Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 18:7
In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.
7. Ethiopia shall then pay homage to Jehovah at Mount Zion, the earthly seat of His sovereignty.
For the present read a present. The word is rare, occurring again only in Psa 68:29; Psa 76:11, in both passages coupled with the same poetic word as is here used for “brought.”
of a people] Read from as in the next clause. The idea meant to be conveyed by the E.V. might be justified by an appeal to ch. Isa 45:14, but it is far more likely that the preposition has been accidentally omitted in the Hebr. text.
the place of the name of Lord ] See 1Ki 8:17; Deu 12:5; Deu 12:11.
For other anticipations of the conversion of Ethiopia, cf. ch. Isa 45:14; Zep 3:10; Psa 68:31; Psa 87:4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In that time – When shall thus be disconcerted, and their armies be overthrown.
Shall the present be brought… – The word present ( shay) denotes a gift, and is found only in the phrase to bring gifts, or presents Psa 68:30; Psa 76:11. It means here evidently a tribute, or an offering to Yahweh as the only true God; and possibly may mean that the people would be converted to him, and embrace the true religion.
Of a people … – From a people. The description which follows is the same precisely as in Isa 18:2. Numerous repetitions of this kind will be recollected by the classic reader in the Iliad.
To the place of the name … – The place where Yahweh is worshipped, that is, Jerusalem (compare the notes at Isa 1:8-9). We have no means of knowing with certainty when or how this prophecy was fulfilled. That the Jewish religion spread into Upper Egypt, and that the Christian religion was afterward established there, there can be no doubt. The Jews were scattered into nearly every nation, and probably many of this people became proselytes, and went with them to Jerusalem to worship (see Act 2:10; Act 8:27). The Abyssinian annals represent the country as converted to Judaism several centuries before the Christian era; and it certainly retains many appearances bearing the stamp of that faith. In the fourth century, the nation was converted to Christianity by the efforts of Frumentius, an Egyptian, who raised himself to high favor at court. Abyssinia remained impenetrable to the arms or the creed of the followers of Mahomet, and, affording shelter to the refugees from Egypt and Arabia, it became more decidedly Christian. The Abyssinians profess the same form of Christianity with the Copts of Egypt, and even own the supremacy of the patriarch at Cairo. They combine with their Christian profession many Judaical observances, such as circumcision, abstinence from meats, and the observance of Saturday as well as Sunday as a Sabbath. (Encyc. of Geography, vol. ii. pp. 585, 588.) in these facts – in the prevalence of the true religion there in former periods, the prophecy may be regarded as having been in part fulfilled. Still, as is the case with a large portion of the prophecies of Isaiah, we must regard this as having reference to a period of greater light and truth than has yet existed there; and as destined to receive a more complete fulfillment when all lands shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. The present – “A gift”] The Egyptians were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah, and were fellow-sufferers with the Jews under the invasion of their common enemy Sennacherib; and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom, by the destruction of the Assyrian army. Upon which wonderful event it is said, 2Ch 32:23, that “many brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was magnified of all nations from henceforth.” It is not to be doubted, that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion.
Of a people – “From a people”] Instead of am, a people, the Septuagint and Vulgate read meam, from a people, which is confirmed by the repetition of it in the next line. The difference is of importance; for if this be the true reading, the prediction of the admission of Egypt into the true Church of God is not so explicit as it might otherwise seem to be. However, that event is clearly foretold at the end of the next chapter. – L.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In that day; which is to be taken largely and indefinitely, as it is frequently in the prophets, as we have already seen, and shall more fully see hereafter. At or after that time, when the judgment threatened in the foregoing verses shall be fully and completely executed, whereby that people will be awakened to repentance.
A people; the people of whom I am speaking shall present and offer themselves and their sacrifices unto the true God. He speaks of their conversion to God and Christ by the preaching of the gospel; the accomplishment of which promise is recorded in the histories of the church.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. present . . . people scatteredand peeledFor the right rendering, see on Isa18:2. The repetition of epithets enhances the honor paid toJehovah by so mighty a nation. The Ethiopians, wonder-struckat such an interposition of Jehovah in behalf of His people, shallsend gifts to Jerusalem in His honor (Isa 16:1;Psa 68:31; Psa 72:10).Thus translate: “a present . . . from a people.” Ortranslate, as English Version; “the present” willmean “the people” of Ethiopia converted to God (Ro15:16). HORSLEY takesthe people converted to Jehovah, as the Jews in the latter days.
