Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 25:2
For thou hast made of a city a heap; [of] a defensed city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
2. The fall of a hostile city. The word “city” can hardly in this case be understood collectively, although the terms of the description are too vague to shew what historic city is intended. All that appears is that it is a city which, in the age of the prophet, symbolised the hostility of the world to the kingdom of God; its identification will depend on the date assigned to the prophecy. If for instance the author lived during or shortly after the Exile, the “defenced city” would be most naturally identified with Babylon (see however on the next verse).
a palace of strangers ] Better, of aliens (as in ch. Isa 1:7).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For thou hast made – This is supposed to be uttered by the Jews who should return from Babylon, and therefore refers to what would have been seen by them. In their time it would have occurred that God had made of the city an heap.
Of a city – I suppose the whole scope of the passage requires us to understand this of Babylon. There has been, however, a great variety of interpretation of this passage. Grotius supposed that Samaria was intended. Calvin that the word is used collectively, and that various cities are intended. Piscator that Rome, the seat of antichrist, was intended. Jerome says that the Jews generally understand it of Rome. Aben Ezra and Kimchi, however, understand it to refer to many cities which they say will be destroyed in the times of Gog and Magog. Nearly all these opinions may be seen subjected to an examination, and shown to be unfounded, in Vitringa.
An heap – It is reduced to ruins (see the notes at Isa. 13; 14) The ruin of Babylon commenced when it was taken by Cyrus, and the Jews were set at liberty; it was not completed until many centuries after. The form of the Hebrew here is, Thou hast placed from a city to a ruin: that is, thou hast changed it from being a city to a pile of ruins.
Of a defensed city – A city fortified, and made strong against the approach of an enemy. How true this was of Babylon may be seen in the description prefixed to Isa. 13.
A palace – This word properly signifies the residence of a prince or monarch Jer 30:18; Amo 1:4, Amo 1:7, Amo 1:10, Amo 1:12. Here it is applied to Babylon on account of its splendor, as if it were a vast palace, the residence of princes.
Of strangers – Foreigners; a term often given to the inhabitants of foreign lands, and especially to the Babylonians (see the note at Isa 1:7; compare Eze 28:7; Joe 3:17). It means that this was, by way of eminence, The city of the foreigners; the capital of the whole Pagan world; the city where foreigners congregated and dwelt.
It shall never be built – (See the notes at Isa 13:19-22)
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. A city – “The city”] Nineveh, Babylon, Ar, Moab, or any other strong fortress possessed by the enemies of the people of God.
For the first meir, of a city, the Syriac and Vulgate read hair, the city; the Septuagint and Chaldee read arim, cities, in the plural, transposing the letters. After the second meir, a MS. adds lagol, for a heap.
A palace of strangers – “The palace of the proud ones”] For zarim, strangers, MS. Bodl. and another read zedim, the proud: so likewise the Septuagint; for they render it here, and in Isa 25:5, as they do in some other places: see De 18:20; De 18:22. Another MS. reads tsarim, adversaries; which also makes a good sense. But zarim, strangers, and zedim, the proud, are often confounded by the great similitude of the letters daleth and resh. See Mal 3:15; Mal 4:1; Ps 19:14, in the Septuagint; and Ps 54:5, where the Chaldee reads zedim, compared with Ps 86:16.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A city; which is put collectively for cities. He speaks of the cities of
strangers, as the following clause explains it, or of enemies of God, and of his people. And under the name cities he comprehends their countries and kingdoms, of which cities are an eminent and commonly the strongest part.
A palace of strangers; the royal cities, in which were the palaces of strangers, i.e. of the kings of strange people, or of the Gentiles.
It shall never be built; their cities and palaces have been or shall be utterly and irrecoverably destroyed.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. a city . . . heapBabylon,type of the seat of Antichrist, to be destroyed in the last days(compare Jer 51:37; Rev 18:1-24,followed, as here, by the song of the saints’ thanksgiving in Re19:1-21). “Heaps” is a graphic picture of Babylon andNineveh as they now are.
palaceBabylonregarded, on account of its splendor, as a vast palace. But MAURERtranslates, “a citadel.”
of strangersforeigners,whose capital pre-eminently Babylon was, the metropolis of the paganworld. “Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangersfrom the covenants of promise” (Isa 29:5;Eph 2:12; see in contrast, Joe3:17).
never be built(Isa 13:19; Isa 13:20,&c.).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thou hast made of a city an heap,…. Which is to be understood, not of Samaria, nor of Jerusalem; rather of Babylon; though it is best to interpret it of the city of Rome, as Jerom says the Jews do; though they generally explain it of many cities, which shall be destroyed in the times of Gog and Magog, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi; and so the Targum has it in the plural number; perhaps not only the city of Rome, but all the antichristian states, the cities of the nations, all within the Romish jurisdiction are meant; which shall all fall by the earthquake, sooner or later, and become a heap:
[of] a defenced city, a ruin; or, “for a fall” c; the same thing is meant as before: it designs the fall of mystical Babylon or Rome, called the great and mighty city, Re 18:2:
a palace of strangers; which Kimchi interprets of Babylon, which, he says, was a palace to the cities of the Gentiles, who are called strangers; and it is said, that that city was originally built for strangers, that dwelt in tents, in Arabia Deserts; but it is best to understand it of Rome, as before, which is the palace of such who are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, who have introduced a strange religion, and are the worshippers of strange gods, Da 11:38. The Targum renders it,
“the house of the gods of the people in the city of Jerusalem;”
and this will be made
to be no city, it shall never be built; any more, when once it is destroyed, signified by the angels casting a millstone into the sea, which shall never be taken up again, or found more, Re 18:21.
