Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 33:7
Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
7. their valiant ones ] This word is hopelessly obscure. It is usually translated “God’s lions,” i.e. ‘picked warriors, each as fierce as a lion and as invincible as his God’ (Cheyne: see on Isa 29:1, and cf. 2Sa 23:20; 1Ch 11:22); and this is probably the sense intended by E.V. Another suggestion is that it is a gentilic name, meaning “inhabitants of Ariel.” It is impossible to get beyond conjecture. The reading of the text ( ’er’ellm) appears to rest on a false etymology. It should probably be pointed as a simple plural, ’ar’lm or (if necessary) ’r’lm. The verbs shall cry and shall weep should both be translated as presents (R.V.).
the ambassadors of peace (omit shall) weep bitterly ] Cf. ch. Isa 22:4. Taken in connexion with the last half of Isa 33:8, these words seem to point to the conclusion of a treaty of peace, which had been shamelessly violated by the enemy. Those immediately responsible for the arrangement are naturally loudest in their expression of dismay. We have no certain knowledge of such negotiations between Hezekiah and Sennacherib, although such an incident might very well have happened then.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 9. For a moment the prophet’s faith seems to relax its hold on the great principles he has enunciated, as he turns to contemplate the misery and desolation of the present. But in reality this is an additional plea for the Divine intervention, to be followed by the exultant outburst of Isa 33:10-13.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold – This verse introduces a new subject by a very sudden transition. It is designed, with the two following, to exhibit the desolation of the land on the invasion of Sennacherib, and the consternation that would prevail. For this purpose, the prophet introduces Isa 33:7 the ambassadors who had been sent to sue for peace, as having sought it in vain, and as weeping now bitterly; he represents Isa 33:8 the desolation that abounded, and the fact that Sennacherib refused to come to any terms; and Isa 33:9 the extended desolations that had come upon the fairest portions of the land.
Their valiant ones – The valiant ones of the Jews who had been sent to Sennacherib to obtain conditions of pence, or to enter into a negotiation with him to spare the city and the nation. The word which is rendered here valiant ones ( ‘ere‘elam) has given great perplexity to expositors. It occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. The Septuagint renders the verse, With the dread of you shall they be terrified; they, of whom you have been afraid, will, for fear of you, raise a grievous cry. Jerome renders it, Behold, they seeing, cry without, as if the word was derived from ra’ah, to see. The Chaldee renders it, And when it shall be revealed to them, the messengers of the people who went to announce peace, shall cry bitterly. The Syriac, If he shall permit himself to be seen by them, they shall weep bitterly. Symmachus and Theodotion render it, Idou ophthesomai autois – Lo, I will appear to them. So Aquila, Horathesomai autois. Most or all the versions seem to have read it as if it were compounded of ‘ere‘eh lm – I will appear to them. But probably the word is formed from ‘are‘el, the same as ‘ary’el (Ariel), a hero (see the note at Isa 29:1), and means their hero in a collective sense, or their heroes; that is, their men who were distinguished as military leaders, and who were sent to propose terms of peace with Sennacherib. The most honorable and valiant men would be selected, of course, for this purpose (compare the note at Isa 30:4), but they had made the effort to obtain peace in vain, and were returning with consternation and alarm.
Shall cry without – They would lift up their voice with weeping as they returned, and publicly proclaim with bitter lamentation that their efforts to obtain peace had failed.
The ambassadors of peace – When Sennacherib invaded fife land, and had advanced as far as to Lachish, Hezekiah sent messengers to him with a rich present, having stripped the temple of its gold, and sent him all the silver which was in his treasury, for the purpose of propitiating his favor, and of inducing him to return to his own land 2Ki 18:14-16. But it was all in vain. Sennacherib sent his generals with a great host against Jerusalem, and was unmoved by all the treasures which Hezekiah had sent to him, and by his solicitations for peace 2Ki 18:17. It was to the failure of this embassy that Isaiah refers in the passage before us.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 33:7
The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly
The weeping ambassadors
Tell me not of the removal of statesmen, the falling of generals or admirals in warfare, the removal of princes or monarchs from palaces and thrones–all these may take place and leave, comparatively, no chasm in society, when contrasted with the removal of an ambassador for Jesus.
I. WHAT ARE WE TO UNDERSTAND BY AMBASSADORS OF PEACE? An ambassador of peace must come under a threefold description of character.
1. He is a minister sent of God.
2. He is instructed in the terms of peace.
3. He has to negotiate with sinners who are at war with God.
II. THE LAMENTATION PREDICTED CONCERNING THESE AMBASSADORS. They shall weep bitterly. Not the departed one, but the surviving ones.
