ISAIAH CHAPTER 5 Israel God's vineyard; his mercies, and their unfruitfulness; should be laid waste, ISAIAH 5:1. Judgments upon covetousness, ISAIAH 5:8; upon drunkards, and the lascivious, ISAIAH 5:11,12. The great misery of the Jews, ISAIAH 5:13. Judgments on impiety, scoffers at God's threatening... [ Continue Reading ]
FENCED IT, that neither men nor beasts might spoil it. GATHERED OUT THE STONES THEREOF; which otherwise would have marred the land; of which see 2 KINGS 3:19. The sense is, He removed all hinderances, and gave them all the means of fruitfulness. BUILT A TOWER, for the residence of the keepers, that... [ Continue Reading ]
I dare make you judges in your own cause, it is so plain and reasonable.... [ Continue Reading ]
What work is there belonging to the office of a master or keeper of the vineyard which I have neglected? How unworthy and inexcusable a crime is it, that you have not only been unfruitful in good works, but also filled with all the fruits of wickedness!... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I WILL DO TO MY VINEYARD; he graciously warns them beforehand, that they may have space and invitation to repent, and so to prevent the threatened miseries. I WILL TAKE AWAY THE HEDGE THEREOF, & c.; I will withdraw my presence and protection from them, and give them up into the... [ Continue Reading ]
IT SHALL NOT BE PRUNED NOR DIGGED: vine-dressers use to dig up and open the earth about the roots of the vines, for divers good purposes. The meaning is. I will remove my ministers, who used great care and diligence to make you fruitful. THERE SHALL COME BRIERS AND THORNS; I will give you up to your... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD OF HOSTS IS THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, AND THE MEN OF JUDAH HIS PLEASANT PLANT; in whom God formerly delighted to dwell and converse. Compare PROVERBS 8:31 JEREMIAH 31:20. _Behold the cry from the oppressed_, crying to men for help, and to God for vengeance.... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT JOIN HOUSE TO HOUSE, THAT LAY FIELD TO FIELD; that add new purchases of houses and lands to their former possessions; not that this was in itself unlawful, but because they did this from an inordinate and insatiable desire of riches, and with the injury of their brethren, as is manifest from th... [ Continue Reading ]
IN MINE EARS SAID THE LORD; I heard God speak what I now about to utter. Heb. _In the ears of the Lord_; may relate either, 1. To the foregoing words; The cry of your sins, and of the oppressed, as come into God's he hears and sees it, and will certainly punish it. 2. To the following clause, whic... [ Continue Reading ]
TEN ACRES OF VINEYARD SHALL YIELD ONE BATH, to wit, of wine. The bath contained about eight gallons. Thus an acre did yield one gallon. THE SEED OF AN HOMER SHALL YIELD AN EPHAH which was of the same quantity with the bath, only the bath was the measure of liquid things, the ephah of dry and an epha... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT RISE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING; which was unusual, and scandalous in that case, ECCLESIASTES 10:16 ACTS 2:15. They made drinking their daily trade and business. THAT CONTINUE UNTIL NIGHT; thereby wasting both precious time, and God's good creatures, and the health of their bodies, as well as of t... [ Continue Reading ]
They give up themselves wholly to luxury, and that in a very unseasonable time, as it follows. BUT THEY REGARD NOT THE WORK OF THE LORD; what God hath lately done, and is yet doing, and about to do among them; his grievous judgments, partly inflicted, and partly threatened, which required another co... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE GONE INTO CAPTIVITY; either, 1. Are actually gone, which was true of the ten tribes in Hezekiah's reign, 2 KINGS 18:9, under whom this prophecy might be uttered; or, 2. Shall certainly and shortly go, as the two tribes afterward did. THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE; no serious consideration of God's wo... [ Continue Reading ]
HELL; or, _the grave_, as this word most commonly signifies. OPENED HER MOUTH WITHOUT MEASURE, to receive those vast numbers which shall die by this famine, or otherwise, as is here implied. THEIR GLORY; their honourable men, as they were called, ISAIAH 5:13, being distinguished both here and there... [ Continue Reading ]
