Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 18:4
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.
4. I will take consider ] Better: I will quietly look on, the first verb being subordinate to the second.
like a clear heat upon herbs ] Translate as R.V.: like clear heat in (or, along with) sunshine. The overpowering heat of the atmosphere in the height of summer seems something superadded to the effect of the sun’s rays.
like a cloud of dew ] The Hebr. word for “dew” means really a fine drizzling mist: what is meant is possibly the stationary cirrus -cloud in the upper air, which is called a ‘mist-cloud,’ in distinction from the rain-cloud near the earth (so Duhm).
Both expressions are rightly construed as comparisons. The temporal construction suggested by R.V. marg. (“when there is, &c.”) is grammatically possible in the first case, but hardly in the second. The points of comparison are apparently two: (1) the motionless stillness of the noon-tide heat and the fleecy cloud are an emblem of Jehovah’s quiescence. (2) As these natural phenomena hasten the ripening of the fruit, so all providential agencies appear to further and mature the schemes of Assyria. But the development is suddenly arrested just before its fruition.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
4 6. The purpose of Jehovah, as disclosed to Isaiah by special revelation. The opening words point back to a definite time when this illumination came to him, whether in a moment of ecstasy or not it is impossible to say.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For so the Lord said unto me – So Yahweh has revealed his purpose, that is, to execute punishment on the people who have been described in the previous verses. Their state as there described is that of a fierce people making ready for war, and probably designing an alliance with the enemies of Judea, and marshalling their armies for that purpose. Yahweh here reveals to the prophet that they shall be discomfited, and shows the manner in which it will be done. He says he will sit calm while these preparations are going on – as the sun shines serenely on the earth while the harvest is growing, and the dew falls gently on the herb; but that before their plans are completed, he will interpose and destroy them, as if one should appear suddenly before the harvest is ripe and cut it down. The design, therefore, of this part of the prophecy is to comfort the Jews, and to assure them that there is no danger to them from the preparations which were made against them – for Yahweh calmly beholds the proud rage of the enemy.
I will take my rest – I will not interpose. I will remain calm – not appearing to oppose them, but keeping as calm, and as still, as if I seemed to favor their plans – as the sun shines on the herb, and the gentle dew falls on the grass, until the proper time for me to interpose and defeat them shall arise Isa 18:5-6.
I will consider – I will look on; that is, I will not now interpose and disarrange their plans before they are complete. We learn here,
(1) That God sees the plans of the wicked;
(2) That he sees them mature them without attempting then to interpose to disarrange them;
(3) That he is calm and still, because he designs that those plans shall be developed; and
(4) That the wicked should not indulge in any dreams of security and success because God does not interpose to thwart their plans while they are forming them. He will do it in the proper time.
In my dwelling-place – In heaven. I will sit in heaven and contemplate leisurely the plans that are going forward.
Like a clear heat – A serene, calm, and steady sunshine, by which plants and herbs are made to grow. There seem to be two ideas blended here: the first, that of the stillness with which the sun shines upon the herbs; and the other, that of the fact that the sun shines that the herbs may grow.
Upon herbs – Margin, After rain ( aley ‘ory). The word ‘or usually signifies light, or fire. The plural form ( o’oroth) is used to denote herbs or vegetables in two places, in 2Ki 4:39, and Isa 26:19. For in the Shemitic languages the ideas of sprouting, being grown, growing etc., are connected with that of the shining of the sun, or of light; that which grows in the light; that is, vegetables. But in the singular phorm the word is not thus used, unless it be in this place. That it may have this signiphication cannot be doubted; and this interpretation makes good sense, and suits the connection. The rabbis generally interpret it as it is in the margin – rain. In proof of this they appeal to Job 36:30; Job 37:11; but the word in these passages more properly denotes a cloud of light or of lightning, than rain. The common interpretation is probably correct, which regards the word ‘or here as the same as ‘orah – herbs (see Vitringa). The Syriac reads it al–yeor – upon the river. The parallelism seems to require the sense of herb, or something that shall answer to harvest in the corresponding member.
And like a cloud of dew – Such a dew was still, and promoted the growth of vegetables. The idea is that of stillness and rest where there is no storm or tempest to dissipate the gently-falling dew. This is an emblem of the perfect quietness with which God would regard the preparations for war until the proper time would come for him to interpose. The whole passage is similar to Psa 2:4-5 :
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh;
Jehovah shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath,
And vex them in his hot displeasure.
The idea is, that he would be as calm as the sun is upon the herb, or the dew upon the harvest field, until the time should come when it would be proper for him to interpose, and disconcert their counsels. When and how this would be done is stated in the following verses; and the whole passage is most striking illustration of the manner with which God contemplates the machinations and evil designs of the wicked.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 18:4-5
For so the Lord said unto me, I will take My rest
The rest of providence
Although much diversity of opinion exists among commentators in regard to the primary design of the prophecy from which this passage is taken, there can be but one sentiment as to the sublime moral which it teaches concerning the mode in which the Almighty conducts His government.