1. Because of the impression which they have of the loss of their brother.
2. For sympathy with the Church.
III. THE LIMITATION OF THEIR SORROW. We are not to sorrow as those who are without hope.
1. The election of grace is sure.
2. The redemption of the Church by Christ Jesus is complete.
3. The succession of the ambassadors of peace remains unbroken. (J. Irons.)
Ministers weeping over non-success
The ambassadors of Hezekiah wept bitterly because their embassy was rejected, and because they were sent back by the haughty and imposing invader without accomplishing their object of peace. And very few form any ideas of the deep anxieties, the soul-travail, the spiritual concern, of Gods ambassadors when they see not, as the result of their embassy, the message they have delivered received by precious souls. (J. Irons.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. Their valiant ones shall cry without – “The mighty men raise a grievous cry”] Three MSS. read erelim, that is, lions of God, or strong lions. So they called valiant men heroes; which appellation the Arabians and Persians still use. See Bochart. Hieroz. Part I. lib. iii. cap. 1. “Mahomet, ayant reconnu Hamzeh son oncle pour homme de courage et de valeur, lui donne le titre ou surnom d’Assad Allah, qui signifie le lion de Dieu.” D’Herbelot, p. 427. And for chatsah, the Syriac and Chaldee, read kashah, whom I follow. The Chaldee, Syriac, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion read ereh lahem, or yireh, with what meaning is not clear.
The word erellam, which we translate valiant ones, is very difficult; no man knows what it means. Kimchi supposes that it is the name of the angel that smote the Assyrian camp! The Vulgate, and my old MS., translate it seers; and most of the Versions understand it in this way. None of the MSS. give us any help, but as we see above in Lowth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Behold: that the mercy here promised might be duly magnified, he makes a lively representation of their great danger and distress, in which it found them.
Their valiant ones; or, their heralds or messengers, as the Hebrew doctors expound the word: either,
1. Those whom the king of Assyria sent to Jerusalem, 2Ki 18:17. Or rather,
2. Those whom Hezekiah sent to treat with the Assyrian commissioners, 2Ki 18:18, as the next clause showeth.
Shall cry without, through grief and fear.
The ambassadors of peace, whom he shall send to beg peace of the Assyrian, shall weep bitterly, because they cannot obtain their desires.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7-9. From the vision of futureglory Isaiah returns to the disastrous present; the grief of “thevaliant ones” (parallel to, and identical with, “theambassadors of peace”), men of rank, sent with presents to suefor peace, but standing “without” the enemy’s camp, theirsuit being rejected (2Ki 18:14;2Ki 18:18; 2Ki 18:37).The highways deserted through fear, the cities insulted, the landsdevastated.
cry (Isa15:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without,…. Or, “in the street”: this, and the two following verses Isa 33:8, describe the sad and desolate condition of the people of God, before the above happy times take place; “their valiant ones”, such who have been valiant for the truth on earth; or “their angels”, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech interpret the word; these are the angels and pastors of the churches, the two witnesses that prophesy in sackcloth openly and publicly, and who will be slain, and their bodies lie unburied in the street of the great city, Re 11:3:
the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly; most interpreters understand this of the ambassadors which Hezekiah sent to the king of Assyria to obtain peace, but could not succeed, on account of which they are said to weep bitterly; but the character of “ambassadors of peace” well agrees with the ministers of the Gospel, who are “ambassadors” in Christ’s stead, and whose work it is to exhort men to “be reconciled to God”, and to preach the Gospel of peace to sinful men; these now will “weep bitterly”, when they are removed into corners, and are silenced, and not suffered to deliver their messages of peace, to the comfort of the Lord’s people, and the glory of his name; which will be the case at the time of the slaying of the witnesses.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet has thus run through the whole train of thought with a few rapid strides, in accordance with the custom which we have already frequently noticed; and now he commences afresh, mourning over the present miserable condition of things, in psalm-like elegiac tones, and weeping with his weeping people. “Behold, their heroes weep without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly. Desolate are roads, disappeared are travellers; he has broken covenant, insulted cities, despised men. The land mourns, languishes; Lebanon stands ashamed, parched; the meadow of Sharon has become like a steppe, and Bashan and Carmel shake their leaves.” is probably chosen with some allusion to ‘Ariel , the name of Jerusalem in chapter 29; but it has a totally different meaning. We have rendered it “heroes,” because is here synonymous with in the Nibelung -like piece contained in 2Sa 23:20 and 1Ch 11:22. This ‘ar’el , which is here contracted into ‘er’el (compare the biblical name ‘Ar’el and the post-biblical name of the angels, ‘Er’ellm ), is compounded of ‘ar (a lion) and El (God), and therefore signifies “the lion of God,” but in this sense, that El (God) gives to the idea of leonine courage merely the additional force of extraordinary or wonderful; and as a composite word, it contents itself with a singular, with a collective sense according to circumstances, without forming any plural at all. The dagesh is to be explained from the fact that the word (which tradition has erroneously regarded as a compound of ) is pointed in accordance with the form ( ). The heroes intended by the prophet were the messengers sent to Sennacherib to treat with him for peace. They carried to him the amount of silver and gold which he had demanded as the condition of peace (2Ki 18:14). But Sennacherib broke the treaty, by demanding nothing less than the surrender of Jerusalem itself. Then the heroes of Jerusalem cried aloud, when they arrived at Jerusalem, and had to convey this message of disgrace and alarm to the king and nation; and bitterly weeping over such a breach of faith, such deception and disgrace, the embassy, which had been sent off, to the deep self-humiliation of Judah and themselves, returned to Jerusalem. Moreover, Sennacherib continued to storm the fortified places, in violation of his agreement (on m a’as arm , see 2Ki 18:13). The land was more and more laid waste, the fields were trodden down; and the autumnal aspect of Lebanon, with its faded foliage, and of Bashan and Carmel, with their falling leaves, looked like shame and grief at the calamities of the land. It was in the autumn, therefore, that the prophet uttered these complaints; and the definition of the time given in his prophecy (Isa 32:10) coincides with this. is the pausal form for , just as in other places an e with the tone, which has sprung from i, easily passes into a in pause; the sharpening of the syllable being preferred to the lengthening of it, not only when the syllable which precedes the tone syllable is an open one, but sometimes even when it is closed (e.g., Jdg 6:19, ). Instead of we should read (without the article), as certain codd. and early editions do.