All of them, both high and low, shall be brought to destruction.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL BE EXALTED IN JUDGMENT, by the execution of this just judgment upon his incorrigible enemies. SHALL BE SANCTIFIED, shall appear to be a holy God, IN RIGHTEOUSNESS; by his righteous judgments.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN; when God shall have finished that work of judgment upon the ungodly, he will extend mercy to a remainder. This is very usual in this prophet, in the midst of his threatenings, to insert something for the support of believers. THE LAMBS; the poor and harmless people, who shall be left in the la... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT DRAW INIQUITY; that are not only drawn to sin by the allurements of the world, or by the persuasions of wicked men, being surprised and overtaken by sin, as sometimes good men are, GALATIANS 6:1, but are active and industrious in drawing sin to themselves, or themselves to sin; that greedily an... [ Continue Reading ]
LET HIM, to wit, God, in whose name thou and other prophets are always reproving and threatening us. HASTEN HIS WORK, THAT WE MAY SEE IT; he only thinks to affright us with bugbears; but he either cannot or will not do us any harm: we do not fear him, let him do his worst; let him begin as soon as h... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT CALL EVIL GOOD, AND GOOD EVIL; that take away the difference between good and evil; that justify and approve wicked men and things, and condemn piety, or virtue; or righteous persons. Compare PROVERBS 17:15. Thus many call serious godliness, humorous singularity; and justice, morosity; and meek... [ Continue Reading ]
That being puffed up with an opinion of their own wisdom, despise the counsels and instructions of God by his prophets, and prefer their own vain fancies before the judgment of the all-wise God, as appears by the error before mentioned, ISAIAH 5:20, that they affirmed that to be evil which God had d... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT ARE MIGHTY TO DRINK WINE; that can drink much without intoxication, in which they gloried, as too many do at this day. TO MINGLE, i.e. to drink; the antecedent being put for the consequent, which is usual; for they mingled it in order to drinking.... [ Continue Reading ]
JUSTIFY THE WICKED FOR REWARD; not by mistake or incogitancy, but wilfully for bribes. TAKE AWAY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS FROM HIM, to wit, juridically; they pronounce sentence against him, as if he and his cause were unjust.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR ROOT SHALL BE AS ROTTENNESS; they shall be like a tree which not only withers in its branches, but dies and rots at the roots, and therefore is past all hopes of recovery. The sense is, They shall be destroyed both root and branch. THEIR BLOSSOM SHALL GO UP AS DUST; shall vanish (for so the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HILLS DID TREMBLE; a metaphorical and hyperbolical description of a grievous calamity, familiar in the prophets, as ISAIAH 64:1,2 JER 4:24, and in other authors. HIS HAND IS STRETCHED OUT STILL, ready to give you another and a sorer blow. This is not the end, as you vainly imagine, but, if you r... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WILL LIFT UP AN ENSIGN, to call them together for his service, as generals used to do for the raising of armies, to THE NATIONS FROM FAR; either, 1. To the Assyrians, of whom he speaks more particularly ISA 10, and that under this same character of a people that come from far, ISAIAH 5:29 and wh... [ Continue Reading ]
NONE SHALL BE WEARY, though their march be long and tedious. As I have called them to this work, so I will strengthen and assist them in it. None shall slumber nor sleep; they shall all be watchful and diligent to take all opportunities and advantages of executing my judgments upon my people. NEITHE... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOSE ARROWS ARE SHARP, AND ALL THEIR BOWS BENT; who are every way furnished and ready for my work, waiting only for my command. THEIR HORSES HOOFS SHALL BE COUNTED LIKE FLINT, because they shall not be broken or battered by the length or stoutness and ruggedness of the way. THEIR WHEELS LIKE A WHIR... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL ROAR LIKE YOUNG LIONS; which signifies both their cruelty, and their greediness and eagerness to catch and devour the prey. NONE; neither the Jews themselves, nor the Egyptians, to whose help they will trust, nor any of their confederates.... [ Continue Reading ]
LIKE THE ROARING OF THE SEA; which is violent and frightful. DARKNESS AND SORROW; darkness, to wit, sorrow: the latter word explains the former, and the particle AND is put expositively, as it is frequently. THE LIGHT IS DARKENED IN THE HEAVENS THEREOF; when they look up to the heavens, as men in di... [ Continue Reading ]