Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 29:5
Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
5. thy strangers ] the barbarians who assail thee.
the terrible ones ] or the tyrants.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 8. The discomfiture and dispersion of Zion’s enemies in the hour of their triumph.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Moreover – These verses Isa 29:5, Isa 29:7-8 contain a beautiful description of the destruction of the army of Sennacherib. Though they had laid the plan of a regular siege; though the city, in itself, would not be able to hold out against them, and all was alarm and conscious imbecility within; yet in an instant the siege would be raised, and the advancing hosts of the Assyrians would all be gone.
The multitude of thy strangers – The multitude of the strangers that shall besiege thee; called thy strangers, because they besieged, or oppressed thee. The word strangers here, as elsewhere, means foreigners (see the note at Isa 1:7; compare Isa 2:6; Isa 5:17; Isa 14:1; Isa 25:2, Isa 25:5; Isa 29:5; Isa 60:10).
Shall be like small dust – Light, fine dust that is easily dissipated by the wind.
Of the terrible ones – Of the invading, besieging army, that is so much the object of dread.
As chaff that passeth away – (see the note at Isa 17:13). This image of chaff driven before the wind, to denote the sudden and entire discomfiture of enemies, is common in the Scriptures (see Job 21:18; Psa 1:4; Psa 35:5; Hos 13:13).
Yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly – The forces of Sennacherib were destroyed in a single night by the angel of the Lord (Isa 37:36; the note at Isa 10:12, Isa 10:28-34, note), and the siege of Jerusalem was of course immediately raised.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. The multitude of thy strangers – “The multitude of the proud”] For zarayich, thy strangers, read zedim, the proud, according to the Septuagint; parallel to and synonymous with aritsim, the terrible, in the next line: the resh was at first daleth in a MS. See Clarke on Isa 25:2.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh verses contain an admirable description of the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, with a beautiful variety of the most expressive and sublime images: perhaps more adapted to show the greatness, the suddenness, and horror of the event, than the means and manner by which it was effected. Compare Isa 30:30-33.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Of thy strangers; either,
1. Of the strangers that encamp and fight against thee. Or,
2. Of the Egyptians, and other strangers, whom thou hast hired to assist thee, as indeed they did, when the Chaldeans came against them. This exposition seems to agree best, as with the phrase, thy strangers, so with the scope of the place, and with the whole context, especially the foregoing verses; which plainly shows that this is not a promise to Jerusalem, but a threatening against it.
Like small dust; quickly blown away with the least wind, by comparing this with the following clause.
Of the terrible ones; of thy great commanders and stoutest soldiers.
It shall be; this dissipation and destruction of thy strangers and terrible ones shall come to pass.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. Moreoverrather, “Yet”;yet in this extremity help shall come, and the enemy be scattered.
strangersforeignenemies, invaders (Isa 25:2).
it shall benamely, thedestruction of the enemy.
at an instantin amoment (Isa 30:23).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Moreover, the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust,…. Or “of those that fan thee” q, as the Vulgate Latin Version; and so the Targum,
“of those that scatter thee;”
or of thine enemies, as others; meaning the Romans, who were a strange people to them, who got the dominion over them, and scattered them abroad in the world: and the simile of “small dust”, to which they are compared, is not used to express the weakness of them, but the greatness of their number, which was not to be counted, any more than the dust of the earth; see Nu 23:10:
and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away; designing the same numerous army of the Romans as before, who were terrible to the Jews: nor does this metaphor signify any imbecility in them, and much less the ruin of them, but their swiftness in executing the judgments of God upon his people, who moved as quick as chaff, or any such light thing, before a mighty wind:
yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly; either the numerous army should be suddenly before Jerusalem, or the destruction of that city should be as it were in a moment; and though the siege of it lasted long, yet the last sack and ruin of it was suddenly, and in so short a time, that it might be said to be in an instant, in a moment, as it were. The Jewish writers interpret this of the sudden destruction of Sennacherib’s army by the angel, 2Ki 19:35 but the next words show that the destruction of Jerusalem is meant.