place of the namewhereJehovah peculiarly manifests His glory; Act 2:10;Act 8:27 show how worshipperscame up to Jerusalem from Egypt” and “Ethiopia.”Frumentius, an Egyptian, in the fourth century, converted Abyssiniato Christianity; and a Christian church, under an abuna orbishop, still flourishes there. The full accomplishment is probablystill future.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts,…. Not exactly at the time when this destruction should be, but some time after, even in Gospel times; for to them this part of the prophecy refers:
of a people scattered and peeled; this explains what the present is, that shall be brought to the Lord; it is a people, and therefore not the spoils of Sennacherib’s army, as some interpret it; nor yet the people of the Jews, that shall be brought by the Gentiles out of all nations in the latter day, as an offering to the Lord, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi; see Isa 11:11 p; but the Ethiopians or Egyptians, described Isa 18:2 as here, who, being converted, shall stretch out their hands to God, submit unto him, and present themselves soul and body as an acceptable sacrifice unto him; when these prophecies in
Ps 68:31 shall be fulfilled, and which began to be in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, Ac 8:27 and of which there were other instances in the times of the apostles, and in following ages:
and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; that is, some of the people, not all of them; the same people are designed as before, only this Hebraism is used, to show a distinction among them:
a nation meted out, and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled; these descriptive characters, with those in the preceding clauses, are retained, to show that the same people are here meant as in
Isa 18:2 and to magnify the riches of God’s grace, in the conversion of a people to whom such characters belonged; which show that it was not owing to themselves, or any deserts of theirs, but to the free favour and good will of God:
to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion; hither the present was to be brought, and here the persons to present themselves to the Lord, even in the mount Zion, the church of God; where the name of the Lord is named and called upon, his word is preached, his ordinances are administered, and where he dwells, and grants his presence.
p So Manasseh ben Israel, Spes. Israelis, sect. 17. p. 57.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
What effect this act of Jehovah would have upon the Ethiopian kingdom, if it should now take place, is described in Isa 18:7: “At that time will there be offered as a homage to Jehovah of hosts a nation stretched out and polished, and from a terrible people, far away on the other side; a nation of command upon command and treading down, whose land rivers cut through, at the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts, the mountain of Zion.” (a people), at the commencement, cannot possibly be equivalent to (from a people). If it were taken in this sense, it would be necessary to make the correction accordingly, as Knobel has done; but the important parallels in Isa 66:20 and Zep 3:10 are against this. Consequently am and goi (people and nation) must be rendered as subjects; and the in must be taken as partitive. Ethiopia is offered, i.e., offers itself, as a free-will offering to Jehovah, impelled irresistibly by the force of the impression made by the mighty act of Jehovah, or, as it is expressed in “the Titan among the Psalms” (Psa 68:32, probably a Davidic psalm of the time of Hezekiah), “there come kingdoms of splendour out of Egypt; Cush rapidly stretches out its hands to Elohim .” In order that the greatness of this spiritual conquest might be fully appreciated, the description of this strangely glorious people is repeated here; and with this poetical rounding, the prophecy itself, which was placed as a kind of overture before the following massa Mitzraim when the prophet collected the whole of his prophecies together, is brought to a close.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
7. In that time. The Prophet again shews why he threatened the destruction of a heathen nation; for when almost all the nations had leagued together against the Church, it appeared as if the Church were utterly ruined, and therefore Jehovah declares that in due time he will render assistance. Had he not opposed such designs, and seasonably restrained the attacks of enemies, the Jews would have despaired; and on this account he shews that he takes care of the Church, and that though he determines to chastise it, still he comes forward at the proper season to hinder it from perishing, and displays his power in opposition to tyrants and other enemies, that they may not overthrow it or succeed in accomplishing what they imagined to be in their power. In order therefore to excite them to patience, he not only distinguishes them from the Ethiopians, but likewise reminds them that God mitigates his judgments for their preservation.
A present shall be brought. He alludes to the second verse of this chapter, [Isa 18:2,] in which we have seen the same names and descriptions applied to the Jewish nation, and he employs the word brought because they would first of all be led into captivity, so that it would not be more practicable for them than for foreign nations to go up into the temple.
