Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 5:13
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.
13. Therefore (because its leaders are so blind) my people goeth into captivity (proph. perf.). This is the only explicit mention of exile in Isaiah. Cf. again Amo 6:7. The next words may be rendered either from lack of knowledge (R.V.) or without knowing it “unawares” (Cheyne). The former gives the better sense (cf. Hos 4:6).
their honourable men their multitude ] lit. “its glory” “its tumult.” The contrast, however, is rightly indicated by A.V. the noblesse over against the populace. famished ] Hebr. “men of hunger.” But the word for “men” is poetic (Isa 3:25) and never found in such phrases as this. The ancient versions, with a different vocalisation, read “dead with hunger,” which is obviously too strong. Most commentators now follow Ewald and Hitzig, and alter the text in accordance with Deu 32:24 (R.V. “wasted”), reading “sucked out (exhausted) with hunger.” This involves the change of a single letter, and yields a suitable parallelism to “dried up with thirst.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Therefore my people are gone – This is evidently used with reference to the future. The prophet described events as passing before his eyes as a vision (note, Isa 1:1); and he here seems to see the people going into captivity, and describes it as an event actually occurring.
Into captivity – Referring, doubtless, to the captivity at Babylon.
Because they have no knowledge – Because they do not choose to retain the knowledge of God.
And their honorable men – The Hebrew is, The glory of the people became people of famine; that is, they shall be destroyed with famine. This was to be a punishment for their dissipation at their feasts.
And their multitude – The mass, or body of the nation; the common people.
Dried up with thirst – Are punished in this manner for their indulgence in drinking. The punishment here specified, refers particularly to a journey through an arid, desolate region, where drink could be obtained only with difficulty. Such was the route which the nation was compelled afterward to take in going to Babylon.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 5:13
My people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge
A sermon for Trinity Sunday
1.
My people. The Almighty has a people of His own; a people with special privileges and a special work to do. In the Old Testament and the New this is clearly written. My people, says Isaiah; My flock, says Jesus Christ. That is the method of grace. God acts upon some of us that they may act upon the rest. In the days of a school the young influence one another. In a town, in a nation, it is the same. And a whole country has its mission for the world as the Hebrews had. Now, in the text that nation is complained of. Why? Because they had no knowledge.
2. My people is a term which shows us Gods character. The inferences which arise from it should be dear to Christians. God will not be without a people, because He is a God of love. He must have around Him children to love. But it is a quality inherent in love to love its like. Children may be helpless, or wayward: we can bear with them, love them, not less, perhaps more, for their weakness and dependence; but they must not be reprobate. There must be some affinity of feeling, something lovable in them, or at last we shall not love, or at any rate love will be in abeyance. God, we believe, has not, and never will, disinherit Israel finally. Why did he go so wrong and choose so badly? Therefore My people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge. They had knowledge enough in their head no doubt, but they had not taken it to their heart.
3. Now, as regards ourselves, we are Gods people–not exclusively, but among other Christian nations of this later time. God has given us great knowledge of His truth. He has even revealed to us deep secrets of His own nature: even the mystery of the Holy Trinity itself. Since God has given knowledge to us, it should be kept by us not in a passive but in a living active state. (2Ti 1:13; Tit 1:13; Tit 2:1; 2Co 13:5; Jud 1:3.) And this knowledge is so efficient and operative a force that it is all-important to keep it whole and undefiled. This doctrine of the Holy Trinity is no speculative thing, but it is closely interwoven with the principles of Christian life. (T. F. Crosse, D. C. L.)
They have no knowledge
How should they, when by their excessive drinking they make sots and fools of themselves? They set up for wits; but because they regard not Gods controversy with them, nor take any care as to their peace with Him, they may truly be said to have no knowledge; and the reason is, because they will have none; inconsiderate and wilful, and therefore destroyed for lack of knowledge. (M. Henry.)
Inconsideration and ignorance
1. Ignorance is the certain consequence of inconsideration.
2. Inconsideration is the natural effect of luxury and dissipation, which arise from gratified avarice and ambition. (R. Macculloch.)
Records of the past
The great stone book of nature reveals many strange records of the past. In the red sandstone there are found in some places marks which are clearly the impressions of showers of rein, and these so perfect that it can even be determined in which direction the shower inclined, and from what quarter it proceeded; and this ages ago! So sin leaves its track behind it, and God keeps a faithful record of all our sins. (G. H. Morrison, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 13. And their honourable men – “And the nobles”] These verses have likewise a reference to the two preceding. They that indulged in feasting and drinking shall perish with hunger and thirst; and Hades shall indulge his appetite as much as they had done, and devour them all. The image is strong and expressive in the highest degree. Habakkuk, Hab 2:5, uses the same image with great force: – the ambitious and avaricious conqueror.