q “ventilantium te”, V. L. “dispergentium te”, Vatablus, so Targum; “hostium tuorum”, Pagninus, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Thus far does the unfolding of the hoi reach. Now follows an unfolding of the words of promise, which stand at the end of Isa 29:1: “And it proves itself to me as Ariel.” Isa 29:5-8: “And the multitude of thy foes will become like finely powdered dust, and the multitude of the tyrants like chaff flying away; and it will take place suddenly, very suddenly. From Jehovah of hosts there comes a visitation with crash of thunder and earthquake and great noise, whirlwind and tempest, and the blazing up of devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that gather together against Ariel, and all those who storm and distress Ariel and her stronghold, will be like a vision of the night in a dream. And it is just as a hungry man dreams, and behold he eats; and when he wakes up his soul is empty: and just as a thirsty man dreams, and behold he drinks; and when he wakes up, behold, he is faint, and his soul is parched with thirst: so will it be to the multitude of the nations which gather together against the mountain of Zion.” The hostile army, described four times as hamon , a groaning multitude, is utterly annihilated through the terrible co-operation of the forces of nature which are let loose upon them (Isa 30:30, cf., Isa 17:13). “ There comes a visitation: ” tippaqed might refer to Jerusalem in the sense of “it will be visited” in mercy, viz., by Jehovah acting thus upon its enemies. But it is better to take it in a neuter sense: “punishment is inflicted.” The simile of the dream is applied in two different ways: (1.) They will dissolve into nothing, as if they had only the same apparent existence as a vision in a dream. (2.) Their plan for taking Jerusalem will be put to shame, and as utterly brought to nought as the eating or drinking of a dreamer, which turns out to be a delusion as soon as he awakes. Just as the prophet emphatically combines two substantives from the same verbal root in Isa 29:1, and two adverbs from the same verb in Isa 29:5; so does he place and together in Isa 29:7, the former with relating to the crowding of an army for the purpose of a siege, the latter with an objective suffix (compare Psa 53:6) to the attack made by a crowded army. The m e tsodah of Ariel (i.e., the watch-tower, specula , from tsud , to spy)
(Note: In Arabic, also, masad signifies a lofty hill or mountain-top, from a secondary form of tsud ; and massara , to lay the foundations of a fortified city ( r matsor , Psa 31:22), from tsur .))
is the mountain of Zion mentioned afterwards in Isa 29:8. , as if; comp. Zec 10:6; Job 10:19. without ; the personal pronoun is frequently omitted, not only in the leading participial clause, as in this instance (compare Isa 26:3; Isa 40:19; Psa 22:29; Job 25:2; and Khler on Zec 9:12), but also with a minor participial clause, as in Psa 7:10; Psa 55:20, and Hab 2:10. The hungering and thirsting of the waking man are attributed to his nephesh (soul: cf., Isa 32:6; Isa 5:14; Pro 6:30), just because the soul is the cause of the physical life, and without it the action of the senses would be followed by no sensation or experience whatever. The hungry stomach is simply the object of feeling, and everything sensitive in the bodily organism is merely the medium of sensation or feeling; that which really feels is the soul. The soul no sooner passes out of the dreaming state into a waking condition, than it feels that its desires are as unsatisfied as ever. Just like such a dream will the army of the enemy, and that victory of which it is so certain before the battle is fought, fade away into nothing.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 5-8: THE HOSTILE PURPOSE OF THE ENEMY TO BE FRUSTRATED
1. In Judah’s hour of extremity the Lord will again prove Himself to be her hope and help – driving her enemies, as small dust; the terrible oppressors, as chaff, before Him, (vs. 5; 17:13; vs. 20; Isa 13:11; Isa 25:3-5; Isa 49:25).