From a people. This expression deserves notice, for מעם, ( mĕgnăm,) means that it will not be an entire nation; as if he had said, though you must be reduced to a small number, so as to be a feeble remnant, yet those few who are left will be offered in sacrifice to God. Hence we ought to learn a doctrine highly useful and exceedingly adapted to our times, for at the present day the Church is not far from despair, being plundered, scattered, and every where crushed and trodden under foot. What must be done in straits so numerous and so distressing? We ought to lay hold of these promises, so as to believe that still God will preserve the Church. To whatever extent the body may be torn, shivered into fragments and scattered, still by his Spirit he will easily unite the members, and will never allow the remembering and the calling on his name to perish. Out of those fragments which are now broken and scattered, the Lord will unite and assemble the people. Those whom he joins together in one spirit, though widely separated from each other, he can easily collect into one body. Although therefore we see the nation diminished in numbers, and some of its members cut off, yet some present will be offered by it to the Lord.
To the place of the name. This mode of expression is customary with the prophets. When they speak of the worship of God they describe it by outward acts, such as altars, sacrifices, washings, and such like; and, indeed, the worship of God being within the soul, there is no way in which it can be described but by outward signs, by which men declare that they worship and adore God. But he chiefly calls it Mount Zion, because that place was consecrated to God, and God commanded that sacrifices should be offered there. The chief honor which he bestowed upon it was when he caused the doctrine of his word (Isa 2:3) to go forth from it, as we have formerly seen; (25) so that the name of Mount Zion may be properly understood to denote the pure and uncorrupted worship of God. In short, the prophets do not describe the worship of God as it would be after the coming of Christ, but as it was in their own time, because they found it necessary to accommodate themselves to the people to whom they ministered. Hence it ought to be inferred that there is no other way in which we can belong to the Church than by being offered to God in sacrifice. Let every one therefore who wishes to belong to God present himself for such an oblation, and let him no longer live to himself, but be wholly dedicated to God. (Rom 12:1; 2Co 5:15.) Now we know that it is by this sword of the word, that is, by the gospel, that Paul boasts of offering and sacrificing men to God. (Rom 15:16.)
By the place of the name of the Lord, he does not mean that his essence, of which we ought not to form any gross or earthly conception, is confined to it, as if God were limited to a place, but because it was a place in which the Lord commanded that his power should be acknowledged, and that men should worship and call upon him where he manifested his presence by his benefits and by his power, and that on account of the ignorance of the people, who could not otherwise comprehend his majesty. Yet it ought to be observed, that we cannot become acceptable to God without being united in one and the same faith, that is, without being members of the Church; for it is not necessary for us to run to Jerusalem, or to Mount Zion, because in the present day Zion is as wide and extensive as the whole world, which is entirely devoted to God. All that is necessary therefore is, that the same faith dwell in us, and that we be joined together by the bond of love. If this be wanting, every thing about us is heathen, and we have nothing that is sacred or holy.
(25) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) In that time shall the present be brought . . .Not of the people, but a people, as being themselves the present. The prophet foresees, as one result of the defeat of the Assyrian armies, that the nation, which he again describes instead of naming, will offer themselves to the service of Jehovah. So taken the words have an interesting parallel in Psa. 68:31, Ethiopia stretches out her hands unto God, or in the mention of Ethiopia in Psa. 87:3, as among the nations whose children are to be enrolled among the citizens of Zion. Messengers who may have justified Isaiahs words were probably found among the envoys mentioned in 2Ch. 32:23. Here, again, the words have been referred as before, to Israel.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. In that time shall the present be brought Now that Ethiopia is delivered by the fall of her enemy, the usual offerings of submission and gratitude are due from her. The proper offering is, that of herself to her deliverer, making herself over to him and to his religion as established on mount Zion. The terms characterizing Ethiopia are the same as in Isa 18:2, where see explanations. Was this call to the Ethiopians unheeded? Did this wonder from Jehovah the Assyrian destruction prove a vain event in directing the world’s attention to Him as its almighty Creator and Sovereign? “This particular case has already thrown forward some foreshadowing of its future fulfilment in the scenes briefly sketched in Act 8:26-39, when the prime minister of a celebrated queen of Ethiopia found Christ, by the aid of Philip, in reading this very book of Isaiah, and went home to his country rejoicing. Also in the further fact, that some vestiges of Christianity traces of its early power, and perhaps prophecies of its later have lived in that remote land unto this day. Assuredly ‘Ethiopia shall yet stretch forth her hands unto God.’” Cowles.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 18:7. In that time The words of this verse are sufficiently plain, exhibiting a notable consequence of the divine judgment, whereby the Egyptians as well as the Ethiopians should receive great benefit: for it should come to pass that they, or some of them, awakened by this tremendous judgment, should come to the knowledge of the God of Israel, and should profess their faith, and unite themselves to the church establishment in mount Zion. chap. Isa 19:18-19, &c. Psa 68:31; Psa 87:3. In that time, or after that time, signifies soon after the execution of this signal judgment; and that this was the case we learn very remarkably from sacred history, 2Ch 32:23. These offerings then, made from Egypt and all nations, were a prelude of the more perfect conversion of the Gentiles to the God of Israel; (see particularly Josephus against Apion, lib. 2 and Vitringa;) and there is nothing more certain than that God, after the remarkable overthrow of Sennacherib, was like the clear heat after rain, like dew in the time of harvest, to the people of Israel. See the chapter of Chronicles above referred to.
