Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 10:28
He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
He is come to Aiath – These verses Isa 10:28-32 contain a description of the march of the army of Sennacherib as he approached Jerusalem to invest it. The description is expressed with great beauty. It is rapid and hurried, and is such as one would give who was alarmed by the sudden and near approach of an enemy – as if while the narrator was stating that the invader had arrived at one place, he had already come to another; or, as if while one messenger should say, that he had come to one place, another should answer that he was still nearer, and a third, that he was nearer still, so as to produce universal consternation. The prophet speaks of this as if he saw it (compare the note at Isa. 1): as if, with the glance of the eye, he sees Sennacherib advancing rapidly to Jerusalem. The general course of this march is from the northeast to the southwest toward Jerusalem, and it is possible still to follow the route by the names of the places here mentioned, and which remain at present.
All the places are in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and this shows how much his rapid approach was suited to excite alarm. The name ayath does not occur elsewhere; but ay is often mentioned, and aya’ is found in Neh 11:31. Doubtless, the same city is meant. It was situated near Bethel eastward; Jos 7:2. It was at this place that Joshua was repulsed on account of the sin of Achaz, though the city was afterward taken by Joshua, the king seized and hanged, and the city destroyed. It was afterward rebuilt, and is often mentioned; Ezr 2:28; Neh 7:32. It is called by the Septuagint, Angai; and by Josephus, Aina. In the time of Eusebius and Jerome, its site and scanty ruins were still pointed out, not far distant from Bethel toward the east. The name, however, has at present wholly perished, and no trace of the place now remains. It is probable that it was near the modern Deir Diwan, about three miles to the east of Bethel: see Robinsons Bib. Researches, ii. pp. 119, 312, 313.
He is passed to Migron – That is, he does not remain at Aiath, but is advancing rapidly toward Jerusalem. This place is mentioned in 1Sa 14:2, from which it appears that it was near Gibeah, and was in the boundaries of the tribe of Benjamin, to the southwest of Ai and Bethel. No trace of this place now remains.
At Michmash – This was a town within the tribe of Ephraim, on the confines of Benjamin; Ezr 2:27; Neh 7:31. This place is now called Mukhmas, and is situated on a slope or low ridge of land between two small wadys, or water-courses. It is now desolate, but bears the marks of having been a much larger and stronger place than the other towns in the neigchourhood. There are many foundations of hewn stones; and some columns are lying among them. It is about nine miles to the northeast of Jerusalem, and in the immediate neighborhood of Gibeah and Ramah. – Robinsons Bib. Researches, ii. p. 117. In the time of Eusebius it was a large village. – Onomast. Art. Machmas.
He hath laid up his carriages – Hebrew, He hath deposited his weapons. The word rendered hath laid up – yapeqyd – may possibly mean, he reviewed, or he took an account of; that is, he made that the place of review preparatory to his attack on Jerusalem. Jerome says, that the passage means, that he had such confidence of taking Jerusalem, that he deposited his armor at Michmash, as being unnecessary in the siege of Jerusalem. I think, however, that the passage means simply, that he had made Michmash one of his stations to which he had come, and that the expression he hath deposited his armor there, denotes merely that he had come there as one of his stations, and had pitched his camp in that place on the way to Jerusalem. The English word carriage, sometimes meant formerly, that which is carried, baggage, vessels, furniture, etc. – Webster. In this sense it is used in this place, and also in 1Sa 17:22; Act 21:15.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. He is come to Aiath] A description of the march of Sennacherib’s army approaching Jerusalem in order to invest it, and of the terror and confusion spreading and increasing through the several places as he advanced; expressed with great brevity, but finely diversified. The places here mentioned are all in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; from Ai northward, to Nob westward of it; from which last place he might probably have a prospect of Mount Sion. Anathoth was within three Roman miles of Jerusalem, according to Eusebius, Jerome and Josephus. Onomast. Loc. Hebr. et Antiq. Jud. x. 7, 3. Nob was probably still nearer. And it should seem from this passage of Isaiah that Sennacherib’s army was destroyed near the latter of these places. In coming out of Egypt he might perhaps join the rest of his army at Ashdod, after the taking of that place, which happened about that time, (see Isa 20:1-6😉 and march from thence near the coast by Lachish and Libnah, which lay in his way from south to north, and both which he invested till he came to the north-west of Jerusalem, crossing over to the north of it, perhaps by Joppa and Lydda; or still more north through the plain of Esdraelon.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He is come to Aiath: here the prophet returns to his former discourse concerning the Assyrian invasion into Judah; which he describes, after the manner of the prophets, as a thing present, and sets down the several stages by which he marched towards Jerusalem. The places here named are most of them towns of Benjamin, and some of Judah, as appears from other scriptures; of which it is needless to say more in this place.