2. The routing of the enemy will be “at an instant, suddenly”, (cf. Isa 17:14; Isa 47:11).
3. The voice of the Lord speaks through: thunder, earthquake, noise, storm, tempest and “the flame of devouring fire”, (vs. 6; comp. Psalms 29; Exo 9:23; Exo 9:29; Exo 9:33; Exo 19:16-20; Exo 20:18-19; 1Sa 7:10; 1Sa 12:15-18; 2Sa 22:14-15; Psa 18:13-14; Rev 11:13; Rev 11:19; Rev 16:18).
4. Because Jehovah is faithful, the purpose of the enemy will be thwarted, (vs. 7-8; Mic 4:11-12).
a. Jerusalem will, henceforth, look back upon their threatenings as a bad dream that did not come true, (cs. 7; Isa 17:14).
b. And the enemy is likened to a dreamer who, hungry and thirsty, feasts upon all sorts of delicacies and drinks his fill; yet, when he awakens, he is empty and faint.
c. This is the lot of all those nations that fight against Jerusalem, (Zec 12:9; Isa 54:17).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. And as the small dust. (260) I shall first state the opinions of others, and afterwards I shall bring forward what I consider to be more probable. Almost all the commentators think that this expression denotes the enemies of the Jews; for they consider “foreigners” to mean “enemies,” and allege that the multitude of those who shall oppress the Jews shall be “like dust;” that is, it shall be innumerable. But when I examine closely the whole passage, I am more disposed to adopt a contrary opinion. I think that the Prophet speaks contemptuously of the garrisons on which the Jews foolishly relied, for they had in their pay foreign soldiers who were strong men.
The multitude of the mighty ones. Such is the interpretation which I give to עריצים ( gnărītzīm), which is also its literal meaning; and I see no reason why some of the Jews should suppose it to mean ungodly or wicked persons. Since, therefore, the Jews brought various garrisons from a distance, they thought that they were well defended, and dreaded no danger. The Prophet threatens that their subsidiary troops, though they were a vast multitude, shall in vain create a disturbance, for they shall be like “dust” or “chaff,” that is, useless refuse, for they shall produce no effect. (261) Hence we ought to infer, that our wealth and resources, however great they are, shall be reduced to nothing, as soon as the Lord shall determine to deal with us as he has a right to do. The assistance of men lasts indeed for a time; but when the Lord shall lift up his hand in earnest, their strength must crumble down, and they must become like chaff.
And it shall be in a moment suddenly. Some explain the concluding clause of this verse to mean, that the noise of the enemies’ attack shall spring up suddenly, and, as it were, in a moment. But I consider והיח, ( vĕhāyāh,) and it shall be, to relate to the time of duration, which he declares will be momentary; that is, those military aids shall not last long, but shall quickly vanish away. (262) In vain do men boast of them, for God is their enemy.
(260) Bogus footnote
(261) Bogus footnote
(262) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Moreover the multitude . . .Better, But. The words interpret those of Isa. 30:28. The tribulation should be great, but it should last but for a while. As in Isa. 25:5, the strangersi.e., the enemies, and the terrible onesshould be brought low. A sudden catastrophe, pointing, probably, to the destruction of Sennacheribs army, should bring them low. They, too, should pass under the threshing instrument of Gods judgments, and be as chaff before the wind.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5-8. Now there is promise. At the close of Isa 29:2 it is stated that Jerusalem shall become God’s altar-fire-hearth indeed, the burning place of wrath upon her enemies. These verses expand this meaning.
Thy strangers Foreign invaders.
Small dust Suddenly the fierce besiegers shall become as dust, or like chaff blown away.
Thou The enemy.
Shall be visited Physical agencies shall be employed for a sudden annihilating stroke. The distresses of “Ariel” will pass away as in a moment. The suddenness will make the events seem as a dream to both the besiegers and the besieged. The besieger believed the prize of Jerusalem’s wealth was his; as he was passing his hand to grasp it, it evaded his touch as a flash. The besieged awoke in like manner to find the distress of dreaded capture wholly gone, and himself a free man again. There is scarcely so vivid a picture, in so small a compass, in all literature. It is the experience of nightmare that is given.
