these two expressions mean one and the same thing; either that the prophets would go out of their usual way of threatening ruin and destruction;

— or that they would go out of the way of the people, and not stand in it to hinder them pursuing their own lusts and pleasures; or that they would go out of the right way, in their ways: cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before them; do not so often make mention of his name,

— or don’t come to us with a “thus saith the Lord;” let us hear no more of him; as the Targum says, “distance from us the Word of the Holy One of Israel.”

¹² Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: “Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stand thereon,

¹³ therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.

— therefore this iniquity shall be “as a falling breach” or contempt of the word of God, rejecting the counsel of God; signified by the breach of a falling wall or by a breach in a wall, by reason of which it is in danger of falling and is just ready to fall.

¹⁴ And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter’s vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pit.”

— that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare; or that is broken in pieces without mercy, as the Targum says; “who is breaking it without compassion;” that is, no pity shall be shown by the enemy nor mercy from the Lord.

¹⁵ For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; but ye would not.

— in returning and rest shall ye be saved; or “may be saved” namely, by “returning” from their evil ways and to his worship and ordinances; and so the Targum says, “if ye return to my law, ye shall have rest, and ye shall be redeemed.”

¹⁶ But ye said, ‘No, for we will flee upon horses’; therefore shall ye flee! And, ‘We will ride upon the swift’; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift!

— but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses to get help and assistance; and then face the enemy;

— therefore shall they that pursue you be swift; yea, swifter than the horses and camels they rode on and overtake them and either put them to death or carry them captive.

¹⁷ One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee, till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain and as an ensign on a hill.”

— at the rebuke of one, the number one here is to indicate a very small number; a number in the ordinary course of warfare entirely disproportionate to those who would be vanquished, which is a reference here to Deuteronomy 32:30;

— and as an ensign on a hill; the idea is that those who should escape would be few in number, a remnant and would stand as a beacon in view of all the nations, to testify to them of the justice of God and the realization of his threats, like an ensign floating on a hill that can be seen from afar.

¹⁸ And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you. For the Lord is a God of judgement; blessed are all they that wait for Him.

— his waiting is very patient; the divine husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it. How wonderful that in a very real sense he attends on our pleasure, as it were, and lets us determine his time to work.

¹⁹ For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee.

— for they shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, or those that belonged to the fort of Zion should dwell in Jerusalem, or “abide” there, both they and as their inhabitants, at least many of them should quietly continue there, waiting the Lord’s time to appear for them;

— although the time is coming when the people shall be banished from Jerusalem and carried into captivity; yet after a set time they shall return and have a comfortable residence in Jerusalem, the seat of their religion, and metropolis of their Kingdom.

²⁰ And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teacher.

— and though the Lord give you the bread that is eaten in a time of calamity; that is, he would bring upon them sore distress and sorrows; the water of affliction, ‘oppression.’ That is, water drank in times of affliction and oppression, or in the long and weary days of captivity;

— Rashi: your Teacher: The Holy One, blessed be He, who teaches you for your profit.

²¹ And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, “This is the way; walk ye in it,” when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left.

— it seems best to understand the Scriptures of truth as the word of God, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; it directs to the Messiah the way, and who is the only way of life and which is the right way; so the Targum paraphrases it, “this is the right way, walk ye in it, and turn ye not from it to the right, or to the left.”

²² Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornament of thy molten images of gold. Thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, “Get thee hence.”

— ye shall show your contempt of it; defile the covering of thy graven images; the leaves or plates, wherewith their wooden images were frequently covered: and the ornament of thy molten images; or, the images and altars of idolatry when they became objects of abomination, and when they were induced to abandon them;

— thou shall cast them away as a menstruous cloth, that is, sanitary pads; which is not only filthy and loathsome, but defiling; whoever touched it were unclean by the law for a while; this is used to express the pollution and nauseousness of idols, and of their utter rejection.

²³ Then shall He give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground therewith, and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

— then during the Millennium shall he give the rain of thy seed; that is, he shall send rain on the seed which is sown; and you will be allowed to cultivate the soil without molestation, and God will give you fruitful seasons and abundant harvests;

— the Targum interprets it thus, “and the just shall be nourished from their cattle, with the marrow of the tender and fat ones” as the earth would be fruitful, the cattle would be well fed; and so there would be plenty of provision for man and beast.

²⁴ The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

— the Septuagint renders it, “they shall eat chaff mixed with winnowed barley” but if they were to eat chaff with it, there would be no need to winnow it.

²⁵ And there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

— but before the Millennium, in the day of the great slaughter; when the enemies of the people of God shall have been destroyed; probably in a time subsequent to the slaughter of the army of the Assyrians as a historical type, and so, perhaps, awaiting a prophetic one.

²⁶ Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His people and healeth the stroke of their wound.

— moreover, during the Millennium, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun; an supernatural phenomenon, used to set forth the exceeding great light, comparable to the moon, immeasurable as the light of the sun exceeds the light of the moon;

— and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold; as if the light of seven days was collected together; or as if there were seven suns shining together;

— the Targum not only makes it to be seven times seven, that is, forty nine; but multiply forty nine by seven, and make it three hundred and forty three (7 X 49 = 343) or as the light of so many days.

²⁷ Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with His anger, and the burden thereof is heavy; His lips are full of indignation and His tongue as a devouring fire.

— behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, it is introduced with a “behold” as declaring something of importance worthy of attention, and even wonderful;

— burning with anger; against his army, the kings of the earth; his “eyes” shall be “as a flame of fire” and when he comes to judge the world, he will descend in “flaming fire,” Revelation 19:12 the day of the Lord will burn as an oven, Malachi 4:1.

²⁸ And His breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

— the breath of his nostrils or the blast of the breath of his nostrils; in both instances it is a sign and effect of God’s anger and the cause of the destruction of those against whom it is directed;

— to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity; that is, the breath, wind or spirit of the Lord, compared to an overflowing stream should have this effect to sift the people of several nations so as to dash them one against another and utterly destroy them;

— for they were to be sifted, not with a good and profitable sieve, which retains the corn and shakes out the chaff or so as to have some taken out and spared; but with a sieve that lets all through and so be brought to nothing.

²⁹ Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Israel.

— ye shall have a song; that is, ye inhabitants of Jerusalem shall rejoice when the army of the Assyrian, or another prophetic one, is destroyed;

— as in the night when a solemnity is kept; the word ‘solemnity’ here (חג châg) indicates a festival, or feast; and refers by way of eminence to the Passover where the “death angels” passed, which is usually designated as “the feast” that is, the principal festival of God’s people.

³⁰ And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering and tempest and hailstones.

— his glorious voice; his thunder, which is Called God’s voice, and said to be full of majesty, Psalm 29:4. But then thunder is metaphorically taken for God’s judgement;

— and tempest and hailstones; it is rare that a storm of hail would be severe enough to destroy an army. But in this case, storms of hail are not unfrequently of sufficient violence to do it if the army were encamped in the open field something could fall from the heavens with a heavy splash; they were large balls of ice falling.

³¹ For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, who smote with a rod.

— which smote with a rod; who was accustomed to smite as with a rod; as an instrument in God’s hand; that is, his government was tyrannical and severe; as he had been accustomed to smite in that manner, so he would now meet the proper reward of his oppression of the nations.

³² And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with taborets and harps; and in battles of weapon shaking will He fight with it.

— it shall be with tabrets and harps; that is, at every stroke of God’s judgements upon God’s enemies, Israel should raise its song of triumph with the timbrels and harps.

³³ For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared. He hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood. The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

— Tophet, literally, “a place of abomination” the valley of the sons of Hinnom, southeast of Jerusalem, where Israel offered human sacrifices to Moloch by fire; hence a place of burning;

— the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it; the pile of fire and wood; the Targum says, “the Word of the Lord, like an overflowing torrent of brimstone, shall kindle it.”

Posted in Isaiah

‘NATO is the real troublemaker.’ NATO’s provocative lurch eastward and the ‘supreme fool’ Jens Stoltenberg

When judgement was due, Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind, total; and he was made to dwell among the beasts in the wild; however he regained his sanity after eating grass for seven years.

Now, as another judgement is due, the ‘liberal’ West has already lost their sanity: Stoltenberg admits NATO Began Preparing Ukraine for War with Nuclear Russia Since 2014; although still humans, they are spilling sh!t everywhere and behaving like supreme fools!

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20.

Isaiah 27

¹ In that day the Lord with His sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent; and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

— the “dragon” is as in Psalm 74:13-14; Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2, could be the standing emblem of Egypt: the other, so specifically mentioned, the “leviathan” in Job 41:1, there is always a possibility of an endtime revelation, that is, it could be real!

— the verse paints in vivid symbolic language of a judgment on a great world-powers; so could this nation be modern Egypt?

² In that day sing ye unto her, “A vineyard of red wine!

— in that day sing ye to her: a vineyard of red wine; meaning, of the best wine, which this vineyard, that is, the Kingdom would bring forth as pleasing to the Lord.

³ I, the Lord, do keep it; I will water it every moment. Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.

— I the Lord do keep it; it is understood here or implied as ‘Yehovah said’ (compare Psalm 121:3-5); I will water it every moment; that is, constantly, as a vinedresser does his vineyard.

⁴ Fury is not in Me. Who would set the briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them; I would burn them together.

— fury is not in me; or, wrath have I none; that is, wrath isn’t a natural character of God, but because of briers and thorns (sins and wickedness), symbols of God’s enemies, against me, I am provoked into anger and fury and burn them together.

⁵ Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”

— let God’s strength or spirits be used, then as the Targum continues, “lay hold on the words of my law,” that they may eventually find and make peace with God.

⁶ He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. — Or, In the days that come Jacob shall strike root;

— Israel shall blossom with bud and fill the face of the world with fruit; in all parts of the world; or of the great number of converts made everywhere; so the Targum says, by “fruit” to mean children’s children;

— the sense is, that when the Kingdom of God is established and settled, grounded in the right doctrines of truth, it shall be flourishing and be fruitful, abounding in good works and with increased numbers of converts;

— it shall be like the mustard tree, when it becomes so great a tree as that the birds of the air make their nests in it; and as the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, when it becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.

⁷ Hath He smitten him, as He smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?

— that is, “Hath He (Yehovah) smitten him (Israel) as he smote those that smote him; or is he slain according to the slaughter of those that are slain by him?”

⁸ In measure, when it shooteth forth, Thou wilt debate with it; He stayeth His rough wind in the day of the east wind.

— Rashi: when they sent them out, it strove with it: When Egypt sent Israel out, it strove with it, the seah of the measure with its seah; He spoke with His harsh wind: (הָגָה) He spoke with His harsh speech; on the day of the east wind: On the day (concerning which Scripture states) (Exodus 14:21): “And the Lord led the sea with a strong east wind.”

⁹ By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin: When he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten asunder, the Asherah poles and sun images shall not stand up.

— by this therefore; by this manner of God’s dealing with his people shall the iniquity of both houses of Israel be purged;

— the groves and the images shall not stand up; erect to be worshipped; but shall be thrown down, demolished and broke to pieces; and by thus abandoning their idols and idolatrous practices;

— sun images shall not stand up; the world are honouring the host of heaven with more than 98.5 percent of Christians honouring the Sun by observing Sunday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east;

— and they worshipped the SUN toward the east; whose Godly penalty is to be “cut off” to death (Deuteronomy 17:3-5) – ’till they die’ or ”shall not stand up.”

¹⁰ Yet the fortified city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down and consume the branches thereof.

— yet the fortified city; singular, most probably this means Jerusalem, shall be desolate.

¹¹ When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off; the women come and set them on fire, for it is a people of no understanding. Therefore He that made them will not have mercy on them, and He that formed them will show them no favor.

— for it is a people of no understanding; as Deuteronomy 32:28, referring to Israel as an apostate with no understanding:

The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, My people has no understanding. Isaiah 1:3; 

Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment of the Lord. Jeremiah 8:7; 

— will not have mercy; will show them no favor; that is, will not spare. God will have “measure” and “mercy” in his punishment of Israel but will not have so much mercy as not to punish severely.

¹² And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.

— from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt; from Euphrates to the Nile, which were the two borders of the Land of Promise, Joshua 1:4. All the Israelites which are left in the land; which are here opposed to those of them that are dispersed into foreign parts, such as Assyria and Egypt.

¹³ And it shall come to pass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

— in the land of Assyria, where the ten tribes were carried to II Kings 17:6; and it is probable that some of the other two tribes were also with them. A portion of the ten tribes would also be re-gathered, and would return with the others to the land of their fathers upon the blowing of the trumpet.

In 1897, the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, urges “a publicly and legally assured home in Palestine” for Jews and establishes the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

In November 2, 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration which documented three main ideas:

• First, it declared official support from the British Government for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” and promised that the British Government would actively aid in these efforts.
• Second, it documented that the British Government would not support actions that would prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish residents of Palestine.
• Finally, it confirmed that Jews living in any other country would, similarly, not be prejudiced.

Q. How would the Ten-Tribes be made to return? Could this organization B’ney Yosef North America spearheads the charge? Its mission says:

“B’ney Yosef North America exists to study, to pray, to elucidate, to encourage, to find family, and to await and facilitate the reconstitution of Ephraim, then ultimately the reunion of Ephraim with Judah.”

Isaiah 28

The twenty-eighth chapter concerning the destruction of intoxicated Ephraim, through thirty-third chapter form almost one continuous prophecy concerning the impiety and folly of Judah, and their dangers to make allies with Egypt or Assyria.

Who are the posterity of biblical Jacob? And on the identities of Ephraim and Manasseh, see (1) The Birthrights (2) Ephraim and Manasseh (3) Ephraim as the Thirteenth Tribe (4) Who is this lying Ephraim? (5) The Ox with horns of a Unicorn

¹ Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

— that is, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, the proud state and kingdom of the ten tribes. This pride is about Ephraim, the United States:

“But if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see the danger here to all of us,” Madeleine Albright

— and the many and excellent vines among them, showing that the prophet’s work was not limited to Judah and Jerusalem, but extended to the northern kingdom, Israel;

— parallel Scriptures in Ezekiel 36: woe to “the drunkards of Israel”

— this prophecy in Ezekiel 36 is concerning the desolations of the United States, UK and France; “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys” these are the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg;

— shoot forth your branches; that is, the trees that grew upon them should; the vines, and the olive trees, planted on hills and mountains; these are their colonies: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa; American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (US); Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Virgin Islands (UK); Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Mayotte, Réunion (France).

— is a fading flower; beauty “whose glorious beauty or ornament is a fading flower” – the image of “drunkards” it was the custom at feasts to wreathe with flowers; so this indispensable Ephraim stood upon the head of the fertile valley,”

— that is, situated on a hill surrounded with the rich valleys as the best of a garland; but that garland is “fading,” and this intoxicated Ephraim is now close to ruin, not to be depended upon, soon to be destroyed and discarded away quickly.

² Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

— behold, the Lord hath a mighty and a powerful king with a mighty army; which as a tempest of hail; that beats down herbs and plants, and branches of trees, men and beasts:

— and a destroying storm; which carries all before it, blows down houses and trees, and makes terrible devastation wherever it comes: as a flood of mighty waters overflowing; whose torrent is so strong there is no stopping it;

— the Targum says,

“Behold, plagues, strong and mighty, are coming from the Lord: like a storm of hail, like a whirlwind, like a storm of mighty waters, overflowing, thus the nations shall come upon them, and shall lead them into captivity to another land on account of the sins which are in their hands.”

³ The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet; — the Septuagint says the hirelings of Ephraim;

— so this mighty and powerful prince, the intoxicated Ephraim, the crown of pride, shall be cast down to the ground with a strong hand;

⁴ and the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower and as the early fruit before the summer, which when he that looketh upon it seeth; while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

— and the glorious beauty which is on the head of the fat valley; meaning the riches and fruitfulness of the ten tribes, and especially of Ephraim the head of them:

— shall be a fading flower; as before declared, Isaiah 28:1 and here repeated to show the certainty of it, and to awaken their attention to it; and as the hasty fruit before the summer; the first ripe fruit, that which is ripe before the summer fruits in common are;

— the Septuagint renders it the early fig; or the first ripe fig as the Targum says: which when he that looks upon it sees it; that it is goodly and desirable, and so gathers it, Micah 7:1;

— as soon as he has got it into his hand, he cannot keep it there to look at, or forbear eating it, but greedily devours and swallows it down at once; indicating what a desirable prey the ten tribes would be to their enemies from the South, and how swift, sudden and inevitable would be their destruction.

⁵ In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of His people,

— to the remnant of his people, will be honoured with a diadem of beauty, signifying that the faithful who do not put their trust in any worldly prosperity but made God their glory.

⁶ and for a spirit of judgement to him that sits in judgement, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

— to him that sit in judgement; that is, the Lord would give honour and glory to his people, so wisdom and prudence, a spirit of judgement and discerning, to those who sit in the Sanhedrin in particular, who sit to do justice, and execute judgement among their subjects;

— and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate; as wisdom is promised to the king and judges, so strength of body and mind, valour and courage, to the prince and his army; so that they should turn the battle, and cause their enemies to flee before them, and pursue them to the very gates of their cities.

⁷ But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way. The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink; they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgement.

— but they have erred through wine; through strong drink are out of the way; their priest, their prophet; the teachers, they run into the same excess of wine and strong drink, whereby they besot themselves and fall into numerous errors;

— they err and stumble in judgement; their intoxicated shepherds mistake in the teaching, pronouncing and discharging the sentence of the law.

“Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My messenger that I sent? Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant?” Isaiah 42:18-19

⁸ For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

— the subject is still the drunkards of Ephraim; their chiefs and shepherds, so that there is no place clean or free from vomit and filthiness, no table, or part of one, of prince, prophet, priest, and people;

— the Targum adds, “they have not a spot free from rapine or violence,” that is, they have not a spot free from violent plunder or theft.

⁹ “Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts.

— whom shall he teach knowledge? Not their drunken priests or false prophets, who were both unfit for teaching knowledge; but either the true priest or prophet of the Lord, or the Lord himself;

— these are of age and free; and not subjected to false doctrines; there among his people that are capable and willing to be taught the good knowledge of God.

¹⁰ For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little.”

— for precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, signifying, that a single concept must be dealt with as children do, from the letter a and then b when first instructed in the rudiments of a language, then one rule given and then another, and so one after another, until letter z, till they have gone through the whole:

— line upon line, line upon line; who are taught first to write one line, and then another; or to draw one line and write after that and then another; or where to begin one line and when finished where to begin another;

— here a little, and there a little; a verse or two on the same subject here (like studying the subject of Ephraim) out of one book and a similar subject out of another; a little a day and a little the next and so on, that the whole picture may not be overburdened at once.

¹¹ For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people,

— another tongue by people of a strange language, whom God will bring them into whose power he will deliver them; will he speak to this people; this is because they are not hearing him speaking now by his prophets in their own language;

— they shall hear their enemies speaking to them in a strange language (in Spanish, Russian and Mandarin, perhaps) In misery of the house of Jacob, during their captivity, a time of Jacob’s trouble, that they may then be compelled to understand the language of their enemies.

¹² to whom He said, “This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing” — despite their troubles, yet they would not hear; to whom the Lord himself, or the prophet Isaiah said;

— so the Targum says, “to whom the prophets said” that is, the true prophets of the Lord said to the people, as follows: this is the rest for those weary to rest: and this is the refreshing: that is, by teaching the word of God, the true knowledge of him, and the sound doctrines;

— yet they would not hear; having no regard to the Lord and his prophets; nor any compassion to their countrymen, afflicted and distressed in mind or body; nor to the true knowledge of God.

¹³ But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken and snared and taken.

— but the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept; which were despised and derided by them; they took the prophet’s words out of context, and in a scoffing manner repeating them;

— precept upon precept; these words may be rendered, “though the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept” which were delivered in a plain and easy a manner to understand, yet so stupid were they, and so perverse and stubborn as willfully to reject them; hence they were given up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart;

— that they might go and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken: that they may fall backward, backslide from God, and be broken; and be ensnared and taken in a net by their enemies and again be carried away into captivity; and then be dispersed among the nations.

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem,

— the prophet, Isaiah, now directly attacks the great scornful men of Jerusalem, as being the leaders in crime, and as being eminently deserving the wrath of God.

¹⁵ because ye have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we in agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.”

— as safe from death and secure from hell or the grave, as if a covenant and compact had been formally entered into between them;

— meaning either their lying prophets and the false doctrines they delivered to them, promising them peace when destruction was at hand; or their idols which are falsehood and lying vanities; or their carnal policy, and crafty methods of acting with their enemies;

— by which they hoped to deceive them; or else their wealth and riches, got by lying, stealing and fraud; and the same may be observed of all outward acts of religion, rites, ceremonies and works of righteousness done by men, in which they place their trust and hope to be saved by them from wrath to come;

— this verse describes America’s most prominent lying secretary of state in history, Mike Pompeo: “I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole,” former CIA director and then the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on April 15, 2019 at a forum at Texas A&M University, TX. “It was like – we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”

— interestingly, a Christian religious news broadcaster picked up on Pompeo’s words and described it with such precision as follows: “that’s not the resume of the Secretary of State… that’s the resume of Satan.”

¹⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste.

— behold, the one foundation on which building, we can build and be safe as well as secure, is that foundation which is laid in the Messiah, the Son of God, a precious stone, a tested stone, a stone that has borne all the weight that the world has laid upon it, and borne it up;

— cornerstone; uniting the several parts of the building together, making Ephraim and Judah, now sadly divided, one stick; and Jews and Gentiles, now implacable enemies, one church, one people and one Kingdom.

¹⁷ Judgement also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

— judgement also will I lay to the line; that is, God will execute just judgement, as it were by a line and plummet annexed to it, with exactness and care. I will severely punish and utterly destroy all who reject that stone;

— and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, the lies they made their refuge; God’s judgements, which in the Scriptures are compared to a storm of hail or rain, shall discover the vanity of all their crafty and wicked devices and shall sweep them away by the rushing waters that shall flush them out from their hiding places.

¹⁸ And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

— disannulled; made void, or of none effect; ye shall be trodden down by death; which you flattered yourselves that it should not come unto you, would be thrown down and trampled upon by it as the mire of the streets.

¹⁹ From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you, for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.”

— as soon as this overflowing scourge or judgement shall go forth; into the land, it shall take or seize upon you scoffers, or carry you away, which agrees with the metaphor of a flood;

— morning by morning it shall run over; it shall not only come to you, contrary to your presumption, but it shall abide upon you; and when it hath passed over you, morning after morning; and shall follow you day and night, without giving you any rest.

²⁰ For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it, and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

— for the bed is shorter; that is, for those lying refugees, to which they trust, will not be able to give them the protection which they expect from them.

²¹ For the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim; He shall be wroth as in the Valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work, and bring to pass His act, His strange act.

— the Lord shall rise up as in Mt Perazim, the point of the reference to David’s victories at Baal Perazim (1 Chronicles 14:11), and at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 14:16) is that then the Lord would interpose on behalf of his people against their enemies. The “new and strange” work, the very paradox of prophecy, was that he would now rise up to overthrow his own people.

²² Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consuming even determined upon the whole earth.

— now therefore be not mockers, for their own sakes do not make a mock of God’s word and threats, lest their bands be made strong, more sure and unavoidable, and more severe and terrible, as bands are when they are tied faster and more strongly upon a prisoner;

— for I have heard from the Lord a consumption; God hath assured Isaiah that he will utterly root out the people of Israel, the kingdom of the ten tribes; and the kingdom of the two tribes, the Jews, even the whole earth.

²³ Give ye ear and hear my voice; hearken and hear my speech.

— therefore, give ear, and hear my voice, so said the prophet because what he was about to say was of importance and required attention.

²⁴ Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? Doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

— do the ploughman plough all day to sow? Or “everyday” he ploughs in order to sow; by ploughing he prepares the ground for sowing; and he does not plough every day in the year; he has other work besides ploughing; such as breaking of clods, sowing seed and threshing the grain after it is ripe, reaped and gathered.

²⁵ When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the dill and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rye in their place?

— as the plowman has his appointed time and various instruments for his labour, so has the Lord for his selection: for he selects and punishes some at one time and some at another; some after one sort and some after another, so that his chosen seed is beaten and tried, but not broken as are the wicked.

²⁶ For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

— for his God gives the husbandman instruction and discretion how to sow his seed at what time and in a proper place; for this refers to what goes before and after; threshing or beating out of corn, according to his knowledge and discretion God teaches him.

²⁷ For the dill is not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the dill is beaten out with a staff and the cummin with a rod.

— the lesson of the parable is that it comes to nations and individuals in season and in measure in bringing in the minute details and drawing this lesson from them; that the method suitable to one kind of grain would be ruinous to another; and that even the rougher methods are applied with moderation.

²⁸ Bread corn is beaten, because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

— “bread corn” of the wheat or barley is beaten, for this a severer chastisement, a more thorough threshing is needed; but the end of threshing is the preservation not the destruction of the grain.

²⁹ This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working.

— in counsel and in giving wise counsel like those to king Solomon, this cometh from the Lord of hosts; all this wisdom the husbandman has, in manuring his ground, in sowing it with proper seed and in threshing it out in a manner suitable to it, agriculture or husbandry;

— even among the heathens, is always ascribed to God as an invention of his wisdom and it was the first work which God put man to, and instructed him in all arts and sciences that come from God.

Posted in Isaiah

Something to think about the length of Jacob’s forthcoming Captivity! It’s subjective but a historical precedent from the house of Judah could give us a clue regarding its timeline:

“And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.

‘Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate and ye are in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths” Leviticus 26:33-34

According to God’s judgement its length in Captivity is tied to their years of neglect; and drawing from Judah’s experience, it was seventy years, “to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept her Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years, II Chronicles 36:19-21.

For a more indepth study on this subject, see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline.

Isaiah 25

¹ O Lord, Thou art my God. I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name, for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

— O Yehovah, thou art my God; in covenant with me: my friend, Our Father, my portion. Isaiah speaks in the name of the whole elect. I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name, Yehovah. Those that have Yehovah for their God are in duty bound to praise him;

— for thou hast done wonderful things. Thy counsels of old, signifying not only counsels long before taken, but which thou hast from time to time revealed to thy prophets, which were of old, being conceived from all eternity, are true and firm, and shall certainly be accomplished;

— God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century; more on this at the end).

² For Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be rebuilt.

— thou hast made of a city an heap; that is, Nineveh, Babylon or Rome; the city spoken of as “the palace of strangers” was, probably identified with the oppressors and destroyers of his people; but that city was also for him in every age opposes to the Kingdom of God;

— it shall never be rebuilt; their cities and palaces have been or shall be utterly and irrecoverably destroyed. Rome was rebuilt, hence reference probably only to Nineveh and Babylon.

³ Therefore shall the strong people glorify Thee; the city of the terrible nations shall fear Thee.

— therefore shall the strong people fear thee; thy stoutest enemies, observing thy wonderful works, shall be forced to tremble before thee.

⁴ For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

— for thou hast been a strength to the poor; hast defended thy poor and helpless people against the fiercest assaults of their enemies.

⁵ Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place, even the heat with the shadow of a cloud; the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

— thou shalt bring down the noise; the tumult; the sound which they make in entering into battle; or the note of triumph, and the sound of revelry.

⁶ And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

— and in this mountain, that is, in Mount Zion, Jerusalem, very frequently meant by the names of Zion and Jerusalem; a feast of fat things, of the ultimate glory of the saints; which is sometimes represented by a joyous feast;

— and the participation of it, by sitting down with the elect at a table in the kingdom of God, and by drinking wine there.

⁷ And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

— this mountain, in Mount Zion; the covering of the face, or the veil, of their ignorance of God, and of the truth; cast over all people; which then was upon the Gentiles and all people. This is a manifest prophecy concerning the illumination and conversion of the Gentiles;

— for I, brethren, would not have you be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in:

“For I, brethren, would not have you be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25

⁸ He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it.

— a jump into the Millennium, where the Lord God will swallow up death in victory, or rather, he will abolish death for ever;

— and will wipe away tears; take away from his people all sufferings and sorrows, with all the causes of them, which deliverance is begun here and perfected in heaven. The rebuke of his people; the reproach and contempt cast upon his faithful people;

— for the Lord hath spoken it; therefore doubt it not, though it seem incredible to you.

⁹ And it shall be said in that day: “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

— it shall be said in that day; the speakers are obviously the company of the redeemed, the citizens of new Jerusalem;

— we have waited for him; amidst many trials, persecutions, and calamities, we have looked for the coming of our God to deliver us, in the Millennium, and we will rejoice in the salvation that he brings.

¹⁰ For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under Him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

— for in this mountain, in Mount Zion, Jerusalem, God will dwell with men again, in his new Sanctuary;

— and Moab, most likely today’s Jordan, a kingdom that stood on the way to the rebuilding of the Temple and the establishment of Zionism, shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill; by Moab may also indicates all the enemies of his Kingdom.