There are times, probably, in every mans life, when he feels the temptations to scepticism unusually strong. They are the times of personal suffering, or of prosperous iniquity.
I. How often has the sincere Christian mourned in bitterness of spirit, BECAUSE NO IMMEDIATE ANSWER SEEMED GIVEN TO HIS PRAYERS. In such circumstances, the assurance that providence is only taking its rest and considering, is in the highest degree consolatory. It is not in judgment, but in tender mercy, that God apparently suspends His answer to His peoples prayers. Thus does He exercise their faith, and the trial of it is more precious than gold. Thus does He convince them of their needs, and the conviction leads them to greater self-abandonment. Thus does He call forth in them the feeling of Christian sympathy for those who are similarly tried, and this is better for them than hearts desire. Thus does He give unto them those experiences which, it is not improbable, may contribute to their felicity in heaven itself.
II. A second example of providence taking its rest, is to be seen in THE COMPARATIVELY SLOW AND LIMITED PROGRESS WHICH THE BLESSED GOSPEL OF CHRIST HAS YET MADE IN THE WORLD. The march of His administration is not the less sublime, because it is occasionally invisible.
III. Providence takes its rest WHEN SENTENCE AGAINST THE EVIL WORKS OF MEN IS NOT EXECUTED SPEEDILY. When the mystery of God is finished, His ways will appear at once marvellous and right. This rest of providence is beautifully illustrated by similitudes taken from nature–a clear heat upon herbs, and a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. You have observed, on a fine summer day, the sunshine resting calmly on the cornfield, or the dew covering the plants at eventide. All is peaceful and serene. It seems as if the winds had forgotten to blow, or the thunder to utter its voice. Thus calmly and silently does the Almighty rest in His dwelling place, till the time comes for interposition. The patience of God is a demonstration of His power, and His slowness to wrath a testimony to His infinite wisdom. The metaphor in Isa 18:5 is to be regarded as a continuation of the preceding one, and may be understood as intimating the utter disappointment of those plans which wicked men form against God, and which He so forbearingly allows them to mature. Afore 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. The meaning is, that at the very moment when the likelihood is, humanly speaking, greatest, that their projects shall be successful, He will awake to overturn them. Conclusion–
1. The passage under consideration, while it ought to alarm the enemies, may well enough bring comfort to the people of God. Let them look up for their redemption draweth nigh.
2. On the other hand, let not the impenitent flatter themselves into security because their Lord delayeth His coming. (J. L. Adamson.)
Stillness
A figure of perfect stillness. (A. B. Davidson.)
The arrest of evil men
It is as though Jehovah were quietly looking on, and permitting the Assyrians to do their worst. So far from arresting them, He seems even to favour their plans. He is to them, as the dew to the growth of plants. But before the bud is formed, He arises to cut them off. This probably refers to the fatal blow which overwhelmed Sennacheribs army in a single night. The gratitude of surrounding nations for so great a deliverance would cause them to bring sacrifices to Jehovahs temple (Isa 18:7). (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Gods secret words
How striking are those secret words, whispered by God to His favoured servant, The Lord said unto me. It was as though He had called Isaiah aside, and spoken to him confidentially of matters which must not be uttered to uncircumcised ears. It was thus that God spake of old to Abraham and Moses. And in modern days it is remarkable, in reading the journals of George Fox, to find how conscious he was of similar confidences reposed in him by his ever-present and faithful Friend. (F. B.Meyer, B. A.)
God resting in His dwelling place
I. THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD AND HIS REPOSE. Let me ask where the queen rests in her love: You must pass and press beyond the regalia, beyond the throne-room, beyond the council, beyond the levee, there in the family, amidst her children, in a charmed family circle,–there she rests in love. And has not God such a circle, such a dwelling place, and home? The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him. God has revealed to us this great thing, that He, too, lives in the sympathies and affections of His intelligent creatures. Gods Church is His dwelling place. God descends to dwell in us, as we ascend to dwell in Him. I have been struck with a thought like this, when I have been on some quiet village hill, or in the deeps of some country forest, when, beneath me, or away from me, all the villagers were in the booths of some fair. I saw it, perhaps, at my feet, or heard the sounds dying away on my ear. So it is, as we rise to rest in God. At our feet the uproar the vice–the vanity–of the Babel booths–the dissoluteness and the song,–but with us deep peace, and quiet, and the rest of heart and soul, and the prospect of the glory and the vistas beyond; it is even so, as the world lies beneath us, and above us spreads the calm–when the soul possesses God, and God sinks into the soul–what does the soul look out upon: what does the soul look down upon? what does the soul look in upon: the soul one with God.
II. I WILL CONSIDER. So the Lord said unto me, I will take My rest. Exceedingly sublime are all those magnificent passages in which the calm of the Divine mind is contrasted with the passion and the agitation of human affairs. This is the connection of the preceding verses (chap. 17:12, 13). It is amidst that turbulence of the oceans of the population that God says, I will take My rest, and consider.
III. THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF DIVINE CONSIDERATION, the loving and beautiful result. (E. Paxton Hood.)