Thus far extends the promise attached to the woe-text of Isa 29:1-4. As will soon be seen, however, the people of the city of God’s altar-hearth are still stupid and dull.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But the multitude of your alien foes will be like small dust,
And the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passes away.
Yes, it will be at an instant suddenly,’
From Yahweh of hosts she will be visited,
With thunder and with earthquake, and great noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and flame of a devouring fire,
And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
Even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be as a dream, and as a vision of the night.
And it will be as when a hungry man dreams ,and behold he eats,
But he awakes and his inner man is empty,
Or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold he drinks,
But he awakes, and behold he is faint,
And his inner man has an appetite.
So will all the multitude of the nations be,
who fight against Mount Zion.’
However the siege will be lifted because in some way the attackers will, as it were, be blown away as if they were dust, the huge army of terrible ones (‘terrible’ is a regular description of those to do with large empires, see Isa 25:4-5; compare Isa 13:11; Isa 25:3; Isa 29:20; Isa 49:25; Jer 15:21; Eze 28:7 etc.) will be wafted away like chaff. And it will happen suddenly and unexpectedly. A fulfilment of this took place when the Assyrian army withdrew to face the Egyptian army at Eltekeh, and a further fulfilment is found in Isa 37:36, when some unknown cause (humanly speaking) wrought death in the camp of the Assyrians causing them to withdraw.
Note the movement from Ariel in Isa 29:7 to Mount Zion in Isa 29:8, from the pseudo ‘mountain of God/the gods’ to the real ‘mountain of God’, a sign of the movement in the hearts of many of the people from the unreal to the real, from lack of belief to real belief as a result of their deliverance. Before deliverance, Ariel, afterwards, Mount Zion.
‘‘From Yahweh of hosts she will be visited with thunder and with earthquake, and great noise, with a stormy wind and tempest and flame of a devouring fire.’ This is the picture of the God of the covenant, the God of Sinai. This is simply a majestic way of saying that the God of Sinai will come to act on behalf of His people. There too there was thunder and a great noise, there the earth shook, there too there was tempest and the flame of a devouring fire, only the stormy wind was unmentioned (Exo 19:16-20 with Isa 24:17) and that finds mention in the Psalmist’s description of the Exodus deliverance (Psa 77:18), which was thus part of the tradition. It is thus a way of saying that the mighty Creator of Sinai and of the Exodus will come to act in power.
The thought is of what He is rather than of the phenomena being visible. It is God in His power Who acts, even if invisibly. There may be no outward manifestations that can be seen but this will be the spiritual effect. In the account itself it is described as being by the angel of Yahweh (Isa 37:36).
We can compare for this how David described Yahweh as coming to his aid in similar language when he was in trouble (2Sa 22:8-16). There too he was visualising the unseen power of God. Assyrian kings would also describe their approach in similar language. It was the way of the age.
‘And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be as a dream, and as a vision of the night.’ The result of Yahweh coming in invisible but genuine power as visualised by the prophet will be that the many nations in the army of Assyria will be powerless against Jerusalem. They will simply have the same effect as a dream or vision of the night, frightening but rapidly disappearing in the morning. The certainty of the dream will give way to the uncertainty of the day. And certainly when the Assyrian army lay down on the awesome night that the angel smote them, they were full of confidence and certainty, and when those who were left awoke it had all vanished. The angel of Yahweh had done His work (Isa 37:36).