¹¹ And He shall spread forth His hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim; and He shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.

— the Septuagint renders it, ‘Upon whatsoever he lays his hands,’ that is, God shall humble the pride of Moab or anybody else on which he shall lay his hands;

— the word signifies snares, ambushes, craft; and then by the plunder or spoils which he had obtained by snares and ambushes; that is, their “craftily acquired spoils” would all perish with Moab and the land would thus be completely subdued.

¹² And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall He bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

— and the fortress of the high fort of thy walls; as interpreted to be Moab as the stronghold of a obstacle to the establishment of God’s kingdom; beyond this another destruction for every stronghold, every rock-built fortress of any great world-power of which Moab was for the time was only a type.

Isaiah 26

¹ In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

— during the Millennium, the prophet Isaiah appears once more as in the character of a psalmist; the walls of the city are not built of stone or brick, but are themselves as a living force; there is no need for other defenses.

² Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

— open the gates of the celestial city, New Jerusalem. The righteous nation which keeps the truth; literally, a righteous nation; and these will be a set of men that “will keep the truth”

— or as the Targum renders it,” who keep the law with a perfect heart,” that is, the truth is about keeping the law, the perfect law, which is the truth.

³ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.

— thou wilt keep him, etc; literally, the steadfast mind thou wilt keep in peace, in peace; that is “in perfect peace” peace at all times, and under all circumstances; thou shalt preserve (it, namely, the righteous nation) in perpetual peace.”

⁴ Trust ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.

— trust ye in the Lord forever; the Targum is, ‘Be purified by the WORD of the Lord forever and ever; thus shall you be delivered by the WORD, who is the fear of the Lord, the Mighty One of this world.’

⁵ For He bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, He layeth it low; He layeth it low, even to the ground; He bringeth it even to the dust.

— for he will bring down them that dwell on high, the lofty city, so the accents require the words to be rendered; and accordingly to the Targum: “for he humble the inhabitants of the high and strong city.”

⁶ The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy.”

— the foot shall tread it down; trample upon it when brought down, laid low, and level with the ground, as mire is trodden in the streets, and straw for the dunghill; as grapes in the winepress, or grass by the feet of cattle;

— the righteous as the Targum paraphrases it; to whom the kingdom and dominion under the whole heaven will now be given, and who will be just come out of great tribulation.

⁷ The way of the just is uprightness; Thou, Most Upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

— the way of the just is righteousness; the just proceed steadily on in the practice of the various duties of righteousness, which they owe to God and man.

⁸ Yea, in the way of Thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for Thee; the desire of our soul is to Thy name and to the remembrance of Thee.

— to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee; the “name” of God is, as always, that of Yehovah. God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter J haven’t been invented but only after the sixteenth century; more on this at the end).

⁹ With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early; for when Thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

— with my soul have I desired thee in the night; by desiring God in the night (in captivity), and by seeking him early, is meant that the desire to seek him was unremitted and constant;

— the prophet speaks of the pious Jews who were in captivity in Babylon; and says that it was the object of their unremitted anxiety to please God, and to do his will.

¹⁰ Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.

— let favour be shown to the wicked; if thou dost spare them, when thou chastise thy own people, and grant them health, prosperity and other blessings;

— yet will they not learn righteousness, they will not be led to repentance by thy goodness; and therefore it is requisite thou shouldest send thy judgements.

¹¹ Lord, when Thy hand is lifted up, they will not see; but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of Thine enemies shall devour them.

— when the arm of the Almighty was simply lifted up for the protection of his people, the evildoers closed their eyes and would not see it. A time will come when judgements shall fall on them, and so they shall be made to see;

— the Targum says,

“O Lord, when thou shall be revealed in thy power to do good to them that fear thee, there will be no light to the enemies of thy people: the wicked shall see it, and shall be confounded. The vengeance of thy people shall cover them; yea, fire shall consume thy enemies.”

¹² Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us; for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

— Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us; that is, henceforth thou wilt give us an existence of perfect peace, untroubled by adversaries. For thou also hast wrought all our works for us. The “work” intended seems to be the work of deliverance.

¹³ O Lord our God, other lords besides Thee have had dominion over us; but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name.

— but by thee only will we make mention of thy name; this may be better rendered, ‘but only thee, thy name will we henceforward commemorate;’

— God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century; more on this at the end)

¹⁴ They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise; therefore hast Thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

— they shall not rise; those tyrants and enemies are utterly and irrecoverably destroyed, so as they shall never live or rise again to molest us; the Targum says, “they worship idols, who do not live; and their heroes, who shall not rise;”

— destroyed them and made all their memory to perish; thou hast destroyed both them and theirs, and all the monuments or memorials of their greatness and glory.

¹⁵ Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation. Thou art glorified; Thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.

— thou hast increased the nation in spiritual knowledge, O Lord, thou hast increased the nations in conversion; to join in with the righteous nation, Isaiah 26:2 the Kingdom of God by the numerous conversions of both Israelites and Gentiles; when the Kingdom of God shall be born and the fullness and forces of the Gentiles are brought in.

¹⁶ Lord, in trouble have they visited Thee, they poured out a prayer when Thy chastening was upon them. — O Lord, amidst the various calamities brought upon them for their correction and especially in their captivity, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.

¹⁷ As a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs, so have we been in Thy sight, O Lord.

— like as a woman with child; by this simile are set forth the great distresses and afflictions of the birth of the Kingdom of God before redemption and deliverance before the yoke comes.

¹⁸ We have been with child, we have been in pain; we have, as it were, brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

— we have been with child; like women with child, we have been full of hopes and expectations of great things, of deliverance from our enemies, and of the kingdom of God being at hand.

¹⁹ Thy dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

— the Valley of Dry Bones, answer to these utterances of disappointed hopes is the promise of the Resurrection. “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,” Ezekiel 37

²⁰ Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be past.

— when dangers threaten, it is good to retire and lie hid; when we commend ourselves to God to hide us, he will hide us somewhere under heaven at some isolated place on earth;

— thus we shall be safe and happy in the midst of tribulations. It is but for a short time, as it were for a little moment; when over, it will all seem like nothing.

²¹ For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

— for, behold, the Lord come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. The earth will vomit and cast out the innocent blood, which it has drunk, that it may care for vengeance against the wicked.

~~~

More on God’s name, Yehovah.

God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah, which are embedded in the Masoretic text over 6000 times, yet when translated into our English language most had been translated as Lord, or LORD, which are titles, but not his name. His name is יהוה‎ Yehovah, or YEHOVAH (but there are no capital letters in Hebrew).

It wasn’t until 1524 that Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian Renaissance grammarian, invented the letter ‘J’ that this new letter started to take a hold in the writings of western Europe, including our English language. Even in 1611 when the first edition English Bible, the King James was published, the prophet Jeremiah was known as Ieremiah. Similarly, the name Jehovah is a very late comer.

But the Orthodox Jews have gone overboard, so holy is his name, they believe, thus they refrain from even calling his name, referring to him as Hashem, that is, “The Name,” which isn’t his name; just pointing, saying somewhat ‘you know what name I mean.’ His name is Yehovah, and is also not Yahweh, which is the Samaritan counterfeit version.

It is the same as the name Jesus we used today; if his name was used in his time two thousand years ago, he would have been known as Yeshua instead of Jesus. But never mind, as had often been the case, the essence is more important than the form.

His name Yehovah is specifically stated and should be used. The following verses translated as the LORD erred in translation. Titles are okay, but sometimes He asked us pointedly to call on His name:

I am the LORD; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Joel 2:32

“I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought Me not. I said, ‘Behold Me, behold Me,’ unto a nation that was not called by My name. Isaiah 65:1

When we call our God, the LORD, we err, because his name is not the LORD, which is a title. His name is YEHOVAH! May We all ask for his forgiveness, and may Our merciful God forgive us all.

Posted in Isaiah

Who are the enemies that will desolate the house of Israel, identified here as the United States? Many believe Russia was and some still believe it is the main threat of the United States. Others, like warmonger John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, give incredible speeches around the world saying China is the main threat.

And Mearsheimer brilliantly emphasizes the United States are protected by fish to the left and fish to the right, but foolishly negates to address America’s broken border in the South; and that the Scriptures say that America’s main “enemy” comes from the porous South. At least Colonel Douglas Macgregor got his foresight on target! For more on the enemy from the South, see The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South! or Obadiah.

Isaiah 23

¹ The burden of Tyre: Howl, ye ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in; from the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. — howl means a long, doleful cry;

— Tyre was a ancient city in Phoenicia, which exceeded in renown and grandeur all the cities of Syria and Phoenicia and was much known for its trade and navigation, for which it was well situated by the sea; and indeed new Tyre stood today.

² Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle, thou whom the merchants of Sidon that pass over the sea have replenished.

— thou whom the merchants of Sidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished; Sidon was a very ancient city of Phoenicia, more ancient than Tyre.

³ And by great waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

— and by great waters the seed of Sihor; which is the river Nile in Egypt; it had its name from the black colour of its waters;

— harvest of the river—the growth of the Delta; the produce due to the overflow of the Nile: Egypt was the great granary of corn in the ancient world; she is a mart of nations; and she had engrossed the trade nearly all the ancient world.

⁴ Be thou ashamed, O Sidon; for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, “I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men nor bring up virgins.”

— be thou ashamed, O Sidon, a city about twenty five miles from Tyre; Tyre is called the daughter of Sidon, Isaiah 23:12; these two cities were closely allied and traded much with one another, so that the fall of Tyre must be distressing and confounding to Sidon; and besides, Tyre was a colony of the Sidonians.

⁵ As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

— the Targum says, “as they heard the plague with which the Egyptians were smitten” so shall they be sorely pained at Tyre; because of their inter-trade and the judgments of Egypt has upon their neighbours.

⁶ Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle! — howl means a long, doleful cry;

— the Tyrians fled to Carthage and elsewhere, both at the siege under Nebuchadnezzar and that under Alexander; pass ye over to Tarshish either to Tartessus in Spain, or to Tarsus in Cilicia, which lay over to the north of Tyre and to which they might transport and trade with greater ease;

— or “to a province of the sea” as the Targum indicates, any other seaport; the Septuagint says to Carthage, which was a colony of the Tyrians.

⁷ Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? Her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

— is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city (Isa 23:12)? antiquity; the Tyrian priests boasted in Herodotus’ time that their city had already existed 2300 years: an exaggeration, but still implying that it was ancient even then; her own feet—walking on foot as captives to an enemy’s land.

⁸ Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?

⁹ The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

— the Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to destroy Tyre; who is wonderful in counsel, humanly speaking, capable of forming a wise scheme, being proud of its riches, the extent of its commerce.

¹⁰ Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no more strength.

— as refugees the Tyrians are bid to pass to the daughter of Tarshish, that is, to Tarshish itself, to make their escape out of their own land and flee for safety.

¹¹ He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook the kingdoms; the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strongholds thereof.

— that is, the Lord of hosts, who had purposed to destroy Tyre, stretched out his hand over the sea as in Isaiah 23:4 in like manner as he stretched out his hand on the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh and the Egyptians in it.

¹² And He said, “Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; there also shalt thou have no rest.”

— when her calamity should come upon her, her jovial time, her time of mirth, jollity and revelling would be over;

— O thou oppressed virgin! Tyre is called a “virgin” because of her beauty, pride and lasciviousness and had never being subdued or taken before: and “oppressed” because now deflowered, ransacked, plundered and ruined by Nebuchadnezzar.

¹³ Behold the land of the Chaldeans. This people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for those who dwell in the wilderness. They set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof, and he brought it to ruin.

— behold the land of the Chaldeans; this expresses some historical facts of the rise of Babylon; as the prophet Isaiah had foretold the destruction of Tyre and had said that whoever was the agent, it was to be traced to the overruling providence of God.

¹⁴ Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for your strength is laid waste!

— make a long cry, for your strength is laid waste; meaning Tyre, a strong seaport and so it was the strength and support of their country; but was now destroyed, and therefore was matter of lamentation and mourning.

¹⁵ And it shall come to pass in that day that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king; after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as a harlot.

— “forgotten seventy years” so it is in the Septuagint version, as the lifetime of a man and after the end of seventy years shall Tyre shall sing as an harlot; being rebuilt and restored to its former state; as a harlot who has been cast off by her lovers.

¹⁶ “Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.”

— the desolations of Tyre were not to be forever; the Lord will visit Tyre but when set at liberty, she will use her old arts of lasciviousness; the love of worldly wealth is spiritual idolatry; and covetousness is spiritual idolatry.

¹⁷ And it shall come to pass, after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre; and she shall turn to her hire and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

— and she shall return to her hire; trade and merchandise; that shall revive, and be as in times past; and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world, upon the face of the earth; be a mart of nations again, as in Isaiah 23:3;

— that is, trade and traffic with all nations of the earth; this is called committing fornication, in agreement with the simile of a harlot before used, where unto Tyre is compared; as well as to observe the illicit ways and methods used in her commerce;

— the Targum says, “and her merchandise shall be plentiful for all the kingdoms of the nations, which are upon the face of the earth” and the Septuagint, “and shall be a mart to all the kingdoms of the world, on the face of the earth.”

¹⁸ And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord. It shall not be treasured nor laid up, for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently and for durable clothing.

— after her restoration her merchandise shall be holiness unto the Lord, Yehovah.

Isaiah 24

¹ Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

— the whole world and “emptying” it; that is, the removal of inhabitants by wars and slaughters, which will be at a latter time, our time, the seven vials of God’s wrath will be poured upon God’s enemies; see Revelation 16;

— this is a prophecy of calamities upon the whole world, turning the earth upside down for their sins; but also a preservation of a remnant.

² And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest to him.

— that is, no order or rank of men will fare better than another; their dignity, in things civil or ecclesiastical, will not secure them from ruin; it will be no better with princes and priests than the common people; they shall all alike share in the common destruction.

³ The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly despoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word.

— the land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, entirely emptied of its inhabitants and wholly spoiled of its riches and substance; this is repeated and with greater strength to confirm what is said before and which receives a greater confirmation by what follows:

⁴ The earth mourneth and fadeth away; the world languisheth and fadeth away; the haughty people of the earth do languish.

— the earth mourns because of its inhabitants being destroyed; and it fades away, because stripped of its wealth and riches:

— so the kings of the earth and merchants are represented as weeping and mourning at the destruction of Babylon because of its judgements and the loss of its trade and riches.

⁵ The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

— because they have transgressed the laws; of God and man, as his shepherds have dispensed with the laws of God and in innumerable instances has transgressed them, casting all contempt upon them and bidding all defiance to them as being not at all bound and obliged by them;

— changed the ordinance; or “ordinances” the singular for the plural, a collective word; the ordinances of divine revelation, of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles to those of

— (1) Astarte, the queen of heaven; from whom Easter is derived; and (2) Mithra, worshipping the sun-god, when a mystical white Christmas Babylon has been well embedded, breaking “the everlasting covenant,” saith the Lord of hosts.

⁶ Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

— few men are left because the earth hath being cursed, the inhabitants and the fruits alluding to the sin of man, bringing forth the earth with briers and thorns; this may indicate the seven vials of God’s wrath poured upon the earth;

— or by the curse, understand perjury or false swearing; so the Targum says, “because of perjury (or a false oath) the earth hath become a desert.”

⁷ The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

— all the merryhearted do sigh; whose hearts wine has formerly made glad shall now mourn; and such who have lived deliciously with the whore of Babylon and have had many a merry bout with her shall now bewail her and lament for her.

⁸ The mirth of taborets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

— the mirth of taborets ceaseth; or of drums, or any such musical instruments used at junketings and jovial feasts. So when Babylon is fallen, the voice of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more.

⁹ They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

— strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it; they shall have no gust for it or relish of it as they formerly had; either through bodily diseases upon themselves or because of the calamities upon the nations and states in which they dwell.

¹⁰ The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

— even the city of Babylon in which there shall be nothing but disorder and irregularity, no truth nor justice; a city of vanity, full of superstition and idolatry; shall be broken to pieces by the judgements of God, to ruin and desolation.

¹¹ There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

— all joy is turned into the darkness of misery and distress; and men will gnaw their tongues for pain, and yet not repent of their sins, but blaspheme the God of heaven.

¹² In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

— in the city is left desolation; palaces, houses and temples burnt, inhabitants destroyed; none but devils, foul spirits, hateful and unclean birds inhabiting it.

¹³ When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.

— as when an olive tree is shaken, or beaten with a staff, there would be a few left upon the uppermost or outermost branches, which cannot be reached;

— and as, after the vintage is got in, there are some grapes to be gleaned and gathered from the vines; so it is but a few, a remnant;

— the Targum says, “when thus the righteous shall be left alone in the midst of the earth, among the kingdoms, as the shaking of olives, as the gleaning of grapes after the vintage.”

¹⁴ They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

— they, those remnant who are left, shall sing for the majesty of the Lord; who has so mercifully preserved them; from the distant lands beyond the sea, wherever they have escaped.

¹⁵ Therefore glorify ye the Lord in the valleys, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

— wherefore glorify ye the Lord, in the fires; these are the words of the remnant, now triumphing and singing, calling upon others also to glorify the Lord in the fires of affliction and tribulation,

— even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea; whose name Yehovah will now be known, not only in Israel or among the Jews only, but in all foreign countries, which are sometimes meant by the isles of the sea; and from even in the most remote to glorify God, whose name Yehovah will now be great in all the earth;

— God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century; more on this at the end)

¹⁶ From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”

— my leanness! my leanness! Isaiah faint and pine away in grief for the following reason: the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously which were led by both the house of Israel and the house of Judah, “the treacherous dealers” (Jeremiah 5:11);

— who have been frequently guilty of being deceitful toward God, and now Isaiah felt ashamed and voluntarily bearing the blame for the house of Jacob, “Woe unto me!”

¹⁷ Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

— fear and the pit and the snare, these are rapid succession of inevitable calamities, in imagery drawn from the several forms of the hunter’s work.

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

— speaking to both houses of Israel, there shall be fleeing from the terror yet to come; then the pit dug that they might fall into it; then the snare, if they struggled out of the pit, out of which there was no escape (Isaiah 8:15; cf. Amos 5:19). The passage is noticeable as having been reinstated by Jeremiah in his prophecy against Moab (Jeremiah 48:43-44).

¹⁹ The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

— in the pit and snare those who escaped they shall be utterly broken down; to show the dreadfulness and certainty of these judgements and to ensnare the escaping refugees.

²⁰ The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

— the people of the world, shall reel to and fro with the earth; the inhabitants of the land, shall be sorely perplexed and distressed, not knowing what to do, or where to flee to;

— like a drunkard in the day of His fierce anger, shaking the earth out of her place; its waves would mean a hundred times the waves of Fukushima over! Cottages fall like dried leaves and gust away like flotsam.

²¹ And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

— in the latter days, the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones, the proud and those who possess the high places of the earth; the kings and queens, the great elites of the world, who scorn and trample on his people.

²² And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

— prison, that is, as in a prison; this sheds light on the “shutting up” like the Jews in Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, and again under Titus;

— second, the word visited “after many days” could be in the latter days, in his wrath, as in Isaiah 26:14; compare Isaiah 29:6; the punishment being the heavier in the fact of a delay;

— probably a double visitation is intended, deliverance to the elect, wrath to hardened unbelievers; as Isaiah 24:23 plainly contemplates judgements on proud and unrepentant sinners, symbolized by the “sun” and “moon.”

²³ Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders gloriously.

— the moon shall be confounded; the thought implied is that the most glorious forms of created light will become dim, the moon red as with the blush of shame, the sun turning pale, before the glory of the Lord, before the Almighty’s presence;

— his elders could well be the 24 elders of Revelation 4.

~~~

More on God’s name, Yehovah.

God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah, which are embedded in the Masoretic text over 6000 times, yet when translated into our English language most had been translated as Lord, or LORD, which are titles, but not his name. His name is יהוה‎ Yehovah, or YEHOVAH (but there are no capital letters in Hebrew).

It wasn’t until 1524 that Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian Renaissance grammarian, invented the letter ‘J’ that this new letter started to take a hold in the writings of western Europe, including our English language. Even in 1611 when the first edition English Bible, the King James was published, the prophet Jeremiah was known as Ieremiah. Similarly, the name Jehovah is a very late comer.

But the Orthodox Jews have gone overboard, so holy is his name, they believe, thus they refrain from even calling his name, referring to him as Hashem, that is, “The Name,” which isn’t his name; just pointing, saying somewhat ‘you know what name I mean.’ His name is Yehovah, and is also not Yahweh, which is the Samaritan counterfeit version.

It is the same as the name Jesus we used today; if his name was used in his time two thousand years ago, he would have been known as Yeshua instead of Jesus. But never mind, as had often been the case, the essence is more important than the form.

His name Yehovah, is specifically stated, and should be used. The following verses translated as the LORD erred in translation. Titles are okay, but sometimes He asked us pointedly to call on His name:

I am the LORD; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Joel 2:32

“I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought Me not. I said, ‘Behold Me, behold Me,’ unto a nation that was not called by My name. Isaiah 65:1

When we call our God, the LORD, we err, because his name is not the LORD, which is a title. His name is YEHOVAH! May We all ask for his forgiveness, and may Our merciful God forgive us all.

Posted in Isaiah

Chapter 21 continues with a prophecy of the burden of Babylon, Edom and Arabia; but in a rare incidence, the Arabians were in prophecy.

How would Jerusalem cope with such a time of Arabian terror? Her men would not necessarily be slain with the sword, but by a Decree of God.

Perhaps this run parallel with A Psalm 83 Prophecy. Something to think about the timing of Jacob’s forthcoming Captivity!

Q. could this fitted into the prophecy of Judah’s iniquity for forty years bored by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 4? For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline

“And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.

‘Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate and ye are in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths” Leviticus 26:33-34

According to God’s judgement its length in Captivity is tied to their years of neglect; and drawing from Judah’s experience, it was seventy years, “to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept her Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years, II Chronicles 36:19-21.

Isaiah 21

¹ The burden of the Desert of the Sea: As whirlwinds in the South pass through, so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

— the burden of Babylon, Edom and Arabia; the Targum says, “the burden of the armies which are coming from the wilderness, as the waters of the sea, rushing along as the tempests: yea, they are coming by the way of the south.”

² A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

— dealeth treacherously; referring to the military stratagem employed by Cyrus of Persia (Elam being its old name) in taking Babylon; Go up; Isaiah abruptly recites the order which he hears God giving to the Persians, the instruments of his vengeance (Isaiah 13:3,17).

³ Therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth. I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

— Isaiah imagines himself among the exiles in Babylon and cannot help feeling pains moved by the calamities which come on it; the pangs of a woman that travails; sharp and strong, which come suddenly and at once.

⁴ My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me; the night of my pleasure hath He turned into fear unto me.

— my heart panted or fluttered about and could hardly keep its place; fearfulness frighted me; the terror of Cyrus’s army seized him; the writing on the wall threw him into a panic and the news of the Medes and Persians having entered the city increased it.

⁵ Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink; arise, ye princes and anoint the shield.

— the night the city was taken: these words are directed to the king (and princes) of Babylon by his courtiers or queen in order to remove his fears.

⁶ For thus hath the Lord said unto me: “Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.”

— God’s direction to Isaiah to set a watchman to “declare” what he sees. “Come, let him who stands on the watchtower report what he sees.”

⁷ And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed.

— a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; by the former may be meant the Persians, who very much used mules or asses; and the Medes by the latter, who abounded in camels: hence as a whole may signify the whole army of the Medes and Persians.

⁸ And he cried, “A lion! My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set at my post whole nights.

— the lion’s eyelids are short, so that even when asleep, he seems to be on the watch, awake; hence he was painted on doors of temples as the symbol of watchfulness, guarding the place.

⁹ And behold, here cometh a chariot of men with a couple of horsemen!” And he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken unto the ground!”

— Babylon is fallen, is fallen: which is repeated to show the certainty of it. The same words are used of the fall of mystical Babylon, Revelation 14:8; the Targum says, “She is fallen! Yea, it shall come to pass, that Babylon shall fall, and all the images of her idols shall be dashed to pieces to the ground;”

— and so it has two falls, one by the Medes and Persians, and the other by the hand of heaven or God himself: literal Babylon fell by the former; mystical Babylon will fall by the latter, even by the breath of the Messiah and the brightness of his coming and so put an end to idolatry; such as

(1) Astarte, the queen of heaven; from whom Easter is derived; and

(2) Mithra, worshipping the sun-god, when a mystical white Christmas Babylon will be destroyed.

¹⁰ O my threshing and the corn of my floor, that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

— O my threshing, and the corn of my floor; which could be understood to be the Babylonians, now threshed or punished by the Lord, and whom he had made use of as instruments for the punishment of others.

¹¹ The burden of Dumah: He calleth to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”

— the burden of Dumah; whether this prophecy concerns the Edomites or Idumeans, or whether the Arabians, particularly the Dumean Arabians, is a question, since Dumah was a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:14;

— Seir; a mountain inhabited by the Edomites, the posterity of Esau; the principal mountain in Idumea, South of the Dead Sea, a prophecy concerning Edom; that lay to the South:

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more from the South, The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

¹² The watchman said, “The morning cometh, and also the night. If ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come.”

¹³ The burden upon Arabia: In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye traveling companies of Dedanites.

— the burden upon Arabia; which lay heavy upon it, as a burden upon a beast; or “concerning” it, or “against” it, which Arabia or what part thereof is meant may be gathered from the names after mentioned.

— the Targum says “the burden of the cup of cursing, to give the Arabians to drink.”

¹⁴ The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty; they were ready with their bread for him that fled.

— the inhabitants of the land of Tema; this country had its name from Tema, one of the sons of Ishmael, Genesis 25:15

— the Targum calls it the land of the south, also east: these morphed later as, first, the Ishmaelites, the Arabian, then the Mohammedans or Saracens, as a swarm of latter-day and endtime jihadists, are compared to grasshoppers, or locusts: Judges 7:12; “all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.”

¹⁵ For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow and from the grievousness of war.

— they, the fugitive Dedanites and other Arabs; the Mohammedan, fled from the swords; but why? Perahps in the face of the innumerable arrivals of the Zionists?

¹⁶ For thus hath the Lord said unto me: “Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, all the glory of Kedar shall fail.

— and all the glory of Kedar shall fail; they descended from Kedar, a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:13, these were another sort of Arabians as the Targum calls them, “For thus hath the Lord said unto me: at the end of the years, as the years of an hireling, all the glory of the Arabians shall come to an end.”

¹⁷ And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished. For the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.”

— the mighty men of the children of Kedar shall be diminished; their military men, the most expert at the use of the bow, and the most valiant and courageous; the few of those that were left, and did not fall by the sword of the Assyrians, should gradually diminish, and be fewer and fewer;

— “And the strength of the warriors, the mighty, the sons of the Arabians, shall be lessened, because by the WORD of the Lord, the God of Israel, it is thus decreed.” Targum

Isaiah 22

Chapter 22 contains a prophecy of Judah and Jerusalem but none of the house of Israel. Why is Jerusalem in such terror? Their rulers fled, but were overtaken.

All the horrors of a city taken by storm, faintly foreshadowing forth the terrors of the day of wrath.

Q. how could this prophecy runs with the prophecy of Judah’s iniquity for forty years bored by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 4? Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline

¹ The burden of the Valley of Vision: What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

— the burden of the valley of vision; a prophecy concerning Jerusalem, so called because it lay in a valley, encompassed about with mountains and which was the habitation of the prophets or seers, and the seat of vision and prophecy; and perhaps there is an allusion to its name, which signifies the vision of peace or they shall see peace;

— the Septuagint introduces this chapter as, “the word of the valley of Sion” and the Arabic version, “a prophecy concerning the inhabitants of the valley of Sion, to wit, the fields which are about Jerusalem.”

— While the Targum says, “the burden of the prophecy concerning the city which dwells in the valley, of which the prophets prophesied,” by all which it appears, that not the whole land of Judea is meant.

— that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? they went up on the flat balustraded roofs to look forth and see whether the enemy was near, and partly to defend themselves from the roofs.

² Thou that art full of stirrings, a tumultuous city, a joyous city; thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

— thy slain men are not slain by the sword, nor dead in battle; therefore those that died were put into or through famine or pandemic like what we are having Covid-19 today that make our once joyous cities and high streets desolate.

³ All thy rulers have fled together; they are bound by the archers. All that are found in thee are bound together, who have fled from afar.

⁴ Therefore said I, “Look away from me; I will be bitter in weeping. Labor not to comfort me, because of the despoiling of the daughter of my people.”

— therefore said Isaiah, the prophet to those that were about him, his relations, friends, and acquaintance:

— look away from me; turn away from me, look another way; cease from me, let me alone; leave me to myself, that I may weep in private, take my fill of sorrow, and give full vent to it;

— because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people; Isaiah’s countrymen, which were as dear to him as a daughter to a tender father, now spoiled, plundered and made desolate by the ravages of the enemy, in many cities of Judea.