Gods all-sufficiency
There is that in God which is a shelter and refreshment to His people in all weathers, and arms them against the inconveniences of every change. Is the weather cool: There is that in His favour that will warm them. Is it hot: There is that in His favour that will cool them. Great men have their winter house and their summer house Amo 3:15); but they that are at home with God have both in Him. (M. Henry.)
When the bud is perfect
The flower bud
B–U–D–bud. Beauty; use; design, shall be our three points.
I. BEAUTY. Among the many kinds of beauty nature gives us, three are very noticeable–
1. Beauty of form.
2. Beauty of colour.
3. Beauty of scent. And to these man has added–
4. Beauty of association.
II. USE.
1. Food. In the economy of nature flowers are useful as food for insect and bird and man. Groundsel for the birds of the air! The honeysuckle really belongs to, and is the early home of, a green moth, brown round the edges, with transparent wings. It also belongs to a caterpillar, which afterwards becomes a brown and white and dull blue butterfly. And so list after list might be given of flowers upon which the insect world feeds, and by which it is nourished. Again, it is from flowers that the bees collect the honey! Thus the flowers may be said literally to feed man.
2. Medicine.
3. Fruit. Flowering is a stage on the way to fruit. What Christian graces will you have to show when the time of the ingathering comes:
III. DESIGN. Nature works on a plan. Who made the plan, the design? There cannot be a plan without someone to plan; nor a design without a designer. The Christian looks from nature to natures God. (C. H.Grundy, M. A.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 4. For so the Lord said unto me – “For thus hath JEHOVAH said unto me”] The subject of the remaining part of this chapter is, that God would comfort and support his own people, though threatened with immediate destruction by the Assyrians; that Sennacherib’s great designs and mighty efforts against them should be frustrated; and that his vast expectations should be rendered abortive, when he thought them mature, and just ready to be crowned with success; that the chief part of his army should be made a prey for the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, (for this is the meaning of the allegory continued through the fifth and sixth verses;) and that Egypt, being delivered from his oppression, and avenged by the hand of God of the wrongs which she had suffered, should return thanks for the wonderful deliverance, both of herself and of the Jews, from this most powerful adversary.
Like a clear heat – “Like the clear heat”] The same images are employed by an Arabian poet: –
Solis more fervens, dum frigus; quumque ardet
Sirius, tum vero frigus ipse et umbra.
Which is illustrated in the note by a like passage from another Arabian poet: –
Calor est hyeme, refrigerium aestate.
Excerpta ex Hamasa; published by Schultens, at the end of Erpenius’s Arabic Grammar, p. 425.
Upon herbs – “After rain”] ” aur here signifies rain, according to what is said Job 36:11: ‘The cloud scatters his rain.'” – Kimchi. In which place of Job the Chaldee paraphrast does indeed explain auro by matereyh; and so again Job 36:21 and Job 36:30. This meaning of the word seems to make the best sense in this place; it is to be wished that it were better supported.
In the heat of harvest – “In the day of harvest.”] For bechom, in the heat, fourteen MSS., (several ancient,) the Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate read beyom, in the day. The mistake seems to have arisen from kechom in the line above.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I will take my rest, I will sit still, and not bestir myself, either to help this people, or to hinder their enemies. God is said in Scripture to rest or sit still, when he doth not work on the behalf of a person or people; as, on the contrary, he is said to bestir himself when he acts for them.
I will consider; or, I will contemplate or look upon them, to wit, the people of whom I am here speaking. So it is only an ellipsis of the pronoun. Now Gods looking in Scripture is variously used; sometimes in way of favour and mercy, as Psa 25:18; Isa 66:2, &c.; and sometimes in a way of anger and judgment, as Exo 14:24; Psa 25:19, and, as I humbly conceive, in this place. I know some learned men render this and the next word, I will look upon my dwelling-place, and interpret the place of Gods gracious respect to his church or people, to preserve and deliver it in the midst of all the confusions and combustions that happen in the world; which interpretation seems altogether unsuitable to the scope and business of the chapter, which in all the foregoing and following verses speaks of another sort of people, even of the Egyptians or Ethiopians, of whom therefore this verse also must be understood, or otherwise we make a breach in the context.
In my dwelling place; in heaven, the place where God dwells, and where he is said to hear prayers, 1Ki 8:30,32, as here to consider men and things as elsewhere he is said to hear and to look from heaven, as 2Ch 6:21; Isa 63:15; the Hebrew particles beth, in, and mern, from, being put promiscuously one for another, as hath been noted before.