‘And it will be as when a hungry man dreams ,and behold he eats, but he awakes and his inner man is empty, or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold he drinks, but he awakes and behold he is faint, and his inner man has an appetite. So will all the multitude of the nations be who fight against Mount Zion.’ The siege of Jerusalem will seem so threatening, but its threat will turn out to have the potency of a dream. It will be to the enemy like a man having dreams of eating and drinking and then waking to discover he is still hungry and thirsty. It will be an unreality that has no effect in real life. The enemy will go to sleep dreaming of seizing and despoiling Jerusalem, and enjoying all the good things that they will pillage, they will awaken to find that their hopes are in vain. This will be the potency of the international army of Assyria. And why? Because they are not fighting against Jerusalem, nor against Ariel, they are fighting against Mount Zion, the heavenly and earthly dwellingplace of Yahweh, and against the God Who dwells there.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 29:5-6. Moreover, the multitude Vitringa is of opinion, that this passage sets forth the event of these hostile attempts against Jerusalem, particularly with respect to the Assyrians; in which view it is extremely clear: while others think that these words should be connected with those preceding, and that the prophet continues in them to describe the judgment to be inflicted on Jerusalem. In Vitringa’s sense, which, says he, after long and diligent meditation, I prefer to any other, the words, Thou shalt be visited, should be read, and accordingly they are read by him, They [the multitude] shall be visited.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 29:5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
Ver. 5. Moreover, the multitude of thy strangers. ] Thy foreign auxiliaries; these shall do thee no good, but be blown away as with a whirlwind.
It shall be at an instant, suddenly.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 29:5-8
5But the multitude of your enemies will become like fine dust,
And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which blows away;
And it will happen instantly, suddenly.
6From the LORD of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7And the multitude of all the nations who wage war against Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.
8It will be as when a hungry man dreams-
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty man dreams-
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his thirst is not quenched.
Thus the multitude of all the nations will be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
Isa 29:5-6 What a radical reversal these two verses are in the context. God has promised to judge Jerusalem and now promises to save Jerusalem from the enemy siege of Isaiah 36-37. In Isa 29:6, there is a use of a storm metaphor to describe God. This is a recurrent theme throughout the Prophets. An even stronger use of this metaphor can be found in Isa 30:27-33.
Notice what YHWH (i.e., LORD of hosts, Isa 29:6) will do to the invaders.
1. shall become like fine dust
2. shall become like chaff which blows away
3. shall happen instantly, suddenly (both BDB 837, , cf. Isa 30:13 and , cf. Isa 47:11; Isa 48:3)
4. will be punished (lit. visited with, BDB 823, KB 955, Niphal IMPERFECT) with thunder (BDB 947)
5. will be punished with earthquakes (BDB 950)
6. will be punished with loud noise (BDB 876, this is used in Isa 33:3 as a prophetic message which may parallel 1Th 4:16)
7. will be punished with whirlwind (BDB 693)
8. will be punished with tempest (BDB 704)
9. will be punished with the flame of consuming fire (BDB 529 CONSTRUCT BDB 77; VERBAL, BDB 37, KB 46, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE)
These describe the coming/visitation of YHWH for judgment (cf. Isa 28:2). These types of violent metaphors were the beginning source of apocalyptic language.
Isa 29:5
NASB, NJB,
REBenemies
NKJV, NRSVfoes
NASB, NRSV
(footnote)strangers
TEVforeigners
PESHITTAoppressors
The MT has of your strangers (, BDB 266, KB 267, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE), but there is a possibility of an R () – D () confusion. The Hebrew of of your enemies () is from the Targums.
Isa 29:7-8 This is the use of the metaphor of a nightmare (lit. dream, BDB 321; a vision of the night, BDB 302 CONSTRUCT 538) to describe the results of God’s action both in Judah and to Assyria. In Isa 29:7, Assyria’s siege will be like a nightmare that passes Judah, but in Isa 29:8 the nightmare will occur to the army of Assyria (cf. 2Ki 19:35-37; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-37).
Isa 29:7
NASB, NRSVher stronghold
NKJVher fortress
NJBbesieging
REBsiege-works
The difference between these two options is the R and D confusion.
1. stronghold, BDB 845 II,
2. siege, BDB 849,
The UBS Hebrew Text Project gives #1 a C rating (considerable doubt).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
strangers: i.e. adversaries.
like, &c. . . . as, &c. Figure of speech Hyperbole.
terrible ones = tyrants.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 29:5-8
Isa 29:5-8
“But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly. She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts, with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even the multitude of all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night. And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall all the nations be that fight against Zion.”