(Note: We find the same in Zec 14:10, and in Isa 44:4, whereas we invariably have (see Michlol, 45 b), just as we always find , and on the other hand .)
Isaiah having mourned in the tone of the Psalms, now comforts himself with the words of a psalm. Like David in Psa 12:6, he hears Jehovah speak. The measure of Asshur’s iniquity is full; the hour of Judah’s redemption is come; Jehovah has looked on long enough, as though sitting still (Isa 18:4). Isa 33:10 “Now will I arise, saith Jehovah, now exalt myself, now lift up myself.” Three times does the prophet repeat the word attah (now), which is so significant a word with all the prophets, but more especially with Hosea and Isaiah, and which always fixes the boundary-line and turning-point between love and wrath, wrath and love. (in half pause for is contracted from (Ges. 54, 2, b). Jehovah would rise up from His throne, and show Himself in all His greatness to the enemies of Israel.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 7-12: HUMILIATION AND DELIVERANCE
1. Here the valiant envoys of the Assyrian army call for the surrender of Jerusalem, and are met by the representatives of Hezekiah, the king, who seek peace – with the required tribute in their hands, (vs. 7; 2Ki 18:18-37).
2. In scornful disregard of the covenant between them (2Ki 18:14-16), the King of Assyria sends his armies sweeping down upon Judah in such a way as to lay the land desolate, (vs. 8-9; Isa 24:5; Isa 3:26; Isa 29:2; Isa 2:12-13; Isa 10:34; contr. Isa 35:2; Isa 65:10).
3. It is at this point that the covenant-God of Judah arises in such swift and consuming judgment upon Assyria as results in the exaltation of his glorious name, (vs. 10-12; Jas 1:15; Isa 1:31; Isa 10:17; Isa 27:4; 2Sa 23:6-7).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
7. Behold, their messengers (7) shall cry without. It is difficult to determine whether Isaiah relates historically the fearful perplexity and imminent danger to which the Jews were reduced, in order to exhibit more strikingly the favor of deliverance, or predicted a future calamity, that the hearts of the godly might not soon afterwards faint under it. For my own part, I think it probable that this is not the history of, a past transaction, but that, as a heavy and sore temptation was at hand, it was intended to fortify the hearts of believers to wait patiently for the assistance of God when their affairs were at the worst. However that may be, the sad and lamentable desolation of the Church is here described, that believers may not cease to entertain good hope even in the midst of their perplexity, and that, when they have been rescued from danger; they may know that it was accomplished by the wonderful power of God.
The ambassadors of peace wept bitterly. It is given as a token of despair, that the ambassadors who had been sent to appease the tyrant were unsuccessful; for every way and method of obtaining peace was attempted by Hezekiah, but without any success. Accordingly, “the ambassadors” returned sad and disconsolate, and even on the road could not dissemble their grief, which it was difficult to conceal in their hearts, when matters were in so wretched a condition. He undoubtedly means that Sennacherib has haughtily and disdainfully refused to make peace, so that “the ambassadors,” as; if they had forgotten their rank, are constrained to pour out in public their grief and lamentations, and, ere they have returned to their king and given account of their embassy, openly to proclaim what kind of answer they have obtained from the cruel tyrant, (8) Others think, that by “the ambassadors of peace” are meant those who were wont to announce peace; but that interpretation appears to me to be feeble and farfetched. By “the ambassadors of peace,” therefore, I understand to be meant those who had been sent to pacify the king, that they might purchase peace on some condition.
(7) “Their valiant ones, or messengers.” — (Eng. Ver.) “The Targum and some other ancient versions seem to treat אראלם, (erellam,) as a contraction of אראה לם, (ereh lam, or eraeh lam.) Thus Aquila has ὁραθήσομαι αὐτοῖς Symmachus, ὀφθήσομαι; the Vulgate, videntes But there is no example of the form לם (lam) for להם (lahaem). — Alexander.