“Enlargeth his appetite like Hades;
And he is like Death, and will never be satisfied,”
But, in Isaiah, Hades is introduced to much greater advantage, in person; and placed before our eyes in the form of a ravenous monster, opening wide his immeasurable jaws, and swallowing them all together: “Therefore Sheol hath dilated her soul, she hath opened her mouth beyond limit.” Destruction expects more than a common meal, when God visits Jerusalem for her iniquities. This seems to refer to the ruin brought on the Jews by the Romans. Our blessed Lord repeats this parable, and applies it to this very transaction, Mt 21:33.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Are gone into captivity; either,
1. Are actually gone, which was true of the ten tribes in Hezekiahs reign, 2Ki 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 Gods works, and of their own duty and danger. Their honourable men, who thought themselves quite out of reach of famine.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. are goneThe prophet seesthe future as if it were before his eyes.
no knowledgebecause oftheir foolish recklessness (Isa 5:12;Isa 1:3; Hos 4:6;Luk 19:44).
famishedawful contrastto their luxurious feasts (Isa 5:11;Isa 5:12).
multitudeplebeians incontradistinction to the “honorable men,” or nobles.
thirst (Psa 107:4;Psa 107:5). Contrast to theirdrinking (Isa 5:11). In theirdeportation and exile, they shall hunger and thirst.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore my people are gone into captivity,…. Or rather, as Kimchi explains it, “shall go into captivity”; the past for the future; for this cannot be understood even of the captivity of the ten tribes, for they were not carried captive until the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign, 2Ki 17:6 whereas this prophecy was delivered out many years before, even in the time of Uzziah, as is manifest from the following chapter, Isa 6:1 and much less it cannot design the captivity of Judah, but respects the captivity by the Romans, in future time.
Because [they have] no knowledge; of the work of the Lord, and the operations of his hands; the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, “because they knew not the Lord”, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the true Messiah; they knew not his person, office, grace, and Gospel; they did not own and acknowledge him, but despised and rejected him; their ignorance was affected and voluntary; they had the means of knowledge, but did not make use of them; they would not know him, they would not attend to the strong and clear evidence of his being the Messiah, which prophecies, miracles, and his doctrines, gave of him; the things belonging to their peace they knew not, these were righteously hid from them, and hence destruction came upon them,
Lu 19:42 the words may be rendered in connection with the former, “therefore my people shall go into captivity without knowledge” b, unawares, unthought of, and unexpected; and the Jews, to the last; did not think their city would be taken, but that in some way of other salvation and deliverance would be wrought for them:
and their honourable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst; or “shall be”; this is expressive of a famine of bread and water, which all, both high and low, prince and people, should be affected with; see Isa 3:1 and was true not only when Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans, Jer 52:6 Jer 5:10 but when it was besieged by the Romans, in which the rich suffered as well as the poor; and was so great, that even women ate their own children, as Josephus c relates: this is threatened as a punishment of their rioting and drunkenness, Isa 5:11.