Like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. The sense is, that God would look upon them, as the sun with a clear heat looks upon herbs, &c. But this may be understood either,
1. In way of mercy, as most take it. And so the sense is, that God would look out and shine forth upon his church and people, and be as comfortable and refreshing to them
as the clear heat which shines upon the herbs; or, as others render it, after the rain; or, as a cloud of dew is in the heat harvest. Or,
2. In way of judgment. And so the sense, that God would look upon them with as uncomfortable an influence as the sun with a clear heat upon the herbs, which are scorched and killed by it; and as a cloud of the dew, which brings dew or rain, in the heat of harvest, when it is unwelcome and hurtful. And this sense seems best to agree with the following verse, which continueth the metaphor of a harvest, and manifestly speaks not of refreshing, but of the destruction of the fruits thereof.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. take . . . rest . . . considerIwill calmly look on and not interpose, while all seems topromise success to the enemy; when figuratively, “the sun’sheat” and “the night dews” ripen their “harvest”;but “before” it reaches its maturity I will destroy it(Isa 18:5; Ecc 8:11;Ecc 8:12).
like a clear heatrather,”at the time of the clear (serene) heat” [MAURER].
upon herbsanswering to”harvest” in the parallel clause. MAURERtranslates, “in the sunlight” (Job 31:26;Job 37:21; Hab 3:4).
like . . . dewrather,”at the time of the dew cloud.” God’s “silence”is mistaken by the ungodly for consent; His delay in taking vengeancefor forgetfulness (Ps 50:21);so it shall be before the vengeance which in the last day shall usherin the restoration of the Jews (Isa 34:1-8;Isa 57:11, end of the verse, 2Pe3:3-10).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For so the Lord said unto me,…. The prophet Isaiah, both what goes before, and follows after:
I will take my rest; these are not the words of the prophet, as some think, like those of Habakkuk, Hab 2:1 but of the Lord himself, signifying that he would, as he always did, enjoy himself, amidst all the commotions that were in the world; or that he would take up his rest among his people in Zion, of which he had said, this is my rest for ever, Ps 132:14 or rather that he would be still and quiet, and as one asleep and at rest, that took no notice of what was doing, nor interpose between parties preparing for war, and laying schemes for the ruin of each other; not help the one nor hinder the other, but let them go on a while with their designs:
and I will consider in my dwelling place: in heaven, what is to be done; for though the Lord may seem sometimes to take no notice of what is done on earth, yet he sees and knows all things, and considers in his own mind what is fit and proper that he should do, who works all things after the counsel of his own will: or, “I will look upon my dwelling place” o; Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the temple, the sanctuary, where his Shechinah dwelt; here he promises to look in a way of grace and favour, with delight and pleasure, to comfort and refresh his own people; so the Targum paraphrases this and the preceding clause,
“I will make my people to rest, I will make them to rest, and I will delight in my holy habitation to do them good:”
like a clear heat upon herbs; or “after rain”, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi, see 2Sa 23:4 when then the sun shines forth brightly after a shower of rain, which revives the plants and herbs, and makes them grow:
[and] like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest; which is very desirable and welcome, which cools the air, refreshes the earth, plumps the corn, and is very grateful to the harvestman; and both metaphors may signify how grateful is the appearance of God to and for his people, his presence with them, the light of his countenance on them, and his protection of them; see Isa 4:5 and so the Targum,
“blessings and consolations will I bring to them quickly, as heat burning by means of the sun, and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest:”
though the whole may be understood in a very different sense, as it is by some, thus; that though the Lord for a while may seem to take no notice of what is doing below, yet he in heaven beholds what is done, and looks in a way of wrath and anger upon his enemies, as the sun looks with its scorching heat upon the herbs, and dries them up; and as a cloud which brings a large dew or rain with it, which is very hurtful in harvest time; and this sense seems most agreeable to the context.
o “sed intusor in locum meum”, Janius & Tremellius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet knows for certain that the messengers may be home and announce this act of Jehovah to their own people and to all the world. “For thus hath Jehovah spoken to me: I will be still, and will observe upon my throne during clear weather in sunshine, during a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For before the harvest, when the blossom falls off, and the fruit becomes the ripening grape: then will He cut off the branches with pruning-hooks; and the tendrils He removes, breaks off. They are left altogether to the birds of prey on the mountains, and to the cattle of the land; and the birds of prey summer thereon, and all the cattle of the land will winter thereon.” The prophecy explains itself here, as is very frequently the case, especially with Isaiah; for the literal words of v. 6 show us unquestionably what it is that Jehovah will allow to develop itself so prosperously under favourable circumstances, and without any interposition on His part, until He suddenly and violently puts an end to the whole, must as it is approaching perfect maturity. It is the might of Assyria. Jehovah quietly looks on from the heavenly seat of His glorious presence, without disturbing the course of the thing intended. This quietness, however, is not negligence, but, as the hortative expressions show, a well-considered resolution. The two Caphs in v. 4 are not comparative, but indicate the time. He remains quiet whilst there is clear weather with sunshine ( indicating continuance, as in Jer 8:18; 1Sa 14:32), and whilst there is a dew-cloud in the midst of that warmth, which is so favourable for the harvest, by causing the plants that have been thoroughly heated in the day and refreshed at night by the dew, to shoot up and ripen with rapidity and luxuriance. The plant thought of, as v. 5 clearly shows, is the vine. By liphne katzir (before the harvest) we are either to understand the period just before the wheat-harvest, which coincides with the flowering of the grape; or, since Isaiah uses katzir for bazri in Isa 16:9, the time at the close of the summer, immediately preceding the vintage. Here again the Caph indicates the time. When the blossoming is over, so that the flower fades away, and the fruit that has set becomes a ripening grape ( boser , as in Job 15:33, not in the sense of labruscum , but of omphax ; and gamal , m aturescere , as in Num 17:8, maturare ), He cuts off the branches ( zalzalilm , from zilzel , to swing to and fro; compare the Arabic daliye , a vine-branch, from dala , to hang long and loose) upon which the nearly ripened grapes are hanging, and removes or nips off
(Note: = with a pausal sharpening of the tzere , which is lengthened by the tone, from tazaz or tz in post-biblical Hebrew, to knock off, knock to pieces, or weaken (compare tashash ). On this change of vowels in pause, see at Gen 17:14; and compare Olshausen, 91, d. For an example of the post-biblical use of the word, vid., b. Sanhedrin 102 a, “like two sticks hammattzoth ,” i.e., one of which “hits the other in two” ( hittiz , apparently from tuz , or tiz , like hinnach from nuach ).)