c “in lapsum”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2. For thou hast made of a city a heap. Some refer this to Jerusalem; but I think that there is a change of the number, as is very customary with the prophets; for the Prophet does not speak merely of a single city, but of many cities, which he says will be reduced to heaps. As to the view held by some, that the Romans made Jerusalem a palace, it has nothing to do with the Prophet’s meaning, which will be easily enough understood, if we keep in remembrance what has been already stated, that the Prophet does not confine his thoughts to those calamities by which the Lord afflicts many nations, but extends his view to the end of the chastisements. In this manner the Lord determined to tame and subdue the obstinacy of men, whom he would never have brought into subjection to him without having been broken down by various afflictions.
A palace of foreigners, (138) that it may not be a city. The Prophet does not merely mean that, when the natives have been driven out, “foreigners” wil1 inhabit the cities which have been taken; for that would not agree with what he immediately adds, “that it may be no longer a city;” but that wandering bands of men who shall be in want of a habitation will there find abundance of room, because there will be no inhabitants left. Since ארמון ( armōn) denotes a magnificent palace, the Prophet thus says ironically, that highwaymen will dwell as in palaces, on account of the vast extent of the place which shall be deserted.
(138) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2) Thou hast made of a city an heap.The city spoken of as the palace of strangers was, probably in the prophets thought, that which he identified with the oppressors and destroyers of his peoplei.e., Nineveh or Babylon; but that city was also for him the representation of the world-power which in every age opposes itself to the righteousness of Gods kingdom. The Babylon of Isaiah becomes the type of the mystical Babylon of the Apocalypse. The words as they stand expand the thought of Isa. 24:10. (Comp. Isa. 27:10.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 25:2. For thou hast made of a city, an heap The prophet here plainly speaks of the destruction of a city; but respecting what city is meant interpreters greatly vary. Vitringa seems to have proved clearly that Babylon is meant, which was emphatically called the city; which was remarkably fortified, and which was inhabited by strangers, as the Assyrians and Babylonians are commonly called in prophetic language; and in the destruction of which the ancient believers rejoiced most especially, having therein a pledge and earnest of future deliverance, and particularly a type of the deliverance of the Christian church from persecution by the fall of spiritual Babylon. See Rev 18:20; Rev 19:1; Rev 19:21.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 25:2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; [of] a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
Ver. 2. For thou hast made of a city an heap. ] Babylonem intelligit, say some. Narratur eversio urbis Romae, say others; the ruin of Rome is here foretold; which is therefore also, say they, called a palace of strangers; a because Antichrist with his adherents reigneth there. Jerome saith the Jews understand it to be Rome, which shall be in the end destroyed, and then their poor nation shall be relieved. as Isa 25:4 It may be so.
a A . – Sept.
strangers = foreigners. See note on Isa 5:17.
For: Isa 25:12, Isa 14:23, Isa 17:1, Isa 21:9, Isa 23:13, Deu 13:16, Jer 51:26, Nah 3:12-15
palace: Isa 13:22, Rev 18:2, Rev 18:3, Rev 18:19
Reciprocal: Jos 8:28 – an heap Isa 24:10 – city Isa 27:10 – the defenced Isa 32:14 – the palaces Jer 9:11 – Jerusalem Eze 32:12 – they shall Mic 1:6 – I will make
Isa 25:2. Thou hast made of a city a heap Nineveh, Babylon, Ar of Moab, or any other strong city, or fortress, possessed by the enemies of the people of God. Vitringa has made it appear probable that Babylon is chiefly meant, which was emphatically called the city; which was remarkably fortified, and which was inhabited by strangers, as the Assyrians and Babylonians are commonly called in prophetical language, and in the destruction of which the ancient believers rejoiced most especially, having therein a pledge and earnest of future deliverance, and particularly a type of the deliverance of the Christian Church from persecution, by the fall of spiritual Babylon. See Rev 18:20; and Rev 19:1. A palace of strangers A royal city, in which were the palaces of strangers, that is, of the kings of strange people, or of the Gentiles. Bishop Lowth on the authority of two MSS., instead of , strangers, reads , proud ones: which reading, he thinks, the LXX. countenance, as they render the word , the ungodly. To be no city; it shall never be built It has been, or shall be, utterly and irrecoverably destroyed.
25:2 For thou hast made of a {b} city an heap; [of] a fortified city a ruin: a palace {c} of foreigners to be no city; it shall never be built.
(b) Not only of Jerusalem, but also of these other cities which have been your enemies.
(c) That is, a place where all vagabonds may live without danger and as it were at ease as in a palace.
What did God do? He destroyed the city of man, the world of city-state culture (cf. Isa 24:10), as He said He would. The city, since the time of Babel (Gen 11:1-9), was a biblical figure of self-salvation. In the Tribulation, God will humble the pride of man who seeks to save himself.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)