b “idcirco exsulat populus meus absque scientia”, Cocceius; so Montanus. c De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 10. sect. 2. 3. & 12. 3. & 6. 3, sect. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Therefore judgment would overtake them in this blind, dull, and stupid animal condition. “Therefore my people go into banishment without knowing; and their glory will become starving men, and their tumult men dried up with thirst.” As the word “therefore” ( lacen , as in Isa 1:24) introduces the threat of punishment, galah (go into captivity) is a prophetic preterite. Israel would go into exile, and that “without knowing” ( m ibb’li – da’ath ). The meaning of this expression cannot be “from want of knowledge,” since the min which is fused into one word with b’li is not causal, but negative, and m ibb’li , as a preposition, always signifies “without” ( absque ). But are we to render it “without knowing it” (as in Hos 4:6, where hadda’ath has the article), or “unawares?” There is no necessity for any dispute on this point, since the two renderings are fundamentally one and the same. The knowledge, of which Isa 5:12 pronounces them destitute, was more especially a knowledge of the judgment of God that was hanging over them; so that, as the captivity would come upon them without knowledge, it would necessarily come upon them unawares. “Their glory” ( C ebodo ) and “their tumult” ( hamono ) are therefore to be understood, as the predicates show, as collective nouns used in a personal sense, the former signifying the more select portion of the nation (cf., Mic 1:15), the latter the mass of the people, who were living in rioting and tumult. The former would become “men of famine” ( m ethe raab : , like in other places, viz., 2Sa 19:29, or , 1Sa 26:16); the latter “men dried up with thirst” ( tsicheh tsamah : the same number as the subject). There is no necessity to read (dead men) instead of , as the lxx and Vulgate do, or ( ) according to Deu 32:24, as Hitzig, Ewald, Bttcher, and others propose (compare, on the contrary, Gen 34:30 and Job 11:11). The adjective tzicheh ( hapax leg ) is formed like C hiresh , C eheh , and other adjectives which indicate defects: in such formations from verbs Lamed – He , instead of e we have an ae that has grown out of ay (Olshausen, 182, b). The rich gluttons would starve, and the tippling crowd would die with thirst.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
13. Therefore my people are gone into captivity. I do not approve of the interpretation given by some commentators, that in consequence of the teachers having failed to perform their duty, the people, through ignorance and error, fell into many vices, which at length became the cause of their destruction. On the contrary, he charges them with gross and voluntary ignorance, as if he had said that, by their madness, they brought down destruction on themselves. The meaning therefore is, that the people perished because they despised instruction; whereas they might have been preserved if they had listened to good counsels: and therefore he expressly says, My people; that is, the nation which enjoyed the extraordinary privilege of being separated from the rest of the nations, that by relying on the guidance and direction of God, they might have a fixed rule of life. Thus it is said,
“
What nation is so eminent and so distinguished as to have gods nigh to it, as thy God draws near to thee this day? This shall therefore be your knowledge and understanding above all nations, to hear your God.” (Deu 4:6.)
This baseness heightens the criminality of the people, that they shut their eyes in the midst of so much light. It was therefore a very severe accusation, that a people which God had undertaken to govern possessed no knowledge: for the law might have given them abundant direction for the whole conduct of life; it was a light shining before them amidst the general darkness of the world; and therefore it was monstrous that the nation should refuse to follow that path which had been pointed out to them, and, on the contrary, should shut their eyes, and rush forward to destruction.
Have gone into captivity. Some consider the word captivity to be used here in a metaphorical sense; but this is a forced interpretation; for the Prophet here describes the punishments which God had in part inflicted, and in part intended to inflict, so as to make it evident that the people were wretched through their own fault, as if they wished to draw down upon themselves the curses of God. When this discourse was delivered, some tribes of Israel had already been banished, and the destruction of both kingdoms was at hand. The Prophet accordingly speaks as if all had already been led into captivity
And their glory are men famished (85) and their multitude are dried up with thirst. He now adds another punishment, namely, that they are wasted with hunger and famine, and not only common men, but some persons of the highest rank, in whom the vengeance of God is more clearly seen; for it was shocking to see wealthy men and nobles, on whom the respectability of the whole nation rested, wandering about and famished. And yet the severity of God’s vengeance did not exceed proper bounds; for we must always take into account that ignorance was the cause; that is, the Jews were rebellious, and obstinately rejected the light of heavenly doctrine; yea, shut their ears against God when he was willing to perform the part of a master in instructing them. Hence we draw a useful doctrine; namely, that the source of all our calamities is, that we do not allow ourselves to be taught by the word of God, and this is what the Prophet chiefly intended that we should observe.
It may be asked, Is ignorance the cause of all calamities? Many persons appear to sin not so much through ignorance as through obstinacy; for they see what is right, but refuse to follow it, and the consequence is that they sin willingly, and not merely through inadvertency. I answer, ignorance is sometimes the near, and sometimes the remote cause; or, to use the common expressions, the one is immediate, and the other is mediate. It is the near cause, when men deceive themselves under any pretense, and intentionally blind their understanding. Again, it is the remoter cause, when men reject the principles from which they ought to frame the rule of their life; for it was their duty to look to God, and to attend to his will. When they disregard his will, they are indeed rebellious and obstinate; but they are ignorant because they refuse to learn, and on this rock they split: and yet ignorance does not excuse them, for of their own accord they bring it on themselves when they reject such a Teacher. So then it is a true statement, that the reason why the people endure such a variety of afflictions is, that they are ignorant of God, and will not allow themselves to be taught by him.
(85) And their honourable men are famished. — Eng. Ver.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE EVILS OF IGNORANCE
(Sunday School or Bible Society Sermon.)