the tendrils ( netishoth , as in Jer 5:10, from natash , to stretch far out; niphal, to twist about a long way, Isa 16:8, compare Jer 48:32); an intentional asyndeton with a pictorial sound. The words of Jehovah concerning Himself have here passed imperceptibly into words of the prophet concerning Jehovah. The ripening grapes, as Isa 18:6 now explains, are the Assyrians, who were not far from the summit of their power; the fruit-branches that are cut off and nipped in pieces are their corpses, which are now through both summer and winter the food of swarms of summer birds, as well as of beasts of prey that remain the whole winter through. This is the act of divine judgment, to which the approaching exaltation of the banner, and the approaching blast of trumpets, is to call the attention of the people of Ethiopia.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
4. But thus said Jehovah unto me. After having threatened a slaughter of the Ethiopians or their neighbors, and at the same time shewn that comfort will arise from it to the Jews, or ironically reproved the foolish confidence with which the Jews had been deceived, he now adds that God will regulate these confused changes in such a manner as to gather to him at length his chosen people. The particle כי, ( ki,) which I have translated but, sometimes means for and sometimes but. The latter meaning appears to be more appropriate in this passage, for the Prophet replies to a doubt which otherwise might grievously perplex weak minds; because when confusion arises, there may be said to be a veil which conceals from us the providence of God. Such also was the state of that nation whose destruction he foretells, that this prediction might be reckoned fabulous and worthy of ridicule; for, as we may gather from it, there was no danger or change to be dreaded.
I will rest. Some consider this as referring to the person of Isaiah, as if, relying on what God had revealed, he rested, that is, was in a state of composure, as we ought to be when we have heard the word of God, and fully expect what has been foretold. In like manner Habakkuk also says, On my watch-tower will I stand. (Hab 2:1.) But unquestionably he relates what the Lord had foretold to him, and the Lord himself, by the mouth of the Prophet, makes this declaration, I will rest, that is, I will remain unemployed.
And I will look in my tabernacle. (19) The phrase, I will look, has the same import with the former; for a spectator takes no part in doing, but rests satisfied with looking. Such is likewise the force of the term tabernacle, as if the Lord betook himself to rest under a roof; while, on the contrary, he says that he ascends the judgment-seat, when he avenges the transgressions of the wicked; for these modes of expression are adapted to our capacity. But perhaps it may be thought more probable that the Prophet alludes to the sanctuary; because, although the majesty of God will remain concealed for a time among an afflicted people, yet his rest will not be without effect. It amounts to this, that though everything be turned upside down, so as to awaken a suspicion that God takes no further concern in the government of the world, yet he rests for an express purpose, as if he shut himself up unemployed in a chamber, and the effect of this rest will in due time appear.
As the heat that drieth up the rain. (20) By this beautiful metaphor the Prophet expresses more fully what he had formerly said. Yet there are two ways in which it may be shewn to agree with the Prophet’s meaning; either that God, aroused, as it were, from his rest, will shew a smiling countenance to gladden believers, or will water them by a refreshing shower; and in this way the Prophet would describe their varied success. Or there is an implied contrast, by which he reminds us that, while God appears to remain unemployed and to look at what is going on, still he can execute his judgments as if it were in sport. And yet, as the two following verses are closely connected with this verse, Isaiah appears to mean, that though God does not act in a bustling manner like men, or proceed with undue eagerness and haste, still he has in his power concealed methods of executing his judgments without moving a finger. Perhaps also he intended to shew, that in destroying this nation, God will act in an extraordinary manner. But we ought to be satisfied with what I lately suggested, that when men carelessly resign themselves to sleep in the midst of prosperity, and, intoxicated by their pleasures, imagine that they have nothing to do with God, “sudden destruction is at hand,” because God, by a look, frustrates all the designs or preparations of the world. (1Th 5:3.) He therefore declares that he will be like a clear and calm sky, (21) and like the heat that drieth up the rain.