⁵ For it is a day of trouble and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

— referring to a day of trouble of the valley of vision; a prophecy concerning Jerusalem; could this be the prophecy of Judah’s iniquity for forty years bored by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 4? For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline

— breaking down the walls: of the fenced cities, with their battering rams, at the time they besieged and took them; and of crying to the mountains: looking and running to them for help and succour,

— for shelter and protection; and crying so loud, by reason of their distress, as that it reached the distant mountains, and made them echo with it.

⁶ And Elam bore the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. — Elam is the ancient name for Persian, who then morphed into modern Iran;

— Elam and Kir; two nations are named as the chief elements of a composite army when invading Judea; Elam; or the Elamites as the Targum and Septuagint say, that is, the Persians; and Kir uncovered the shield; this was a city in Media, and signifies the Medes;

— the Medes and Persians have never fulfilled this prophecy against the house of Judah in the past, indicating that modern Persia, IRAN, could be the one likely to fulfil this; if not why not; who else?

⁷ And it shall come to pass that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

— and it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys; the valleys that were near Jerusalem that used to be covered with the choicest corn or vines or with grass and flocks of sheep and used to be exceeding delightful and pleasant:

— shall be full of chariots; where they can be more easily driven than on mountains; these were chariots not for pleasure but for war; chariots full of soldiers to fight against and besiege Jerusalem:

— and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate of Jerusalem: to take them that come out of the city and to force their way into it; as well as to protect and defend the foot while they made the assault and scaled the walls and to be ready when the gates were opened to them.

⁸ And He uncovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest.

— and he uncovered the covering of Judah, by God himself, who uncloaked them of their sins and secret dealings; or took away his protection of them and expose their weakness;

— and thou, didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest; to see what store of ammunition the house of Judah has in their secret warehouses, in what condition they are and to take from hence and be ready to furnish their soldiers with them.

⁹ Ye have seen also the breaches of the City of David, that they are many; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

— of the city of David; that is, of Jerusalem, so called because it was the royal residence of David. Zion was usually called the city of David, but the name was given also to the entire city;

— and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool: the Septuagint version is, “and he turned the water of the old pool into the city” but the old pool was another pool hereafter mentioned, and was outside the city, the same with the upper pool; whereas this was the lower, and was in the city;

— the Targum says, “and ye gathered the people to the waters of the lower pool.”

¹⁰ And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

— and ye, thrusting in themselves, have numbered the houses of Jerusalem; to know what number of men were in them, and how many could be spared to do duty, either as watchmen or soldiers; to spread the charge of defending the city;

— and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall; either such as were outside the wall, which, had they let them stand would either have been destroyed by the enemy, or have been a harbour for them;

— or those inside the city, with the stones and timber of which houses, when broken down they could strengthen the wall and so served a better purpose than if they had stood.

¹¹ Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool; but ye have not looked unto the Maker thereof, neither had respect unto Him that fashioned it long ago.

— for the water of the old pool; which, being outside the city, was by this means drained into this ditch or receptacle; and so their then enemy the Ishmaelites were deprived of it, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem more abundantly supplied;

— this was wisely contrived to distress the enemy, and to enable themselves to hold out the siege the longer; and for this and other methods they took they are not blamed;

— but ye have not looked unto the Maker thereof; the Creator of the Universe, the Almighty God, the Lord of Hosts, the Most High, the Mighty One, the Everlasting God, the Eternal, the First and the Last, for help during their distress and calamity which came upon them for their sins, with the will and by the decree of God; or of the water of the pool, which is a creation of his; for who can give rain or water but God.

¹² And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping and to mourning, and to baldness and to girding with sackcloth.

— call to weeping and to mourning; to confess and mourn over their sins, the cause of these calamities; to lament their unhappy case; to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and by prayer and supplication with tears to implore his help and assistance and grant them deliverance;

— and to baldness and to girding with sackcloth; these were external signs and tokens of inward sorrow and repentance; the former of which was done by shaving the head or plucking off the hair and was forbidden on private occasions, yet might be allowed in a public case.

¹³ But behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine! “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die!”

— and behold joy and gladness; as if it was a time of rejoicing, after days of weeping and mourning; as if they were at a festival of lamb and wine and in the greatest prosperity and liberty and not besieged by a powerful army.

¹⁴ And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts: “Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die,” saith the Lord God of hosts.

— the Targum says, “the prophet said with mine ears I was hearing when this was decreed from before the Lord of hosts”

— surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die; it being of heinous nature, so daring, insolent and affronting, such a contempt of God and his word and discovering such impenitence and hardness of heart; it should not be forgiven; till they died.

¹⁵ Thus saith the Lord God of hosts: “Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, and say:

— get thee unto this treasurer or governor, as the Targum says; treasurer in the house of King; even unto Shebna, which is appointed over the house; that is, over the king’s house;

— so the steward that had the ordering of all the affairs civil and domestic in it, which was a very high post; he had the keys of the money, stores and provisions of the state.

¹⁶ What hast thou here? And whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high and that carves out a habitation for himself in a rock?

— what hast thou here? The prophet’s indignation is roused by Shebna’s last act of arrogance, who had no “sepulchre of his fathers” to deck with fresh stateliness as like the kings had built one for himself, hollowed out a cave on one of the hills of Jerusalem, to be his own everlasting “habitation.”

— Q. Could Shebna be a type for Lucifer, began with being trusted over an estate, but eventually became the fallen one?

¹⁷ Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

— instead of a sepulchre for himself inside a rock, behold, the Lord will carry Shebna with a mighty captivity; as the Targum indicates, the phrase has the signification of flying; and so interprets it: he shall cause thee to fly like a bird into captivity; that is, very speedily and swiftly;

— or as Rashi says, “behold, the Lord shall cause thee to be carried away like a rooster that wanders from place to place.”

¹⁸ He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country. There shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house.

— turn violently and toss—literally, “whirling He will whirl thee,” that is, he will whirl thee. “He will whirl thee round and round, and (then) cast thee away,” as a stone in a sling is first whirled round repeatedly, before the string is let go;

— the “large country” is probably one along the plain of Mesopotamia, where Shebna is to end his days in exile; in the land of Medes and Persians? (verse 6)

¹⁹ And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

— shall he pull thee down; that is, “God” shall do it; the prophet here uses the third person.

²⁰ “And it shall come to pass in that day that I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.

— my servant Eliakim; on the dignity of this title when given by God himself, that is, prophetically a man who will be faithful to God who will be trustworthy and to whom the interests of God and the city may be safely confided; a man who will not seek to betray it into the hands of the enemy.

²¹ And I will clothe him with thy robe and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

— and God will clothe Eliakim with Isaiah’s robe; which was a badge and token of his office. If he was a priest, this would be his priestly robe, by which the high priest would be distinguished from others;

— but Eliakim seemed to be a civil officer, who wore a garment distinctive of it; in which he would be a type of Zerubbabel of a kingly office, crowned with glory and honour;

— the Targum takes in both, “and I will give the key of the house of the sanctuary, and the government of the house of David, into his hand.”

— Q. Could Shebna be a type for Lucifer, the fallen one? And Eliakim, my servant, be a type of the Logos, the righteous one?

²² And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none shall open.

— in the sense, the Messiah or Christ is said to have this key, Revelation 3:7 where the following words are applied to him: so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open;

— all which is expressive of the Godly government being on his shoulders, and of his absolute and uncontrollable power over it; who opens the treasures of his Word, of his wisdom and knowledge and communicates them and shuts or hides them from, whom he pleases;

— who opens and shuts the door of the kingdom of heaven, and introduces into it his own people, and excludes others.

²³ And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

— this is an expressive of the strength of the Messiah, the Christ, as the Mighty Son; and as the man of God’s right hand, with a throne in his Father’s house.

²⁴ And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons.

— the glory of building his Father’s house; the Targum says, “and all the glorious or noble ones of his father’s house shall lean upon him, children and children’s children:”

— all vessels of small quantity; from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons; meaning those of his family, that were some of lesser, others of greater capacities, for whom he provided places and posts under him, suitable thereunto;

— none were forgotten or neglected by him: this simile, of vessels of various sorts and sizes, is made use of, in perfect agreement with Eliakim’s being compared to a nail, on which vessels in a house are hung by their handles.

²⁵ In that day,” saith the Lord of hosts, “shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for the Lord hath spoken it.”

— in that day, saith the Lord of hosts;’ that is, when Eliakim put in his place:

— shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; meaning, not Eliakim before spoken of, who really was a nail fastened in a sure place, and not to be removed;

— but Shebna, who thought himself to be as a nail in a sure place, being put into it by the king, and supported by his authority, and courted by his friends and flatterers; for to him the whole preceding prophecy is directed, which is carried down to this verse;

— for all that is said of the glory and usefulness of his successor Eliakim was to be told to him, which would make it still the more grievous to him, to be degraded and disgraced as he would be, signified by his being removed, cast down, and falling;

— and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; those that were dependent upon him, his family, his flatterers, and friends, such whom he had raised by his influence and authority to considerable places, and whom he supported in them;

— these would fall with him, as is usual when a royal favourite, or governor and other high officials, falls into disgrace, and is removed; an instance of this may be seen in Haman, whose family and friends were involved in the same ruin with him, Esther 9:12;

— the Targum interprets this prophecy; “At that time, saith the Lord of hosts, there shall be removed the faithful chief governor, who ministered in a firm place, and he shall be cut off, and he shall fall: and there shall be accomplished the burden of prophecy, which was concerning him; because the Word of the Lord hath so decreed it.”

Posted in Isaiah

Of significance to Chapter 19 of Isaiah is the identification of the children of the Egyptians, the Pharaohs and all their wise men; who they are and what happened to them, and how they live their lives today.

Since Egypt in history had never experienced the Nile drying up, and perhaps including “a cruel lord and a fierce king shall rule over them,” this chapter could very likely be a prophecy.

Isaiah 19

¹ The burden of Egypt: Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

— the burden of Egypt; a judgement of Egypt, prophecy for the end time, our time, a very grievous one, declaring many calamities that should come upon them. The Targum says, “the burden of the cup of cursing, to make the Egyptians drink;”

— behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, coming on light clouds as his chariots, in order to pass sentence, and shall come into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall tremble with terror at His presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it, namely, for fear of the impending punishment.

² “And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians; and they shall fight every one against his brother and every one against his neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

— and the Lord will set the Egyptians against fellow Egyptians, inciting them to civil war and anarchy; and in civil wars, they shall fight every one against his brother and every one against his neighbor; city against city and kingdom against kingdom.

³ And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof; and they shall seek the idols and the charmers, and them that have familiar spirits and the wizards.

— and the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof, particularly to Osiris and Isis, to Apis, Latona and others; so that the courage of the Egyptians would, literally, “be emptied out” and God will destroy the counsel thereof, swallowing all their plans, so that the rulers would be helpless in the situation;

— and they shall seek their idols, appealing to them for help, and to the charmers, literally, “the murmurers, or mutterers,” those who professed to be in touch with the spirit world, magicians and conjurers and to them that have familiar spirits, and the spiritists of those days, and to their wizards;

⁴ And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord, and a fierce king shall rule over them,” saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

— and the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord, the reference being either to one of their own tyrannical rulers or to the Assyrian conquerors; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord of hosts;

— three Pharaohs, namely, Psammetichus, Necho, and Hophra, oppressed the Egyptians so severely that the land never recovered from their tyranny.

⁵ And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

— and the waters shall fail from the Red Sea, the waters from the Nile shall also be wasted and dried up, perhaps none flow from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam; this drying up would be a calamity for Egypt, since Egypt depended entirely upon the Nile for drinking and irrigation (see also Ezekiel 30:12 and Zechariah 10:11).

⁶ And they shall turn the rivers far away, and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither.

— and they shall turn the rivers far away, rather, “and the rivers shall produce a stench,” being reduced to stagnating pools; and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up,

— that is, the canals of the Nile, especially around its delta and in the irrigation systems, would carry no more water; the reeds and flags, principally the papyrus-plants depending altogether upon the moisture of the river, shall wither.

⁷ The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

— the paper-reeds by the brooks, literally, “the naked places,” the meadows on the Nile, by the mouth of the brooks, along the banks of the river, and everything sown by the brooks, the grain-fields along the very edge of the Nile, shall wither, be driven away, scattered by the wind in the form of dust, and be no more;

— since Egypt in history, had never experienced the Nile drying up, this could only been a prophecy; not just here, but perhaps the whole chapter, including “a cruel lord and a fierce king shall rule over them.”

⁸ The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast hook into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

— their fishermen shall also mourn, because they would be thrown out of a livelihood, and all they that cast angle into the Nile shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish, since the rich fisheries of the Nile or its brooks would no longer exist.

⁹ Moreover they that work in fine flax and they that weave network shall be confounded.

— moreover, they that work in fine flax, fine linen cloth and yarn; and they that weave networks, white cotton cloth, shall be confounded, since neither flax nor cotton would grow, and this important industry would thus be made impossible.

¹⁰ And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.

— and they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish, literally, “and shall be her foundations ruins, all laborers for hire swamps of the soul,”

— that is, the upper castes of the nation would lose their power, and the poorest people of the country would give way to hopelessness and despair.

¹¹ Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh has become brutish. How say ye unto Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings”?

— surely the princes of Zoan (or Tanes as the Targum says), a city of Lower Egypt, known as “the royal city of the Pharaohs, “it was then the royal city and at one time the capital of the country, who claimed “we are the sons of wise men” are fools,

— the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish, the priestly counselors of the Egyptian king had lost all their wisdom;

— how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? In spite of the fact that they boasted their descent from wise and ancient counselors, even of royalty, they were unable to offer advice in the present crisis;

¹² Where are they? Where are thy wise men? And let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

— where are they? where are their wise men? Who are their posterity? And, let them tell thee now, in a certain prophecy, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt, and it has deep consequences;

— today, Gypsies are known as Roma, but in Hebrew, their name is derived from the Egyptian city of Zoan, or Tanes, at one time the royal and capital of the country; and this is from Wikipedia (Romani people);

Hebrew: צוענים‎, romanized: Tzoanim. Derives either from the biblical Egyptian city of Zoan, or from the linguistic root צ־ע־נ‎, meaning “wander.”

The English term Gypsy (or Gipsy) originates from the Middle English gypcian, short for Egipcien.

Ezekiel 29:12 “and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries.”

— for more, see a study in Ezekiel 32; Who Are the Gypsies?

¹³ The princes of Zoan are become fools; the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

— the princes of Zoan are fools in their counsels to Pharaoh; the princes of Noph, of Memphis, on the western bank of the Nile, capital of Lower Egypt, are deceived;

— they have also seduced Egypt, led its people astray by their false claims and foolish counsel, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof, upon whom the people depended for leadership.

¹⁴ The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof; and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

— the Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of the princes of Zoan, for the false wisdom of the leading castes acted like a spirit of intoxication; and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof;

— as a drunken man staggered in his vomit, that his head is quite giddy, and cannot walk upright, but staggers as he goes, and vomits as he staggers, and falls down, and is rolled in it;

— as the Targum says; the princes of Tanes have become foolish, the men of Memphis have erred; they caused the Egyptians, the lords of the provinces, to err.

¹⁵ Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

— neither shall there be any work for Egypt which the head or tail, branch or rush may do, that is, no person in Egypt, whether of the ruling or of the serving class, whether lofty or humble, will be able to do anything to stop the general destruction;

— the Targum interprets the whole of their chief men thus, “and the Egyptians shall have no king to reign, nor prince, noble, governor, or ruler.”

¹⁶ In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall be afraid and fear, because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He shaketh over it.

— in that day shall Egypt be like unto women, weak and feeble; fearful and timorous, even their military force; and devoid of wisdom, even their princes and nobles: on account of the greater timidity which usually characterizes the weaker sex;

— and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts which he shakes over it, his judgements and punishments when he lifts up his rod, and holds it over a people, thus being scattered by means of the invaders of Egypt.

¹⁷ And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt; every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which He hath determined against it.

— and the judgements of God from the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, that might be what they would expect? either because the mere mention of the name struck terror to their hearts, or because Judah was now allied with Assyria against the king of Egypt;

— every one that makes mention thereof, namely, of Judah, shall be afraid in himself because of the judgement of the Lord of hosts which he hath determined against it, for they all dreaded the punishment which they felt was now inevitable.

¹⁸ In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called the City of Destruction.

— in that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the Hebrew language and accept the true, revealed religion, and swear to the Lord of hosts, pledging themselves to him with a sacred oath;

— one shall be called the City of Destruction, literally, “Ir-ha-heres,” which may have been the city of the sun, or Heliopolis. The prophecy of Jeremiah 43:13, also means to point to the destruction of this or a similar city.

¹⁹ In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.

— in that day shall there be a reference to the worship of the God of Judah in Egypt during the Millennium with a foothold which the true religion gained in Egypt at a very early date of a new era;

— the “Altar to Jehovah in the Land of Egypt” (Isaiah 19:19). This Is Appendix 81 from The Companion Bible; perhaps a fulfillment of this prophecy took place in 1 BC is recorded by Josephus (Antiquities xiii.3.1-3;6): Josephus says –

“Onias asked permission from Ptolemy and Cleopatra to build a temple in Egypt like that at Jerusalem, and to appoint for it priests and Levites of his own Nation. This he devised, relying chiefly on the prophet Isaiah, who, 600 years before predicted that a temple must be builded in Egypt by a Jew to the supreme God.”

²⁰ And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a savior and a great one, and He shall deliver them.

— and the altar shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt, so that their contemporaries could see the evidence of their worship and their descendants have this proof of their religion;

— for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a savior, and a great one, a mighty warrior, and he shall deliver them, whose coming was a deliverance to Egypt in various ways.

²¹ And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it.

— and the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, namely, when Yehovah would visit Egypt in judgement and cause the truth to be proclaimed to its people, and shall do sacrifice and oblation, perform the acts of true worship to the only God;

— yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it, pledging themselves to Yehovah and his service.

²² And the Lord shall smite Egypt; He shall smite and heal it; and they shall return even to the Lord, and He shall be entreated by them and shall heal them.

— and the Lord shall smite Egypt, in order to bring its people to repentance; for his purpose is always one of redemption; and they shall return even to the Lord, his punishment having taken the right effect, and he shall be entreated of them and shall heal them. Cf Leviticus 26:44; Deuteronomy 32:36.

²³ In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.

— in that day in the Millennium there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, permitting free and friendly communication, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians, proselytes and Jews from both countries meeting at Jerusalem and elsewhere for the worship of of the true God, Yehovah.

²⁴ In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land,

— in the Millennium there shall Israel be at peace with Egypt and with Assyria, the believers of the three countries being joined by the one religion, even a blessing in the midst of the land, since blessings would go forth from them to the inhabitants of other countries all over the world;

²⁵ whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance.”

— whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt, my people, admitted to all the spiritual privileges formerly held by Israel alone, and Assyria, the work of my hands,

— his workmanship in the spiritual sense, and Israel, mine inheritance, still designated thus as the actual son of the Kingdom of God and head of his kingdom. Altogether, they set a splendid example of the spread of the true religion under the merciful direction of God during the Millennium.

Isaiah 20

In context, as chapter 20 is a continuation of chapter 19, where in verses 5-7 the sea and river of Egypt would dry up; and since Egypt in history, had never experienced the Nile drying up, this could only been a prophecy; not just the sea and rivers drying up, but in 20:4 “a cruel lord and a fierce king shall rule over them.”

Also, a forty years of desolation in the book of Ezekiel remains to be fulfilled:

“And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through” Ezekiel 29:12

“‘Yet thus saith the Lord God: At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered.” Ezekiel 29:13

¹ In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him), and fought against Ashdod and took it,

— in the year 711 BC that Tartan, the commander of the Assyrian armies, II Kings 18:17, came unto Ashdod, one of the cities of Philistia which had revolted against the Assyrian supremacy and fought against Ashdod, and took it,

² at the same time spoke the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

— the Lord spoke to Isaiah, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth, the loose your outer garment of coarse cloth which Isaiah wore, from off thy loins and put off thy shoe from thy foot;

— and Isaiah did so, walking almost naked, that is, with only his tunic or shirt-like garment, and barefoot, presenting the appearance of one who bad been robbed or spoiled, stripped of his possessions, like a captive of war.

³ And the Lord said, “As My servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia,

— and the Lord said, As my servant Isaiah hath walked almost naked and barefoot three years, to bring home with great emphasis the lesson which the Lord wished to convey, for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia,

⁴ so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

— so shall a prophesied “king of Assyria” come and lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, as foretold by the symbolic act of Isaiah, even with their buttocks uncovered, as a sign of extreme disgrace, II Samuel 10:4-5, to the shame of Egypt.

⁵ And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and of Egypt their glory.

— and they, the inhabitants of Palestine, also the Jews, who looked to Egypt as a possible ally against Assyria, shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia, their expectation, finding themselves disappointed in their hopes of help from this quarter, and of Egypt, their glory, of whose power they had boasted and on whose strength they had relied.

⁶ And the inhabitants of this isle shall say in that day, ‘Behold, such is our expectation wherever we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And how shall we escape?’”

— and the inhabitants of this isle, of the coastal country along the Mediterranean, including Philistia, Phenicia, and the kingdom of Judah, shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria, that is, such was the lot of those to whom they looked for help and deliverance from the power of Assyria;

— and how shall we escape? The nation which they considered strong and mighty had proved itself powerless against the common enemy; how, then, could the weaker states hope to escape?

Posted in Isaiah

The Scriptures are often shrouded in cryptic languages; as usual a prophecy of Isaiah will start with the house of Judah and Jerusalem then spread to the house of Israel and soon it includes many prophecies concerning other nations surrounding the region.

However the following may provide a clue:

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

“In latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, this means as a whole, we wouldn’t understand these prophecies until we’re living in the latter days, soon to be our days, after God had executed his judgement in anger and performed the thoughts of his heart; only then could we understand fully!

Isaiah 17

¹ The burden of Damascus: “Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. — Damascus is the same city today, the capital of Syria;

— the Targum says, “the burden of the cup of cursing to give Damascus to drink.”

² The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

— Aroer was a city by the river Arnon, on the borders of Moab and Ammon, their inhabitants of these Syrian cities being slain or carried captive or obliged to flee;

— the Syrian civil war started on March 15, 2011 as part of the wider Arab Spring protests which led to much destruction of the country; many Syrians were forced to flee to Turkey or other neighbouring countries or even to Europe as refugees.

³ The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus and the remnant of Syria; they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel,” saith the Lord of hosts.

— Ephraim, including the ten tribes, now in confederacy with the Syrians, whose metropolis or fortress was Samaria, which seems to be intended here; and should be destroyed, at least taken out of the hands of the Israelites, and they be carried captive by Shalmaneser king of Assyria;

— “the fortress also shall cease from Ephraim;” today, the southern border of the United States is extremely porous.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

Or, another South, see The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

⁴ “And in that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

— and in that day of judgement, that the glory of Jacob shall be diminished; the same with Ephraim and Israel, the ten tribes, their glory turns into shame;

— in the multitude of their cities, and the inhabitants of them; but now would be thinned, by the vast numbers that should be killed by the Sword, famine or pandemic, with a remnant carried away as captives:

— second; that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin; could this be speaking of Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline Years of iniquity for Israel/Judah;

— and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean: like a man becoming a skeleton, and reduced to skin and bones: the meaning is, that all their health, wealth and riches should be taken away; so the Targum says “and the riches of his glory shall be carried away.”

⁵ And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the Valley of Rephaim.

— and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the Valley of Rephaim, the fertile plain southwest of Jerusalem; the picture is that of a farmer going into a field of grain and gathering an armful of stalks with his left hand, while he cuts off the grain below with a sickle in his right hand.

⁶ Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in 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 fruitful branches thereof,” saith the Lord God of Israel.

— yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it; that is, a remnant left in the land of Israel, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel;

— in harvesting olives, the trees were first shaken, whereupon a few berries within reach were knocked down with sticks, but those which hung in the tree-tops, beyond reach, remained hanging. Thus only a few poor inhabitants would be left as remnant in Israel.

⁷ At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect for the Holy One of Israel.

— at that day shall a man look to his Maker, instead of trusting in fortresses and in the strength of man’s arm, as heretofore, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel, for the small remnant of Israel and also of Judah shall return to the true God and his worship;

— that is, this indicates that until ‘that day’ comes both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have very little ‘respect’ for the Holy One of Israel; pretending Christians have no idea of what keeping the law and what judgement truly are; while the Orthodox Jews has no clue that the Scriptures have numerous references to the Son scattered all over the Scriptures they are blinded to.

⁸ And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the Asherah poles or the sun images.

— and the house of Jacob shall not look to their altars, the work of mere hands, which the children of Israel had formerly devoted to idolatry;

— neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, the Asherah-idols picturing one of the Semitic goddesses, very often identified with Venus, or the images, those of Baal, the sun-god, so that all the hosts of heaven were included in this idol-worship. Cf II Kings 21:7; II Kings 23:5.

⁹ In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel; and there shall be desolation.

— in that day shall his strong cities, especially those of Ephraim, be “like the forsaken places in the forests and mountain summits,” having fled from before the enemy, or being slain or carried captive;

— like a bough of a tree, that is forsaken stripped of its leaves, and an uppermost branch of a tree that is dead and dry, and has nothing on it; becoming ruin strongholds in remote parts of the country;

— which they left because of the children of Israel, and there shall be desolation, all the great fortresses and factories of Israel sharing the fate of antiquated castles;

— the prophet now addresses Ephraim directly: that is, the United States, be as a forsaken bough and an uppermost branch, like Cleveland, Newark, Pittsburgh, Detroit and many other sunset cities all along the rust belt, all shall be a desolation.

¹⁰ Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation and hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set them with strange slips.

— because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, the only one who can bring true redemption, and hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy strength, Yehovah being the one true Rock of Ages, Deuteronomy 32:15-18;

— therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants and shalt set it with strange slips; with strange slip, that is, with strange foreign gods and doctrines, such as are brought from some neighbouring natives:

Astarte from the Egyptians, who earlier learned from the Canaanites and the Phoenicians;

Mithra from the Persian which are also set with strange slips, strange concepts which permeate the house of Israel today.

¹¹ In that day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish; but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

— in the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow; the northern kingdom, on the whole, had left the true God that its people had, literally, “planted plantings of pleasantness,” had taken up the various heathen cults and had then planted a strange vine in their own garden, namely, by becoming allies of surrounding pagan kings;

— the new plant had then been carefully fenced in, namely, by shrewd political schemes, so that the strange plant grew to maturity very rapidly, like a hothouse plant, for the alliance brought about a plan to attack Judah;

— but the whole scheme was frustrated by the action of the Almighty, who promptly reserved the garden of Ephraim as a heap, heaped up in the harvest, in the day of grief and a day of desperate sorrow.

¹² Woe to the multitude of many people, who 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!

— woe to the multitude of many nations that teamed up with the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, which consisted of armies from many nations, with the turmoil and tumult of their advance;

— which make a noise like the noise of the roaring seas; the rattling of their armour and chariot wheels and prancing of their horses; and to the hectoring, blustering that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!

— the enemies of Israel, who are also types of the enemies of God’s Kingdom, are pictured as being in a state of seething unrest, anxiously striving to harm Lord’s people.

¹³ The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters; but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

— the Assyrian army from various nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters, as waves after more tsunami waves; but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, rather, it, the threatening tide of hostility;

— and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, like the open threshing-floors of farmers, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind, or whirling dust or particles of straw from the threshing-floor, as the wind picks them up and flings them away.

¹⁴ And behold, at eventide, trouble; and before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of them that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

— at the evening or night, horror falling upon the approaching enemies; even before the day dawns, they are destroyed. This is the portion of them that spoil Israel, and the lot of them that rob them. Thus the Lord will finally carry out his sentence of punishment upon all enemies of his Kingdom and its work.

Isaiah 18

¹ Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, — or land beyond the rivers of Egypt;

— the Targum says, “Woe to the land beyond the rivers of India, to which they come in ships from a far country, whose sails are stretched out, as an eagle that flies with its wings;”

² that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, “Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!”

— that send ambassadors by the Red Sea, traversing the waters of that far country, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, light and fleet boats made of the papyrus-reed, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, rather, extended far and polished, gleaming, or shining;

— to a people terrible from their beginning, a handsome, ruling, and victorious people, one of great hidden beauty and power; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled;

— and treading under foot, under the command some kings beyond Ethiopia, whose rule often bordered upon oppression, and whose land was carried down the sea lanes in the annual inundations; full of excitement on account of making various invasions to spoil other nations.

³ All ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when He bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

— all ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, called upon, either by the Lord, or rather by the prophet, to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgement that should be inflicted upon the above nation;

— see ye, always on the lookout for important events, when he lifts up an ensign on the mountains, when one does this, when this happens; and when he blows a trumpet, hear ye, the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war; all the people concerned should be watching, for something of great event will happen.