He, to wit, Sennacherib, king of Assyria,
is come in his way to Jerusalem.
He hath laid up his carriages; leaving such things there as were less necessary, that so he might march with more expedition. Heb. he visited his vessels or instruments; which may be meant of his taking a survey of his army and artillery, to see that all things were ready for his enterprise.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28-32. Onward gradual march ofSennacherib’s army towards Jerusalem, and the panic of theinhabitants vividly pictured before the eyes.
come tocome uponas a sudden invader (Ge 34:27).
Aiathsame as Ai(Jos 7:2; Neh 7:32).In the north of Benjamin; so the other towns also; all on the line ofmarch to Jerusalem.
Michmashnine milesnortheast of Jerusalem.
laid up . . . carriagesHehas left his heavier baggage (so “carriages” for thethings carried, Ac 21:15)at Michmash, so as to be more lightly equipped for the siege ofJerusalem. So 1Sa 17:22; 1Sa 25:13;1Sa 30:24 [JEROMEand MAURER].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He is come to Aiath,…. In this and the following verses is prophetically described the expedition of Sennacherib to Jerusalem, when he either went from Assyria, or returned from Egypt thither; and the several places are mentioned, through or by which he passed, or near to which he came, the tidings of which greatly distressed the inhabitants of them; and the first that is named is Ajath, thought to be the same with Ai, which was beside Bethaven, and on the east side of Bethel, Jos 7:2 and though it was burnt, and made desolate by Joshua, Jos 8:28 yet it was afterwards rebuilt, for it was in being in Nehemiah’s time; or at least there was a place of this name, which was upon or near the spot where this stood, since it is mentioned with Geba, Michmash, and Bethel, Ne 11:31 according to the ancient Jewish writers w, it lay three miles from Jericho. Jerom x calls it Agai, and says that in his time there was scarce any remains of it, only the place was shown.
He is passed to Migron; this place, as the former, was in the tribe of Benjamin; mention is made of it, as in the uttermost part of Gibeah,
1Sa 14:2. Sennacherib seems not to have stayed either in this, or the former place:
at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages; here was a passage, called the passage of Michmash, where was the garrison of the Philistines; and on each side of it were two rocks, one called Bozez, and the other Seneh; one of which fronted Michmash to the north, and the other Gibeah to the south, 1Sa 13:23 by Josephus y it is called Mechmas, a city; and so it is in the Apocrypha:
“Thus the sword ceased from Israel: but Jonathan dwelt at Machmas, and began to govern the people; and he destroyed the ungodly men out of Israel.” (1 Maccabees 9:73)
In Jerom’s time it was a very large village, who says it was nine miles from Jerusalem z: mention is made of it in the Misna a, as famous for the best fine flour; and this the king of Assyria made his magazine, and in it laid up his provisions and warlike stores, from whence he might be supplied upon occasion. The words may be rendered, “he hath laid up his arms”; and Kimchi thinks he left the greatest part of his arms here, and went in haste to Jerusalem, imagining he should have no occasion for them, but should easily take it. The Targum is,
“at Micmas he shall appoint the princes of his army;”
the generals of it: perhaps the sense is, that here he made a muster of his army, examined the arms of his soldiers, appointed the proper officers, and gave them their instructions.