And as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. (22) Now we know that this rain is exceedingly adapted to ripen the fruits, and likewise that the heat which follows the rain penetrates the fruits with its force, and drives the moisture more inward, by which it hastens their maturity and renders them more productive. Now the Prophet meant, that though calamities and distresses await the reprobate, still everything proceeds so much to their wish, that they appear to be supremely happy, as if the Lord intended to load them with every kind of blessings; but that they are fattened like oxen destined for slaughter, for when they appear to have reached the highest happiness, they suddenly perish.
Hence it follows, that we ought not to form an estimate of the judgments of God according to outward appearances; for when men imagine themselves to be exceedingly safe, they are not far from destruction and from utter ruin. Thus he speedily comforts believers, that they may not suppose that it fares better with the reprobate so long as God forbears to strike; for though he appears to cherish in his bosom those whom he sustains, he will quickly reduce them to nothing. These statements ought to be applied to those wretched and disastrous times when the tyrants who oppress the Church are the only persons that are prosperous, and abound in all kinds of wealth, and contrive in such a manner as if everything were in their power, because they surpass other men in power, and skill, and cunning. But let us know that all these things are done by the appointment of God, who promotes their endeavors and renders them successful, that he may at length slay and destroy them in a moment. I am aware that a widely different meaning is given by some to these words of the Prophet; but any one who takes a judicious view of the whole passage will have little difficulty, I trust, in assenting to my interpretation.
(19) Bogus footnote
(20) Bogus footnote
(21) Bogus footnote
(22) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4, 5) I will take my rest . . .The words that follow paint with marvellous vividness the calmness and deliberation of the workings of Divine judgments. God is at once unhasting and unresting. He dwells in His resting-place (i.e., palace or throne), and watches the ripening of the fruit which He is about to gather. While there is a clear heat in sunshine, while there is a dew-cloud in harvest-heat, through all phenomenal changes, He waits still. Then, before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the fruit becomes the full-ripe grape, He comes as the Lord of the vineyard, and cuts off the branches with His pruning-hooks. (Comp. the striking parallels of sch. Suppl. 90-98, and Shakespeare, Henry VIII., 3:2.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. All being thus ready, Jehovah comes now into the scene. In his watchful providence he looks on calmly from the high heavens, and waits up to the right time.
Like a clear heat upon herbs “Clear heat” is serene, continuous heat, suited to ripen herbs, grasses, wheat.
Like a cloud of dew Moisture combining with heat to hasten the harvest. The Hebrew particle kaph, here twice used, is a particle of comparison, not of time, and the meaning obviously is, that God not only does not hinder the operations of the enemy against Egypt and Ethiopia, but he even favours his success to a certain point, as dew and sunshine promote a ripening harvest.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 18:4-6. For so the Lord said, &c. We have here the divine judgment to be inflicted upon the Assyrian in its due time. The passage is obscure and difficult. The first part of it sets forth, figuratively, Jehovah as it were expecting and in his counsel considering the proper time for the execution of this judgment, while he had determined in himself to refresh the pious among his people with some proofs of his favour. The second part describes the judgment itself. The former part is contained in these words, For so the
Lord said unto me; that is to say, revealed this thing unto me from his secret purposes; I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling-place; that is to say, “While the Assyrian is forming his designs for the destruction of my people, I will seem to rest, and to have a regard for their preservation; and I will behold and consider in the heavens, what time most conveniently to execute my purpose upon the Assyrians.” Every reader must observe that this is spoken humano more (after the manner of men). But while God was in this state, with what disposition towards his people would he rest? The prophet clearly informs us in the next words; Like a clear or serene heat upon herbs, or after rain; like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. See 2Sa 23:4. The meaning of these metaphorical expressions is, that God would not so rest, as to lay aside all care and regard for his people; but that he rested with the best and most benevolent purpose of comforting his people after this affliction, and of refreshing them with his blessings: that he only considered at what time to do it most effectually; both that he might destroy the enemies of his people, and might give them such a refreshment, as that of a serene heat after a heavy rain, and as a cloud of dew in the time of harvest: the Chaldee paraphrast understands the passage in this sense. The latter part of this period informs us how he would behave towards those adversaries for whom he had destined this great slaughter. The prophet in the fifth verse compares the adversaries of the people of God to a vine, which after it has sent forth its bud, then its flower, and the flower the sour grape, which too was beginning to ripen,then comes the hand which suddenly cuts off all hope of the vintage, destroying as well the sprigs as the greater branches of the vine with pruning hooks, and leaves those branches burdened with grapes a prey to the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth; the whole vine being thus miserably cut down and spoiled: Isa 18:6 by which the prophet means, that when every thing respecting the Assyrians, was in the most promising situation, a sudden destruction should come upon them, and destroy all their flattering hopes of a successful harvest. See Job 15:33 and Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
) The Deliverance of Ethiopia in the Near Future
Isa 18:4-6
4For so the Lord said unto me, 13I will take my rest,
And I will 14 15consider in my dwelling-place
Like a clear heat 16 17upon herbs,
And like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
5For afore the harvest, when the 18bud is perfect,
19And the sour grape is ripening in the flower,
20He shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks,
And take away and cut down the branches.