⁴ For so the Lord said unto me: “I will take My rest, and I will consider in My dwelling place, like a clear heat upon herbs and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

— for the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest and consider in my dwelling-place, for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth, yet he sees and knows all things, who works all things after the counsel of his own will;

— It seems that the Lord is letting things go on as they please, that he is not actively interested in the affairs of the world; but it only seems so to such as do not know him;

— the Targum says, “blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly, when the heat is intense through the heat of the sun, then I will be to them a cloud of dew as in the heat of harvest.”

⁵ For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, He shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

— for before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, after the blossom has withered, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, while the fruit is slowly maturing, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks and take away and cut down the branches, then the Lord would overthrow their present plans and prevent them from forming any future ones.

⁶ They shall be left together for the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth; and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

— they shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, that is, both sprigs and branches; with the fruit in them, which when unripe, are disregarded by men, and fed upon to birds and beasts;

— the birds of prey feeding on their carcasses, and to the beasts of the earth, to the foxes, hyenas, and jackals; and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall feast upon them, finding abundance of food the year around on the field of battle.

⁷ In that time shall a present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto, a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled—to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, at Mount Zion.

— in that time, before or at the beginning of the Millennium, shall the present, namely, a tribute or sacrificial gift, be brought unto the Lord of hosts, the true God;

— of a people scattered and peeled and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto, a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, at Mount Zion, the Kingdom of God;

— in the very midst of a prophecy describing the punishment meted out by God we have a Messianic promise; even the Kingdom of God would gain a foothold in Ethiopia and Egypt, described Isaiah 18:2 as here, who being converted, shall stretch out their hands to God, submit unto him and will flourish there for centuries.

Posted in Isaiah

Isaiah 15-16 form a whole and contain “the burden of Moab.” But a more complete description of the judgement on Moab can be found in Jeremiah 48 (plus Ammon, Moab & Edom in Ezekiel 25); where there is a restoration for Moab in the end times but that remnant shall remain small and feeble.

Moab is located east of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. It corresponds to the present-day country of Jordan. It is a people related to Israel, for Lot, the ancestor of Moab, was a nephew of Abraham.

Who are the Moabites? The descendants of Moab also known as the Moabites had an extensive history dealing with the Israelites. Moab’s beginning was part of Israel’s story but most of the time wasn’t in a good way and is today identified as modern-day Jordan.

Isaiah 15

¹ The burden of Moab: Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence, because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence,

— the burden of Moab, a heavy, grievous prophecy, the nation descended from the elder daughter of Lot, occupying the country southeast of the Dead Sea; the Targum says, “the burden of the cup of cursing, to give Moab to drink.”

² he is gone up to Bajith and to Dibon, the high places, to weep. Moab shall howl over Nebo and over Medeba; on all their heads shall be baldness and every beard cut off.

— he, the king or people of Moab, standing collectively for all the inhabitants of Moab, is gone up to Bajith, to the house of the temple, and to Dibon, a city not far from the Arnon;

— the high places, to weep, before the altars of their idols. Moab shall howl over Nebo and over Medeba, rather, “on Nebo and Medeba of Moab howling is going on;” for in these two towns in the hills toward the west they had sanctuaries. On their heads shall all be baldness and every beard cut off, mutilated, as a sign of deep mourning, Leviticus 21:5.

³ In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth; on the tops of their houses and in their streets every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.

— in their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth as well as a token of mourning for the dead thus exhibiting their grief openly; on the tops of their houses, which are flat in the Orient, and in their streets every one shall howl, weeping abundantly, being dissolved in tears.

⁴ And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh; their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz; therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.

— and Heshbon, a former Amorite city, but regarded as belonging to Moab, shall cry; the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out, impelled thereto by the greatness of the horror; his life shall be grievous unto him, literally, “his soul trembles for him,” the entire nation being shaken by the bitterness of the punishment.

⁵ “My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, a heifer of three years old; for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.

— the prophet Isaiah shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, that is, the locks or fortified boundaries of Moab reached as far as Zoar, the city of Lot’s refuge, on the peninsula extending into the southeastern end of the Dead Sea.

⁶ For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate; for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

— for Nimrim shall be desolate; for the hay is withered away, with no water the grass failed, there is no green thing, the entire land being devastated, the vegetation drying up for want of care, and the crops apparently even burned up by the foes.

⁷ Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up shall they carry away to the Brook of the Willows.

— therefore, whatever the Moabites had hoarded; shall they carry away to the brook of the willows, a small stream on their southern boundary, which the Moabite fugitives forded in order to find refuge with the people of Idumea.

⁸ For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.

— the howling thereof unto Eglaim, a town near the Dead Sea, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim, in northeastern Moabitis, that is, the cry of distress reaches from one end of the country to the other.

⁹ For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood; for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth from Moab and upon the remnant of the land.”

— for the waters shall be full of blood; for I will bring more further misfortune upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land, the reference being either to another enemy among foreign nations;

— or to wild animals whom the Lord would send to complete the devastation of the land; the Targum says, “a king shall ascend with his army, and so spoil the remainder of their land.”

Isaiah 16

¹ Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. — the context is still around the land of Moab, or Edom;

— send ye the lamb as tribute which started when David conquered them from the land of Moab to the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion;

— Moab, having found refuge in Petra of Idumea, was admonished to send its tribute of lambs to the ruler of the land, to the king reigning at Jerusalem, the road to this capital, whose most important section was Mount Zion, leading through the wilderness south and west of the Dead Sea;

— Sela, or Petra; the capital of Idumea; also the capital of the Nabatheans. To submit to Judah, in both the physical and the spiritual sense, was Moab’s only hope.

² For it shall be that as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.

— for it shall be that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, like birds aimlessly fluttering, like a nest whose occupants have suddenly been turned out; or as a bird that has forsaken its nest;

— so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon; for here, at the boundary of their land, they assemble in huddled bands, looking for help and deliverance.

³ “Take counsel, execute judgement; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts, betray not him that wandereth.

— take counsel to decide what is just and right; to decide paying tribute to the king of Judah, execute judgement, planning deliverance instead of oppression, as heretofore; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday;

— hide the outcasts, those who are driven from home as refugees; such as were driven out of their land through the fury and persecution of the enemy, receive and conceal, as Rahab did the spies: betray not him that wandered, betraying him not into the hands of the enemies.

⁴ Let Mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the despoiler; for the extortioner is at an end, the despoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.

— let my outcasts or refugees dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler, such as when first the Assyrian monarchs and later king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to ravage Judea, thus giving shelter to all who might become fugitives from Judah in the uncertain circumstances at that time;

— for the extortioner is at an end, the great world-power which made it a practice to destroy and tread under foot was itself overcome, the spoiler ceaseth, destruction is no longer to be found, the oppressors are consumed out of the land;

— Jerusalem was delivered from the Assyrian affliction, which represented, at the same time, all the forces of evil arrayed against the Chosen people.

⁵ And in mercy shall the throne be established; and He shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking judgement and hastening righteousness.”

— and in mercy shall the throne, that of Judah of the Messiah, be established, prepared and confirmed; and he, the Messiah himself, shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David;

— one in whom the truth of the Lord’s promise is fulfilled, one who himself is the Truth, judging, and seeking judgement, and hasting righteousness for those are the principles of his government;

— there is only one way for Moab to escape the threatening everlasting Judgement, and that is by acknowledging and throwing itself upon the mercy of this King.

⁶ We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud” even of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath; but his lies shall not be so.

— the nation of Israel has heard of the pride of Moab, its conceit and foolish dependence upon its own strength, Jeremiah 48:14-29; he is very proud; even of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath, his senseless anger against Israel; but his lies shall not be so, his false boasts would soon be shown to be vain.

⁷ Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl; for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.

— therefore one Moabite shall mourn for another, lamenting its own ruin; every one shall howl; for the foundations of Kir-hareseth, the ruins of its strongest fortress, shall ye mourn, for this citadel of brick would be razed;

— surely they are stricken, rather, the people of Moab, utterly stricken by this calamity, would lament.

⁸ For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof. They are come even unto Jazer; they wandered through the wilderness; her branches are stretched out; they are gone over the sea.

— for the fields of Heshbon languish and the vine of Sibmah, their richest products being ruined by the invaders; all the fine plants of the vine whose culture was so extensively carried on in this country; they, namely, the grape-vines in all parts of the country, all were appointed for destruction.

⁹ Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh, for upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest the shouting has fallen.

— therefore Isaiah will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah, the prophet’s tears joining in pity and in lament with those of the rich vineyards of Moab;

— Isaiah will water them with tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh, weeping on account of the hardness of heart shown to the Moabites, which resulted in such a terrible punishment; for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.

¹⁰ And gladness is taken away and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting. The treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

— and gladness is taken away and joy out of their fields, out of the garden-land; and in their vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting, as when the harvest was gathered in times of peace;

— the treaders shall tread but no wine out in their presses; their destruction wrought by the enemy has brought about the end of all happy harvesting.

¹¹ Therefore my heart shall sound like a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.

— wherefore deep grief Moab shall sound like the sounding-board of a stringed instrument, which vibrates with the depth of his emotion.

¹² And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

— and it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, when its people have lamented themselves weary, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray, but the false gods of Moab are unable to help.

¹³ This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

— the accurate time of its fulfilment is now added by prophet Isaiah: that is, the prophecy recorded till now had been made some time before.

¹⁴ But now the Lord hath spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be condemned with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.”

— the Lord. hath now spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, very carefully measured, the glory of Moab shall be condemned;

— that is, covered with shame, with all that great multitude, the whole mass of its inhabitants; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble,nothing large, there would be but an insignificant remainder of the former mighty nation.

Posted in Isaiah

The Scriptures are often shrouded in cryptic languages; as usual a prophecy of Isaiah will start with the house of Judah and Jerusalem then spread to the house of Israel and soon it includes many prophecies concerning other nations surrounding the region.

However the following may provide a clue:

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

“In latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means as a whole, we wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until we’re living in the latter days; after God had executed his judgement in anger and performed the thoughts of his heart!

Our challenge is to de-encrypt them, especially as it relates to the latter days, our days.

Isaiah 13

¹ The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:

— a prophecy concerning Babylon, described as the burden of Babylon, the sentence of judgement revealed by special inspiration of the Lord, which Isaiah the son of Amoz prophesied.

² “Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain; exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

— lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, raising the standard of battle upon a deforested peak, where it may be visible from all sides, raise up the voice, calling in urgent attention,

— shake the hand, in a beckoning gesture, that they may go into the gates of the nobles, summoned to celebrate a victorious battle, a war against the enemies which would result in a glorious triumph.

³ I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for Mine anger, even them that rejoice in My highness.”

— God has commanded his sanctified ones; meaning Cyrus, Darius and the officers of their armies, with the common soldiers, who were furnished with might and strength to do his will, to which they were called in his providence:

— the Lord himself summoning these warriors consecrated to his work; he have also called his mighty ones for his anger, the heroes who should carry out the purposes to execute his judgement, even them that rejoice in his highness, boasting of the victory won in his might.

⁴ The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.

— the noise of a multitude in the mountains; of Media and Persia, like as of a great people, a turmoil as when masses of people, great armies, congregate; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together, an exceptionally large and powerful host;

— the Lord of hosts, the Commander-in-chief of all heavenly forces, mustereth the host of the battle, ready to carry out his plan of judgement and punishment when the army under Cyrus was marching towards Babylon.

⁵ They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land.

— a far country, from the ends of the earth; the furthermost parts of it, and these are at the end times, “the latter days;”

— and as Persia and Media were not “from a far country” could these new countries be Russia and China; these are from beyond the end of heaven, where the earth appears to be hounded by the sky;

— even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land, literally, “to overturn the whole earth” for the entire world, would feel the ravages of the war of destruction determined upon by the Lord of hosts;

— the prophet now turns directly to the nations, the whole land of Chaldea, with Babylon in the lead; the Targum says, “to destroy all the wicked of the earth.”

⁶ Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

— howl ye, in consternation and terror; for the day of the Lord, or the Lord’s Day, is at hand when he intends to carry out his judgement; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty, all the enemies being included in his punishment suddenly, swiftly and irresistibly;

— the Day of the Lord is a day of Judgement, a “Day of His wrath” (Revelation 6:17); for more, see What is the Day of the LORD?

⁷ Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt.

— therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt, like water, like wax before the fire; be dispirited and lose all their valour and courage have neither power nor heart to resist their enemies, and of an utter lack of courage, of complete hopelessness.

⁸ And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them. They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

— they shall be afraid, troubled, dismayed, frightened, terrified in bewilderment; pangs, convulsions and pains in the bowels shall take hold of them, their terror showing in convulsive movements;

— they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth, Joel 2:6; they shall be amazed one at another, staring with all evidences of extreme terror, their faces shall be as flames, alternately reddening and blanching as their fear drives the blood back and forth in the body.

⁹ Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

— behold, the day of the Lord cometh, the day of his vengeance, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, consuming with its heat, to lay the land of the Chaldean desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it, for the Lord here has the whole earth in mind.

¹⁰ For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

— for the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light, the figure of utter darkness pointing to the severity of the punishment;

— the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, ceasing to shine as soon as it rises, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine so that it would be very uncomfortable; day and night, neither sun, moon nor stars appearing. All this, as in Joel 3:4 and Amos 5:8, indicates that all hope would be vain.

¹¹ “And I will punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

— and God will punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity; and he will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, so that the voice of boasting is no longer heard, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible, putting down the tyrants and stopping their violence.

¹² I will make a man more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

— many men would be killed as the scarcity of men in modern Babylon through the slaughter as God made a man more precious than fine gold; even the golden wedge of Ophir, in this manner would the Lord visit the world with his anger, to punish and annihilate it in the extremity of his wrath.

¹³ Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.

— therefore God will shake the heavens, killing all those living along the coastlines for the purpose of punishing the earth and making scarcity men, and the earth shall remove out of her place, being crowded aside, as it were, by the immensity of God’s indignation;

— in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger; he is going to shake the earth out of her place, of course literally, which would mean a hundred times the waves of Fukushima over!

¹⁴ And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up; they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

— and Babylon and its inhabitants shall be as the chased roe, the timid gazelle, which is so easily startled, and as a sheep that no man taketh up, like a panic-stricken flock which simply cannot be brought together again;

— then shall every man turn to his own community and flee every one into his own land, that is, the great mass of strangers gathered in the great world market, first with Babylonia, then the house of Israel and the house of Judah would, at the Lord’s shakings, the tribes scatter in all directions;

— Q. could “every man every one into his own land” also mean that the house of Israel, the ten-tribes headed by the United States, finally realized their land is in the Promised Land in Palestine; and flee to reclaim, first, with the “West Bank” then the others? Especially what could have happened after Ezekiel 20:45 to 21:5?

Ezekiel 20:45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
⁴⁶ “Son of man, set thy face toward the South, and drop thy word toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the Southland.
⁴⁷ And say to the forest of the South: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree. The flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the South to the North shall be burned therein.
⁴⁸ And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’”
⁴⁹ Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Doth he not speak parables?’”
Ezekiel 21:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
² “Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;
³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My Sword out of his sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
⁴ Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My Sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the South to the North,
⁵ that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth My Sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.’

— for another “everyone into his own land,” see A Greater “Out of Egypt” Exodus

¹⁵ Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

— everyone that is found shall be thrust through, and everyone that is joined unto them, rather, intercepted in flight, shall fall by the sword, for it is a general slaughter which will come upon the mixed population of the United States.

¹⁶ Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be despoiled and their wives ravished.

— their parents witnessing their children being dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses looted and spoiled, everything plundered, and their wives ravished, for war ever brutalizes men, reducing them to no better than beasts.

¹⁷ “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

— behold, God will stir up the Medes against them, the Medo-Persians being the world power which conquered Babylon; could these be the modern Persians, the Iranians?

— which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it, that is, it would be impossible to bribe them, to buy them off, and thus save the city whose destruction was firmly determined upon by the Lord;

— also the original Medo-Persians had pleasure by their spoiling against the Babylonians, but these don’t have any pleasures, hence it is another scenario;

— Q. Could this be a latter day prophecy of the United States? Could these be the modern Persians, the modern-day Iranians?

¹⁸ Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

— their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces, a very vivid description of the effect which would attend the wholesale slaughter; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb, not sparing even the unborn children, II Kings 8:12; II Kings 15:16; Hosea 14:1; Amos 1:13; their eye shall not spare children, for the enemies would be devoid of all pity.

¹⁹ And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

— and Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, an ornament of beauty in the midst of conquered nations, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, to which they all pointed with pride as the greatest capital of the world, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly destroyed, an eternal wilderness.

²⁰ It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

— like Sodom and Gomorrah, it shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabians, the Bedouin nomads, pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there, total desolation should reign there forever.

²¹ But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

— deserted but wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, making their dens in the midst of the ruins; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, the howling jackals probably being meant; and owls shall dwell there, rather, ostriches, and satyrs, or wild goats, thought to be possessed of demons, shall dance there.

²² And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces; and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.”

— and the wild beasts of the islands, probably hyenas, shall cry in their desolate houses, in the ruined palaces of the city, and dragons in their pleasant palaces.

Isaiah 14

¹ For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

— for the Lord will have mercy on the house of Jacob, it is his plan for his people to lead the way for the Kingdom of God; which caused him to bring judgement, punishment and destruction by the rod of Babylon, then the Romans;

— but will yet choose Israel in accordance with his plan of redemption and set them in their own land, on the onset of the Millennium, the Promised Land; his elect being called a peculiar people; and the strangers from the nations, shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob, to be reckoned as members of God’s people.

² And the people shall take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captive whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors.

— and the people that take them and bring them to their place, that is, the ‘Chaldeans,’ will have them play a reverse role;

— that is, the Jews that dwelt in Babylon shall rule over their oppressors, the Chaldeans, but never happen in record; hence only during the Millennium, and similarly, the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord that have given to them, the former enemies of the children of Israel surrounding the region will be glad to serve him in this manner.

³ And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow and from thy fear and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

— and it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from their sorrows from captivity and from thy fear of worse evils, most cruel usage, and death itself, under the terror of which they lived: and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve;

⁴ that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How hath the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased!

—during the Millennium that thou shalt take up a new proverb, a song of triumph, against the king of Babylon and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! “Ended is the driving despot, ended the exacting” (of gold), or “the oppression” for the greatest burden which Babylon laid upon the people under her dominion was that of a tribute, a tribute of gold.

⁵ The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked and the scepter of the rulers.

— the Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked and the scepter of its rulers, since it was used only for authority; the “staff” and “Sceptre” are emblems of power and government and “breaking” them signifies the utter destruction and cessation of authority and dominion.

⁶ He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

— the king of Babylon smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, namely, the scepter of the tyrant, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth, that is, none of the neighbouring kings and nations, either tributary to him, or in alliance with him, give him the least help or assistance.

⁷ The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they break forth into singing.

— during the Millennium the whole earth is at rest and is quiet, now that the enemy is overthrown, the peace of God’s kingdom being pictured; they break forth into singing song of praise, the believers praising the Lord for his deliverance.

⁸ Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since thou art laid down, no hewer has come up against us.’

— even inanimate objects, yea, even the fir-trees, or cypresses, rejoice at thee, at the tyrant’s misfortune, and the cedars of Lebanon, for their wood had been exported and furnish for building houses; saying, Since thou art laid down, Babylon having fallen, no feller is come up against us, to strip the mountainsides of their forests.

⁹ Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

— those from hell or the “grave” from beneath would move for thee, this could only happen during the Millennium, to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, the specters or giants inhabiting hell, even all the chief ones, literally, “the leaders” of the earth, as many as are in the dominion of darkness;

— MSG “And the underworld dead are all excited,
preparing to welcome you when you come.
Getting ready to greet you are the ghostly dead,
all the famous names of earth.
All the buried kings of the nations
will stand up on their thrones
With well-prepared speeches,
royal invitations to death:
“Now you are as nothing as we are!
Make yourselves at home with us dead folks!”

— Voice “O Babylon, the land of the dead is excited to greet you at its door. Your king will enter the grave with ghastly pomp. It stirs the shadows and spirits of the dead—all long forgotten leaders— it arouses all the dethroned kings of the nations to welcome your arrival.”

— during the Millennium it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations; that is, all these kings and queens would be resurrected and be as astonished and excited at the prospect of seeing the kings of Babylon or the Pharaohs of Egypt, feeble and powerless, emerging from their burial sites or tombs.

¹⁰ All they shall speak and say unto thee: ‘Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?’

— all they shall speak and say unto the kings of Babylon or the Pharaohs of Egypt, not in contempt and mockery but in honest astonishment, Art thou also become weak and human as we are, void of all strength? The Targum says “Art thou become sick as we? Thou hast become like unto us.”

¹¹ Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

— thy pomp is brought down to the grave, all Babylon’s and Egypt’s earthly glory and majesty destroyed, and the noise and sound of the harps which accompanied their feasts of merrymaking on earth;

— the worm, the flesh-eating maggot, is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee, the most repulsive creatures, symbols of decay, taking the place of the precious Babylonian carpets, tapestries, and coverings to which the king had been accustomed here on earth.

¹² “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!

— how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! literally, “O day-star, son of the dawn,” the reference to the fall of Satan, and all his apostate angels, comparing him to the high and influential position occupied by the Babylonian ruler;

— how art thou cut down to the ground, like a giant tree which has been felled, which didst weaken the nations, in conquering and subduing them;

— Lucifer = “light-bearer” however, renders from the Hebrew [hêlēl H1966]; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:14

¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.

— only for Lucifer, not even Nebuchadnezzar, could have said in his heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, the residences of the spirits of God;

— I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North, this being said according to the hint of the Heavenly Throne where the Lord God is, on the North side of the earth, toward the far North.

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’

— only Lucifer could have thought of ascending above the heights of the clouds, considered the chariots and thrones of the ancient deities; I will be like the Most High, many of the emperors of old regarding themselves as the sons or the offspring of God and laying claim to divine honors;

— the Targum says, “I will ascend over all people; I will be higher than them all.’

¹⁵ Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. — yet thou shalt be brought down to this sides of the pit, from God’s point of view, there is nothing Great about Satan, a reception is destined for him a place of destruction. In Job 1, he was only an instrument of God, he could not do anything God doesn’t allow; that is, there is nothing great about Satan.

¹⁶ They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee, saying, ‘Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms,

— the dead would arise, musing upon the terrible fate which had struck before, asking with great astonishment, Is this the king or Caesar that once made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, as the great Babylonian or Roman empires often did;

¹⁷ that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the house of his prisoners?’

— by destroying the inhabitants of the world and by laying waste cities, towns; that opened not the house of his prisoners, showing no pity by dismissing them to their prisons.

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

— every king of the nations who lie in wait for glory; their bodies, properly embalmed for burial, lying in tombs or sepulchers of their ancestors.

¹⁹ But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit, as a carcass trodden under feet.

— but thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, where it lies and rots like a worthless twig or parasite, which hinders the growth of the tree.

²⁰ Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people. The seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

— thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people, making it the instrument of his tyrannical lust of conquest; the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned, their name shall be cut off, and their memory shall rot; becoming extinct as godless and cursed.

²¹ Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.”

— prepare slaughter for children of the wicked for the iniquity of their fathers, on whose account a dynasty shall be destroyed, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities, preventing them from establishing their dominion and regaining their former power.

²² “For I will rise up against them,” saith the Lord of hosts, “and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and son and grandson,” saith the Lord.

— for the Lord of hosts will rise against them, against the children of the Babylonian monarch; and cut off their name and remnant, all their descendants that are left.

²³ “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction,” saith the Lord of hosts.

— God will turn the site of Babylon into a desolate possession, inhabited by bitterns, porcupine, and the tortoise, beaver, otter, or other animals which inhabits the wastes of the Euphrates Valley, and pools of water, swamps resulting from the annual overflow of the river.

²⁴ The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, “Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand;

— the Lord of hosts hath sworn, his word is his oath; saying, Surely as he had disposed or planned, so shall it come to pass, and so shall it stand.

²⁵ that I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains tread him under foot. Then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.”

— God had sworn he will break the Assyrian, overthrowing his power within the boundaries of Judah, particularly the mountains which were round about Jerusalem; and upon his mountains tread him under foot;

— then shall his yoke depart from off them, namely, the inhabitants of Jacob, and his burden depart from off their shoulders, so that the design of the invader could not be accomplished.

²⁶ This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

— this is the purpose not just the Assyrians but upon the whole earth; the Targum confirms this, “all the inhabitants of the earth” in the counsel of the Lord, in whose hand is upon all nations of the whole earth;

— and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations, and every decree of the Lord has significance “on all kingdoms” that is, for all men.

²⁷ For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

— if the Lord of hosts has purposed, who can cancel it? Many deceptive wolfy shepherds thought Satan could derail God’s plan, but nope, not a chance! And if his hand is stretched out, who shall turn it back?

²⁸ In the year that King Ahaz died was this burden:

— in about 727 BC the year that King Ahaz died, was this sentence of judgement fell upon the Philistines, who just at this time prepared to regain their ancient power:

²⁹ “Rejoice not thou, whole Philistia, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth an adder, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

— warning to the whole of Palestina, that is, Philistia, because the rod of him that smote thee is temporarily broken, the Philistines being an alliance of Syria and the Northern Kingdom, as a consequence of which Ahaz and Judah had become vassals of Assyria, II Kings 16:5-9, had resulted in breaking the power of Judah, which had only just before that been asserted by Uzziah, II Chronicles 26:6;

— for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, that is, an adder, a still more poisonous serpent, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent, the reference probably to Hezekiah, who promptly smote the Philistines and definitely brought about their destruction, II Kings 18:8.

³⁰ And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

— and the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety, that is, the inhabitants of Judah would enjoy peace and safety under the reign of God over Philistia; but God will kill thy root with famine, thus eradicating the Philistines as a people, and he shall slay thy remnant, thereby carrying out his punishment upon the ancient enemies of Judah.

³¹ Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! Thou, whole Philistia art dissolved! For there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.”

— howl, O gate! the strong fortifications of the Philistine cities being meant. Cry, O city! Ashdod and Gaza having retained much of their ancient glory. Thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved, melting away to nothing;

— for there shall come from the North a smoke, namely, the Assyrian hordes with their ruthless devastations, and none shall be alone in his appointed times, literally, “and none is by himself in his armies,” the Assyrian soldiers knowing neither weariness nor insubordination, but all filled with that one idea the lust of conquest.

³² What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? “That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it.”

— what shall one answer the messengers of the nation? What answer do the messengers of the nation bring? What report did the ambassadors of various nations make when they returned to their own land after viewing the results of God’s punishment of Philistia and his protection of Judah?

— that the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it, the troubled Jewish refugees being safe within its walls. In this way the Lord protects those who believe in him against all enemies, he himself being their Refuge and Strength.

Posted in Isaiah

The Scriptures are often shrouded in cryptic languages; as usual a prophecy of Isaiah will start with the house of Judah and Jerusalem then spread to the house of Israel and soon it includes many prophecies concerning other nations surrounding the region.

However the following may provide a clue:

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

“In latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means as a whole, we wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until we’re living in the latter days; after God had executed his judgement in anger and performed the thoughts of his heart!

Our challenge is to de-encrypt them, especially as it relates to the latter days, soon to be our days.

Now, continuing with chapter 11, which is mainly on the onset of the Millennium where the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and where your grandkids could put their hands into the mouth of a snake!!

Isaiah 11

¹ And there shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

— and there shall come forth a fresh shoot or twig out of the stem of Jesse; he is called a “rod” either because of his unpromising appearance, arising “out of the stem of Jesse” from him, in the line of David;

— out of the stock and a Branch shall grow out of his roots, Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 4:12; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15, the root-stock being all that was left of the former grandeur of David’s house, the renewal of his family by this singular Scion would indeed be a miracle;

— the Targum agrees, paraphrasing the words thus, “and a King shall come forth from the sons of Jesse;” and this is speaking of the Messiah, “And a king shall come forth from the sons of Jesse, and from his children’s children the Messiah shall be anointed.”

² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

— and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; the rod and branch, the King Messiah, so qualifying him for his office, and the discharge of his duty with the fullness of his power;

— the Spirit of wisdom, which searches all things, even the secrets of God, and understanding, able to make the proper distinction concerning all things,

— the Spirit of counsel, by whom the Messiah is endowed to be the Counselor, and might, for Christ is the mighty God, Isaiah 7:6, the Spirit of knowledge, by means of which he is familiar with all the mysteries of God;

— and of the fear of the Lord, yea “the fear of the Lord” even the Son has to pay homage to God the Father, the “only true God” praying to his heavenly Father and seeking his leadership, and he was and is to fear his Father, according to his divine nature united with him in an everlasting union as One;

— that night, the night he was betrayed, he had two desires but both requests were denied (1) his desire to eat the Passover with his disciples; (2) his desire for the “cup” to be removed from him (for more see THAT NIGHT COULDN’T BE THE FOURTEENTH!)