Isa. 5:13-15. Therefore my people are gone away into captivity, because they have no knowledge, &c.
Isaiah speaks of the future as if it were already present. He traces the terrible disasters about to befall his countrymen to their true causetheir ignorance of God,in their case a wilful ignorance (Hos. 4:6), which had betrayed them into courses of conduct ruinous in themselves, and certain to bring down the judgments of the Almighty. The history of mankind justifies us in laying down two propositions:
I. That ignorance is a terrible evil. To be in ignorance of the great facts of Gods universe, of the great laws by which He governs it, is to be in a condition of constant peril. We are as men who wander in darkness over the great mountains; every step may be taking us further from the right path, the next step may hurl us over some unsuspected precipice. Remember what calamitiespolitical, commercial, socialhave been due solely to ignorance. [Illustrate by examples] [640]
[640] As blindness is the deformity of the face, so is ignorance the deformity of the soul. As the want of fleshly eyes spoils the beauty of the face, so the want of spiritual eyes spoils the beauty of the soul. A man without knowledge is as a workman without his hands, as a painter without his eyes, as a traveller without his legs, or as a ship without sails, or a bird without wings, or like a body without a soul.Brooks, 1680.
II. That the most terrible of all kinds of ignorance is ignorance of God Himself.
1. Much sin is due to ignorance [643] Not all sin, for there are many transgressions committed against full lightthe worst form of iniquity. But concerning multitudes of sinners we may pray, as did our Lord for His executioners, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. The most appalling of all sins was committed in ignorance (1Co. 2:8). Did men truly know God, they would fear, love, and gladly serve Him. For lack of a true knowledge of God, men who desired to serve Him have perpetrated the most frightful crimes (Joh. 16:2; Act. 26:9).
2. Sins committed in ignorance entail terrible disasters. That unavoidable ignorance is a palliation of the guilt of transgressors is clearly the teaching of the New Testament (Luk. 23:34; 1Ti. 1:13), as it had been previously of the Old (Num. 15:28; Deu. 19:4, &c.); and it will affect their condition in the eternal world (Luk. 12:47-48). But here and now it does nothing to exempt men from the natural consequences of their transgressions. The man who swallows a poison by mistake is killed by it as surely as the deliberate suicide, &c.
[643] Ignorance opens the door for Satan to enter in with his troops of lusts; where the watch is blind, the city is soon taken.Gurnall, 16171679.
In view of these solemn truths, of which all human history is one prolonged corroboration,
1. We should constantly endeavour to grow in knowledge. More light! should be our constant prayer. Every means of acquainting ourselves with God and His will we should diligently use. Let us beware of the temptation indolently to rest in a voluntary ignorance. Voluntary ignorance is no palliation, but a tremendous aggravation of iniquity [646]
2. Let us diligently impart to our fellow-men such knowledge as we have already acquired. Benevolence should move us to do this. We can confer upon our fellow-men no greater or more needed blessing. Self-interest should impel us to the same course. In teaching we learn. In labouring to cause others to see, we ourselves for the first time attain to clear vision. Knowledge is like the bread with which the five thousand were fed; it multiplies as it is dispensed, and when the feast is over, those who carried it to others themselves possess more than they did when the feast began.
3. Every organisation which exists for the diffusion of knowledge should have our sympathy and support both as patriots and Christians. This is true even of secular knowledge, but especially of that knowledge which is able to make men wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [649]
[646] He that knew not his Lords will, because he wilfully rejected the means of coming to the knowledge of it, deserves to be beaten with as many stripes as if he had known it and would not. He that will not take notice of the kings proclamation, or will stop his ears when it is read, and afterwards offends against it, does equally deserve punishment with those who have read it, and heard it, and disobey it; because he was as grossly faulty in not knowing it; and there is no reason that any mans gross fault should be his excuse.Tillotson, 16301694.
[649] Oh, for the coming of that glorious time
When, prizing knowledge as her noblest wealth
And best protection, this imperial realm,
While she exacts allegiance, shall admit
An obligation, on her part, to teach
Them who are born to serve her and obey;
Binding herself by stature to secure
For all the children whom her soil maintains
The rudiments of letters, and inform
The mind with moral and religious truth,
Both understood and practised,so that none,
However destitute, be left to droop
By culture unsustained; or run
Into a wild disorder; or be forced
To drudge through a weary life without the help
Of intellectual implements and tools;
A savage horde among the civilised;
A servile band among the lordly free.