REFLECTIONS.
1. A woe is pronounced on Egyptthe land which sendeth ambassadors to form alliances, and to engage auxiliary forces, in order to strengthen its army.
2. God prepares to disappoint their designs, and gives his orders: Go, ye swift messengers of his vengeance, to a nation scattered and peeled; which, with the following words, some suppose addressed to Judaea, harassed by the Assyrians; but are rather spoken of these invaders.
3. All the people of the earth are called to be spectators of the controversy, when on the mountains of Judaea the proud Assyrian monarch should lift up his banners, and sound the dread alarm. However intimidating his appearance, God bids them see and hear, and mark the end. Note; God’s hand of providential interposition is carefully to be remarked; and, when dangers are most alarming, he is nearest to defend and save us. As it is written, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
4. For a while God seems to give up his people for a prey. So the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, as one asleep, and disregarding the distress of his people; and I will consider in my dwelling-place what I resolve to do; or, I will look upon my dwelling-place, Jerusalem, so called from the Shechinah of glory abiding in the temple, like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest; either reviving them, as the sun quickens the grass after a shower, and a cloud allays the scorching heat of harvest; or, suffering them for a while to be afflicted, as the sun burns up the grass, and as rain is hurtful in the time of harvest. And this may refer to his dealings with his people, whom he would comfort and protect; or the invading Assyrians, whose devices he would thus consider and disappoint. Note; (1.) God’s repose can never be disturbed by all the impotent rage of his foes. (2.) He seems, respecting his people, sometimes to have forgotten and forsaken them, when he is just ready to display his designs of grace for their deliverance.
5. His enemies, when ready in their own conceits, to reap the fruits of their conquests, are destroyed. Afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, their designs formed for execution, and the sour grape, the mischievous purpose, is ripening in the flower, ready to be accomplished, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and take away and cut down the branches; destroy both the soldiers of the army and the chief captains by the sword of the angel; and such a slaughter shall be made, that food enough will be provided from the carcases of the slain, during summer and winter, for the fowls and the wild beasts. Note; The deepest-laid schemes against God’s people, in which their adversaries already triumph in the certainty of success, God can easily counteract, to the confusion of all the enemies of his cause.
6. God’s people, delivered by his wondrous interposition, would bring to his altar a grateful present from the spoil of their enemies. Or this may refer to future times, when the posterity of these as well as of other ancient enemies of God’s church, should present themselves to him; and, wretched and vile as before their character was esteemed, being converted by grace, their offering would be accepted, and they admitted into the church of Christ, the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, the spiritual mount Zion. Note; (1.) If God enriches us by his providence, we are bound to bring the grateful present to him, and the poor are his receivers. (2.) They who design the ruin of others, are themselves justly given up for a prey.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
) THE SALVATION THAT ETHIPIA EXPECTS IN THE DISTANT FUTURE
Isa 18:7
7In that time shall 21the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts
22Of a people 23 24scattered and peeled,
And from a people terrible 25from their beginning hitherto;
A nation 26meted out and trodden under foot,
Whose land the rivers have spoiled,
To the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
Only and present difficulty.It is ungrammatical to supply the preposition before from . To amend the text by prefixing the is needless violence. in Isaiah again Isa 53:7; Isa 55:12., of uncertain derivation, is found again only Psa 68:30; Psa 76:12.The expression occurs only here: yet comp. Lev 14:13; Isa 60:13; Isa 66:1.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The gaze of the Prophet embraces the immediate and the most remote future, while he overleaps all time spaces that lie between as unessential. The consequence of that mighty overthrow will be this, that Ethiopia presents itself as a sacrificial gift to the Lord, and that out of this people will be sent sacrificial gifts to the spot where men call on the name of the Lord.