³ and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears.

— Rashi: and he shall be animated by the fear of the Lord: He shall be filled with the fear of the Lord; that is, even the Son is motivated by the fear of the Lord, Yehovah; the “only true God” John 17:3

— Q, just curious; how did the Son (the only begotten Son) came into being? Also, could there be another ‘son’ that started well but because of arrogance and pride, eventually ended up being disposed?

— he is highly pleased when men bring to him the sacrifice of their fear of God; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears, rendering judgement not according to external appearances, rather according to his understanding of the heart and soul;

⁴ But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.

— but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, the defenseless, this would only happen during the Millennium; his Savior’s-interest turning especially to the lowly, to those who bear the enmity of the world on account of their faith with the proper meekness, taking the part of those who are persecuted for their confession;

— and he, the Son, shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; the ministration of his word, the rod of his strength, rebuking and horsewhipping the the disobedient world, and with the breath of his lips, his Word, which bears almighty power, shall he slay the wicked.

⁵ And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins.

— and righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness, upon which his believers may rely with full confidence, the girdle of his reins; he was faithful to God, that appointed him as King and Head of the Kingdom; faithful as a Prophet, in declaring his mind and will; and is a faithful High Priest.

⁶ “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

— during the Millennium, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them, a figurative representation of ideal spiritual conditions;

— the Targum introduces in this manner, “in the days of the Messiah of Israel, peace shall be multiplied in the earth.”

⁷ And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

— during the Millennium the cow and the bear shall feed, all the bloodthirstiness of the latter forgotten; their young ones shall lie down together, his nature so completely changed that he is no longer a carnivorous, but a herbivorous animal; thus the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

⁸ And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

— and the sucking child, the unweaned infant, shall play on the hole of the asp, on the entrance of the adder’s cave, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den, or stretch out his arm to touch the sparkling eye of the basilisk, the poisonous serpents having lost all their vicious habits.

⁹ They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

— all the members of God’s kingdom, whose former state was characterized by the comparison with the various animals named above, would lose and lay aside their hostile habits toward one another; thus none shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain;

— for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Knowledge of Yehovah, love and fear of God, is the motive in all acts of all believers; because they fear the Lord, because they know him the one true God,

— and the Messiah, Yeshua or Jesus Christ, whom he has sent as the Savior of the world, therefore they, the inhabitants of his holy mountain, the members of his Kingdom, who previously live in the midst of a hateful and hostile world, now live together in peace and harmony.

¹⁰ “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand for an ensign of the people; to It shall the Gentiles seek, and His rest shall be glorious.”

— and in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, that same wonderful Scion, the Son of David spoken as a most proper person “the Gentiles seek” to be consulted on all occasions, he, not king Hezekiah, being the wonderful Counselor, Isaiah 9:6.

¹¹ And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

— and it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time, stretching it out as once before when he led his chosen people out of Egypt, to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, not, only the believers of Israel and Judah, but those from all the nations of the world;

— for more another out of Egypt Exodus, see A Greater “Out of Egypt” Exodus

— from Assyria, the mighty nation in the valley of the Euphrates, and from Egypt, the empire toward the southwest, and from Pathros, Upper Egypt, and from Cush, or Ethiopia, and from Elam, Southern Media, and from Shinar, Southern Mesopotamia, and from Hamath, the country or province on the Orontes, north of Palestine, and from the islands of the sea, an expression which refers to the entire coast of the Mediterranean and the adjacent countries;

— see also Isaiah 49:22 where will lift up his hand to the Gentiles; to lift up the hand is a sign of beckoning to, or inviting; that God would call the Gentiles to partake of the blessings of the true religion and to embrace the Messiah; could this period also coincide with Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline)

¹² And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

— and the Messiah shall set up an ensign for the nations, around which all the believers might rally, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, those of remnant of the house of Israel, his people among the ten tribes;

— and gather together the dispersed from the house of Judah, the Jews, from the four corners or wings of the earth so that they will march under his banner, united in spirit, though outwardly separated by race and language and customs.

¹³ The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. — this is a reference to the United States and Israel today;

— the hostility between Ephraim and Judah had been the chief factor in the division of the nation during the time of the kings in the Old Testament, but that soon, Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim, that is, the children of Israel would then be a perfect and harmonious union, its various parts living together in perfect harmony.

¹⁴ But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall despoil them of the east together. They shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

— but they, the houses of Israel and Judah, shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west, this nation being the embodiment of the fiercest hostility since the early history of Israel; they, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, shall spoil them of the east together, the Bedouin hordes of Arabia;

— they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab, which are today’s Spain and Jordan, conquering the country of these ancient enemies; and the children of Ammon shall obey them, literally, “their obedience.”

— these scenarios show the manner in which the Lord, through his Kingdom will judge and destroy his enemies. The Last Day will spell their doom, and the children of Jacob, the remnants left of the Day of the Lord, will be present to celebrate their victory:

For more about Edom, a prophecy of Esau, see Obadiah

More on Edom, see The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

¹⁵ And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian Sea; and with His mighty wind shall He shake His hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams and make men go over dryshod.

— the tongue of the Egyptian sea; probably a bay of the Egyptian sea, so called because in the form of a tongue; or the fork of the Arabian Gulf known as the Red Sea as at the time when the children of Israel left the house of their bondage;

— and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, over the Euphrates, and shall smite it in the seven streams, separating it into seven shallow brooks, and make men go over dry-shod, walking through its bed on sandals; in references the Lord here promises to the spiritual people of God a wonderful salvation, like that out of Egypt;

— and so the Targum says, “and the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and shall lift up the stroke of His strength upon Euphrates, by the word of His prophets” and this designs the destruction of the land of the Muslims which is signified by the drying up of the river Euphrates; that is, from the Nile to the Euphrates would the house of Israel and the house of Judah return to.

¹⁶ And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people who shall be left from Assyria, as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

— and during the Millennium there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, cast up or purposely built for the believers in the Lord’s Kingdom, which shall be left, from Assyria, permitting the captives to return to their inheritance;

— far more than it was to Israel in the day that the house of Jacob came up out of the land of Egypt. This redemption of his people out of the hand of all enemies and oppressors would be the last great deed of the Messiah, and its completion will usher in the peace and glory of eternity. In this way the despised Branch out of the house of David would establish his kingdom, which, although jeered at from all sides, will still conquer all the land in the end.

Isaiah 12

¹ And in that day thou shalt say: “O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comforted me.

— and in that day, when the redemption of the spiritual Israel, of the Kingdom of God, shall be completed, thou shalt say, the Saviour triumphant breaking forth in a song of praise;

² Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.”

— behold, my God is my Salvation, literally, “Behold the God of my salvation,” him who planned and carried out the redemption of a world lost in sin; I will trust, placing full reliance upon his promise of help, and not be afraid, not being brought to shame on account of the confidence resting in him;

— for the Lord God is my Strength, giving full evidence of his power in redeeming his people, and my Song, the object of his endless praise; he also is become my Salvation, the blessings of which are now enjoyed by all in the Kingdom of God.

³ Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation;

— therefore with Joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation, partaking of its benefits richly and endlessly. “At the Feast of Tabernacles water was drawn from the fountain of Siloam for a drink-offering. From the priest that so brought it with solemnity into the Temple, another took it, and, while pouring out the water, used the words of our text.”

⁴ and in that day shall ye say: “Praise the Lord! Call upon His name! Declare His doings among the people; make mention that His name is exalted.

— and in that day, while enjoying the fullness of redemption, shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the Gentiles, making them known throughout the earth, make mention that his name, Yehovah, be exalted, their only Saviour and Redeemer, thus giving all glory to him.

— God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter ‘J’ wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century; more on this at the end).

⁵ Sing unto the Lord, for He hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.

— sing unto the Lord, in psalms, hymns and songs, for he hath done excellent things, proving his excellence and majesty in the various acts of his redemption; this is known throughout the earth, it should be announced to all mankind.

⁶ Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion! For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

— Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion in Jerusalem; singing aloud with the high praises of God in their mouth, from the mountain where the house of true divine worship are located; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee, as the Giver of Victory and the Fountain of Life;

— thus this wonderful hymn, modeled after so many psalms of praise in the Old Testament, especially that sung upon the delivery of the children of Israel at the hands of Pharaoh, Exodus 15:1-18, sets forth the joy of the redemption of God, of the Chosen triumphant, when entering upon the blessings of eternal redemption.

~~ 12,24,26,42,52,54 ~~

More on God’s name, Yehovah.

God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah, which are embedded in the Masoretic text over 6000 times, yet when translated into our English language most had been translated as Lord, or LORD, which are titles, but not his name. His name is יהוה‎ Yehovah, or YEHOVAH (but there are no capital letters in Hebrew).

It wasn’t until 1524 that Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian Renaissance grammarian, invented the letter ‘J’ that this new letter started to take a hold in the writings of western Europe, including our English language. Even in 1611 when the first edition English Bible, the King James was published, the prophet Jeremiah was known as Ieremiah. Similarly, the name Jehovah is a very late comer.

But the Orthodox Jews have gone overboard, so holy is his name, they believe, thus they refrain from even calling his name, referring to him as Hashem, that is, “The Name,” which isn’t his name; just pointing, saying somewhat ‘you know what name I mean.’ His name is Yehovah, and is also not Yahweh, which is the Samaritan counterfeit version.

It is the same as the name Jesus we used today; if his name was used in his time two thousand years ago, he would have been known as Yeshua instead of Jesus. But never mind, as had often been the case, the essence is more important than the form.

His name Yehovah, is specifically stated, and should be used. Titles are okay, but sometimes He asked us pointedly to call on His name. The following verses translated as the LORD erred in presenting His name:

I am the LORD; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Joel 2:32

“I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought Me not. I said, ‘Behold Me, behold Me,’ unto a nation that was not called by My name. Isaiah 65:1

When we call our God, the LORD, we err, because his name is not the LORD, which is a title. His name is YEHOVAH! May We all ask for his forgiveness, and may Our merciful God forgive us all.

Posted in Isaiah

This prophecy of Isaiah starts with some cryptic messages about the prophesied coming of the Messiah; in Galilee, people who live in the dark but were privileged to see a great light.

The Q remains; if these chapters are prophetic, who then are the Assyrians that were prophesied to punish Israel? Are they the Germans? If so, how would this play out? If not, who else?

One clue is this “And it shall come to pass in that day,” indicating that this is prophetic; in the latter day; so we have to wait and see!

Isaiah 9

¹ Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first He lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more grievously afflicted her by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

— as fulfilled in Matthew 4:12-17, the tribes identified: Zebulun ~ Holland; Naphtali ~ Sweden; beyond the Jordan: Reuben ~ France; Manasseh ~ UK; Gad ~ Switzerland;

— nevertheless, the (dimness) gloom of those people shall not be such as was in her vexation; these words may be rendered, “for there shall be no weariness to him that straitens” or “afflicts” them; so could refer to the king of Assyria; or Titus Vespasian, who would not be weary of, but tirelessly in carrying on the siege of Jerusalem and parts of Judea, including the land of Zebulun and Naphtali:

— this prophecy was literally fulfilled during the Galilean ministry of Yeshua when he made Capernaum the center of activities and from there set forth on his journeys, not only throughout Galilee, but also into the country east of Jordan, by the way of the sea;

— in Galilee of the nations; which was inhabited not only by Jews, but people of other nations; and all Galilee, were lightly esteemed of, being mean and illiterate, not famous for any arts or sciences and having no prophet among them, should, in the days of the Messiah be highly honoured and made glorious by his presence, ministry and miracles performed there; Matthew 14:13.

² The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

— in the times of the Messiah, the people that walked in Galilee have seen a great light; the inhabitants of Galilee; see Matthew 4:16; John 1:48 and is a true character of the people of Galilee which are in a state of darkness;

— have seen a great light, the prophet, speaking as the mouthpiece of the eternal and omniscient God, views the Messiah there had seen a great light, for so certain is the fulfillment of God’s promise.

³ Thou hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy; the will rejoice before Thee liken to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

— thou hast multiplied the nation, that is, with light, knowledge, honour and glory, even Galilee of the nations; so the prophet addresses the Lord in a direct hymn of praise, since he, beginning with Galilee, extended the circle of believers in him until his believers were spread over the world;

— and not increased the joy, or “to whom Thou didst not magnify the joy,” the reference once more being to the time of great sorrow and distress under ungodly conditions; they rejoice before thee according to the joy in harvest, when the sacrificial feasts were eaten by grateful worshippers, Deuteronomy 12:7; Deuteronomy 14:26.

⁴ For Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

— for thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, the spiritual slavery with which the people were burdened, and the staff of his shoulder, the reference being to the cudgel of the overseer in striking the back of the slave;

— the rod of his oppressor, with which the people were kept in subjection, as in the day of Midian, Judges 7:15-22. Even as the Lord, at the time of Gideon, had delivered Israel from the oppression of the Midianites in a miraculous manner, so he effected a deliverance from everlasting bondage, from spiritual slavery, so the Messiah overcame all the enemies of mankind and now divides the spoil among the believers everywhere.

⁵ For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood, but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

— for every battle is with confused noise; with the sound of the trumpet and beating of drums, and the huzzas and shoutings of the soldiers, the stamping and neighing of horses, the rushing of chariots, and rumbling of wheels, and the clashing of swords, spears and shields;

— and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire; who girds on his armor with noise, and the soldier’s cloak rolled in blood, it shall become a burning, food for the fire.”

⁶ For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

— for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, the eternal Word being made flesh for us, not only in our stead, but for our benefit, for the eternal salvation of all believers; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, the absolute and unlimited power, the divine authority in its fullest sense, rests upon him, he is, from his birth, in complete possession of the eternal power and Godhead;

— and his name shall be called Wonderful, not only his birth, but his entire essence being a miracle, Counselor, for he not only knows the right and proper counsel in every difficulty of body and soul, he also carries out his plans for the benefit of men, the Mighty God, for the Messiah, true man as he is, is at the same time above all, God blessed forever, altogether identical with Yehovah;

— from the record, King Hezekiah foolishly show Merodach-baladan, the Babylonian king’s envoys to Hezekiah, of all his treasures and his armory, and Isaiah rebuked him for such foolishness, II Kings 20, Isaiah 39; which they came later and carry all to Babylon; from such record, how could Hezekiah be consider a wise king or a Counselor?

— the Everlasting Father, this description isn’t in the Septuagint nor in the Targum; so what could we make of this? The Messiah, the Son of God has never been described as the Father anywhere else in the Scriptures. Is this not the lying pen (ESV) of the scribes as described in Jeremiah 8:8? Is this another one of the self-deceptions of rabbinical Judaism to keep themselves blinded (who claim that King Hezekiah fulfilled this prophecy)?

— the Prince of Peace, the true Shiloh, Genesis 49:10, who has restored the right relation between God and man, making peace by abolishing in his flesh the enmity which existed since the fall of man, Ephesians 2:14-15;

— even Rashi, a respected Rabbi, commits this mistake, says “and… called his name. The Holy One, blessed be He, Who gives wondrous counsel, is a mighty God and an everlasting Father, called Hezekiah’s name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.”

— the full Targum says,

“The prophet said to the house of David, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and He has taken the law upon Himself to keep it. His name is called from eternity, Wonderful, The Mighty God, who liveth to eternity, The messiah, whose peace shall be great upon us in His days” — yes, the Targum identifies this verse confirming the Messiah had been prophesied but nothing about ‘the Everlasting Father’ and he was to be born, the Son and he was from eternity to eternity;

Remember, laying side by side along with the Masoretic Text, the Targum is another source of the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning from Babylon and Persia, these returnees they could only understand in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them then and to us today from the Hebrew Text quoted.

⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon His Kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

— of the increase of Christ’s government, in extending the boundaries of his spiritual kingdom, and peace there shall be no end, that is, he brings about a condition of eternal peace between God and man,

— upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, for the kingdom of David continued and established in order to establish the foundation for the Kingdom of God with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever;

— the zeal of the Lord of hosts, the eagerness of his love in seeking the salvation of mankind, will perform this. All this was fulfilled in the Son of God, of whom the angel says: “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

⁸ The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. — the Lord sent a word into Jacob,

— a warning against his people, and it hath lighted upon Israel, falling from heaven like a morsel intended for the whole nation. God revealed his intention to his servant, and by the preaching of the prophet it reached the place for which it was intended.

⁹ And all the people shall know—even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria” that say in the pride and stoutness of heart:

— and all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, the northern kingdom with its capital being emphatically mentioned first, as being leaders in disobedience and haughtiness, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart.

¹⁰ “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.”

— the bricks of the World Trade Center had fallen, but we will build with hewn stones; Jonathan Cahn has lots to say about this verse: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars;

— that is, they intended to replace their former lowly dwellings of dried clay and the cheap wood of the sycamore fig-tree by splendid palaces of stone and costly cedar-wood. It is the height of presumption and blasphemous pride if men scorn the punishment of the Lord;

— and notice this is speaking of Ephraim—even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—one who has lots of “pride and stoutness of heart,” verse 9 above; Oh ye that are Blind, Ephraim referring not to the United Kingdom but the United States!

Who are the posterity of biblical Jacob? And on the identities of Ephraim and Manasseh, see (1) The Birthrights (2) Ephraim and Manasseh (3) Ephraim as the Thirteenth Tribe (4) Who is this lying Ephraim? (5) The Ox with horns of a Unicorn

¹¹ Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him and join his enemies together, — the subject “him”and “his” must be—Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—;

— therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, namely, the Ephraimites and the Assyrians, who, according to God’s plan, conquered Syria took Rezin the king of Syria, and then advanced and join their enemies together, or rather, Yehovah will stir up Ephraim’s enemies (the Syrians and the Philistines), against Ephraim;

Q, is this a prophecy for the endtime or an historical record? The part identified by Jonathan Cahn regarding “the bricks had fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones” as that of the World Trade Center, New York, in the land of Ephraim (that is, Ephraim being identified as the United States) was a prophecy; hence we can confidently say that all the rest could also be a prophecy.

¹² the Syrians before and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

— the Syrians before, for as allies of the Assyrians they would attack Israel from the front, and the Philistines behind, for these ancient enemies made use of every opportunity to wreak vengeance upon Israel and Judah, Cf II Chronicles 28:16-19;

— and they shall devour Israel with open mouth, eating with a full mouth, pillaging the land almost to the point of destruction. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. The misfortunes here described were but the beginning of the great destruction which would strike the entire nation for its disobedience by his chastening hand;

— “and they shall devour Israel with open mouth” Q: Could this refer to the captivity of Israel for 390/190 years and Judah for forty years as prophesied by Ezekiel in the latter days? For more, see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline.

¹³ For the people turneth not unto Him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

— for the people turneth not unto God the Almighty that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. The object of his punishment, therefore, is or was not realized, they refuse to repent of their sins and thus give him a new cause for harsher punishment for them;

Not many repent even with Covid-19 now with about 7 million deaths (worldwide as of July 2023; over a million in the United States (1,127,000); the US has 4.3% of World’s population but 16% of World’s death)! Q: should we expect a more potent variant killer to emerge in the near future?

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

— in one day, that is, speedily, when the Lord will cut off Israel, in wreaking his final vengeance upon his rebellious people, head and tail; the head being interpreted as “the ancient and honourable” men in high places, civil magistrates, judges, governors and elders of the people, the king as supreme, and all subordinate officers;

— branch and rush, in one day, “great and small” like branches of trees; the latter the common, people, like reeds and rushes, weak and feeble; “the strong and the weak” in one great destruction;

— and so the Targum says, “the Lord will destroy from Israel the prince, the captain, the ruler and the governor in one day;”

For more, see America: A Failed State?

¹⁵ The ancient and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

— the ancient and honorable, the princes and nobles of the people, he is the head; and the false prophet and false shepherds that teacheth lies, he is the tail;

— the prophets that tell lies, like Fred Coulter, Frank Nelte and John Ritenbaugh; considered themselves leaders among the people, but they are here told, with bitter irony, that they are morally the basest of the people, the vilest part of the nation.

¹⁶ For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led by them are destroyed.

— for the leaders of this people cause them to err, thereby showing themselves utterly unfit for leadership; and they that are led of them are destroyed, literally, “swallowed up,” namely, by the error and its peril, just as the humble rush must perish if submerged and covered with a flood of filthy water.

¹⁷ Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows; for every one is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

— therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, the all-powerful, who formerly granted success to the arms of Israel’s young men, would withdraw his assistance;

— neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows, who formerly had been the special objects of his fostering care; for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer; that is, corrupt, atrociously bad, inclined to every form of wickedness,

— and every mouth speaketh folly, and every mouth speaketh folly; or falsehood;

— a lie, as the Targum says the punishment of their sins shall burn like fire; it shall consume the sinners and the wicked, and shall rule over the rest of the people, and shall make an end of a great host.

¹⁸ For wickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

— for wickedness burneth as the fire, challenging God to continue in his course of punishment, bringing forth its own destruction; it shall devour the briers and thorns, the great mass of the lowly people, who have become weeds and thistles on the face of the earth;

— and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, of the standing timber, of the upper classes of Israel, and they shall mount up, the fire lifting them up in a heavy column, like the lifting up of smoke. Thus the fire of God’s wrath, growing out of the nation’s wickedness, would bring destruction upon the entire people, the picture being that of a devastating forest-fire.

¹⁹ Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire; no man shall spare his brother.

— through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, but the Septuagint version renders it, “the whole land is set on fire” – burned out to ashes; the Targum “the earth shall be burnt up,” utterly destroyed and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire to be devoured without mercy;

²⁰ And he shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm.

— and he (impersonal subject; his hand, his teeth), that is, every man, shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry, like a beast snapping in every direction; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm, the members of his own family and tribe:

— the Targum says, “he shall spoil on the south, and still be hungry; and he shall destroy on the north, and not be satisfied.”

— Q, just curious, could this Targum version refers to the killings from the South to the North as in Ezekiel 20:45 to 21:5? For more, see the enemy from the South, see A Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

²¹ Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

— Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh, in a form of deep hatred or civil war in which every man’s hand would be turned against his neighbor;

— and they together shall be against Judah, for the hatred which obtained between Israel and Judah continued in the nation even as late as the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, when their murderous selfishness reached its climax. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still; for if sinners will not heed His warning here in time, his destruction will be upon them throughout eternity;

— which is to be understood of their quarrels, contentions, and wars among themselves, whereby they bit, devoured, and consumed each other, though they were brethren; which explains and confirms what is before said, of no man sparing his brother, and everyone eating the flesh of his own arm;

— the Septuagint says “for Manasses shall eat the flesh of Ephraim, and Ephraim the flesh of Manasses” — the Targum paraphrases the words, thus, “those of the house of Manasseh with those of the house of Ephraim shall be joined together as one, to come against them of the house of Judah.”

^{Isaiah 10}

¹ “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed — woe to those that decree unrighteously; against lawgivers and judges; and political rulers, such as a letter is a deal against foreign governments on tariffs of goods coming to the United States;

— in tyrannical legislation, laws which were not agreeable to the law of God, nor right reason; and were injurious to the persons and their properties; and that write grievousness which they have prescribed, making and enforcing laws which bring unbearable oppressions to the poor;

² to turn aside the needy from judgement and to take away the right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

— to turn aside the needy, that is, to deprive them of their rights, of the justice due them, were harassed with such long, vexatious and expensive suits; and to take away the right from the poor, willfully and maliciously taking it from the poor or the oppressed;

— that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless, the tyrants making themselves possessors of the property of the defenseless. They have reached the very heights of oppression and injustice.

³ And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory?

— and what will ye do in the day of visitation, when God will bring justice upon them, and in the desolation, the sudden storm, crash and collapse; and so the Targum says, “what will ye do in the day that your sins shall be visited upon you?”

— which shall come from far? It is here hinted that God would send the enemy who should avenge the poor by destroying their oppressors from a far country. To whom will ye flee for help? this being a reference to Israel’s custom of seeking help from foreign nations. And where will ye leave your glory? that is, the treasures, valuables which they had piled up in practicing injustice and in treading down the poor.

⁴ Without Me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain.” For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

— without me, nothing remains; are not my people, and do not hearken to me, but shall bow down as captives; either be bound and carried as captive, or else slain with the sword;

— for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still, for it is impossible to escape the punishment of the Lord when once he sets out to pronounce his judgement on the wrongs committed against the poor and defenseless.

⁵ “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the staff in their hand is Mine indignation!

— O Assyrian, the rod of God’s anger, because they were made use by God as an instrument to chastise and correct Israel for their sins; and the staff in their hand is mine indignation,

— literally, “Woe to Asshur (which is) the rod of my wrath, and the staff, that in their hand, mine indignation.” The Lord here pronounces a woe upon Assyria; for whereas he wanted to use this nation merely as his instrument in punishing Israel.

⁶ I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

— God will send the Assyrian against Israel, an hypocritical nation, a nation corrupt and wicked, and against the people of his wrath will God give the Assyrian a charge, bidding them to smite Israel for her sins;

— to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets, destroy their power, render them utterly helpless, to punish the disobedient;

— Q. if this is prophetic, who then are the Assyrians to punish Israel? Are they the Germans? If so, how would this play out? If not, then who else are the Assyrians?

⁷ Yet he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

— howbeit he, that is, Assyria, that is, Assyria was driven only by the thought of conquest and destruction and therefore was guilty before God, even while carrying out His plans.

— another way of saying, the Assyrian purposes, intentions and thoughts were not as the Lord’s; they did not imagine that they were only the rod of God’s anger and the staff of his indignation, an instrument of his wrath.

⁸ For he saith, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings?

— for he asked, Are not my princes and commanders altogether kings? Assyria was a world-power, and even its provinces had the extent and the might of kingdoms, so that their governors could well rank with kings.

⁹ Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

— is not Calno, a large city on the Tigris, as Carchemish, an important commercial center on an island in the Euphrates? Rashi: “as the children of Carchemish are princes and rulers, so are the children of Calno;”

— is not Ramath, an important city and formerly a capital on the Orontes, as Arpad, a city in Syria proper? Is not Samaria as Damascus? Three pairs of cities are named in such a way that boasting Assyria emphasizes the great ease with which its conquests were made.

¹⁰ As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols and whose graven images excelled them of Jerusalem and of Samaria,

— as the hand of Assyria hath found Israel, the kingdoms of idols, conquering those upon whom the people of Israel and Judah looked down as idol-worshipers, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria, being more plentiful than they and therefore supposedly better able to defend their cities;

— from the Message Bible:

“Doom to Assyria, weapon of my anger. My wrath is a club in his hands! I send him against a godless nation, against the people I’m angry with. I command him to strip them clean, rob them blind, and then push their faces in the mud and leave them.

“But Assyria has another agenda; he has something else in mind. He’s out to destroy utterly, to stamp out as many nations as he can. Assyria says, ‘Aren’t my commanders all kings? Can’t they do whatever they like? Didn’t I destroy Calno as well as Carchemish? Hamath as well as Arpad? Level Samaria as I did Damascus?

I’ve eliminated kingdoms full of gods far more impressive than anything in Jerusalem and Samaria. So what’s to keep me from destroying Jerusalem in the same way I destroyed Samaria and all her god-idols?’” Isaiah 10:10 MSG

¹¹ shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?’”

— as God had done the sacking of Samaria and her idols, should he do so to Jerusalem and hers? The God of Jerusalem, would no more be able to protect this city titan the gods of the other cities had succeeded in doing. Cf. Isaiah 36:18-20; Isaiah 37:11-13.

¹² Therefore it shall come to pass when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem: “I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks.

— after the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, God will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, the blasphemous pride which showed itself in his boasting, and the glory of his high looks, literally, “the haughtiness of the loftiness of his eyes,” the description showing the self-complacent nature of his assumed glory;

— the Targum says, “and it shall be, when the Lord hath finished to do all that he hath said in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem.”

¹³ For he saith, “‘By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; and I have removed the bounds of the people and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

— for the king of Assyria saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, ascribing his success entirely to his own ability; for I am prudent, always making use of proper understanding;

— and the king of Assyria continued his boasting: I have removed the bounds of the people, changing their boundaries to suit himself, and have robbed their treasures, taking at will everything that they had accumulated, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man, butting down those occupying thrones like a mighty hero or an angry steer.

¹⁴ And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people, and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.’”

— the king of Assyria continued: my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people, locating them with an experienced hand; and as one gathereth eggs that are left, forsaken by the mother bird,

— have I gathered all the earth, and there was none that moved the wing, in defense, or opened the mouth, or peeped, in terrified protest. All nations had bowed in dumb resignation under the hand of the mighty Assyrian, and for this he took all credit to himself. But the prophet counters with a reproof of bitter irony:

¹⁵ Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood!