(8) “Eliakim, with the rest, who returned to Hezekiah, with their clothes rent, in despair at the rejection of all conditions of peace. Isa 36:2.” — Stock.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
GOD AVENGING HIS OWN ELECT
Isa. 33:7-12 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without, &c.
I. A PICTURE OF DESOLATION.
The picture has two distinct points of interest
1. Man (Isa. 33:7). Desolation receives nowhere so strong and pathetic expression as in the strong cries and tears of a man. The purer and nobler the man, so much the more affecting is it to hear his despairing cry and look upon his tears. The child cannot bear to see his father weep, because his father is to him the ideal man. Eliakims grief, on returning from the interview with Rabshakeh, would be more grievous to Hezekiah than Shebnas. Peters repentant tears were bitter; but by the cry of the Christ, Eloi! lama sabacthani? and His tears at the grave of Lazarus, we are much more affected.
2. Nature (Isa. 33:8-9). The world is partly bright and beautiful, because noble men of God dwell in it; Nature reflects and interprets man. The Assyrian invader weighed heavily on Jewish hearts (Isa. 36:22, Isa. 37:1) and the Jewish land.
II. THE REDRESSER OF WRONG.
Now will I rise, saith the Lord, &c.
1. God rules the world in the interests of His people. Now will I rise. Democrats are fond of saying, The Queen may reign, but she does not govern; but the reins of government are firmly held by the great I Amos
2. Gods interposition comes at the right moment: Now will I rise. Mans extremity is often Gods opportunity; because not until his case is desperate, will he cast himself unreservedly upon God. So man often retards the arrival of the right moment. Meanwhile the innocent (comparatively) suffer for the guilty, the good for the bad, the just for the unjust. If it is the teaching of Scripture that Gods people are the salt of the earth, preserving it from destruction, it is no less the doctrine of the Bible that untold sorrows are to the righteous because they dwell on the earth with the wicked. The Isaiahs and Hezekiahs of the world feel something of the weight of the worlds sin. But there is always a thus far and no farther. Now will I rise, saith the Lord.
III. THE DESOLATOR DESOLATED.
Cf. Luk. 18:8; Isa. 42:1. The greater wickedness is employed by God to be the scourge of the less, until its own time comes to be scattered as chaff, and destroyed as fire destroys (Isa. 33:11-12). To one whose eyes are in his head, it is sad to hear the ambassador of Sennacherib saying, The Lord said unto me, Go up against this land and destroy it. In the midst of this judgment of Godin which the righteous suffer mostmeted out instrumentally by wicked hands, we do well to remember the words of Christ: Knowest thou not, said Pilate to Him, that I have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above.
Note that where the avenging is pictured in this passage, the two sides spoken of in the former part of itman and natureare summed up in the terrible destruction of the human. So terrible is this, that a burning world is lost sight of! The first picture of desolation is as nothing to the second; and the woe is seen to reach its intensity in this regard.J. Macrae Simcock.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(7) Behold, their valiant ones.Literally, their lions of God. Heb., Arielam, probably with a reference to the Ariel of Isa. 29:1, the lion-like heroes of the lion-like city. (Comp. 2Sa. 23:20; 1Ch. 11:22.) The whole passage paints the panic caused by the approach of Sennacherib.
The ambassadors of peace.The envoys sent by Hezekiah to Sennacherib at Lachish. They weep bitterly at the hard conditions imposed on them, which may be either those of 2Ki. 18:14, or some yet harder terms, demanding the surrender of the city.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Notwithstanding the great occasion looked for in the choral strain above, there is occasion also for grief.
Their valiant ones The lion-like heroes, messengers sent to Sennacherib or his officers (see 2Ki 17:14) with the silver and the gold demanded as condition of peace, but which availed nothing with the truce-breaker. These deplore the state of things that would follow, namely, Jerusalem’s destruction, to all earthly view most probable.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Bewailing The Treachery of the Enemy ( Isa 33:7-12 ).
Meanwhile the Assyrian advance continued. Yahweh had promised action, but had not yet acted. He was waiting above for the right time to arrive. All was in suspense.
Isa 33:7-8
‘Behold their valiant ones cry outside,
The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
The highways lie waste, the traveller ceases,
He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He does not regard man.’
Humanly speaking great hopes had been placed in the surrender treaty made with Sennacherib, but those great hopes had come to nought, and here we see those who had sought to establish the treaty in tears. The further interference of Egypt had probably devastated them, and had demonstrated yet again that it is never wise to trust in man. Thus the commanders and mighty men (the valiant ones) in the field are ‘crying outside’, and the ambassadors who had achieved the treaty wept bitterly. Both thought that they had succeeded, the one in holding off Sennacherib long enough for the treaty to be signed, the other in actually formulating a treaty which at least seemed to give some hope, even if it was at great cost. But it had all been in vain. For Sennacherib’s advance now continued, men were shut up for protection in their cities, the roads and highways were wasted, no one travelled on them in peace, for Sennacherib had rejected the treaty and torn it up, and his warlike attentions were again turned on the cities of Judah. He had no regard for men nor for what they thought. His aim was destruction and despoliation. And this is a picture of the world and its ways continually. It will ever be thus.
