Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose
glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat
valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
Isaiah 28:1; Isaiah 29:1; Isaiah 30:1; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 32:1;
Isaiah 33:1 form almost one continuous prophecy concerni... [ Continue Reading ]
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.
STRONG ONE - the Assyrian ().
(WHICH) AS A TEMPEST ... SHALL CAST DOWN TO THE EARTH - namely,
Ephraim (), and S... [ Continue Reading ]
The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under
feet:
THE CROWN OF PRIDE, THE DRUNKARDS - i:e., 'the proud crown of the
drunkards.'... [ Continue Reading ]
And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley,
shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty 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,
SHALL BE A... [ Continue Reading ]
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,
-The prophet now turns to Judah, a gracious promise to the remnant
("residue"); a warning lest through like sins Judah should share the
fate of Samaria.
Verse 5. IN THAT DAY S... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this
people which is in Jerusalem. YE SCORNFUL MEN - (note, Isaiah 28:9.)... [ Continue Reading ]
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with
hell are we at 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:
BECAUSE YE HAVE SAID - virtually, in your conduct,... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a
foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure
foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION FOR A FOUNDATION - literally, Behold me, as Him
who has laid-namely, in my divine counsels ... [ Continue Reading ]
Judgment 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.
JUDGMENT ALSO WILL I LAY TO THE LINE - the measuring- line of the
plummet. Horsley translates, 'I will appoint judgment for th... [ Continue Reading ]
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 ( wªkupar (H3722)) - obliterated, as letters traced on a
waxen tablet are obliterated by passing the... [ Continue Reading ]
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.
There were two self-deceiving notions of the scoffers:
(1) That the scourge would not come;
(2) That it would pass throu... [ Continue Reading ]
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 ... - proverbial for extreme straits. They
shall find all their sources of confidence fail them: all shall be
hopeless perplexity in their affai... [ Continue Reading ]
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.
PERAZIM - in the valley of Rephaim (2 Samuel 5:18; 2 Samuel 5:20; 1
Chronicles 14:11); there Yahweh, by David, brok... [ Continue Reading ]
Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for
I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined
upon the whole earth.
BE YE NOT MOCKERS - a sin which they had committed (Isaiah 28:9).
LEST YOUR BANDS BE MADE STRONG - their Assyrian bondage (). Judah... [ Continue Reading ]
Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
GIVE YE EAR, AND HEAR MY VOICE - calling attention to the following
illustration from husbandry (Psalms 49:1). As the farmer does his
different kinds of work, each in its right time and due proportion, so
God adapts His measures to the... [ Continue Reading ]
Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the
clods of his ground?
DOTH THE PLOWMAN PLOW ALL DAY TO SOW? - emphatic: he is not always
plowing; he also 'sows,' and that, too, in accordance with sure rules
().
DOTH HE OPEN AND BREAK THE CLODS OF HIS GROUND? - supply always. Is... [ Continue Reading ]
When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the
fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and
the appointed barley and the rie in their place?
WHEN HE HATH MADE PLAIN THE FACE THEREOF - the surface of the ground:
'made plain,' or level, by harrowing.... [ Continue Reading ]
For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
FOR HIS GOD DOTH INSTRUCT HIM TO DISCRETION - in the due rules of
husbandry. God first taught it to man ().... [ Continue Reading ]
For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither
is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are
beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
THE FITCHES ARE NOT THRESHED ... - the farmer uses the same
discretion in threshing. The dill ("fitches" ) a... [ Continue Reading ]
Bread corn is bruised; 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 - grain from which bread is made.
BRUISED - is threshed with the grain-drag (as contrasted with dill
and cummin, 'beaten with the staff'), or 't... [ Continue Reading ]
This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in
counsel, and excellent in working.
THIS ALSO ... The skill wherewith the farmer duly adjusts his modes
of threshing is given by God, as well as the skill () wherewith he
tills and sows (). Therefore He must also be able to adapt... [ Continue Reading ]