In Isa 29:7-8, the words Ariel and Zion are used interchangeably, making it certain that Ariel and Zion (or Jerusalem) have the same meaning. As already noted, the mention of many nations fighting against Jerusalem is a sure indication that even the lifting of the siege of Sennacherib will by no means end the troubles of God’s people.
“It shall be in an instant suddenly …” (Isa 29:5). This is a repetition of the promise already given in Isa 17:14. “At eventide, behold, terror, and before morning they are not.” Of course, that is exactly the way it happened!
Isa 29:8 is a description of the attitude of the cruel invader, already believing that victory belongs to him, and eagerly anticipating his triumph; but he suddenly wakes up to bitter hunger and disappointment. There have also been, and there will continue to be, many other occasions, “When the world has prematurely licked its chops over the demise of the Church. The Marxist revolution in Russia, the French Revolution, and the regime of Adolph Hitler . were most certainly such occasions. But today, where is “The God of Reason,” or those new names of the months which were supposed to mark the New Era?
The fulfillment of this prophetic promise of the abrupt end of Sennacherib’s siege was described by Gleason:
Sennacherib was just returning from a great victory in which he defeated the Egyptians at Eltekeh; it was upon his return that he laid siege to Jerusalem; and there God destroyed 185,000 of his troops on a single night!
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the multitude: Isa 10:16-19, Isa 25:5, Isa 31:3, Isa 31:8, Isa 37:36
as chaff: Isa 17:13, Job 21:18, Psa 1:4, Psa 35:5
at an: Isa 30:13, Psa 46:5, Psa 46:6, Psa 76:5, Psa 76:6, 1Th 5:3
Reciprocal: 2Ch 32:21 – the leaders Psa 48:4 – General Isa 29:20 – the terrible Isa 33:11 – conceive Isa 37:7 – I will Jer 15:21 – the terrible
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 29:5-7. Moreover Or, rather, But, the multitude of thy strangers Of the strangers that encamp and fight against thee; shall be like small dust Dispersed by the least breath of air; and the multitude of the terrible ones Of the Assyrian army, terrible for courage and ferocity; shall be as the chaff that passeth away Which is quickly carried away by the wind. Yea, at an instant, suddenly This dissipation and destruction of thine enemies shall be as instantaneous as it is unexpected. Bishop Lowth, who considers these verses as containing an admirable description of the destruction of Sennacheribs army, with a beautiful variety of the most expressive and sublime images, adapted to show the greatness, the suddenness, and horror of the event, gives us the following elegant and striking translation of them, which will give the reader a more just and enlarged view of their meaning, than any note wherewith we might attempt to explain it: But the multitude of the proud shall be like the small dust; And like the flitting chaff, the multitude of the terrible: Yea, the effect shall be momentary, in an instant. From Jehovah there shall be a sudden visitation, With thunder, and earthquake, and a mighty voice; With storm, and tempest, and flame of devouring fire. And like as a dream, a vision of the night, So shall it be with the multitude of all the nations, that fight against Ariel; And all their armies, and their towers, and those that distress her. The reader will observe, that this view of the passage has the sanction of the Vulgate version, and is approved by Prebendary Lowth, Vitringa, Dr. Waterland, Henry, and several others. Some, however, think that these verses should be connected with the preceding, and that the prophet continues in them to describe the judgment to be inflicted on Jerusalem.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
29:5 Moreover the multitude of thy {e} strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
(e) Your hired soldiers in whom you trusted, will be destroyed as dust or chaff in a whirlwind.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Restoration following judgment 29:5-8
The prophecy now changes from judgment to restoration following judgment.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
God would powerfully blow away the enemy, who would be as numerous and insignificant as dust and chaff, even though the enemy built great ramparts and siege towers to storm Jerusalem. His deliverance, like that of a storm, would be very quick (cf. Isa 37:36). God would judge those whom He had sent to judge His people. God will do a similar thing at the end of the Tribulation (cf. Zec 14:1-3).