Isa 33:9
‘The land mourns and languishes.
Lebanon is ashamed and withers away.
Sharon is like a desert.
And Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.’
‘The land mourns and languishes’ (compare Isa 24:4). The names chosen all indicate plenty and prosperity, Lebanon with its great cedars, Sharon with its fertility, Bashan with its great oaks, Carmel (‘garden land’) for its luxurious growth and scrubland pasture (compare Isa 35:2). But now all is in mourning and is failing. None can stand against the enemy. The cedars of Lebanon have been cut down (Isa 37:24), the fields have been devastated, the pasturage despoiled. Even the leaves have fallen from the trees because of the fear of the enemy. Indeed we might see Lebanon as northward, Sharon as southward, Carmel as eastward and Bashan as westward. Nothing escapes his hand.
Isa 33:10
“Now will I arise,” says Yahweh,
“Now will I lift myself up, now will I be exalted.”
It is often in the hour of greatest darkness, when His people’s faith has been tested to the limit, that God arises to act. And here there is a great emphasis on ‘now’, thrice repeated. The time had ‘now’ come. God had waited but He will stand by no longer. Note the progression, He will arise, His first movement; He will lift Himself up, His divine action; He will be exalted, the final result. From beginning to end He will be effective. Once begun His work will not cease until its final triumph and His subsequent exaltation. Sennacherib has done his worst, and now God will do His best.
Isa 33:11-12
‘You will conceive chaff, you will bring forth stubble,
Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
And the peoples will be as the burnings of lime,
As thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.’
And the result will be this which delineates His sentence on the Assyrians, and on all who oppose Him. Sennacherib’s achievements, and all the achievements of great kings through the ages, are depicted here. All their efforts will bring to birth nothing but chaff and stubble, they breathe out fire but they will be burned up by their own breath. And those who follow them will be so thoroughly burned up that it will be as though they were burned in a limepit. They will be as thorns cut down and consumed in the bonfire. Indeed the description covers all men’s achievements without God. So does God confirm that He will step into the situation and reveal the truth about man’s accomplishments by means of their destinies. As He will also in the final judgment.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 33:7-9. Behold, their valiant ones Behold their valiant ones, they cry without: the ambassadors of peace, they weep bitterly. Isa 33:8. The highways lie desolate; the traveller ceaseth: he hath broken, &c. Isa 33:9. Lebanon is ashamed, withers away: Sharon is become like a wilderness, &c. The prophet, seeing as it were immediately before his eyes, that spoiling and devastation of the land of the people of God mentioned Isa 33:1 seeing it with all its consequences, such as the desolation of the public ways, the infrequency of travellers, the uncultivated state of the withering and mourning fields, the deplorable sterility of the most fruitful places, such as Bashan, Carmel, Sharon, together with a remarkable circumstance of this devastation, namely, the public lamentation of the heroes without Jerusalem, and the bitter lamentation of the messengers of peace; that is to say, of the leaders and priests in the times of the Maccabees; seeing all this in vision, he paints it to the life, and gives in these verses the most lively description of it. Nothing can more exactly agree to the universal desolation in the land of Canaan by Antiochus, than this description. See 1 Maccabees 1 :
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
3. WHERE NEED IS GREATEST HELP IS NEAREST
Isa 33:7-12
7Behold, their 7valiant ones shall cry without:
The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
8The highways lie waste,
The wayfaring man ceaseth:
He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities,
He regardeth no man.
9The earth mourneth and languisheth:
Lebanon is ashamed and 8 hewn down:
Sharon is like a wilderness;
And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
10Now will I rise, saith the Lord;
Now will I be exalted;
Now will I lift up myself.
11Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble:
Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12And the people shall be as the burnings of lime:
As thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
Isa 33:7. The LXX. have somehow derived from to be afraid, for they translate: The other ancient versions refer the word to . Thus the Vulg. ecce videntes clamabunt foris. Symm. and Theod. Aquila:. It appears that they read as if it were (syncopated from , like from ). Similarly the Chald. and Syr. (comp. Gesen. in loc). But these derivations and explanations are ungrammatical and do not suit the context. In 2Sa 23:30 seems to serve as designation for heroes, and in fact as nom. propr. though still retaining its fundamental appellative meaning, since it reads there and not or . But from may be derived either (like from 1Sa 14:50), and this form underlies the patronymic (Gen 4:16; Num 26:17); or like e.g., (1Ch 6:8; 1Ch 6:22) from (Exo 6:24), from (1Sa 22:20 sq., etc.). From comes our present word. =Gods lion, i.e., hero, a designation that occurs also in the Arabic and Persian (comp. asadallah and schir-choda. Bochart Hieroz. II., p. 7, ed. Rosenmueller, and Gesen. Thes., p.147). But this does not explain the daghesh forte in the . I would side with those that read or or , as eight codices actually have . Taking as the mean between the Masoretic reading and what is otherwise demanded, we must in addition construe it as collective (ihre Heldenschaft). (comp. Isa 5:20; Isa 38:15; Isa 38:17) is as accusative to be regarded as dependent on : they weep bitterness, i.e., bitter tears (comp. Zep 1:14).The form occurs again only Job 31:38; comp. Isa 21:12; Isa 31:3.