6They shall be left together unto 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.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
Isa 18:4. According to Kthibh is to be read; according to Kri (comp. Ezr 8:25. Ewald, 40 b; 41 c; 68 b). The form written plene with the accent drawn back, is of course not normal. Precisely for this reason the Masorets chose the other. But Hitzig may not be wrong when he says, that the double checking of the voice with twice raising it between depressions fittingly depicts the agreeable re pose in equipoise. Isa 14:7; Isa 62:1 principally used of the divine throne, comp. on Isa 4:5; Psa 33:13.I take before in the sense of comparison, and not in that of coincidence as in Isa 18:3; Isa 18:5; see under Exegetical. For what clear heat, etc., and a dew-cloud is for harvest, such is Jehovahs quiet waiting for the Assyrian. is warmth, heat; only here in Isaiah. (comp. Isa 32:4) is bright, clear. is = by daylight (comp. Amo 8:9; Hab 3:4, etc.). is taken here in the cumulative sense, which it often has (Gen 32:12; Exo 35:22; 1Sa 14:32, etc.). Thus it is properly: heat added to daylight; for it can be cold during daylight. dew-cloud, is the light cloud that at night dissolves in dew (comp. Pro 16:15, whereas Exo 19:9 = .)
Isa 18:5. ( like Isa 18:3; ???Isa 5:24) is followed by a phrase in which, Hebrew fashion, the discourse relapses into the verb. finit. (only here in Isaiah; comp. Jer 31:29 sq.; Eze 18:2) is the unripe grape., which elsewhere means disaccustom, wean, (Isa 11:8; Isa 28:9) is used here in a sense derived from that. The mother, that weans her child, has brought it to a certain degree of maturity. But, beside the present, the word occurs in the sense of ripeness only Num. 17:23; it must be noted beside that is to be taken in a transitive sense. For in Num. 17:23 this is undoubtedly the case, and Gen 40:10 it reads in the same sense , their grape-stalks cooked grapes; is accordingly meant for a degree of development of the vine that produces ripe grapes.It appears as if the Prophet had in mind Gen 40:10; for both and and the words already quoted recall our passage. the flower, blossom, occurs only here in Isaiah; beside this, Job 15:33. , moreover, is subject; thus the predicate is put emphatically in advance.With begins the apodosis. Jehovah need not be taken as subject, and therewith the substitution of the Prophet as speaker. The subject is indefinite. We express it by one (Isa 6:10; Isa 10:4; Isa 14:32). (. .) are the branches of the vine; the shoots, sprouts that develop from it (only here in Isaiah, Jer 5:10; Jer 48:32)., . .
Isa 18:6. , beside here, only Isa 46:11., summering, and , wintering, are both denominatives from and , and are .
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The Prophet has intimated that something great impends (Isa 18:3)he now declares wherein it consists. He can say it because Jehovah revealed it to him. That is the Lord has announced to him, that He would keep altogether quiet as a mere observer. Like warmth and dew ripen the harvest, so, by the favor of His non-intervention, the power of the Assyrians will be brought almost to the greatest prosperity (Isa 18:4). Almost! For before this highest point is attained, the Assyrian power shall be destroyed, like one destroys a vine, by cutting off, not merely the grapes, but the grape branches and the sprouts (Isa 18:5). So terrible will this overthrow be, that the beasts of prey shall all through summer and winter find abundant to devour on the field of battle (Isa 18:6).
2. For sowinter upon them.
Isa 18:4-6. The Lord purposely abstains from interfering. He quietly allows matters to take their own course, He waits patiently till His time comes. This quiet, observant waiting the Prophet compares to that weather which is most favorable for maturing the harvest: warm days and dewy nights. The ancients conceived of the dew as originating like the rain. This appears, e.g., from Job 38:28, where the drops of dew, are the receptacula roris (Cod. Alex. . The summer heat, the nightly dew, is an extraordinary benefit to vegetation. Therefore dew is so often used as the figure for blessing: Gen 27:28; Deu 33:13; Deu 33:28; Hos 14:6; Mic 5:6; Pro 19:12. The causal , for, at the beginning of Isa 18:5 connects two thoughts that are impliedly contained in Isa 18:4-5 : the Lord observes this expectant conduct, because only immediately before maturity of events will He interfere. Harvest is evidently to be taken in the wide sense that includes also the wine harvest. By an emphatic asyndeton wherein the second word (, to cut down) explains the first (, to take away), it is now affirmed that the enemy, that is, Assyria, shall be thoroughly destroyed. For there will not be merely a gleaning of grapes (comp. Isa 63:1 sqq.), but from the vine shall be cut off the very branches that yield fruit. The meaning of what has been said, becomes evident from the literal language of Isa 18:6. It means a terrible overthrow of the Assyrian army. Its dead bodies lie in such vast numbers that birds I and beasts of prey for a summer and a winter, shall find abundance of food on the field of battle. Beasts of the earth, comp. Deu 28:26, of which passage, moreover, our whole verse serves to remind one.