w Shemot Rabba, sect. 32. fol. 135. 2. x De locis Hebraicis, fol. 87. E. y Antiqu. l. 6. c. 6. sect. 1. & l. 13. c. 1. sect. 6. z De locis Hebraicis, fol. 93. F. a Menachot, c. 8. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Aesthetically considered, the description is one of the most magnificent that human poetry has ever produced. “He comes upon Ayyath, passes through Migron; in Michmash he leaves his baggage. They go through the pass: let Geba be our quarters for the night! Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Scream aloud, O daughter of Gallim! Only listen, O Laysha! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah hurries away; the inhabitants of Gebim rescue. He still halts in Nob today; swings his hand over the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, lops down the branches with terrific force; and those of towering growth are hewn down, and the lofty are humbled. And He fells the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon, it falls by a Majestic One.” When the Assyrian came upon Ayyath (= Ayyah , 1Ch 7:28 (?), Neh 11:31, generally ha – ai , or ‘Ai), about thirty miles to the north-east of Jerusalem, he trod for the first time upon Benjaminitish territory, which was under the sway of Judaea. The name of this ‘Ai, which signifies “stone-heap,” tallies, as Knobel observes, with the name of the Tell el-hagar, which is situated about three-quarters of an hour to the south-east of Beitn , i.e., Bethel. But there are tombs, reservoirs, and ruins to be seen about an hour to the south-east of Beitin; and these Robinson associates with Ai. From Ai, however, the army will not proceed towards Jerusalem by the ordinary route, viz., the great north road (or “Nablus road”); but, in order to surprise Jerusalem, it takes a different route, in which it will have to cross three deep and difficult valleys. From Ai they pass to Migron, the name of which has apparently been preserved in the ruins of Burg Magrun, situated about eight minutes’ walk from Beitn.
(Note: I also find the name written Magrum (read Magrun), which is probably taken from a more correct hearsay than the Machrn of Robinson (ii. 127).)
Michmash is still to be found in the form of a deserted village with ruins, under the name of Muchms, on the eastern side of the valley of Migron. Here they deposit their baggage ( hiphkid , Jer 36:20), so far as they are able to dispense with it – either to leave it lying there, or to have it conveyed after them by an easier route. For they proceed thence through the pass of Michmash, a deep and precipitous ravine about forty-eight minutes in breadth, the present Wady Suweinit. “The pass” ( m abarah ) is the defile of Michmash, with two prominent rocky cliffs, where Jonathan had his adventure with the garrison of the Philistines. One of these cliffs was called Seneh (1Sa 14:4), a name which suggests es-Suweinit. Through this defile they pass, encouraging one another, as they proceed along the difficult march, by the prospect of passing the night in Geba, which is close at hand. It is still disputed whether this Geba is the same place as the following Gibeah of Saul or not. There is at the present time a village called Geba’ below Muchms, situated upon an eminence. The almost universal opinion now is, that this is not Gibeah of Saul, but that the latter is to be seen in the prominent Tell ( Tuleil) el- Fl, which is situated farther south. This is possibly correct.
(Note: This is supported by Robinson in his Later Biblical Researches in Palestine (1857), by Valentiner (pastor at Jerusalem), and by Keil in the Commentary on Joshua, Judges, etc. (Jos 18:21-28), where all the more recent writings on this topographical question are given.)
For there can be no doubt that this mountain, the name of which signifies “Bean-hill,” would be a very strong position, and one very suitable for Gibeah of Saul; and the supposition that there were two places in Benjamin named Geba, Gibeah, or Gibeath, is favoured at any rate by Jos 18:21-28, where Geba and Gibeath are distinguished from one another. And this mountain, which is situated to the south of er- Rm – that is to say, between the ancient Ramah and Anathoth – tallies very well with the route of the Assyrian as here described; whilst it is very improbable that Isaiah has designated the very same place first of all Geba, and then (for what reason no one can tell) Gibeah of Saul. We therefore adopt the view, that the Assyrian army took up its quarters for the night at Geba, which still bears this name, spreading terror in all directions, both east and west, and still more towards the south. Starting in the morning from the deep valley between Michmash and Geba, they pass on one side of Rama (the present er- Rm), situated half an hour to the west of Geba, which trembles as it sees them go by; and the inhabitants of Gibeath of Saul, upon the “Bean-hill,” a height that commands the whole of the surrounding country, take to flight when they pass by. Every halting-place on their route brings them nearer to Jerusalem. The prophet goes in spirit through it all. It is so objectively real to him, that it produces the utmost anxiety and pain. The cities and villages of the district are lost.