Isa 33:8. with following accusative Job 9:21; with , Jdg 9:38; Job 19:18. Comp. Psa 89:39, where is used in the same sense as .
Isa 33:9. in the masculine as a prepositive and remote predicate. Comp. Isa 24:4; Isa 24:7; Isa 26:8; Isa 19:8., direct causative Hiphil=pudorem producit. Isa 54:4. only again Isa 19:6. Pattahh in pause, Gr. 65 a.
Isa 33:10. stands for , see Greens Gr., 82,5 a.
Isa 33:11. with the accusative of fulness: comp. Isa 59:4; Psa 7:15. see Isa 5:24. see Isa 5:24;Isa 41:2; Isa 47:14.
Isa 33:12. comp. on Isa 32:13. is desecare, abscindere: the word only here in Isaiah. Comp. Psa 80:17., comp. Isa 9:17; Jer. 41:58; Jer 49:2, Greens Gram., 24, c, 149, 1.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The second wave-circle. It is broader as to I extent than the foregoing, but as regards intensity it is narrower. For it issues from the same point as the first, but extends only to the eve of the saving act. The distress occasioned by the hostile Assyrian is portrayed concretely and visibly, and just as visibly then do we see the Lord, as it were provoked by the intolerable distress, come to the rescue. A respectable embassy that Hezekiah had sent with a ransom had returned without accomplishing anything (Isa 33:7). They could only say that the Assyrian had indeed accepted the ransom, but spite of that ravaged the land (Isa 33:8-9). This is the overweening spoken of in Isa 33:1. Then Jehovah declares that now He will arise against the enemy (Isa 33:10). He threatens them that their plan shall come to naught, yea that it shall turn to their own destruction (Isa 33:11), and that they shall burn up like limestone, yea like dry brushwood (Isa 33:12).
2. Behold their valiant onesburned with fire.
Isa 33:7-12. By and the Prophet intends to express contrasts. Heroes raise a loud cry of lament; messengers of peace, that should bring and feel joy, weep. Almost all commentators agree that the Prophet means by these heroes and messengers of peace the ambassadors that Hezekiah sent to the Assyrian king to Lacish (2Ki 18:14). They were to purchase the withdrawal of the Assyrians at the cost of subjection and a heavy ransom. Both were accepted. But after the prodigious sum of 300 talents in silver and 30 talents in gold was paid, the Assyrians still would not retire, but demanded beside the surrender of the capital. The ambassadors came back with this sad news, that was afterwards confirmed by the message of Rabshakeh, and with news of all the ruin that the Assyrians had wrought in the land. In verses 8, 9 they give information of the condition of the land as they had found it in consequence of these desolations. The roads lay desolate (comp. Jdg 5:20😉 passengers along them had ceased (Psa 8:9; Isa 23:2; Lam 1:12; Lam 2:15); there was no commerce over them. He, i.e., the king of Assyria had broken covenant, in that, spite of the ransom he had accepted, he still did not retire, but made further demands. He treated the cities lightly, that is, not he despised them, but he captured them by his superior force that enabled him to make little account of their resistance. The words contain an intimation of the capture of the cities of Judah of which Isa 36:1; 1Ki 18:13; 2Ch 32:1, speak. Moreover he does not regard man; i.e., he sacrifices human life unsparingly (comp. Isa 2:22; Isa 13:17).
To this point the discourse is prose. Now it becomes poetry. For Isa 33:9 the Prophet personifies things of nature. The general notion earth is specified by naming the particular parts distinguished by their vegetation. First Lebanon, to the north of the Holy Land, is named. It is ashamed, withered. Sharon, rich in flowers, the plain between Csarea and Joppa, has become like a steppe (Isa 65:10). The two fruitful elevations east and west, Bashan and Carmel, especially noted for their forests (Isa 2:13) autumnlike shake off their leaves (Isa 52:2, comp. Exo 14:27; Psa 136:15). The sad news of the embassy is at an end. It bows the hearts of the Israelites down deep, but for the Lord it is the signal that now has come the moment to interfere. But with Him the interference is bitter earnest. This appears in the three-membered sentence with its thrice repeated self-summons, Isa 33:10. The Lord announces to the Assyrians the vanity of their purpose, yea its ruin to themselves. Ye shall conceive hay, i.e., your plans shall be like hay; not fresh, full of life, but utterly dry, without strength or sap; and hence when they come to the light they shall prove to be dry, dead stubble. That they shall prove their own destruction the Prophet expresses by saying: your puffing (comp. Isa 45:4; Isa 30:28) shall be a fire to devour you (Isa 1:31; Isa 9:17). This is characterized by a two-fold image (Isa 33:12). The first is burning lime. Water poured on lime causes it to sink away without flame (comp. Jer 34:5; Deu 27:2; Deu 27:4; Amo 2:1). But thorns burn with a bright flame, a loud crackling and much smoke. It seems to me the Prophet would say that, in the overthrow of the Assyrians, many nations would disappear in the great conflagration unnoticed and leaving no trace, whereas the fall of others (he means, doubtless, the greater and better known) will make the world wonder at the grand spectacle they present.