Footnotes:
[13]I will rest or be quiet.
[14]Or. regard my set dwelling.
[15]look on.
[16]Or, after rain.
[17]by daylight.
[18]the bloom.
[19]And the flower becomes a ripening grape.
[20]One.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Isa 18:4 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.
Ver. 4. I will take my rest, I will consider. ] He will sit and bethink himself, as it were, how he may best bestow his poor people. The Assyrian shall go on with his great design for a while, and none shall interrupt him; but the Church meanwhile shall not be unprovided for.
Like a clear heat upon herbs.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
cloud of dew = summer night mist. Hebrew. ‘ab. Not a raincloud, which latter is never seen in harvest. Eight times rendered “thick clouds”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will: Isa 26:21, Psa 132:13, Psa 132:14, Hos 5:15
consider in my dwelling place: or, regard my set dwelling, Isa 18:7, Isa 12:6, Isa 14:32, Isa 31:9, Isa 46:13, Joe 3:17
like a clear: 2Sa 23:4, Psa 72:6
upon herbs: or, after rain
Reciprocal: Deu 33:13 – the dew Job 37:11 – he scattereth Isa 25:5 – as the heat Isa 25:10 – in this Isa 30:18 – wait Hos 14:5 – as the dew Zep 3:17 – he will Zec 6:8 – quieted
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
JEHOVAH RESTING
For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest.
Isa 18:4
Notice what is for us of commanding interest in this chapter, the prophets conception of history, or, to put it otherwise, of God in history. For so the Lord said unto me, I will take My restJehovah resting.
I. This is the rest of Gods holy judgments.Every one has noticed how the course of justice too often runs among men: how old abuses are tolerated with utter want of thought till the conscience or heart of the people is roused; and how often then the result is a hot haste of revenge, a severity which is just as cruel and unjust in its way as the injustice it is meant to rectify, without consideration or compensation allowed for the innocent suffering it involves. Thus human history seems to be a perpetual oscillation; perfect judgment is seldom or never reached except by some happy accident, or for a moment, in the transition from one extreme to another of injustice.
II. How different, the prophet feels, it is with Jehovah!In Him you have the perfect self-restraint of adequate knowledge and power, of love that is passionless in its intensity. In Him is no bias nor any haste; but, as the result, that quiet, even-handed, universal justice which men seek for all in vain from one another. There is no hurry in Gods judgments. Ohne hast, ohne rast: without stay or stir, He moves forward to His ends. Such is the prophets conception of history: Jehovah resting; an open eye that quietly surveys, notes all; a hand that holds the reins of power, yet gives to human freedom its play; a providence which makes the restless sea of human passions, blind, furious, cruel, its pathway, and moves, or rather rests, in its own eternal purpose that embraces all. How little do we grasp this thought! How little does the quiet of eternity fill our lives or even influence our judgment! One thing should keep us calm all through; the faith Isaiah had as he saw the swift messengers gleaming across the waves on their restless search for human help, as he heard the tramp of hosts, and felt the heart of a great people trembleJehovah is resting: that faith shared with him.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Isa 18:4. For so the Lord said unto me That is, revealed this thing to me from his secret purposes; I will take my rest While the Assyrian is forming designs for the destruction of my people, I will seem to rest, as if I had no regard for their preservation. The reader will observe, God is said in Scripture to rest, or sit still, when he does not work on the behalf of a person or people; as, on the contrary, he is said to bestir himself when he acts for them. And I will consider in my dwelling-place Namely, in the heavens, what time will be most proper for the execution of my purpose upon these proud blasphemers of my name, and persecutors of my people. This is spoken after the manner of men. Like a clear heat upon herbs, &c. The meaning of these metaphorical expressions is, that God would not so rest as to lay aside all care and regard for his people; but that he rested with the best and most benevolent purpose of comforting them after this affliction, and of giving them refreshment, like that of a serene heat after a heavy rain, or a cloud of dew in the time of harvest.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
18:4 For so the LORD said to me, I will take my {g} rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a {h} clear heat upon herbs, [and] like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
(g) I will stay a while from punishing the wicked.
(h) Which two seasons are profitable for the ripening of fruit, by which he means that he will seem to favour them and give them abundance for a time, but he will suddenly cut them off.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
This message by the Cushite envoys harmonized with what Yahweh had told Isaiah. Yahweh would look from His heavenly dwelling place quietly, like the shimmering heat in summer or the encroaching mist in autumn. These are figures that connote coming judgment.
He would prune the nations as a farmer pruned his grapevines and trees, but He would do it before they reached harvest time. In other words, His judging the nations would be perceived as premature. The nations would be so depopulated by this judgment that birds and beasts would feed on the remains of those judged (cf. Rev 19:17-18).
Then the remaining representatives of all these once-powerful and aggressive nations (cf. Isa 18:2) would worship the Lord Almighty (cf. Psa 68:31; Zec 14:16; Act 8:26-36). They would bring their gifts to Him at Mt. Zion. This will be a time of global worship of Messiah.