Wordsworth.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(13) My people are gone into captivity.The great captivity of Judah lay as yet far off, but the prophet may be speaking of it as already present in his vision of the future. Probably, however, the disastrous wars of Ahaz had involved many captures of the kind referred to (2Ch. 28:5; 2Ch. 28:8; 2Ch. 28:17-18).
Because they have no knowledge.Better, and they knew noti.e., did not foresee that this must be the outcome of their conduct. The honourable men and the multitude are named as representing all classes of society.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Therefore In consequence of the delinquencies that bring down both these woes.
My people Still His, (iii, 12,) but therefore all the more to be chastised. Amo 3:2.
No knowledge They were heedless of what the consequences must be. These they might have known, and ought to have known and heeded.
Their Literally, his; his people of honour, or honourable men, are men of starvation, famished from want of food and drink. This is clearly the sense. Hence, great mortality among them. Hence, too, the next therefore.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because [they have] no knowledge: and their honourable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Ver. 13. Therefore my people are gone into captivity, ] i.e, They are sure to go. so Amo 6:7
Because they have no knowledge.
And their honourable men are famished.
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
a Joseph.; Egesip.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 5:13-17
13Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge;
And their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude is parched with thirst.
14Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure;
And Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.
15So the common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased,
The eyes of the proud also will be abased.
16But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment,
And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
17Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture,
And strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy.
Isa 5:13-17 Here is a list of what will happen to Judah’s wealthy, exploitive citizens.
1. exiled, Isa 5:13
2. famished, Isa 5:13
3. parched, Isa 5:13
4. swallowed by Sheol, Isa 5:14
5. humbled, Isa 5:15
6. abused, Isa 5:15 (twice)
7. strangers eat of the fat of the wealthy, Isa 5:17
Isa 5:13 Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge This is obviously a prediction of exile. There has been some speculation about whether it refers to the Assyrian exile (722 B.C.) of the northern ten tribes or the Babylonian exile of Judah (i.e., 605, 597, 586, 582 B.C.) of the southern three tribes. The immediate context seems to lend itself to either (this is so common in Isaiah, maybe purposeful). Assyria is mentioned specifically in Isa 7:18; Isa 10:5 ff. I think that Isa 13:1 to Isa 14:27 also refers to Assyria who destroyed the city of Babylon and Assyria’s king took the title, King of Babylon.
The mention of an exile out of the Promised Land was shocking. Canaan was promised to Abraham’s seed. Now the covenant with the Patriarchs was being rescinded because of Judah’s disobedience to the covenant requirements. They rejoiced in and clung to the promises, but ignored the requirements (cf. Jeremiah 7).
In a theological sense this parallels Genesis 2 (God’s ideal fellowship with mankind) and Genesis 3 (Adam and Eve’s open-eyed rebellion). Mankind was driven out of the Garden of Eden (cf. Gen 3:24). This was unexpected and shocking! So too, the revelation of an exile. What was thought to be a permanent promise by God was affected by human sin. In a similar way the New Covenant of Jer 31:31-34 and Eze 36:22-38 was a shocking revelation. The everlasting covenants were being superceded because of human inability to perform their part of the covenant. Therefore, a new relationship with God would need to be established based on
1. God’s performance (new heart, new mind)
2. mankind’s enabling by God’s Spirit to be obedient
God still wants a righteous people to reflect His character to a lost and needy world (i.e., the nations). The means of that righteousness have changed. Human ability proved to be inadequate (cf. Galatians 3). The OT was a means of showing mankind’s inability!
for their lack of knowledge This is a willful rejection of knowledge, not ignorance (cf. Isa 1:3; Hos 4:6; Hos 4:14). Judah rebelled against the revealed will of God (i.e., the Mosaic Covenant). She left the clearly marked path!
Isa 5:14 Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure Sheol is a Hebrew term (BDB 982) which refers tothe realm of the dead. Here it is personified as an animal with a ravenous appetite (cf. Pro 1:12; Pro 27:20; Hab 2:5).
SPECIAL TOPIC: Where Are the Dead?
And Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descent into it This shows a total reversal of expectations!
Isa 5:15 So the common man will be humbled, and the man of importance abased This is referring to judgment on an entire society (cf. Isa 2:9; Isa 2:12; Isa 2:17). There seems to be no contextual contrast between the Hebrew terms for man, which are adam (NASB, common man) and Isshah (NASB, man of importance).
The eyes of the proud will also be abased This is a recurrent theme throughout Scripture and is repeated in a slightly different way in Isa 5:20-21 through the metaphors of light and darkness.