Footnotes:
[7]Or, messengers.
[8]Or, withered away.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Isa 33:7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
Ver. 7. Behold their valiant ones. ] Or, Their heralds, messengers. Heb., Hen Erelam, behold their Erel, or their Ariel Isa 29:1-2 – that is, their altar, shall they ( i.e., the Assyrians) cry without, sc., in mockery, twitting the Jews with their sacrifices as no way profitable to them. So the profane Papists, when they murdered the poor Protestants at Orleans, sang in scorn, Judge and revenge my cause, O Lord. Others, Have mercy on us, Lord. And when in the late persecution in Bohemia various godly nobles and citizens were carried to prison in Prague, the Papists insultingly cried after them, Why do ye not now sing, “The Lord reigneth?” a
The ambassadors of peace.
Weep bitterly.
a Mr Clarke’s Eng. Martyrol.
Behold. Figure of speech. Asterismos. App-6.
the ambassadors. Note the Figure of speech. Asyndeton (App-6), inIsa 33:7-12.
Isa 33:7-12
Isa 33:7-9
“Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste; the enemy hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man. The land mourneth, and languisheth; Lebanon is consumed and withereth away; Sharon is like a desert; and Bashan and Carmel shaketh off their leaves.”
Cheyne pointed out that “their valiant ones” is derived from the Hebrew “Ariels.” However, Isa 29:1 speaks of Ariel as the city where David encamped, Jerusalem; and this justifies the conclusion that the valiant ones here are the brave soldiers of Hezekiah. They cry because of the prospect of defeat at the hands of the Assyrians. The weeping ambassadors of peace are those who delivered the heavy tribute of gold and silver to Sennacherib in return for his promise to spare the city. They have at this time returned home, and they are astounded and grieved at Sennacherib’s treachery and his demand that the city be surrendered. Incidentally, all of the circumstances mentioned here apply only to the situation in 701 B.C. and to no other. “He hath broken the covenant” is a comment on the treachery of Sennacherib.
“The highways lie waste …” (Isa 33:8). This is a comment on the condition of the whole land, where it is no longer safe to travel. The cities and villages have all been laid waste; and the terrible desolation of the whole land is indicated.
The mention of Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan, and Carmel, the most favored and fruitful portions of the whole land, are here mentioned (Isa 33:9) in order to show the extent of the general destruction.
Isa 33:10-12
“Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted. Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath is a fire that shall devour you. And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns that are cut down, that are burned in the fire.”
Isa 33:5; Isa 33:10 both stand in contrast with what is said of Sennacherib in Isa 33:3. The meaning is simply that God has at last had enough of this evil ruler’s depredations and will now rise up and put an end to them. “God has now determined that the time for action has come; he will exert himself in his deeds; and he will be exalted in the eyes of the peoples.”
Isa 33:11-12 are addressed directly to the Assyrians. All of their schemes and plans against Jerusalem shall be worthless; and they themselves shall be burned up like dry stubble, chaff, or a pile of thorns. The fulfillment of this came literally enough when 185,000 corpses of Sennacherib’s army had to be disposed of, and fire was by far the most practical way of taking care of an emergency like that.
Barnes pointed out that the burning of such things as chaff, thorns, and stubble produces a very quick fire of intense heat, “Denoting that the destruction of the Assyrian army would be sudden and entire.
Isa 33:7-12 PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PEOPLE: Is Isaiah still praying? Isa 33:7-9 seem to be the conclusion to his prayer. He is pouring out his heart and the heart of the remnant for their beloved land just as Daniel did (Dan 9:12; Dan 9:16; Dan 9:18) for the pitiful state of the exiles. And their prayers are not so much for the people as for the vindication and exaltation of the name of God!
Apparently the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib had already begun. Judahs valiant ones (probably soldiers) cried out in fear. Her ambassadors, having experienced the total frustration of being deceived by the Assyrians and unable to negotiate a withdrawal of Assyrian troops, weep openly. Every bit of news seeping into the besieged city of Jerusalem tells of death, destruction and desertion in the cities and villages of Judah. The highways of the land are no longer traveled. The Assyrians, after taking Hezekiahs tribute (2Ki 18:15-16), reneged on their treaty and attacked Judah, plundering its cities and killing its people without regard to human life at all. Thousands are killed, other thousands are taken captive and still other thousands flee. There is nationwide mourning; large sections of the land is in paralyzing fear and confusion; other large sections are so completely deserted they are like vast wastelands; the land is stripped bare of its inhabitants like a tree is completely barren of its leaves in wintertime. Isa 33:10-12 are Gods prediction that He will stand against Assyria to dissolve and annul its plans against Jerusalem. Assyria apparently made great plans to do away with Judah and Jerusalem, but God says its plans will amount to no more than refuse-chaff and stubble. Very rarely did a project so auspicious ever turn out as adversely for the planners as did Sennacheribs plans against Jerusalem.