2. In that timemount Zion.
Isa 18:7. By the in that time the Prophet joins what follows close on to what precedes. Although what Isa 18:7 affirms belongs to the remote future, yet the Prophet sees it as the great chief effect immediately after the cause, Isa 18:5-6.By and the Prophet would say that the entire nation shall be brought to the Lord as present, tribute, or sacrificial gift; that is it will bring itselfa thought, that is familiar: Isa 66:20; Psa 68:32,that also, in consequence thereof, presents out of the nation will be brought to the place of the worship of Jehovah. For that is two different things; in order to bring itself, the nation does not need to leave its own place; but in order to bring presents to the sanctuary of the Lord, there must be a motion from one place to another. Therefore a double definition appears, for there shall be brought a present: 1) to the Lord of hosts a people, 2) from the people dreaded, etc. to the place, etc.The passage Zep 3:10 is a reminiscence of our text.
Footnotes:
[21]a gift.
[22]omit of.
[23]Or, outspread and polished.
[24]grown high and shining.
[25]from far away.
[26]of stern command and rough tread.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
I do not presume to say as much, but I am inclined to think, that what is said in this verse, is meant to shadow forth the glorious revenue of everlasting praise, which poor sinners, of every description and character, shall offer, when brought to the Lord, in a way of grace and salvation. They are here spoken of as scattered and peeled. And who more so than souls brought under conviction, until brought into a state of salvation in Jesus? And as the subject of woe in this chapter is to the land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, why may we not suppose the song of praise, and the present brought unto the Lord, may be from the same land concerning whom the Psalmist says, she shall soon stretch out her hands unto God? Psa 68:31 . It is blessed to trace the most distant shades of whatever refers to the glorious salvation by Christ.
REFLECTIONS
WHEN we consider the extensive nature of sin, and behold the universal reign of it in every nation, over every clime, and among all people; how full of relief is the thought that His empire, by whom sin is destroyed, is said as finally and fully to be from sea even to sea; and from the river even to the ends of the earth! And what but God’s grace can overcome and subdue man’s corruptions by nature! what shall stop the hatred of the heart against the love of God, but God’s love in subduing that enmity? If, therefore, we behold the land shadowing with wings beyond the river, coming forth with wrath against the Lord’s people; and if we behold the Lord going forth with whirlwinds of the south, to blow the trumpet of the everlasting gospel, why should it be thought incredible that the weapons of sin should fall from the hands of the mighty, and the proud heart be brought to bend to the sceptre of divine grace?
Reader, mark what the Lord said unto the prophet, and let our souls seek to our rest as the Lord did unto his. Precious Lord Jesus, thou art the rest wherewith the Lord will cause the weary to rest, and thou art the refreshing. Here may we behold souls fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows! Here may the kings of Tarshish, and of the isles, bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. Yea, blessed Jesus, here may all kings fall down before thee, and all nations do thee service! Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 18:7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.
Ver. 7. In that time. ] When the Assyrians are thus slain.
Shall the present be brought,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
present. Hebrew shai, because of being conveyed. Only here, and Psa 68:29; Psa 76:11.
the LORD of hosts. See note on Isa 1:9.
the name. See note on Psa 20:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 18:7
Isa 18:7
“In that time shall a present be brought to Jehovah of hosts from a people tall and smooth, even from a people terrible from their beginning onward, a nation that meteth out and treadeth down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts, the mount Zion.”
Despite the fact of there being no pagan records of such a gift ever having been sent from Ethiopia to Jerusalem, it certainly took place. Biblical records need no confirmation from pagan sources; but the opposite is always true.
Besides that, in all probability, what is prophesied here is the conversion of many Ethiopians in the Messianic era, as frequently prophesied, not only here, but throughout the Bible. See Isa 2:3; Isa 11:10; Isaiah 60-62; Psa 68:31; Psa 87:4, and Rom 15:16.
GOD’S PROOF OF HIS PROPHECIES
In this chapter we have another example of how God’s prophecies are “proved” by their very presentation, a phenomenon noticed in Micah.
A. The example in Micah. This great prophet announced the future total destruction of Samaria in the most graphic language (Mic 1:6-7). Of course, critical scholars must deny all predictive prophecy, it matters not at all upon what grounds; but it has always occurred as a mystery to us why the prophet who predicted over seven hundred years before the event the very town where the Son of God would be born should be questioned regarding the authenticity of his prophecy against Samaria.
God, however, built in the proof of this prophecy in the bizarre behavior of the prophet who gave it. Note:
“Mic 1:8 – For this, I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will go wailing like the jackals, and a lamentation like the ostriches.”