— Isaiah asked: shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or Is the saw able to exalt itself over the one who wields it? It is just as foolish for a tool to boast over against the workman as for the king of Assyria to ascribe to himself all the might which he possesses only by divine permission;

— Isaiah continued: as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood, literally, “as if a staff should lift up” (that which is) “not wood,” that is, the person handling it.

— So it was utterly absurd for the king of Assyria, who, although unknown to himself, carried out God’s punishment upon Israel, to ascribe to himself the wisdom and power, the design and success of this campaign. The very evil in the world is used by God to serve his objects. Cf Genesis 50:20. The punishment upon Assyria is then pronounced:

¹⁶ Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among His fat ones leanness; and under His glory He shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

— therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness, consuming the mighty ones of Assyria, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire, to consume it in a moment, with a mighty crackling and hissing.

¹⁷ And the Light of Israel shall be for a fire and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day,

— and the Light of Israel, the Holy One of Israel himself, shall be for a fire and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day, the Assyrian nation being devoured in one great destruction,

¹⁸ and shall consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

— and shall consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field; the Assyrian army is compared to a “forest” the majesty of his leaders and the wealth of his merchants, both soul and body, in a complete destruction;

— the Targum says, “the glory of the multitude of his army, and their souls with their bodies, it shall consume.”

¹⁹ And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

— and the rest of the trees in his forest, the few that have survived the devastation of the fire, shall be few, that a child may write them, put down the number which he easily counted. Thus the Lord, even in the midst of his enemies, has some few whom he has chosen, who are saved in the general destruction which will come upon the unbelievers.

²⁰ And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again depend upon him that smote them, but shall stand upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

— and it shall come to pass in that day; here begins a prophecy relating to the house of Israel, concerning things that should befall them in the latter days, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, whom he has chosen from among the nations;

— shall no more again stay among the Assyrian who smote them, placing their confidence in Assyria, the nation to whom the kings of both Israel and Judah turned time and again, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, making him alone the full basis of their trust;

— the Targum say “they shall no more lean on the people whom they served; but they shall lean upon the Word of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.”

²¹ The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

— in the latter days, the remnant shall return, even the remnant of the full house of Jacob shall return to the true worship before the Almighty God.

²² For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return; the consuming decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

— for though thy people, Israel be as numerous as the sand of the sea, a countless multitude, yet only a remnant of them shall return, unfortunately only a remnant, the great mass being killed by the Sword coming from the South Ezekiel 20:45 to 21:5. For more, see the enemy from the South, see A Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

²³ For the Lord God of hosts shall cause a consuming, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

— for the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, that is, most are killed, even exterminated, “and that which is decreed,” in the midst of all the land;

— there is no escaping the wrath of the Lord when once he sets the machinery of destruction are in motion, when he begins to carry out judgement upon Israel and issuing his decree of punishment is merely a preliminary act and the beginning of his Kingdom.

²⁴ Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts: “O My people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian. He shall smite thee with a rod and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

— therefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, in a call full of reassuring comfort, O My people that dwellest in Zion, those that had fled to Jerusalem, dwelling in His merciful presence, be not afraid of the Assyrian, the oppressor typifying all the enemies of the children of Israel;

— he Assyrian shall smite thee with a rod and shall lift up his staff against thee, like an overseer of slaves, after the manner of Egypt, when the children of Israel were in the house of bondage and suffered severely from their oppressors.

²⁵ For yet a very little while and the indignation shall cease, and Mine anger in their destruction.”

— yet for a very little while, and the indignation ceases, God’s people being delivered from the enmity of the godless, and mine anger in their destruction, rather, “My wrath has the object to destroy them,” the enemies of his Chosen, to wear them down to nothing;

— the Targum says, “for yet a very little while, and the curses shall cease from you of the house of Jacob; and mine anger shall be upon the people that work iniquity, to destroy them” that is, the Assyrians.

²⁶ And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and as His rod was upon the sea, so shall He lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

— and the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for the Assyrians, according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb, when Gideon’s forces annihilated the army of the Midianites, Judges 7:25;

— and as his rod was upon the sea, namely, when Moses stretched out his hand over the Red Sea and parted it for the safe passage of the children of Israel, Exodus 14:26, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt, lifting Assyria up and dashing it to pieces as he destroyed the forces of Pharaoh.

²⁷ And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

— and it shall come to pass in the latter day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, the Lord himself taking away the oppression of Assyria, of all the enemies of the house of Jacob, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing, rather, on account of the fat;

— the picture is that of an ox who becomes so fat and strong in spite of the yoke laid upon him that he breaks the yoke on his neck to pieces. Thus God’s people is to overcome the world by strength from within. Thus the deliverance of his people is described as it begins in and with Immanuel, and as it is completed on the Last Day, the day of redemption.

²⁸ He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his baggage.

— the Assyrian and his army is to come to Aiath, hardly ten miles northeast of Jerusalem, he is passed to Migron, a hamlet still nearer to the capital; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages, leaving the baggage in order to move forward with greater speed.

²⁹ They are gone over the passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

— they are gone over the passage, a deep, rough ravine, now known as the Wady-es-Suweinit; they have taken up their lodging at Geba, rather, “Let Geba be our lodging!” halting only for the night; Ramah, the home of Samuel, is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled, its inhabitants forsaking their city in terror.

³⁰ Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

— lift up thy voice, crying in consternation over the impending calamity, O daughter of Gallim, the inhabitants of another village in the path of the Assyrian army; cause it to be heard unto Laish, the shrieks of terror echoing far and wide through the country. O poor Anathoth! only three-fourths of an hour distant from Jerusalem and therefore bound to suffer from the enemies.

³¹ Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. — Madmenah is removed, the people forsaking their homes; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

³² As yet shall he remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

— as yet shall the Assyrian army remain at Nob that day, a hill to the north of Jerusalem, overlooking the city, which the enemy would reach that very day;

— the Assyrian army shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem, all ready for the attack which would surely bring ruin to the capital;

— thus Assyria, typifying the army of the ungodly, the enemies of the Kingdom of God, is here pictured as going forward to the attack with an irresistible force, and the doom of the city, the City of Jerusalem, seems to be impending. But here the Lord interferes.

³³ Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

— behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror, cutting them down as branches are felled with an ax;

— and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled, all their plans being foiled at the very moment when they seemed to mature according to calculation.

³⁴ And He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

— the Assyrian army is compared to the forest of Lebanon; and he, the Lord in his avenging wrath, shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, with a sharp instrument of destruction, and Lebanon, the name under which all the hostile forces are comprehended;

— the Assyrian army shall fall by a Mighty One, by him who possesses the majesty of the almighty and eternal God, who is both the Defender and the Deliverer of his Kingdom.

Posted in Isaiah

In general, Isaiah’s prophecy and warning message are for “the house of Israel and the men of Judah.”

God had planted the vineyard indeed which was composed of Israel and Judah; now he would remove all the protection from his people and cause them to be overrun and be destroyed.

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

“In latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means as a whole, we wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until we’re living in the latter days; after God had executed his judgement in anger and performed the thoughts of his heart!

Isaiah 7

¹ And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. — Ahaz was the twelfth king of Judah, reigning from approximately 732 to 716 BC;

— and it came to pass in the days of Alias, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, II Kings 15:37; II Kings 16:5-6; II Chronicles 28:5-6, that Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, who had formed an alliance, II Kings 15:37;

— and went up toward Jerusalem, but could not prevail against the house of Judah. According to the historical accounts this war took place within the years 731-719 BC with the preliminary advantage entirely on the side of the northern allies;

— for Rezin took the harbor of Elath on the Elanitic Gulf, and Pekah gained a victory over a large army of Judah. Nevertheless, Jerusalem was not taken, likely because the allies did not even find occasion to lay siege to Jerusalem; their plans were overthrown.

² And it was told the house of David, saying, “Syria is confederate with Ephraim.” And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

— and it was told the house of Judah, the reigning monarch of that line, in this case Ahaz, the princes of the blood, his court and counsellors; saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim, the ten tribes; depending upon the northern kingdom as a faithful ally, its armies having joined Israel’s forces to strengthen them, or being supported by them.

— and the king’s heart was moved together with the heart of his people, both King Ahaz and all the people of Judah being frightened by the invasion, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind, their terror being intensified by their feeling of fear.

— Q: would such fear strike the modern states of Judah and the house of Israel today?

“And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from afar, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly

²⁷ “None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;

²⁸ “whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind” Isaiah 5:26-28

³ Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, “Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shearjashub [that is, The remnant shall return], thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the Fuller’s Field,

— then the Lord said unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Alias, thou and Shear-jashub (“A remnant returns”), thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, one of the reservoirs where the water of the city was stored, Isaiah 36:2,

— in the highway of the fuller’s field, which was also situated west of the city, near the pool, this highway apparently being the main caravan road leading from Jerusalem to Joppa;

⁴ and say unto him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet. Fear not, neither be fainthearted at the two tails of these smoking firebrands — at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

— and say unto Ahaz, who was probably engaged in having the fortifications strengthened, Take heed and be quiet, perfectly unconcerned and without worry;

— fear not, neither be faint-hearted, literally, “and thy heart, not be soft with despondency,” for the two tails of these smoking fire-brands, burned-out and quenched stumps of torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, with his whole great army, and of the son of Remaliah, as Pekah, king of Israel, is contemptuously called.

⁵ Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, — a civil war, Ephraim and his confederate against Judah!

— because Syria, or Aram, with its confederates, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, the northern kingdom and its ruler, have taken evil counsel against the house of Judah, saying,

⁶ “Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel,”

— let “a confederation of Syria with Ephraim” go up against Judah and throw it into consternation, fill it with terror, and let the Syria/Ephraim alliance make a breach therein, take the capital, and set the king of Judah in the midst of the battle; for such was the plan of the alliance:

⁷ thus saith the Lord God: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

— thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, that is, that counsel shall not come to pass, since God himself had decided to hinder it.

⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.

— for the head of Syria, its capital and metropolis, is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within sixty-five years, Ephraim, the northern kingdom, shall be broken, be rubble, nothing left of it; that it would cease to exist as a nation;

⁹ And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.’”

— and the head of Ephraim, its capital and chief city of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. The meaning of this somewhat enigmatic saying is evidently this, that both Syria and the kingdom of Israel would be confined to the territory now occupied by them, since their schemes of conquest would fail;

— moreover, Ephraim would be destroyed within the next sixty-five years, Shalmanezer of Assyria taking the majority of his people into exile in the year 722 BC and the downfall of the country being completed with the settling of the captives, about 675 BC II Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2

— if ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established, that is, if Judah, both its king and its people, would not firmly cling to God’s Word and promise, they would also cease to exist, too; they would be destroyed.

¹⁰ Moreover the Lord spoke again unto Ahaz, saying,

— moreover, the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, spoke again unto Ahaz, the twelfth king of Judah, since he had already made arrangements to get the assistance of Assyria, saying, in an earnest endeavor to have him place his trust in the help of the Lord,

¹¹ “Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

— ask thee a sign of the Lord, thy God, this offer to perform a miracle being intended to confirm the promise just made; ask it either in the depth, in the underworld, in hell, or in the height above; ask for the moon (MSG);

— the Targum says, “ask that a miracle may be done for thee upon earth, or that a sign may be shown thee in heaven” the Lord permitted Ahaz to attach his faith to a condition named by himself, so that every excuse of unbelief would be taken from him.

¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.”

— but Ahaz, a bad king of Judah, rejected the offer of God the Almighty with a hypocritical pretext of not tempting the Lord; but trusting in an earthly ally; this was the very climax of obduration.

¹³ And Isaiah said, “Hear ye now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

— is it a small thing for you, Ahaz, of the house of David, to weary men, or a prophet, but will ye weary my God also? so that he also becomes filled with weariness and turns from the reprobate people in disgust and delivers them into the destruction they so deliberately sought.

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

— in a significant revelation of his almighty power, the Lord himself shall give him a sign, cause a miracle which would have abiding significance. Behold, an exclamation calling attention to the extraordinary prophecy now following, a virgin, literally, “the virgin,” that certain virgin whom the Lord had even now selected for this purpose;

— not merely an unwed woman of marriageable age as the Masoretic text says Isaiah 7:14; but an undefiled maiden, Matthew 1:23-25;

— the Septuagint says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel.”

— and is reaffirmed in the Targum which says, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and she shall call His name Immanuel.”

— such denial of Yeshua being the Appointed One as the Messiah is an example of the lying pen of the scribes: Jeremiah 8:8: Even such esteemed site like the Sefaria also try to participate in the lying scheme.

“How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.’” Jeremiah 8:8

“‘How can you say, “We know the score.
    We’re the proud owners of God’s revelation”?
Look where it’s gotten you—stuck in illusion.
    Your religion experts have taken you for a ride!
Your know-it-alls will be unmasked,
    caught and shown up for what they are.
Look at them! They know everything but God’s Word.
    Do you call that “knowing”? Jeremiah 8:8-9 MSG

— shall conceive, without the carnal knowledge of man, and bear a son, the event being represented as happening now, in the everlasting present of the eternal God, and shall call His name Immanuel, which is correctly interpreted by Matthew as meaning, “God with us.”

— this name characterizes the person, the essence, and the work of the Messiah. The son of the virgin, conceived and born a true human being, yet without sin, is at the same time true, almighty, eternal God. It is the great mystery of godliness: God manifest in the flesh, the Messiah, the true Savior, Creator, Protector and Redeemer of all men;

— and finally, it is a sign of present deliverance to Judah from the confederacy of the two kings of Syria (representing the Gentiles) and Israel (representing the ten-tribes house of Israel); and of future safety, since it was not possible that this kingdom should cease to be one until the Messiah has come, who was and is to spring from Judah, and be of the house of David.

¹⁵ Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.

— butter, the thick curdled milk, which is a favorite in the region, and honey shall the Messiah eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good, such would be his food beginning with the age of discretion and throughout his life, partaking, as a true human being, of the food of a desolate country.

¹⁶ For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

— for before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, before he would reach the age of adolescence, the land that thou abhor shall be forsaken of both her kings, rather, “desolate will be the land, of the face of whose two kings thou hast a horror,” the judgement of the Lord having been carried out upon it;

— and from the Message Bible

^13-17 So Isaiah told him, “Then listen to this, government of David! It’s bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you’re making God tired. So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).

By the time the child is twelve years old, able to make moral decisions, the threat of war will be over. Relax, those two kings that have you so worried will be out of the picture. But also be warned: God will bring on you and your people and your government a judgment worse than anything since the time the kingdom split, when Ephraim left Judah. The king of Assyria is coming!” Isaiah 7:13-17 MSG

¹⁷ The Lord shall bring upon thee and upon thy people and upon thy father’s house days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah: even the king of Assyria.”

— the Lord shall bring upon thee; these words are directed to Ahaz to show that though he and his kingdom would be safe from the two kings that conspired against him,

— yet evils should come upon him from another quarter, even from the Assyrians he sent to for help, and in whom he trusted; in which the Lord himself would have a hand, and permit them in his providence, in order to chastise him for his unbelief, stubbornness and ingratitude in refusing the sign offered him;

— even the king of Assyria, this kingdom being introduced here as the representative of the great world powers which finally overthrew upon “thy father’s house” that is, Israel (and certain parts of Judah II Kings 18:13); but Judah was spared a hundred years over; and her disintegration began soon after with the captivity of Babylon and continued for centuries.

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

— and it shall come to pass in that day, at the time when he would send his judgement, first upon Israel then Judah; that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, the various canals of the Nile;

— and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria; that is, the Assyrian army, so called because the country abounded with bees; and because of the number of their armies, their military order and discipline, and their hurtful and mischievous nature;

— the Targum paraphrases the whole thus, “and it shall come at that time that the Lord shall call to a people, to bands of armies, of mighty men, who are numerous as flies, and shall bring them from the ends of the land of Egypt; and to mighty armies, who are powerful as bees, and shall bring them from the uttermost parts of the land of Assyria,”

— and with what swiftness and readiness those numerous and powerful armies should come; and the allusion is to the calling of bees out of their hives into the fields, and from thence into their hives again, by tinkling of brass, or by some musical sound, in one way or another.

¹⁹ And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns and upon all bushes.

— and they shall come and shall rest, all of them as a scourge to his people in the desolate valleys, rather, in the valleys of the declivities, and in the holes of the rocks, in the clefts of the mountains, and upon all thorns and upon all bushes, in all the rich meadow-lands, with the object of devouring and destroying everything in sight;

— the Targum of the whole verse is, “and they shall all of them come and dwell in the streets of the cities, and in the clefts of the rocks, and in all deserts full of thorn-hedges, and in all houses of praise,”

— the sense is, that they should be in all cities, towns, and villages, whether fortified or not, and in all houses of high and low, rich and poor, in cottages and in palaces; there would be no place free from them, nor any escaping out of their hands; all caught in a snare: Ezekiel 12:13, My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare

— and from the Message Bible

 That’s when God will whistle for the flies at the headwaters of Egypt’s Nile, and whistle for the bees in the land of Assyria. They’ll come and infest every nook and cranny of this country. There’ll be no getting away from them. Ezekiel 7:18-19 MSG

²⁰ In the same day shall the Lord shave with a hired razor (namely, by those beyond the river, by the king of Assyria) the head and the hair of the feet, and it shall also consume the beard.

— in the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, through an army which he placed in his service, to carry out his will, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard, the land being depopulated and the entire body of the nation destroyed by the heathen power summoned by the Lord;

— the Targum says, “in that time the Lord shall slay them as one is slain by a sharp sword, by clubs, and by saws, by those beyond the river, and by the king of Assyria; the king, and his army, and even his rulers, together shall he destroy.”

²¹ And it shall come to pass in that day that a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep;

— and it shall come to pass in that day that a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; this seems to denote both the scarcity of men and cattle, through the ravages of the army of the Chaldeans; that there should not be large herds and flocks, only a single cow, and two or three sheep; and yet men should be so few, and families so thin, that these would be sufficient to support them comfortably.

²² and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, that he shall eat butter, for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.

— and it shall come to pass for the abundance of milk that they shall give; the cow and the two sheep, having large pastures, and few cattle to feed upon them, those few would give such abundance of milk, that the owner of them would make butter of it, and live upon it, having no occasion to eat milk; and there being few or none to sell it to;

— he shall eat butter; for butter and honey, which was abundant in the wild state, shall everyone eat that is left in the land, signifying that though they would be few, they would enjoy a plenty of food as their small flocks and herds would furnish them with;

— the Targum interprets this of the righteous that shall be left in the land; but it is rather to be extended unto all, righteous and unrighteous;

— and from the Message Bible

 It will be a time when survivors will count themselves lucky to have a cow and a couple of sheep. At least they’ll have plenty of milk! Whoever’s left in the land will learn to make do with the simplest foods—curds, whey, and honey. Ezekiel 7:21-22 MSG

²³ And it shall come to pass in that day in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silverlings, that it shall be even for briers and thorns.

— and it shall come to pass in that day, at the time when God’s judgement would be carried out, that every place shall be, it shall even be for briers and thorns for want of persons to stock the ground and cultivate it.

²⁴ With arrows and with bows shall men come thither, because all the land shall become briers and thorns.

— with arrows and with bows shall men come thither, for fear of wild beasts, serpents, and scorpions to hunt wild beasts in the former orchards, because all the land shall become briers and thorns;

— Q: is this a prophecy or an historic account? Seems like it is a preamble to another prophecy since it was stated, “In latter days you will understand it fully!”

²⁵ And on all hills that shall be dug with the mattock, there shall not be a coming thither for fear of briers and thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen and for the treading of lesser cattle.

— and on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, which ordinarily were hoed and cultivated, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns, that is, there shall be now no fences made of briers and thorns which deter cattle from entering into fields and vineyards thus fenced;

— but it shall be for the setting forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle; there being no fence of briers and thorns to keep them out, cattle both of the greater and lesser sort should get into the corn, and feed upon it, and make such places desolate, where much pains were taken to cultivate them;

— the Targum says, “it shall be for a place of lying down of oxen, and for a place of dwelling of flocks of sheep.”

— and from the Message Bible

But that’s not the end of it. This country that used to be covered with fine vineyards—thousands of them, worth millions!—will revert to a weed patch. Weeds and thorn bushes everywhere! Good for nothing except, perhaps, hunting rabbits.

Cattle and sheep will forage as best they can in the fields of weeds—but there won’t be a trace of all those fertile and well-tended gardens and fields. Ezekiel 7:23-25 MSG

Isaiah 8

¹ Moreover the Lord said unto me, “Take thee a great scroll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.”

— the Lord said unto Isaiah, ”Take thee a great roll,” evidently this is another prophecy, a large writing-tablet of the kind usually employed, and write in it with a pen, the stylus making impressions on the wax covering the tablet in such a way that the ordinary man could read the script;

— concerning Mahershalal-hash-baz (“Make speed to the spoil Hasten to the prey”); that is, “in hastening the prey, the spoiler hastens” perhaps it may be better rendered, “hasten to the spoil, hasten to the prey;” as if the words were spoken to the Assyrian monarch, to hasten to the spoil of Damascus and Samaria;

— the Targum says, “write upon it a clear writing;” that is, very plain, explicit and legible. “Hasten to seize the prey, and to take away the spoil.”

² And I took unto me faithful witnesses to attest: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

— and Isaiah took unto himself faithful witnesses to record concerning the spoiling of Syria and Israel; this the Lord himself choosing them through the prophet to be present and to testify to Isaiah’s preparing the tablet, Uriah, the priest, II Kings 16:10, and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah;

— these men could later, when the prophecy was fulfilled, vouch for the fact that Isaiah had written concerning the future. But in close connection with this event there was another.

³ And I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then said the Lord to me, “Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.

— and I went unto the prophetess, his own wife, so called not because she prophesied but because she was the wife of a prophet; and she conceived and bare a son;

— then said the Lord to Isaiah, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz, the same mysterious words which had been written on the tablet almost a year before, the word signifying either “Make speed to the spoil; Hasten to the prey,” or “The spoil hastens Robbery hastens forward.”

— nothing much is known about this prophetess and scholars are not in agreement concerning the role she played in Isaiah’s ministry. Some scholars believe that she was called a prophetess because she was married to the prophet Isaiah. Others believe that this mysterious woman was a prophet in her own right.

⁴ For before the child shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father,’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away to the king of Assyria.”

— for before the child shall have knowledge to cry, “My father,” and “My mother,” that is, before the passing of another year;

— the riches of Damascus (Syria) and the spoil of Samaria (Israel; II Kings 17:6) shall be taken away before Assyria, so that all their wealth would be borne as a trophy before their king. This happened about the year 739 BC; Syria being entirely overthrown, together with that part of the northern kingdom which was east of the Jordan and the beginning of Israel’s destruction.

⁵ The Lord spoke also unto me again, saying, — the Lord spoke to Isaiah again in a series of prophecies whose final object was rich comfort to the true believers in Judah, saying,

⁶ “Inasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son,

— forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah, the same with Siloam, the spring and tiny brook which sprang up at the foot of the Temple-mount and with another spring, the Gihon, fed the pool Siloam;

— that go softly, with none of the boisterousness of a large stream, such as the Euphrates, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son, the latter statement referring chiefly to the people of the northern kingdom with their trust in the strength of men and in the power of huge armies;

— the Targum paraphrases the words thus, “because this people loathed the kingdom of the house of David which ruled them quietly, as the waters of Shiloah which flow softly.”

⁷ now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels and go over all his banks.

— now, the Lord bringeth up upon the Euphrates, indicative of mighty kings, kingdoms, and armies to be signified by such torrential waters, for their multitude and strength; typical of an entire heathen power bent upon the destruction of Israel;

— strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his power; he shall come up over all his channels and go over all his banks, like a mighty river overflowing at the time of the spring freshets;

— the Targum says, “therefore behold the Lord shall bring and cause to ascend upon them, the army of the people, who are many as the waters of a river, strong and mighty, the king of Assyria, and his army; and he shall come up upon all his rivers and shall overflow all his banks.”

⁸ And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck. And the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.”

— and the king of Assyria shall pass through Judah, penetrating to its remotest ends; that is, to Jerusalem: the whole land is compared to a body, of which Jerusalem was the head;

— the Assyrian army, comparable to the waters of a great river, overflowed the whole land, took all the fenced cities of Judah, and came up even to Jerusalem, so that the whole was in great danger of being drowned and destroyed; threatening Judah’s very life;

— and stretching out of his wings, as the streams overflow the main channel of the river on either side, shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel, Judea, called Immanuel’s land, because the Messiah would be born there;

— thus the judgement would begin in Israel and progress southward to encompass Judah as well, threatening its existence. Therefore the end of the sentence is a call for help addressed to Immanuel, the Messiah, not to forsake his people, but to remember them in his redemption.

⁹ Associate yourselves, O ye people, yet ye shall be broken in pieces! And give ear, all ye of far countries. Gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces!

— associate yourselves, O ye people, both of Syria and Israel, whose two kings were confederate against Judah; but you shall be broken in pieces, for all enemies directing their attacks against the people of God will finally be destroyed.

¹⁰ Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us.

— take counsel together, against the Lord and against his people, Psalms 2:2, but it shall come to naught; speak the word, in discussing the attack, and it shall not stand.

¹¹ For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

— for the Lord spoke to Isaiah with a strong hand, literally, “while his hand became strong,” while his Spirit came upon the prophet with power, and instructed Isaiah that he should not walk in the way of this people, saying, namely, in warning the prophet and those who adhered to his people against the great mass of reprobates in Israel and Judah;

¹² “Say ye not, ‘A confederacy,’ to all those to whom this people shall say, ‘A confederacy’; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

— say ye not, “A confederacy,” to all them to whom this people shall say, “A confederacy,” but the prophet and his disciples should not be filled with apprehension on account of the conspiracy and confederation of Syria with the northern kingdom;

— neither fear ye their fear nor be afraid, let not the same fear possess you as does them, on account of Syria and Israel combining together against Judah; nor be afraid of their two kings as they were; since there was nothing to fear from them;

For another confederacy, see A Psalm 83 Prophecy

¹³ Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.

— sanctify the Lord of hosts, recognizing his greatness, giving him the honor and glory, and let him be your fear and let him be your dread, that is, the object of fear and dread; not of a servile fear and dread, but of a holy reverence and godly fear; in awe of him.

¹⁴ And He shall be for you a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. — reference to both houses of Israel;

— and the Lord of hosts shall be for a sanctuary, a safe, sheltering, holy asylum to all believers; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both houses of Israel, causing them to fall, for a gin, a trap set in the way, and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, namely, to those who do not truly fear him.

— although Isaiah 8:14 refers to “both houses of Israel” or the “two houses of Israel” it implies the two houses of Jacob, the full twelve tribes. But more often the names of the two houses are separated, namely the 10-tribes “house of Israel” and the 2-tribes “house of Judah.”

¹⁵ And many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken, and be snared and be taken.”

— and many among them, all those who persist in their enmity toward the Lord, shall stumble, by their own fault, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken; and so die in captivity for their sins and even to perish eternally. The allusion is to birds being taken in a snare or trap or with bird lime and therein or thereby held and detained.

¹⁶ Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

— gather and bind up the testimony, preserve the law for my followers, while I wait and hope for him;

¹⁷ And I will wait upon the Lord, who hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.

— and Isaiah will wait upon the Lord, the prophet calls out in cheerful confidence, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, by rejecting the great mass of unbelievers among the people, and Isaiah will look for him.

¹⁸ Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwelleth in Mount Zion.

— behold, the Messiah and the children whom the Lord hath given him, all those who have accepted the God of Israel in true faith, who belong to the elect of the Lord, are for signs and for wonders in Israel, placed before the eyes of all men of the whole world, as a remarkable evidence of God’s love;

— from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion; the Son and Mediator, Yeshua, through his Word, as proclaimed by the mouth of his servants, gains those whom the Father has given him and will, on the Last Day, present this entire host to the Father in the Temple of heaven. Cf Hebrews 2:13.

¹⁹ And when they shall say unto you, “Seek unto those who have familiar spirits and wizards, who peep and who mutter,” should not a people seek unto their God? For the living, to the dead?

— and when the unbelievers shall say unto you, in endeavoring to coax the faithful away from the truth of the revealed Word, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, those asserting that they possess the ability of interviewing departed souls;

— and unto wizards that peep and that mutter, that is, to those given to sorcery and the magic world, said of the murmuring noises made in imitation of the shades in the realm of death and of the whispering of magical formulas which they claimed to have received from disembodied spirits, just as the modern tribe of spiritists does: shall not be God’s people;

— so the Lord asks, seek unto their God? turning to him for counsel and assistance in every emergency in life, for the living to the dead? How can men be so foolish as to seek help from the dead? as spiritists insist that they are quoting the spirits of the departed. Over against this blasphemous foolishness the Lord places his urgent summons.

²⁰ To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

— to the Law and to the testimony! Turn to the Word and the promises of the Lord alone; search the Scriptures, trust in his Message, in the glorious assurance of salvation contained therein; make the clear exposition of his Word the one guide of their lives!