Isaiah predicted, 2Ki 19:32-34, . . . thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast a mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord, for I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.
The Biblical and the Assyrian accounts of Sennacheribs campaign in Palestine are in general agreement. The fact that the Assyrian texts as well as the Bible make it clear that Sennacherib did not occupy Jerusalem is particularly significant. This is the Assyrian account of the Judean campaign:
As to Hezekiah, the Jew, he did not submit to my yoke, I laid siege to 46 of his strong cities, walled forts and to the countless small villages in their vicinity, and conquered (them) by means of well-stamped (earth) ramps, and battering-rams brought (thus) near (to the walls) (combined with) the attack by foot soldiers, (using) mines, breeches as well as sapper work. I drove out (of them) 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, big and small cattle, beyond counting, and considered (them) booty. Himself I made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage. I surrounded him with earthwork in order to molest those who were leaving his citys gate . . . Hezekiah himself, . . . did send me later, to Nineveh, my lordly city, together with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver . . . his (own) daughters, concubines, male and female musicians. In order to deliver the tribute and to do obeisance as a slave he sent his (personal) messenger.
from Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 2nd ed., Princeton University Press, 1955, pg. 288
Biblical history records that 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp perished as a result of Gods intervention on behalf of His people (2Ki 19:35). Secular history and biblical history both record that Sennacherib returned to Nineveh and was assassinated by two of his sons in 681 B.C. (2Ki 19:37; Isa 37:38) and that Esarhaddon, his son, ruled in his place. The last quarter of the seventh century B.C. (625 B.C. 612 B.C.) saw the decline and fall of the Assyrian empire and its subjugation by the Chaldean conquerors of Babylonia, with the Medes. Nineveh was conquered 612 B.C. and in 605 B.C. at Carchemish the Assyrian government-in-exile was finally wiped out forever. So Assyria disappeared from the face of the earth as thorns cut down and burned in the fire. Nineveh, Assyrias capital city, was forgotten so completely that Alexander the Great on his way to conquer the world, walked upon the very earth that covered it without knowing it. It was not unearthed until about 1845, nearly 2400 years after its demise.
valiant ones: or, messengers
the ambassadors: Isa 36:3, Isa 36:22, 2Ki 18:18, 2Ki 18:37, 2Ki 19:1-3
Reciprocal: Isa 22:4 – Weep bitterly Isa 28:19 – and it Isa 29:2 – I will Isa 36:1 – that Sennacherib Zep 1:14 – the mighty Eph 6:20 – I am
Isa 33:7-9. Behold, &c. That the mercy here promised might be duly appreciated and magnified, he gives a lively representation of the great danger and distress in which it found them. Their valiant ones Three MSS., says Bishop Lowth, read , lions of God, or strong lions; so they called valiant men, heroes; which appellation the Arabians and Persians still use. The Hebrew doctors, however, understand by the word, their heralds, or messengers, namely, those whom Hezekiah sent to treat with the Assyrian commissioners, 2Ki 18:18. Shall cry without Through grief and fear: the ambassadors of peace Whom Hezekiah sent to beg peace of the Assyrian; shall weep bitterly Because they cannot obtain their desire. The wayfaring man ceaseth Because the Assyrian soldiers possessed and filled the land. He hath broken the covenant Sennacherib broke his faith given to Hezekiah, of departing for a sum of money, 2Ki 18:14; 2Ki 18:17. He hath despised the cities The defenced cities of Judah, which he contemned and easily took. He regardeth no man Either to spare, or to fear, or keep faith with him. He neither feareth God nor reverenceth man. The earth mourneth, &c. Being desolate and neglected. Lebanon is hewn down By the Assyrians. Or, as rather signifies, and is here rendered by some withereth, or languisheth, because its trees are spoiled and destroyed by the Assyrians. Sharon is like a wilderness Although before it was a pleasant and fruitful place. Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits Are spoiled of them. These two places, eminent for fertility, and especially for good pastures, are here put for all such places.
33:7 Behold, {l} their valiant ones shall cry outside: the {m} ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
(l) Sent from Sennacherib.
(m) Whom they of Jerusalem sent to intreat of peace.
Judah’s lament and Yahweh’s response 33:7-12
Isa 33:7-12 provide the background for the hope just articulated. This pericope describes Judah’s judgment by the Assyrian invaders. It contains a lament (Isa 33:7-9) and God’s response (Isa 33:10-12).
The siege of Jerusalem is underway. The brave warriors are weeping in the streets of the city, and the ambassadors who had returned from peace talks (probably with Sennacherib at Lachish, 2Ki 18:13-16; cf. Isa 36:22) also grieve publicly. Both "hawks" and "doves" realize that trust in humans rather than in God proved ineffective.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
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)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)