Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 23:9
The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, [and] to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.
9. Jehovah has purposed it in accordance with a fixed principle of His government.
to stain (render to desecrate) the pride of all glory ] The thought is the same as in ch. Isa 2:12 ff. For this use of the verb “desecrate,” cf. Eze 28:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it – (see the note at Isa 1:9). It is not by human counsel that it has been done. Whoever is the instrument, yet the overthrow of wicked, proud, and vicious cities and nations is to be traced to the God who rules in the empires and kingdoms of the earth (see the notes at Isa 10:5-7).
To stain, the pride of all glory – Margin, Pollute. The Hebrew word ( chalel) means properly to bore, or pierce through; to open, make common Lev 19:29; then to profane, defile, pollute, as, e. g., the sanctuary Lev 19:8; Lev 21:9, the Sabbath Exo 31:14, the name of God Lev 18:21; Lev 19:12. Here it means that the destruction of Tyre would show that God could easily level it all with the dust. The destruction of Tyre would show this in reference to all human glory, because:
(1) it was one of the most ancient cities;
(2) it was one of the most magnificent;
(3) it was one: of the most strong, secure, and inaccessible;
(4) it was the one of most commercial importante, most distinguished in the view of nations; and
(5) its example would be the most striking and impressive.
God often selects the most distinguished and important cities and people to make them examples to others, and to show the ease with which he can bring all down to the earth.
To bring into contempt … – To bring their plans and purposes into contempt, and to show how unimportant and how foolish are their schemes in the sight of a holy God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 23:9
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory
God abases pride
In this message there is a revelation of the Divine method in dealing with men and nations.
For here the Divine purpose is to show how stained is all human pride, and how contemptible are those whose honour comes from men only. What God brings about is a gradual uncovering of things, a discovering of their true character, and therefore the manifestation of the utter unsoundness and instability of anything not based on the:Divine will. (B. Blake, B. D.)
God exalts the humble and abases the proud
A philosopher, being asked how God was employed, gave for answer, In exalting the humble and abasing the proud. The reply was good, and agreeable to Scripture. (R. Macculloch.)
The great sin of pride
Other sins are violations of the law of God, this acteth in direct opposition to His very existence and sovereignty; it not only despiseth His commandment, but it arraigneth the dispensations of His providence and grace, and proves the fruitful source of all other transgressions. (R. Macculloch.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it; this is the Lords own doing; therefore do not doubt it, nor wonder at it. Gods design is by this one example to abate and abase the pride of all the potentates of the earth, that they may see and know what weak and wretched creatures they are, when God leaves them, and sets himself against them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. Whoever be the instruments inoverthrowing haughty sinners, God, who has all hosts at His command,is the First Cause (Isa10:5-7).
stainrather, “toprofane”; as in Ex 31:14,the Sabbath, and other objects of religious reverence; sohere, “the pride of all glory” may refer to the Tyriantemple of Hercules, the oldest in the world, according to ARRIAN(Isa 2:16); the prophet of thetrue God would naturally single out for notice the idol of Tyre [G.V. SMITH]. It may,however, be a general proposition; the destruction of Tyrewill exhibit to all how God mars the luster of whatever is haughty(Isa 2:11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord of hosts hath purposed it,…. To destroy Tyre; who is wonderful in counsel, capable of forming a wise scheme, and able to put it in execution; being the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth: and his end in it was,
to stain the pride of all glory; Tyre being proud of its riches, the extent of its commerce, and the multitude of its inhabitants, God was resolved, who sets himself against the proud, to abase them; to pollute the glorious things they were proud of; to deal with them as with polluted things; to trample upon them:
[and] to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth: or, “to make light all the heavy ones of the earth” d; all such, who are top heavy with riches and honour, God can, and sometimes does, make as light as feathers, which the wind carries away, and they fall into contempt and disgrace with their fellow creatures; and the Lord’s thus dealing with Tyre was not merely on their account, to stain their pride and glory, and disgrace their honourable ones; but for the sake of others also, that the great ones of the earth might see and learn, by this instance of Tyre, how displeasing to the Lord is the sin of pride; what a poor, vain, and perishing thing, worldly honour and glory is; and what poor, weak, feeble creatures, the princes and potentates of the earth are, when the Lord takes them in hand.