— if they, the unbelieving majority, speak not according to this word, if they do not join in this call and invitation nor heed its summons, it is because there is no light in them, of the punishment that should be inflicted on them for their neglect of the prophecies of the Old Testament and their rejection of truth given to them.

²¹ And they shall pass through it sorely beset and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves and curse their king and their God, and look upward;

— and they, the unbelievers, shall pass through it, walking about blindly in the land, hardly bestead, oppressed both from within and without, and hungry, being hungry often; in the very depths of misery because they couldn’t find the answer;

— and it shall come to pass that when these unbelievers shall be hungry, in the midst of tribulation besetting them on every hand, they shall fret themselves, be filled with a helpless rage, blaspheming the law, the Lord and his Son, who is the King of Israel, and God manifest in the flesh; whom the unbelieving pretenders called accursed and blasphemed.

²² and they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish, and they shall be driven to darkness.

— and those people in distress, upwards and downwards, they shall look unto the earth, seeking alleviation and deliverance from their affliction, and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish, adversity and miseries of all kinds, not a ray of relief and salvation penetrating the night of their suffering;

— and these unbelievers shall be driven to darkness, cast out into utter darkness. Such is the punishment of God upon the wicked, upon those who reject the law or the Messiah, even here on earth; how much more terrible, then, will the condemnation of eternity be into which the present punishment will merge!

— and here from the Message Bible

When people tell you, “Try out the fortunetellers.
    Consult the spiritualists.
Why not tap into the spirit-world,
    get in touch with the dead?”
Tell them, “No, we’re going to study the Scriptures.”
    People who try the other ways get nowhere—a dead end!
Frustrated and famished,
    they try one thing after another.
When nothing works out they get angry,
    cursing first this god and then that one,
Looking this way and that,
    up, down, and sideways—and seeing nothing,
A blank wall, an empty hole.
    They end up in the dark with nothing. Isaiah 8:19-22 MSG

Posted in Isaiah

In general, Isaiah’s prophecy and warning message are for “the men of Judah and the house of Israel.” God had planted the vineyard indeed which was composed of Israel and Judah; now he would remove all the protection from his people and cause them to be overrun and be destroyed:

“I will take away the hedge thereof, and it [the vineyard] shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down.” Isaiah 5:5

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Isaiah responded to his call, saying, “Here I am; send me” (Isaiah 6:8); we learn from here that this was the beginning of his mission, and this prophecy was written later.

Hence understanding the timing of the message of the wordings in Isaiah are more subjective than either the books of Ezekiel or Revelation.

For understanding who the modern tribes of Judah and Joseph are, the best book to have expounded this subject is “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by JH Allen (1847-1930).

For a study for each of the Lost Ten Tribes: Who are the posterity of biblical Jacob?

Within the house of Joseph, who are Ephraim and Manasseh:

For detailed studies, see (1) The Birthrights (2) Ephraim and Manasseh (3) Ephraim as the Thirteenth Tribe (4) Who is this lying Ephraim? (5) The Ox with horns of a Unicorn

Isaiah 5

¹ Now will I sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard: my Well-beloved hath a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.

— now will Prophet Isaiah sing to his well-beloved a song of his God the Father, singing to the Lord of hosts, expressing his thoughts of the Lord with all his heart and soul,

— touching his vineyard, that of his Kingdom at the time of the prophet. His well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill, literally, “on the horn, or summit,” the vineyard being situated on a hill and having the most fertile soil;

— the Targum, whose origin in the Aramaic language could be traced to Ezra, paraphrases the words thus,

“The prophet said, Now I will sing to Israel, who is like unto a vineyard, the seed of Abraham, my beloved, a song of my beloved, concerning his vineyard. My people, my beloved Israel, I gave to them an inheritance in a high mountain, in a fat land.” Isaiah 5:1 Jonathan

² And He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine; and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine press therein. And He looked for it to bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

— and he fenced it, rather, spaded or hoed it thoroughly, and gathered out the stones thereof, which hindered the proper cultivation of the ground, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, this being interpreted as a watchtower; but the Targum says, “and I built my sanctuary in the midst of them:”

— and also made a winepress therein, the lower trough into which the grape-juice flowed from the winepress proper; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, the fruit of the excellent vine which he had planted there, but it brought forth wild grapes: bad grapes; corrupt, rotten, stinking ones, the sour product of the wild vine or of a similar plant;

— that is, God had planted the vineyard indeed which was composed of Israel and Judah; he would now remove all of the protection from his people and cause them to be overrun and be destroyed.

³ “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah: Judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard.

— and now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, to whom the prophet is specifically addressing himself, appealing to them to be judges in this difficult situation: Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard, making their decision on the basis of the evidences presented to them, which were visible to even the casual onlooker.

⁴ What could have been done more to My vineyard than I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for it to bring forth good grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

— what could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done? The Targum asks, “what good have I said to do more to my people, which I have not done to them? and what is this I have said, that they should do good works, but they have done evil works?”

— wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes? Surely if the Lord now abandoned this vineyard, the people themselves must admit that they had fully deserved such treatment, that they had but themselves to blame for their destruction, as the Lord states.

⁵ “And now, I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down.

— and now God will tell us what he will do to his vineyard, the Judge himself announcing judgement and punishment which he had decided upon:

— God will take away the protection thereof, one of thorns and briers being the usual protection of vineyards of the nation, and it shall be eaten up, and break down the wall thereof, as a second means of keeping out criminals or invaders, and it shall be trodden down;

⁶ And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.”

— and God will lay the nation waste, for a complete ruin; it shall not be pruned, to remove the superfluous shoots, nor digged, to loosen the ground for the admission of air to the roots;

— but there shall come up briers and thorns, making the growth of vines of the right and welcome kind impossible; God will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it; hence the land would turn into a desert.

⁷ For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, His pleasant plant. And He looked for judgment, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry.

— for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is (1) the house of Israel and (2) the men of Judah, his pleasant plant, literally, “the plant of his pleasure” and he looked for justice and judgement would be executed in the land in all respects; that the people would do what is right and good;

— but behold oppression resulted, the infringement of rights by graft and other forms of corruption and wickedness; for righteousness, that is, an outward dealing according to the demands of a righteous conduct, but behold a cry, namely, that of the people who suffer wrong a for such oppression.

⁸ Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

— woe unto them that join house to house, the insatiable desire of men to own more and more is the direct and certain result of a gross materialism in the heart of men, in a greed for wealth which is never satisfied, that lay field to field, their covetousness causing them to add one piece of property to another;

— till there be no place, no room for any one else, that they, literally, “ye” for the prophet here turns directly to both houses of Israel and Judah, may be placed alone in the midst of the earth, thus violating the statutes both concerning the inheritance of real estate and the year of jubilee, Numbers 27:9-11; Leviticus 25:10-13.

⁹ In mine ears said the Lord of hosts: “In truth many houses shall be desolate, even the great and fair, without inhabitant.

— in mine ears said the Lord of hosts, the cry of the sins of covetousness and ambition before mentioned; the great Ruler of the universe himself making it known to his prophet,

— of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, the beautiful homes and castles of the rich, such as the houses of the king, of the princes, and nobles, judges, counsellors, without inhabitant, as a punishment upon their greed.

¹⁰ Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”

— yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one hath, for their fields shall be barren and unfruitful; and the seed of an homer, about eight bushels, shall yield an ephah;

— the Targum makes this barrenness to be the punishment of their sin, in not paying tithes paraphrasing the words thus, “for because of the sin of not giving tithes, the place of ten acres of vineyard shall produce one bath.”

Remember: the Targum is another source of the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us from the verses quoted.

¹¹ Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may pursue strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

— woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow, eagerly pursue, strong drink, a kind of brandy prepared from dates, apples, pomegranates, honey and barley;

— that continue until night, protracting their session of excessive indulgence until the cool of the evening and beyond, till wine inflames them, putting them into a condition where they are ready for all the works of darkness.

¹² And the harp and the viol, and the taboret and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of His hands.

— and the harp, or zither and the viol, a guitar-like instrument, the tabret, the tambourine and pipe, a kind of flute and wine are in their feasts, so that they lived jovially and merrily, of these their banquets consist, this is all they have in mind in planning and executing their drinking-bouts;

— but they regard not the work of the Lord; deaf to the message of God the Almighty, especially in the warnings of his prophets, neither consider the operation of his hands, in preparing the punishment of all unrighteousness and wickedness for all the guilty.

¹³ Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

— my people, as the Lord still affectionately calls them, are gone into captivity, the visitation of the Assyrian captivity for the house of Israel being pictured as already taken place, because they have no knowledge, or as some render it, “because they knew not the Lord” not only it caught them unaware but because they had hardened their hearts against all understanding;

— and their honorable men are famished, literally, “become starvelings,” people suffering hunger, and their multitude dried up with thirst, a vivid description of Israel as it was driven into exile. Such is ever the consequence when the greed and luxury-craving people of this world deliberately exclude the understanding of spiritual things from their hearts.

¹⁴ Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth beyond measure; and their glory and their multitude and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

— therefore hell, that is, the grave, to receive the dead who die from famine and thirst; signifying that the number of the dead would be so great, that the common burying places would not be sufficient to receive the great number of victims;

— and their glory, the splendor of their wickedness and their multitude and their pomp, the tumult and noise of their drunken shouting, and he that rejoiceth, those finding their enjoyment in the excesses of this world shall descend into it; then all the laughter and shouting of this world will be changed to cries of woe, weeping and gnashing of teeth.

¹⁵ And the lowly man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

— and the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, laid low in the dust, and be equal to the poor; for in the grave, princes and peasants are alike; men of every rank and station being included in the Lord’s condemnation, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled, so that they are no longer lifted up in pride.

¹⁶ But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgement, and God who is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

— but the Lord of hosts, the Father, he who exerts unlimited authority over the world and all its fortunes, shall be exalted in judgement, the very overthrow of the wicked redounding to his glory, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness, give evidence of his holiness in exercising justice upon the ungodly.

¹⁷ Then shall the lambs feed according to their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

— then shall the lambs; that is, the people of God, the disciples of Christ, as on their usual pasturage, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat, the nomad tribes of the desert again occupying the land which had been held by similar people in ancient days. Thus the land of Judea and Samaria would become a monument of God’s justice.

¹⁸ Woe unto them that draw along iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope;

— woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, their first excuses to themselves being like hair-strings, but their increasing callousness finally causing them boldly to draw their guilt to them as with heavy cords;

— and sin, as it were, with a cart-rope, they hitch it to them like draft-horses dragging a heavy wagon, laying themselves to the traces with all their might, utterly ignoring the thought of a day of vengeance;

— thus the Targum interprets it of such that begin with lesser sins, and increase to more ungodliness; paraphrasing it thus, “woe to them that begin to sin a little, and they go on and increase until that they are strong, and “their” sins “are” as a cart rope”

¹⁹ who say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it.”

— that say, Let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it, that is, the threatened retribution, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it!

— their blasphemous mockery will surely draw down upon them the punishment of the Lord. And so far as the mockers of our day are concerned, the time will come when they, overcome with terror at the revelation of God’s judgement upon them, will call upon the mountains to fall upon them and to the hills to cover them.

²⁰ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that count darkness as light, and light as darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

— woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, or that call evil men good, and good men evil; thus reversing all principles of true morality; that is, that excuse the one and reproach the other; that put darkness for light and light for darkness, particularly in palliating the wickedness of sin, in representing avarice, luxury, the lust of the flesh as harmless; and pervert the order which God hath appointed;

— it started with the ten tribes preferring the worship at Dan and Bethel, before that at Jerusalem; and today, they prefer worshipping

(a) Astarte, the queen of heaven; from whom Easter is derived; and

(b) the palm tree, Mithra, the Persian Sun-god now proliferates during Christmas; decorated with lights;

— in preference to God’s commandments in their celebration of the Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, which are dismissed as Jewish legalism (more at the end);

— that put bitter for sweet, by condemning the godly, the children of God as enemies of mankind, and sweet for bitter, by glossing over transgression and thus leading men into further destruction;

— the Targum has it this way:

Woe to them that say to the wicked who prosper in this world, Ye are good; and say to the meek, Ye are wicked. What, is it not so? When light cometh to the righteous, shall it not be dark with the wicked? And the words of the law shall be sweet to them that do them; but bitterness shall come to the wicked, and they shall know that in the end sin is bitter to them that commit it. Isaiah 5:20 Jonathan

²¹ Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

— woe unto them that are wise and arrogant in their self-conceit, prudent in their own sight, beyond the capacity of learning, their lack of humility causing them to reject all instruction that is brought to their notice, especially the message from the prophets of the Lord of hosts.

²² Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink,

— woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, champions of dissolute living, selling justice in order to obtain the means to indulge in the service of mammon and luxury;

— the Targum identifies the ‘them’ as the “mighty lords of riches” those who can afford to drink wine and strong drink; which carries the sense not to the strength of their bodies, but of their purses;

²³ who justify the wicked for a reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

— speaking of judges and civil magistrates, which justify the wicked for reward, openly seeking bribes and in fulfilling the promises made on the strength of such gifts, take away the righteousness of the righteous from him, deciding against him in court and thus frustrating the course of justice;

— Boeing and the DOJ agreed to a non-prosecution deal over fraud charges related to the 737 Max crashes; the deal-bribe is valued at more than $1.1 billion; thus shielding Boeing from a full criminal conviction.

— note that all the sins here are condemned with such harsh words are found in our day and age as in the days of Isaiah; one day everyone know that Jeffrey Epstein has a “client list,” another day the Justice Department and the FBI have established there was none and that Epstein has committed suicide!

²⁴ Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

— therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble; symbolism of Swift Judgment; and the flame consumeth the chaff, in a sudden and thorough destruction, so their root, the supposed firm hold of these transgressors, shall be as rottenness, moldy and decayed;

— and their blossom, their outward prosperous appearance, shall go up as dust, flying away like small particles, because they have cast away the Law of the Lord of hosts, in a deliberate, blasphemous rejection, and despised the Word of the Holy One in Israel as in Leviticus 23; cast away his commandment to celebrate the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

²⁵ Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people, and He hath stretched forth His hand against them, and hath smitten them; and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

— therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against the house of Jacob, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them and hath smitten them, the scene again being painted before the eyes of the people, in order to urge them to repentance;

— and the hills did tremble, under the blow delivered by the Almighty as from a mighty earthquake, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets, lying there as dung, even as it had happened before, II Chronicles 28:6. For all this, although the punishment of the Lord has repeatedly gone forth, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still;

— so great was the apostasy in Israel cerebrating Astarte and Mithra that the wrath of the Lord was not yet appeased, especially since the nation showed no signs of any repentance; it will be a shaking of every nation before the wrath of God’s Judgement.

²⁶ And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from afar, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly. — God Almighty himself to lift the ensign;

— and the Lord of hosts wouldn’t be talking to them anymore, but hiss at the house of Israel in delivering the last great blow, will lift up an ensign, a signal, a banner, to the nations from far (signifying perhaps China and Russia from the end of the earth), as a signal for them to attack and punish Israel;

— and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth, the figure being taken from the work of the bee-keeper, who coaxes the bees from their hives by a hissing sound; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly, most eager to carry out the Lord’s will upon the house of Israel, like Shalmaneser and Nebuchadnezzar did as the Lord’s horsewhips;

— and the Targum paraphrases it as, “and behold, a king with his army shall come swiftly, as light clouds.”

²⁷ None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken; — historically God describes Nebuchadnezzar as “my servant” three times: Jeremiah 25:9,27:6,43:10;

— none from the nations (not Nebuchadnezzar anymore, but perhaps China and Russia) shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep, neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, to retard their movements; they should make such haste, they should not stumble at any thing by the way, nor rush one against another,

— nor the latchet of their shoes be broken, all this being descriptive of their tireless activity, their unwearied zeal, and their readiness for battle;

²⁸ whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.

— whose missiles and drones are sharp and all their weaponry bent, ready to shoot their missiles upon any occasion ready to send those explosives to their mark;

— their weaponry shall be counted like flint, a most important attribute for a campaign of war carried to such distances, and their flights like a whirlwind, for their rolling resembled the sound of an advancing tempest;

— in Joshua 21:45 it says, “There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel. All came to pass;” and the Targum adds, “and their wheels swift, behold, like a whirlwind;”

— China’s missile system comprises the DF-17, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5 to provide the South China Sea with anti-aircraft ballistic missile coverage; others include the intermediate-range DF-26 ballistic missile, DF-31AG and DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles;

— Russia has the S-500 Missile System, the most advanced layer of Russia’s air and missile defense technology; built to surpass its predecessor, the S-400, this Russian S-500 system is designed to tackle a wide spectrum of threats ranging from stealth aircraft and cruise missiles to hypersonic weapons and even satellites in low Earth orbit.

— elsewhere, Judah is to be the bow and Ephraim the arrow, and together they are to be a weapon in the hand of the Almighty, Zechariah 9:13-14. “Judah is now my weapon, the bow I’ll pull, setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string” Zechariah 9:13 MSG

²⁹ Their roaring shall be like a lion; they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

— the roaring from the nations shall be voracious like a lion, a fearful battle-cry, they shall roar like young lions, eager for their prey, against those of the house of Israel;

— yea, they shall roar and lay hold of the prey, the house of Israel becoming an easy victim, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it, no one being strong enough to come to Israel’s aid in this emergency laid upon it by the Lord.

³⁰ And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow; and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

— and in that day the nations shall roar against the house of Jacob like the roaring of the sea, the surf breaking on the precipitous shore with a fearful thunder;

— and if one look unto the land, seeking a firm foothold, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof, literally, “darkness distress and light night in the clouds of heaven above,” that is, tribulation and relief would change off quickly in the fate of Israel;

— but the final result would be the blackest night, shutting out all light. That, in brief, is the outline of Israel’s history until the exile, not only the conquest of Nebuchadnezzar, but that of the Romans in the year 70 AD as well;