Now, who can imagine a man taking off all of his clothes, except perhaps a small loin cloth, going up and down among the people crying the blood-curdling screams of a jackal and the horrible moanings of an ostrich and yelling his heart out that Samaria is going to be destroyed, when at the very moment of such antics everybody on earth knew that Samaria had already been destroyed? How can such a thing be imagined? Why then did Micah behave in such a bizarre fashion? The answer is obvious. The very idea that Samaria would be destroyed appeared as an absolute impossibility to the whole nation; and Micah was striving to get their attention and to persuade them to heed his prophecy. Otherwise, that is, if the town had already been demolished, whatever authority remained would have locked the man up as a raving lunatic. Thus, in the very behavior of the prophet, God locked up the proof of its authenticity and of its existence before the event.
B. The example in this chapter. That the embassy from Ethiopia had to come before the Assyrian invasion is inherent in the fact that if no invasion had been threatened, they would have sent no embassy at all. The fact of Isaiah’s encouragement to that embassy being composed of the most solemn assurances (prophecies) of the destruction of an entire Assyrian army is all the proof that anyone ever needed of the authenticity of it and of its existence before the event.
Isa 18:7 TREASURE: This verse is futuristic. As usual the future is not defined whether it be the immediate future or the remote. More than likely both are thought of as involved. We have here another of the manifold instances of shortened perspective where the prophet sees the mountain peaks of Gods redemptive activity but he does not see the valleys in between the peaks. Those valleys unexplored (centuries of time elapsing between great events) by the prophets eye must also remain unexplored by the readers mind. Isaiah may have reference initially to the more immediate future when some in Ethiopia watched developments as they took place round about Jerusalem, and when the disastrous defeat of the Assyrians occurred, this news penetrated to Ethiopia and induced some to acknowledge Jehovah (Cf. 2Ch 32:23). However, one has only to remember the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8) to realize this prediction also has a distant future fulfillment and focuses on messianic times. In a context definitely messianic (Zep 3:10) Ethiopia is depicted bringing offerings to the Lord. Zion is symbolic to designate the dwelling place of God and the church of Christ is His ultimate dwelling place (Cf. Heb 12:18-24; Eph 2:11-22). This verse parallels the many predictions of Isaiah and other prophets that in messianic times (the church) God and/or Gods people will possess peoples (as treasure) from every nation of the world. Isaiah portrays the future glorious Zion (kingdom of God) to be a universal kingdom. All the nations will flow to it (Isaiah 2, etc.). This is another expression of the universality of the messianic kingdom (the Church). The treasure is the people themselves, converted to Jehovah.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
shall the: Isa 16:1, Isa 23:17, Isa 23:18, Isa 45:14, 2Ch 32:23, Psa 68:29-31, Psa 72:9-15, Zep 3:10, Mal 1:11, Mat 2:11, Act 8:27, Act 8:28
scattered and peeled: or, outspread and polished, Isa 18:2
to the: Isa 18:4, Isa 60:6-9, Mic 4:13, Zec 14:16, Zec 14:17
Reciprocal: Num 31:28 – levy Isa 14:2 – and the house Isa 43:6 – bring Isa 66:19 – I will set Jer 48:47 – Yet will I bring
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 18:7. In that time After the execution of this signal judgment; shall the present be brought unto the Lord, &c. Here the prophet foretels that Egypt, being delivered from the oppression of the Assyrian, 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. The Egyptians, it must be observed, were in alliance with the kingdom of Judah, and were fellow- sufferers with the Jews, under the invasion of the common enemy Sennacherib; and so were very nearly interested in the great and miraculous deliverance of that kingdom, by the destruction of the Assyrian army. Upon which wonderful event it is said, (2Ch 32:23,) that many brought gifts unto Jehovah, to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah; so that he was magnified of all nations from thenceforth. And it is not to be doubted, that among these the Egyptians distinguished themselves in their acknowledgments on this occasion. These offerings, then made from Egypt and other nations, were a prelude of a more perfect conversion of the Gentiles to the God of Israel; and there is nothing more certain than that God, after the remarkable overthrow of Sennacherib, was like the clear heat after rain, and like dew in the time of harvest, to the people of Israel. See Bishop Lowth and Vitringa.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
18:7 In that time shall the {k} present be brought to the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and stripped, and from a people terrible from their beginning to this time; a nation measured by line and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.
(k) Meaning that God will pity his Church, and receive that little remnant as an offering to himself.