d .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. To profane the pride, or, to profane the loftiness; for it may be read either way, because loftiness leads to pride, and where loftiness or a high spirit is found, there seldom is humility. But it will be better to read it Pride, which alone provokes the vengeance of God, when men, under pretense of their excellence, vaunt themselves above measure. To “profane” and to “despise” mean the same thing; for those who are high in rank imagine that they are separated from others, and consider themselves to have something indescribably lofty belonging to them, as if they ought not to mingle with the crowd of human beings. But God strips them of their rank, degrades them, and treats them as vile and worthless.
From this passage let us learn, that we ought to contemplate the providence of God in such a manner as to ascribe to his almighty power the praise which it deserves for righteous government. Although the rectitude by which God regulates his judgments is not always apparent or made visible to us, still it is never lawful to separate his wisdom and justice from his power. But as the Scriptures very frequently state and clearly explain the reason why God does this or that, we ought carefully to examine the cause of his works.
That invention which the Schoolmen have introduced, about the absolute power of God, is shocking blasphemy. It is all one as if they said that God is a tyrant who resolves to do what he pleases, not by justice, but through caprice. Their schools are full of such blasphemies, and are not unlike the heathens, who said that God sports with human affairs. But in the school of Christ we are taught that the justice of God shines brightly in his works, of whatever kind they are, “that every mouth may be stopped,” (Rom 3:19,) and that glory may be ascribed to him alone.
The Prophet therefore assigns the causes of so great an overthrow, that we may not think that God acts without a reason; for the inhabitants of Tyre were proud, ambitious, lewd, and licentious. These vices follow in the train of wealth and abundance, and commonly abound in mercantile cities. For this reason he shews that God is provoked on account of these vices, that all who are left may be taught by this example to pay greater attention to their own interests, and not to abuse the gifts of God for parade and luxury. Such is the benefit which we ought to draw from it, for we must not imagine that it is a bare history which is related to us.
But a question arises, Does God hate the exalted rank of princes and lords? For he raises on high princes, senators, nobles, and all classes of magistrates and rulers; and how then can he hate them? I reply, the high station occupied by princes is not in itself hateful to God, but only on account of the vice which is accidental to it, that when they have been highly exalted, they despise others, and do not think that they are men. Thus, pride is almost always an attendant of high station, and therefore God hates it; and, in a word, he must rebuke that haughtiness of which he declares that he is an enemy.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) The Lord of hosts hath purposed . . .This is the prophets answer. The kings of Assyria were but instruments in the hand of Jehovah Sabaoth, working out what He had planned.
To stain the pride . . .The primary meaning of the verb is to pollute or desecrate, possibly in reference to the destruction of the temples of Tyre, such e.g. as that of Melkarth, which was reported to be one of the most ancient in the world.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 23:9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, [and] to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
Ver. 9. The Lord of hosts hath purposed it. ] Here the prophet sets forth both who had decreed the downfall of this famous and flourishing city; and why? See Eze 27:5-7 .
To stain the pride of all glory.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord of hosts. See note on Isa 1:9.
stain = pollute.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Lord: Isa 10:33, Isa 14:24, Isa 14:27, Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11, Jer 47:6, Jer 47:7, Jer 51:62, Act 4:28, Eph 1:11, Eph 3:11
to stain: Heb. to pollute, Isa 2:11, Isa 2:17, Isa 5:15, Isa 5:16, Isa 13:11, Job 40:11, Job 40:12, Dan 4:37, Mal 4:1, Jam 4:6
bring: Job 12:21, Psa 107:40, 1Co 1:26-29
Reciprocal: Gen 34:19 – honourable Exo 8:4 – General Exo 8:17 – lice in man Job 33:17 – withdraw Isa 2:12 – upon Isa 16:14 – the glory Isa 40:23 – General Jer 13:9 – the pride Lam 2:2 – polluted Eze 27:3 – I am Eze 28:7 – I will Eze 28:16 – therefore Dan 4:24 – the decree Oba 1:2 – General Zec 9:6 – General Zec 12:7 – save Luk 4:6 – and the Rom 9:11 – that the Rev 18:18 – What