— and here from the Message Bible

That’s why God flamed out in anger against his people,
    reached out and knocked them down.
The mountains trembled
    as their dead bodies piled up in the streets.
But even after that, he was still angry,
    his fist still raised, ready to hit them again.
He raises a flag, signaling a distant nation,
    whistles for people at the ends of the earth.
And here they come—
    on the run!
None drag their feet, no one stumbles,
    no one sleeps or dawdles.
Shirts are on and pants buckled,
    every boot is spit-polished and tied.
Their arrows are sharp,
    bows strung,
The hooves of their horses shod,
    chariot wheels greased.
Roaring like a pride of lions,
    the full-throated roars of young lions,
They growl and seize their prey,
    dragging it off—no rescue for that one!
They’ll roar and roar and roar on that Day,
    like the roar of ocean billows.
Look as long and hard as you like at that land,
    you’ll see nothing but darkness and trouble.
Every light in the sky
    will be blacked out by the clouds. Isaiah 5:26-28 MSG

~~~

Parallel Scriptures in Malachi 2:

³ Behold, I will corrupt your seed and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

— even the dung of your solemn feasts, that of the excesses of such pagan feasts (1) Astarte, the queen of heaven; from whom Easter is derived; Jeremiah 7 and Jeremiah 44; (2) Mithra, the sun-god, the palm tree, now proliferates during Christmas; with decorated with lights, tinsel, red and green ribbon, poinsettias and other crowning glory; Jeremiah 10:3-5;

— (3) heavenly bodies, especially the Sun, hence professing Christians have shifted the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday by outlawing the keeping of the Sabbath. — thus saith the Lord: “Learn not the way of the heathens. . .” Jeremiah 10:2; His wrath and subsequent judgement of throwing dungs onto our faces is the central theme of Jeremiah’s message against idolatrous worship!

— and one shall take you away with it, treating them as though they were themselves dung, to be thrown out in disgraceful heaps; with the dung spread upon them; they looking like a heap of dung, being covered with it, and had in no more account than that;

— the Targum says, “I will make manifest the shame of your sins upon your faces; and will cause to cease the magnificence of your feasts.”

Isaiah 6

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.

— in the year 758 BC when King Uzziah died, that is, in the last year of this king’s successful reign, II Kings 15:1-7; II Chronicles 26, Isaiah saw the Lord, the Almighty, sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, the prophetic vision, not face to face, permitting the prophet to see the revelation of God,

— for God dwells in an inaccessible light, in a manner which uncovered the divine glory to his inner mind, and his train (the “train” is the skirts, borders or lower parts of the garments) filled the Temple, that is, his kingly robe with its majestic train, fitting emblem of divine glory, covered and filled the heavenly Sanctuary; the Targum says, “and the Temple was filled with the brightness of his glory.”

² Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

— above the Temple stood the seraphim, ministers of the Lord serving as guardians of the throne. Each one had six wings, in accordance with their nature as heavenly beings;

— with twain he covered his face, for even the seraphim cannot endure the sight of the essential holiness of God, and with twain he covered his feet, for even the angels, with a proper feeling of humility and modesty, prefer to keep their forms covered before the eyes of the Most Holy, and with twain he did fly, floating about the throne of the Lord.

³ And one cried unto another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

— and one cried unto another, in a wonderful antiphonal chorus, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, thrice holy not only on account of the supreme excellence of his essential holiness, but false shepherds had taken this opportunity to propagate the false Trinity doctrine of the Godhead;

— the whole earth is full of his glory, literally, “filling the whole earth is his glory” for all men on earth will see the revelation of his divine majesty, all his works, in creation, redemption, sanctification, will serve to magnify him as the supreme and only God;

— note a parallel Scripture in Revelation

And each of the four living beings had six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within; and they rested not day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!” Revelation 4:8

⁴ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

— and the posts of the door of the Temple, the foundations of the sills, or thresholds, the heavenly Temple with its portals down to the lowest foundation;

— moved at the voice of him that cried, the powerful sound of the entire chorus, and the Temple was filled with smoke, as from the incense of all the prayers of the saints, uniting with the angels above to give praise and adoration to the great Lord of heaven, Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3-4.

⁵ Then said I, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” — an admission of sins by Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am undone;”

— overcome with awe and terror at the tremendous impressiveness of the scene, Isaiah said, Woe is me! for I am undone, lost, threatened with death and destruction;

— because I am a man of unclean lips, the feeling of his own sinfulness coming over him all the more strongly in view of the perfect holiness which he had just seen, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, descendant and member of a generation of sinners;

— for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts, between whom and man is not only the gulf separating the Creator from his creatures, but the greater abyss between the holy God and the world of sinners. Cf Exodus 33:20.

⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. — then flew one of the seraphim unto Isaiah, having burning coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar, the altar of incense evidently being referred to;

⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth and said, “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.”

— and he laid it upon Isaiah’s mouth, he caused the glowing coal to come into contact with the prophet’s lips, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged (v5 above), which was abominable to God; a burden to him, and the cause of his distress; now all his iniquity atoned for;

— the act of the angel evidently had a symbolical meaning, first of all with reference to the atonement made in and through repentance carried out in accordance with God’s counsel; but the Lord also imparts special strength to him and fits him to be an instrument of his plan and inspiration.

⁸ Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then said I, “Here am I. Send me!”

— also Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, of the All-powerful, the great Ruler of the universe, asking, Whom shall I send? the call being for volunteers to proclaim the atonement set forth in the vision just vouchsafed the prophet;

— and who will go for us? Then Isaiah replied, ‘Here am I; send me.’ The prophet, in the spirit of voluntary service sought by the Lord, is ready to undertake the task.

⁹ And He said, “Go, and tell this people: “‘Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.’

— and God said, Go and tell your people, the house of Jacob, which he no longer refers his people, but as strangers, in the third person, Hear ye indeed, constantly within reach of the Word of God, but understand not; yet they perceive not.

¹⁰ Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed.”

— make the heart of the house of Jacob fat, insensitive to impressions for good, so that feeling, reason, and will become callous, cold or heartless, and make their ears heavy, the hearing of the mind becoming impaired beyond the possibility of understanding;

— and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, that is, be converted, and be healed. Note that the members or organs spoken of are given in inverted order in the second part of the sentence, to increase its impressiveness.

— it is the judicial hardening, the judgement of obduration, which is described here; it is not that God works obduration, but he surrenders the godless to their evil intent; he withdraws from their hearts with his spirit of understanding;

— this Isaiah passage of obduration is quoted in the NT

Therefore speak I to them in parables, because seeing, they see not, and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.

¹⁴ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, ‘By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.

¹⁵ For this people’s heart has waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.’ Matthew 13:13-15

¹¹ Then said I, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

— then Isaiah asked, Lord, how long? How long would this hardening continue?

— and the Lord answered, Until the cities (Detroit, Chicago, New York, London, Paris) be wasted, altogether desolate, without inhabitant, and the houses without man, without a protector, and the land be utterly desolate, literally, “made desolate a desert,”

¹² and the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

— and the Lord have removed the men from the house of Israel far away; not to nearby Babylon, but to the ends of the earth, into the most distant countries, by having them led away into captivity, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land; and be dispersed them among numerous nations of the world.

¹³ “But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return and shall be eaten, as a teil tree and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.”

— but yet in it shall be a tenth, a tithe, and it shall return and shall be a sacrifice, that is, it shall be burnt again; it was burnt a first time by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and his army, Jeremiah 52:13 and a second time by Titus Vespasian, to which this prophecy refers; “And if there is yet in it a tenth, it will once more become subject to devouring,”

— and as an oak, whose substance is in them, a mere stump being left, when they cast their leaves, when they are felled, so the holy seed of the house of Israel shall be the substance thereof, the stump or stem.

— thus the obduration upon Israel would continue until the last wrath would come upon Israel, resulting in its destruction; the “holy seed” understand the Messiah; and yet, after the trunk would be hewn down, the stump which remained would bring forth new shoots, a people, the Kingdom of God, consecrated to God.

And finally, after the Final Judgement, these are the true elect—all have the common traits of keeping God’s Commandments—that shall be saved:

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and he went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” Revelation 12:17

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” Revelation 14:12

“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” Revelation 22:14

Posted in Isaiah

The prophecy of Isaiah starts with the house of Judah and Jerusalem but soon it includes the house of Israel and many other nations.

In both the Chaldean and Roman times Jerusalem perished in the midst of terrible calamities as are prophesied with the curses in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28; and here it is re-enforcing those themes.

For understanding who the modern tribes of Judah and Joseph are, the best book to have expounded this subject is “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by JH Allen (1847-1930).

For a study for each of the Lost Ten Tribes: Who are the posterity of biblical Jacob?

Within the house of Joseph, who are Ephraim and Manasseh:

For detailed studies, see (1) The Birthrights (2) Ephraim and Manasseh (3) Ephraim as the Thirteenth Tribe (4) Who is this lying Ephraim? (5) The Ox with horns of a Unicorn

Isaiah 3

¹ For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole store of bread and the whole store of water,

— a famine is coming as the Lord takes away the whole store of bread and the whole store of water from Jerusalem and from Judah;

² the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the prudent and the ancient,

— also, the Lord takes away men fit to be generals of armies; removed by death before this time, including other staff: wise men, mighty men and honourable men;

³ the captain of fifty and the honorable man, and the counselor and the skilled artificer and the eloquent orator.

— again, more staff and counselors taken away; an eloquent orator is one skillful in enchanting serpents, even then these are taken away;

⁴ “And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

— and only given children and babes to be our leaders, commentators, newsreaders, etc; a reference to the incompetence, weakness and ignorance of the people that will be elevated to places of authority as the decline of Israel continues;

— one example is Donald Trump who never grew up! Another is Boris Johnson who behaves like a child:

“He deliberately misled the media and public over the allegations, his appalling insensitivity revealed by having all his lackeys give the same rather silly answer in response to all questions;”

“In the past week Boris Johnson has behaved like a child caught out by adults, avoiding retribution by treating it as a bit of a laugh until forced to admit that his behaviour was completely unacceptable;” again, speaking of Boris Johnson by an observer, Lesley Riddoch.

— and for the general public, children are so rare these days in developed countries, thus they all are behaving like princes and princesses that rule over us . . .

⁵ And the people shall be oppressed, everyone by another and everyone by his neighbour; the child shall behave himself proudly against the elder, and the base against the honorable.”

— the arrogant rejection of authority and the utter disregard of God’s law concerning respect for the aged; all respect for the God-given rights of others having vanished; the child shall behave himself proudly against the elders, without the slightest regard for his superiors,

— and the base against the honorable, not only by ignoring all distinction of rank, but by setting aside the government instituted by God. In other words, tyranny is followed by mob-rule, and this, is anarchy so that everything is in turmoil, every resemblance of respect and control has vanished;

⁶ When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, “Thou hast clothing; be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand,”

— one of the same kindred and family; or one of their brethren, not one that is most qualified, that might rule over them — nepotism and corruption — thou hast clothing, having saved at least a decent suit of clothes in the general overthrow, be thou our ruler and let this ruin;

⁷ in that day he shall swear, saying, “I will not be a healer, for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: Make me not a ruler of the people!”

— in that day shall he refuses to take responsibilities, calling out loudly in protest, I will not be an healer, in trying to save the wreck;

— make me not a ruler of the people; this shows that the state of the nation must be very bad indeed, that men, who are naturally ambitious of power and honour, should refuse government when offered to them; the Targum says, “I am not fit to be a head or governor.”

⁸ For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of His glory.

— for Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, outward and inward decay is evident, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, their apostasy and blasphemy have reached the limit, to provoke the eyes of his glory, the glorious appearance of his holy essence, for they challenge the wrath of the Lord by deliberately planning and executing evil.

⁹ The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

— for they have rewarded evil unto themselves, they are bound to bring punishment upon themselves. With a few strokes the prophet draws a picture of moral filth, which fills the reader with loathing of such depths of wickedness.

¹⁰ Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruits of their doings.

— say ye to the few righteous who could still be found in the midst of general decay, it shall be well with them; for they shall eat of the fruit of their good works.

¹¹ Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

— woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him, his will be a lamentable fate; for the reward of his hands, that which he earned by his evil deeds, shall be given him; the wicked and godless will have no one to blame but themselves when destruction rain upon them.

¹² As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them! O My people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

— children, incompetent and ruthless youngsters are their oppressors, and women, subject to whims and moods, rule over them; their the leaders becoming misleading, and destroy the way of thy paths, devouring it by their false, erroneous preaching, so that the way of divine truth is no longer available.

¹³ The Lord standeth up to plead and standeth to judge the people.

— the Lord stands up to plead, to judge the people and nations of the world, to convict them of their wickedness.

¹⁴ The Lord will enter into judgement with the elders of His people and the princes thereof: “For ye have eaten up the vineyard, and the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

— the Lord will enter into judgement with their elders and princes, who were supposed to be their leaders, whose guidance he had entrusted; but they have eaten the vineyard, crushing the Kingdom of God; the spoil of the poor, due to the persecution of their rulers.

¹⁵ What mean ye that ye beat My people to pieces and grind the faces of the poor?” saith the Lord God of hosts.

— ye beat my people to pieces, crushing them with the most severe tyranny, and grind the faces of the poor in trampling them under foot, saith the Lord God of hosts;

— that is a special sign of the time preceding the Last Days: oppression and persecution of the Kingdom of God and for this the Lord will punish the wicked in full measure.

¹⁶ Moreover the Lord saith: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet,

— the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with stretched-forth necks, proudly thrown back, and wanton eyes, winking in feigned innocence;

— but with hidden invitation, walking and mincing, with affected, tripping steps, as they go and making a tinkling with their feet, the ankle-chains, which brought about the mincing steps, also producing a delicate ringing,

— the Targum says

And the Lord said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and they are walking with stretched-forth necks, and they walk with their eyes painted, with their hair rolled up, and with their feet they excite lust. Isaiah 3:17 Jonathan

¹⁷ therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts.”

— the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, where long hair now is decorated handsomely, will be found nothing but loathsome uncleanness, and the Lord will discover their secret parts, exposing them to shame and disgrace before the whole world.

¹⁸ In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their hair nets and their round ornaments like the moon,

— the Targum renders it, “the ornament of the sandals”; these were put about the place where the shoes were tied; and in the Talmud the word is explained by קורדיקייה, “shoes” which the gloss interprets of wooden shoes: the ornament of their clothing; as if this was the general name for the particulars that follow:

— in the form of the moon; they were no other than bracelets, necklaces or golden chains and the word in the Talmud is rendered עונקייה, “chains.”

¹⁹ the chains and the bracelets and the spangled ornaments, — the chains, the ear-pendants and the bracelets or chains worn on wrist or arm and the mufflers, fluttering veils,

²⁰ the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands and the tablets and the earrings,

— the bonnets, turban-shaped diadems, and the ornaments of the legs, the step-chains connecting the ankle-bracelets, and the head-bands, beautiful girdles, and the tablets, perfume capsules, the favorite odor being musk and the earrings, small amulets with verses of magic,

²¹ the rings and nose jewels, — the rings on their finger and nose jewels; the same with the jewels on the forehead or nose,

²² the changeable suits of apparel and the mantles and the shawls and the crisping pins,

— the changeable suits of apparel, the finest street dresses and the mantles, roomy tunics with sleeves and the wimples, costly shawls, and the crisping pins, beautifully worked hand-bags or boxes,

²³ the mirrors and the fine linen, and the hoods and the veils. — looking glasses by which they dressed themselves,

²⁴ And it shall come to pass that instead of sweet smell there shall be stench; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of wellset hair, baldness; and instead of a sash, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.

— and it shall come to pass that instead of sweet smell, the delicate perfume of balsam, there shall be stink and instead of a girdle a rent, nothing but a rope to hold the garments together

²⁵ Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. — thy men shall fall by the sword, the defenders of Jerusalem a prey of war and thy mighty in the war.

²⁶ And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she, being desolate, shall sit upon the ground.

— and her gates where the chief men of the city were wont to discuss the welfare of the city, shall lament and mourn, because the seats of the men are empty; and she, the daughter of Zion, the city itself, being desolate, shall sit upon the ground, a picture of desolation.

Isaiah 4

¹ And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach.”

— and in that day, due to the fact that many men have fallen in battle, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel, not depending upon him for support;

— only let us be called by thy name, that they might be known as his wives, to take away our reproach, for it was considered a disgrace not to be married and bear children. Such are the scenes which preceded the fall of Jerusalem as in the days of Vespasian and Titus, and similar scenes will precede or during the endtime.

² In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for those who have escaped of Israel.

— the Targum identifies the Branch thus, “at that time shall the Messiah of the Lord be for joy and glory.”

³ And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy — even everyone who is written among the living in Jerusalem —

— and it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem, the elect of the Lord, shall be called holy, consecrated to the Lord and serving him in a holy life, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem, those who are appointed by God unto eternal life, Acts 13:48, whether they be of Jews or Gentiles

— and from the Message Bible

And that’s when God’s Branch will sprout green and lush. The produce of the country will give Israel’s survivors something to be proud of again.

Oh, they’ll hold their heads high! Everyone left behind in Zion, all the discards and rejects in Jerusalem, will be reclassified as “holy”—alive and therefore precious. 

God will give Zion’s women a good bath. He’ll scrub the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a firestorm of judgment. Isaiah 4:2-4 MSG

⁴ when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.

— when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, namely, the moral uncleanness and sinfulness which no amount of outward ornament can cover before his eyes;

— and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem, the outstanding acts of wickedness and guilt, from the midst thereof by the spirit of God rebuking the evil and destroying all wickedness by a thorough winnowing and sifting, for conversion is entirely and alone his work.

⁵ And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defense.

— and the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion and upon her assemblies, wherever there are congregations of believers, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night;

— for in every place of glory where believers are assembled in his name, shall be a defense, a covering, or canopy, of the Lord himself, as the King of kings, having his throne everywhere, where his glory shines forth;

— the Targum has it thus:

And the Lord will create upon every holy place of the mountain of Zion, and upon the place of the house of His Shekinah a cloud of glory; which shall be shadowing over it by day, and a thick cloud and a brightness as of flaming fire by night; because of the excellency of the glory which He has promised to bring upon it, the Shekinah shall be protecting it with a protection. Isaiah 4:5 Jonathan

⁶ And there shall be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain. — and there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, the Messiah himself dwelling in our midst;

— and for a place of refuge where anyone may hide in safety from storm and from rain; for the Messiah is the Protector of his Kingdom against the manifold dangers with which it is surrounded. In this way the Branch of the Lord serves for glory to his elect, and the believers cheerfully trust themselves to his keeping;

— the Targum has it thus:

And over Jerusalem shall be a tabernacle of clouds, to overshadow it by day from the scorching heat, and for a place of refuge from storm and from rain. Isaiah 4:6 Jonathan

Posted in Isaiah

Isaiah stands first of all the major prophets according to the Jewish chronology, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the twelve. Though the order of the prophets, Isaiah appeared during the reign of Hezekiah and therefore was well before Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Here, the order of the chapters in this book of Isaiah is no indication of the chronological order.

The Scriptures are often shrouded in cryptic languages; and as usual a prophecy of Isaiah will start with the house of Judah and Jerusalem then spread to the house of Israel and soon it includes many other nations surrounding the region. Our challenge is to de-encrypt them.

For understanding who the modern tribes of Judah and Joseph are, the best book to have expounded this subject is “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by JH Allen (1847-1930).

For a study for each of the Lost Ten Tribes: Who are the posterity of biblical Jacob?

Further, you may like to know who Ephraim and Manasseh are:

For detailed studies, see (1) The Birthrights (2) Ephraim and Manasseh (3) Ephraim as the Thirteenth Tribe (4) Who is this lying Ephraim? (5) The Ox with horns of a Unicorn

Isaiah 1

¹ The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. — Rabbi Rashi: we have a tradition from our ancestors that Amoz and Amaziah, king of Judah, were brothers;

— we learn from Isaiah 6:8 where Isaiah volunteered himself, and said, “Here I am; send me” that this should be the beginning of Isaiah’s mission, and this prophecy in chapter 1 and others were written later. Hence the order of the chapters is no indication of the chronological order in this book of Isaiah;

— but, generally, the whole prophecy of Isaiah starts with Judah and Jerusalem and soon it includes many prophecies concerning the house of Israel and many other nations and cities;

— the days of Uzziah . . . and Hezekiah, kings of Judah; this occurred from 740 BC to 686 BC; and perhaps he had delivered his warning message to the northern house of Israel;

— Q: is Isaiah the son of Amoz born of the northern house of Israel; or of the southern house of Judah? his interaction was mostly with Hezekiah and other kings of Judah; hence most commentators assumed he was from Judah.

² Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord hath spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. — God have nourished and brought up the children of Israel; “my people, the house of Israel, whom I have called children,”

— and they have rebelled against their Lord and King; for the house of Israel were under God, who was their Father, also their King, and they rebelled against him by breaking his laws, which rebellion is aggravated by its being not only of subjects against their King, but of children against their father; the law concerning a rebellious son, Deuteronomy 21:18;

— the Targum has it this:

Hear, O heavens, which trembled when I gave my law to my people, and give ear, O earth, which was agitated on account of my words, for the Lord has spoken. My people, the house of Israel, whom I called sons, I loved them, I made them glorious; but they have rebelled against my Word. Isaiah 2:2 Jonathan

³ The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.”

— the ox knoweth his owner, knows his voice when he calls him; and follows him where he leads him, whether to plough in the field or feed in the meadows;

— and the ass his masters crib, or “manger” where he is fed and to which he goes when he wants food and at the usual times; but the house of Israel doth not know his Maker and Owner, his King, Lord, and Master, his Father;

— the different words used to describe the sins of Israel are rebellion (Isaiah 1:2), ignorance, lack of consideration (Isaiah 1:3), sin, iniquity, evil-doing, corruption, forsaking God, estrangement from God, backsliding (Isaiah 1:4), revolt, transgression, disobedience, sickness, (Isaiah 1:5) and unsoundness (Isaiah 1:6).

⁴ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they have gone away backward.

— a seed of evil doers; this is said both of their fathers and of themselves; they were planted the right seed but they had degenerated, becoming a wicked generation;

— they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger; by their numerous sins, both of omission and commission;

— as a result the wounds and bruises of Israel mentioned here should not be viewed as resulting from the hostile attacks of her enemies but as the result of the stripes of punishment laid upon Israel by the hand of God.

⁵ Why should ye be stricken anymore? Ye will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

— ye revolt more and more or apostatize more and more; and grow more obdurate and resolute.

⁶ From the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

— from the sole of the foot even unto the head, every member of the body politic was afflicted in one way or another or sadly infected with the disease of sin; see Psalms 28:3;

— the Targum, whose origin in the Aramaic language could be traced to Ezra, says:

They do not consider so as to say, Wherefore has He smitten us? They continue in sin;’ they do not say, Why is all the head sick, and the whole heart faint?

From the lowest of my people even unto the chief of them, there is not one amongst them who is perfect in my fear: all of them are disobedient and rebellious; they are polluted with sins, they are like an ulcerous wound; they have not forsaken their pride, neither long for repentance; they have also no righteousness to protect them. Isaiah 1:5-6 Jonathan

⁷ Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

— this must be speaking of the endtime; and second, was applying the issues or strangers and migrants more to the house of Israel than to the house of Judah;

— if “your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire” then it is worthwhile to consider some other parallel Scriptures elsewhere; and one is found in Ezekiel:

So who are the strangers that will desolate the house of Israel, identified here as the United States? Many believe Russia was and some still believe it is the main threat of the United States. Others, like warmonger John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, give incredible speeches around the world saying China is the main enemy.

And Mearsheimer brilliantly emphasizes the United States are protected by fish to the left and fish to the right, but foolishly negates to address America’s broken border in the South; and that the Scriptures say that America’s main “enemy” comes from the unprotected and porous South:

Ezekiel 20:45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
⁴⁶ “Son of man, set thy face toward the South, and drop thy word toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the Southland.
⁴⁷ And say to the forest of the South: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree. The flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the South to the North shall be burned therein.
⁴⁸ And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’”
⁴⁹ Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Doth he not speak parables?’”
Ezekiel 21:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
² “Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;
³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My Sword out of his sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
⁴ Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My Sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the South to the North,
⁵ that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth My Sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.’ (Ezekiel 20:45-21:5)

“Prophesy against the land of Israel,” these Scriptures above are shrouded in cryptic languages and so the Qs are: how would such scenarios be played out? The current Russia/Ukraine and China/Taiwan arises are just two major distractions, but more importantly, who are these enemies the Prophet Ezekiel identifies coming from the SOUTH, and how would God says he will kindle a fire and “all the remnant of the people shall despoil thee?”

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

One Report by McKinsey says of the 60 millions Latinos in the US that had migrated from the South; they often live in ‘deserts’ where adequate housing, groceries are hard to find. “Nearly 9 in 10 of the Latino residents in such communities lived in five states: California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas.”

McKinsey: Latinos are projected to make up 22.4 percent of the US labor force by 2030 and more than 30 percent by 2060 (Latinos population to 111.2 million by ’60); is this analysis wrong? If not, such projection would present a significant potential threat.

⁸ And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a shed in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

— this is speaking of the house of Judah, a much smaller house, compares to the 10-tribes house of Israel, just as a small cottage left in the vineyard as Isaiah saw it.

⁹ Unless the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

— some in the north from the house of Israel who had escaped the general desolation, came to the south of the house of Judah and found refuge and protection behind the walls of Jerusalem, which had yet to fall.

¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah:

— this is a warning of what they will be like if they continue with their rebellion and abominations as Sodom and Gomorrah; unless repented off, they would face the same fire and brimstone.

¹¹ “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?” saith the Lord. “I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs or of hegoats.

— more important is their altitude, their gratitude, their humanity, their repentance if any, which is well below expectation.

¹² When you come to appear before Me, who hath required this from your hand, to tread My courts? — the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem is the highest court which the Most High has set on this earth;

— and the tenets of the Sanhedrin in setting the calendar were ignored; king Jeroboam took the law upon himself and worshipped on the Feast days a month later;

— and he established Bethel and Dan as places to offer sacrifice, against God’s expressed will to be in Jerusalem;

— for his rebellion, Jeroboam was greatly punished: his dynasty would end badly. “His family was eventually wiped out,” and his kingdom split;

¹³ Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me. The new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

— Jeroboam’s new moon and sabbaths were an abomination to God; it was outright malicious and rebellious, hence God couldn’t endure and so send them, the house of Israel, off into captivity;

— these assemblies called were the holy convocations on the seventh day Sabbath, at the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, at the blowing of the Trumpets, on the day of Atonement and Tabernacles: Leviticus 23.

¹⁴ Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth; they are a trouble unto Me, I am weary of bearing them. — again, this new moon and their appointed feasts are repeated to show how God hates them;

— God was and is referring to the house of Israel; their appointed feasts a month late, and at Dan and Bethel, instead of in Jerusalem, where he ordains it to be the holy place;

— and they maliciously change the day of worship from Sabbaths to Sundays (more on this at the end).

¹⁵ And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.

— and even when they spread forth their hands in a gesture which is a caricature for prayer, God would hide his face from them, for they were full of rebellions, and their hands are full of violence and injustice before God.

¹⁶ Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes. Cease to do evil,

— put away the evil of their doings from before God; the exhortation is not barely to put away their doings, but the evil of them, and that not from themselves, but from the eyes of God, from the eyes of his justice.

— the US is rotting from within, plagued by innumerable domestic problems like no other nation:

deep, chronic political division and turmoil; crushing national debt; crumbling infrastructure; unaffordable health care; rampant homelessness; rampant gun violence and mass shootings; systemic racism (“I can’t breathe”); mass incarceration; opioid epidemic increasing poverty and food insecurity; declining public education.

¹⁷ learn to do well. Seek judgement, relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. — learn to do well, not just mere knowing, but the doing being emphasized;

— seek justice, doing that which is right, relieve the oppressed, aiding them in obtaining justice;

— plead for the orphans, widows and fatherless, and those deprived of any protection; in today’s world, it should include the homeless and the refugees.

¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,” saith the Lord. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

— though your sins be as scarlet, blood-red with guilt, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, the color apparently fast and fixed beyond the possibility of fading, they shall be as wool;

— though laden with guilt, God’s repentant people are not condemned to everlasting damnation, but are given and imputed to them perfect righteousness upon repentance.

¹⁹ If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; — being obedient to God’s commandments and not rebel against them, they would continue with the full enjoyment and blessings of the land.

²⁰ but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword”; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. — with God’s judgement, his wrath and vengeance, the sword shall be drawn against them;

— for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it; and he will surely make it good for the maintaining of his own honour.

²¹ How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of judgement; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.

— how is the faithful city become a harlot! the city of Jerusalem, in which were the Temple, and the pure worship of God, and was in the tribe of Judah, which ruled with God, and was very faithful;

— and probably speaking of Samaria, when the ten tribes revolted, and fell in with the sin of Jeroboam it became like a treacherous wife to her husband;

— and it could be prophetic like modern cities today: New York, Chicago, London, Paris; all are filled with murderous blood.

²² Thy silver has become dross, thy wine mixed with water. — thy silver is become dross:

— meaning either that such persons, who had the appearance of goodness, looked like genuine silver, were now reprobate as the wicked of the earth are like dross;

— thy wine, the leaders and nobles, mixed with water, that is, the judges and rulers of the city had turned from integrity and sincerity to moral impurity.

²³ Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loveth bribes, and followeth after rewards. They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

— thy princes are rebellious, obstinately opposing God and his covenant, and becoming companions of thieves, thinking only of ways and means to satisfy their greed;

— everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards;

— the Targum, whose origin in the Aramaic language could be traced to Ezra, paraphrases it, “everyone says to his neighbour, do me a favour in my cause, I will return ‘it’ to thee in thy cause;” and so justice is perverted.

²⁴ Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies.

— therefore, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel; all these names and titles, which are expressive of the majesty, power and authority, are to give greater solemnity and weight to what follows; and to show that he is able to accomplish what he determines and threatens to do;

— I will ease myself of adversaries, take vengeance on my enemies; thus God, speaking after the manner of men, represents himself as feeling satisfaction in executing justice upon obstinate and incorrigible offenders.

²⁵ And I will turn My hand against thee, and wholly purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.

— and I will turn my hand upon thee, namely, against Samaria, the faithless, sinful city that Jeroboam had established with the house of Israel; and take away all thy tin, the lead mixed with the precious metal, the ungodly in high and low places;

— and the northern house of Israel was carried away in stages during the time of Hezekiah when Isaiah was prophesying;

— and the house of Israel was forgotten, all the noise of the tin is gone, forgotten, until the endtime when God will restore them.

²⁶ I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning. Afterward thou shalt be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”

— this is flashing forward into the Millennium when the seventy judges of the Sanhedrin and other counsellors will be fully restored in Jerusalem;

— and building of the Ezekiel Jerusalem; and after the Millennium, the New Jerusalem.

²⁷ Zion shall be redeemed with judgement, and her converts with righteousness.

— Zion shall be redeemed through justice; since there will be people who practice the right kind of justice; and they shall be redeemed from their iniquities.

²⁸ And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

— and the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together; of the beast and false prophet, of the followers of antichrist, the man of sin, all are transgressors of the law of God; these sinners will all be consumed together.

²⁹ For ye shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

— for they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired; they will be brought to shame on account of the groves where they practiced idolatry and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen where idolatry and other vices held full sway.

³⁰ For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.

— for ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, dying for want of nourishment; and as a garden that hath no water, whose flowers and fruits are bound to die.

³¹ And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

— and the strong shall be as tow, that is, the well-to-do will be as a lamp-wick; and the maker of it as a spark, rather, his work as a spark, for the idol causes a consuming fire, which devours the idolaters themselves; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them;

— when the final Judgement comes and the fate of men has been decided, then the verdict of condemnation will strike the ungodly, and their worm will not die, neither will their fire be quenched, and they will be an abomination to all flesh.

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“Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth” (verse 14) or Your new months and your appointed feasts My soul hateth.

Your New Moons / New Months

— Months of the Year Names: January (derived from the Latin Januarius) is to honor their Roman gods Janus; and March, named for Mars, is the Roman mighty god of war; February is derived from the Februa festival or its eponymous februa (“purifications, expiatory offerings”); March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. April relates to what the Romans called the month Aprilis; from a word meaning “to open” and further back from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love. May – named for Maia, is the Roman goddess of spring and growth;

— June is a name attributed to Juno, the female mighty wife of Jupiter in Roman mythology. She is also called the “Queen of Heaven” and “Queen of Mighty Ones.” July is to honor Julius Caesar; the Roman Senate named it “Julius” in honor of Roman emperor Julius Caesar. August honor Julius Caesar’s successor, the emperor Augustus; and the months September, October, November, and December are archaic adjectives derived from the ordinal numbers 7 to 10;

Your Feast Days

Hosea 1:11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. — her feast days; to avoid themselves being “judaizing” these “Christians” adopt new understandings and practices:

(a) Christmas, which honor the Mithraism – a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice; and

(b) Easters, a celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; and

Today, to avoid “judaizing” in their faith, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honouring the Sun by observing Sunday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the SUN toward the east; whose Godly judgement is to be stoned to death – ’till they die.

Also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a Sunday; always on a Sunday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty Deuteronomy 17:3-5 – ’till they die!

Isaiah 2

Isaiah 2 is a forthcoming prophecy centered on the earth, during the Millennium, only those that are blind and misguided believe it would be in heaven!

¹ The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: — the Targum says, “the Prophecy of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which is Prophesied Concerning the Men of Judah.”

² And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.

— during the Millennium; when the Messiah commences his work at the top of the mountains; on a mountain but here on earth, that is the head of all the mountains, all nations shall stream into it; will gather and stream to it like rivers;

³ And many people shall go and say, “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

— and many people shall go and say, this is a prophecy of the numerous conversions among the nations in the latter day as also said in Zechariah 8:20;

— during the Millennium, he will teach us of his ways: that is, the Lord the God of Jacob; he is the teacher and there is none teaches like him; and happy are they who are taught by God;

— for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, not from heaven; by which is meant the law, not to be mistaken as faith, of the Messiah, Isaiah 42:4 for the law; called the “word of the Lord;”

— this began to be preached first in Jerusalem and from there it went forth into the world; and in Zion, in the Kingdom of God, it is now preached and will be more fully during the Millennium; and so is an encouraging reason to engage persons to go up and hear it.

⁴ And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

— and during the Millennium, and here on earth,  the God of Jacob shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people; stating his decisions, performing the functions as King and Judge in governing the people under his rule;

— for example, today we are honouring the host of heaven with a pagan-named week and a paganised monthly calendar; and more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honouring the Sun by observing Sunday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the SUN toward the east; whose Godly penalty is to be “cut off” to death (Deuteronomy 17:3-5) – ’till they die’;

— and they, under the influence of the Lord’s Spirits, shall beat their swords into plowshares, the broad knives fastened to the shaft of the plow by Oriental farmers, and their spears into pruning-hooks, that is, with which they prune their vineyards;

— nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more, for under the government of the Prince of Peace, there is nothing but peace, unity and love. It is a wonderful description of the Messianic kingdom and its beauties which is here given.

⁵ O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord. — O house of Jacob, the children of Israel, though specifically the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem being addressed above, it also includes the other 10 tribes of Israel.

⁶ For Thou hast forsaken Thy people, the house of Jacob, because they are replenished from the East, and are soothsayers like the Philistines; and they please themselves with the children of strangers.

— the house of Jacob are filled with divination from the east; the general meaning seems to be, that their land was full of idolatrous manners from eastern nations: the Ammonites, Chaldeans and Persians, and perhaps also they had encouraged these heathen to settle among them, that they might learn their customs.

⁷ Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots. — this heaping up of material wealth is contrary to divine inspiration.

⁸ Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.

— their land is also full of idols; of the goddess Semirami, later transformed into the Virgin Mary, and of saints departed, whose images are set up to be worshipped in all their churches and in private houses;

— which their own fingers have made: idols of gold, silver and brass; wood and stone.

⁹ And the lowly man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself; therefore forgive them not. — and the great man, the nobles and leaders among the people, humbleth himself, is humbled by God;

— therefore forgive them not; their sins of soothsaying, covetousness and idolatry; and such that worship the beast and his image shall not be forgiven, but drink of the wine of divine wrath and be tormented with fire for ever and ever.

¹⁰ Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty. — enter into the rock, as people hide before a cruel enemy, and hide themselves in rocks and caves of the earth in the wilderness;

— so for fear of the Lord, lest he should pour out his wrath and judgement upon them and be a consuming fire to them; for this is to be understood not of a filial reverence of God, but of a servile fear of punishment; and these words are sarcastically said, suggesting that rocks and mountains will be no protection or security for them.

¹¹ The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

— the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, every gesture indicating pride will be beaten down and the haughtiness of men shall be humbled like dust and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, standing secure in the perfection of His essence.

¹² For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up—and he shall be brought low”

— here “the day of the Lord” is the same as “the Lord’s day” in Revelation 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” – it is a period (or timeframe of a single day or of many years, depending on context as each case is different) a day of God’s Judgement!

— everyone that is proud and lofty and upon everyone that is lifted up, the day being, as it were, kept in reserve by the Lord, shall be brought low in the Day of Judgement.

¹³ and upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; — and upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, pictures and emblems of the proud sinners.

¹⁴ and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up; — high mountains and hills, to signify big countries and small ones; or to signify states and cities.

¹⁵ and upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; — high towers and fenced walls, those who excelled in ingenuity, wisdom and strength.

¹⁶ and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant sights. — those who excelled in shipping and merchandising, bringing beautiful works of art from far-away land, creating self-esteem and wealth.

¹⁷ And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,

— and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, since all the objects of man’s pride will be destroyed, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, the highest and most glorious in the majesty of His essence;

— also, those atheists or followers of antichrist, who have boasted of their wisdom and knowledge, of their number, power, greatness and authority, of their wealth and riches, and of their merits and works of supererogation; their pride will now be stained, and all their glory laid in the dust.

¹⁸ and the idols He shall utterly abolish. — literally, “they will be changed,” they will vanish away, their vanity will be apparent before all men.

¹⁹ And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

— and they, the idolaters, shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth, in cellars or cisterns dug into the ground, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth;

— or shake the earth terribly; up and down, down and up; and sideways; imagine how many will die with those rushing Fukushima waves!!!

²⁰ In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold (which he made each one for himself to worship) to the moles and to the bats,

— in that day, under the influence of a repentant spirit they could have come too late, a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made for himself to worship, to the moles (a species of rodents that dig into the earth) and to the bats, into the first convenient crevice, in an effort to rid himself of their incriminating presence;

²¹ to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

— to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, his terror driving him to seek safety anywhere and everywhere, for fear of the Lord, namely, dread of the inevitable punishment, and for the glory of his majesty,

— when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth, to spread terror throughout the world, for his wrath will find his enemies in the most remote corners and hiding-places of the earth;

— or shake the earth terribly, again; up and down, down and up; and sideways; imagine how many will die with those rushing Fukushima waves! Nar, it would be hundred times more terrifying than those Fukushima waves!!!

²² Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he? — cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils,

— all men are admonished not to place their trust in man, weak and powerless as he is in all that he undertakes, dependent upon a breath which quickly disappears;

— for wherein is he to be accounted of? All human props may and will be taken away in the twinkling of an eye. It is time to trust in the Lord and not to put confidence in man, especially in view of the soon coming Day of Judgement, or the Lord’s Day, or the Day of the Lord, which will show the vanity of man’s pride and of all his accomplishments.

Isaiah 2 is a prophecy seems on the surface identifying those that are passively being blind and misguided who are misled to believe they would be in heaven during the Millennium!

But God has more insight by proclaiming that their prophets are lying in his name and their hearts are actively being deceitful:

Then the Lord said unto me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them. They prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart. Jeremiah 14:14

And the father of lies is the devil John 8:44; and these false prophets are the posterity of their father the devil; and he was a murderer from the beginning.

Posted in Isaiah