Isa 5:16 But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment The descendants of Abraham were chosen to reveal God. They were to reveal Him in their faithfulness resulting in a stable and abundant society or they will reveal Him in their waywardness resulting in God’s judgment. Believers are witnesses (cf. Mat 5:13-16). The question is, what kind of witnesses are we?
the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness This is in a synonymous parallel relationship to the previous line of poetry. Hebrew poetry must be interpreted in light of its paralellism! See Special Topic: Holy and Special Topic: Righteousness .
Isa 5:17 Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture,
And strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy There has been much discussion among commentators about the exact relationship of this verse to the preceding context. Some say
1. it refers to God’s care for those remaining in the land
2. it refers to God’s judgment of the wealthy landowners
3. it refers to the remaining Jewish remnant after the exile
4. it refers to Gentiles resettled in Judah’s territory after the exile of her citizens
It seems to me that the immediate context of judgment must relate it to the destruction and judgment of the wealthy and the ruin of their illegally procured land. It is public land now!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
men. Hebrew. methim App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
my people: Isa 1:7, Isa 42:22-25, 2Ki 17:6, 2Ch 28:5-8
because: Isa 1:3, Isa 27:11, Jer 8:7, Hos 4:6, Mat 23:16-27, Luk 19:44, Joh 3:19, Joh 3:20, Rom 1:28, 2Pe 3:5
honourable men are famished: Heb. glory are men of famine, Jer 14:18, Lam 4:4, Lam 4:5, Lam 4:9
multitude: Jer 14:3, Amo 8:13
Reciprocal: Gen 34:19 – honourable Exo 23:23 – mine Angel Psa 14:4 – Have Isa 9:15 – ancient Jer 2:13 – For my Jer 39:9 – carried Jer 48:18 – and sit Lam 1:10 – spread Eze 4:11 – shalt drink Eze 7:12 – for
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 5:13-14. Therefore the people are gone into captivity The prophet may refer to those carried captive in the time of Ahaz: see on Isa 2:20. Or his words may be rendered, the people go into, &c.; that is, shall certainly and shortly go, speaking of the approaching judgments as if they were already come. Because they have no knowledge No serious consideration of Gods works, and of their own duty and danger. And their honourable men are famished Who thought themselves quite out of the reach of famine. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself The grave, or the place of torment to which certainly the souls of such persons must descend; and opened her mouth without measure
To receive those vast numbers which die by this famine, or otherwise, as is here implied. The prophet is thought to allude to the form of the ancient sepulchres, which were subterraneous caverns hollowed out of a rock, the mouth of which was generally closed by a great stone. The prosopopia is extremely fine and expressive, and the image is fraught with the most tremendous horror. And their glory, &c. Their nobles, or honourable men, as they are called, Isa 5:13, being distinguished, both here and there, from the multitude; and their pomp Which shall die with them; and he that rejoiceth That spendeth all his days in mirth and jollity, and casteth away all cares and fears; shall descend into it Not only into the grave, but into hell. Bishop Lowths translation of this verse is peculiarly striking:
Therefore Hades hath enlarged his appetite; And hath stretched open his mouth without measure: And down go her nobility, and her populace, And her busy throng, and all that exult in her.
These verses, (13 and 14,) he justly observes, have a reference to the two preceding. They that indulged in feasting and drinking, shall perish with hunger and thirst: and Hades (the invisible world, hell prepared to receive these sinners that live and die in sin) shall indulge his appetite as much as they had done, and devour them all. The image is strong and expressive in the highest degree. Habakkuk uses the same image with great force, chap. 2:5. But in Isaiah, Hades is introduced, to much greater advantage, in person; and placed before our eyes as a ravenous monster, opening wide his unmeasurable jaws, and swallowing them all together.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:13 Therefore my people {s} have gone into captivity, because [they have] {t} no knowledge: and their honourable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
(s) That is, will certainly go: for so the prophets use to speak as though the thing which will come to pass were done already.
(t) Because they would not obey the word of God.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The first explanation for the coming judgment 5:13-17
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The result of driving other people off their land and living only for pleasure would be, ironically, that the Israelites would be driven off their land and enjoy little pleasure. Instead of more food and drink there would be famine and parched throats for all the people (cf. Isa 3:16-24). Each of the two double "therefore" sections contains a short description of the immediate consequences of the sins just mentioned (Isa 5:13; Isa 5:24), and then a longer description of the long-term results (Isa 5:14-17; Isa 5:24). Carousing would end in captivity.