He appeals to the daughter, i.e., the population, of Gallim, to raise a far-sounding yell of lamentation with their voice (Ges. 138, 1, Anm. 3), and calls out in deep sympathy to Laysha, which was close by (on the two places, both of which have vanished now, see 1Sa 25:44 and Jdg 18:29), “only listen,” the enemy is coming nearer and nearer; and then for Anathoth ( Anata , still to be seen about an hour and a quarter to the north of Jerusalem) he utters this lamentation (taking the name as an omen of its fate): O poor Anathoth! There is no necessity for any alteration of the text; anniyah is an appeal, or rather an exclamation, as in Isa 54:11; and anathoth follows, according to the same verbal order as in Isa 23:12, unless indeed we take it at once as an adjective written before the noun – an arrangement of the words which may possibly have been admissible in such interjectional sentences. The catastrophe so much to be dreaded by Jerusalem draws nearer and nearer. Madmenah (dung-hill, see Comm. on Job, at Job 9:11-15) flees in anxious haste: the inhabitants of Gebim (water-pits) carry off their possessions ( , from , to flee, related to chush , hence to carry off in flight, to bring in haste to a place of security, Exo 9:19, cf., Jer 4:6; Jer 6:1; synonymous with hens , Exo 9:20; Jdg 6:11; different from azaz , to be firm, strong, defiant, from which m aoz , a fortress, is derived – in distinction from the Arabic m aadh , a place of refuge: comp. Isa 30:2, to flee to Pharaoh’s shelter). There are no traces left of either place. The passage is generally understood as implying that the army rested another day in Nob. But this would be altogether at variance with the design – to take Jerusalem by surprise by the suddenness of the destructive blow. We therefore render it, “Even to-day he will halt in Nob” ( in eo est ut subsistat , Ges. 132, Anm. 1) – namely, to gather up fresh strength there in front of the city which was doomed to destruction, and to arrange the plan of attack. The supposition that Nob was the village of el-‘Isawiye, which is still inhabited, and lies to the south-west of Ant , fifty-five minutes to the north of Jerusalem, is at variance with the situation, as correctly described by Jerome, when he says: “ Stans in oppidulo Nob et procul urbem conspiciens Jerusalem .” A far more appropriate situation is to be found in the hill which rises to the north of Jerusalem, and which is called Sadr, from its breast-like projection or roundness – a name which is related in meaning to nob, nab , to rise. From this eminence the way leads down into the valley of Kidron; and as you descend, the city spreads out before you at a very little distance off. It may have been here, in the prophet’s view, that the Assyrians halted.
(Note: This is the opinion of Valentiner, who also regards the march of the Assyrians as an “execution-march” in two columns, one of which took the road through the difficult ground to the east, whilst the other inflicted punishment upon the places that stood near the road. The text does not require this, however, but describes a march, which spread alarm both right and left as it went along.)
It was not long, however (as the yenopheph which follows implies), before his hand was drawn out to strike (Isa 11:15; Isa 19:16), and swing over the mountain of the daughter of Zion (Isa 16:1), over the city of the holy hill. But what would Jehovah do, who was the only One who could save His threatened dwelling-place in the face of such an army? As far as Isa 10:32, the prophet’s address moved on at a hurried, stormy pace; it then halted, and seemed, as it were, panting with anxiety; it now breaks forth in a dactylic movement, like a long rolling thunder. The hostile army stands in front of Jerusalem, like a broad dense forest. But it is soon manifest that Jerusalem has a God who cannot be defied with impunity, and who will not leave His city in the lurch at the decisive moment, like the gods of Carchemish and Calno. Jehovah is the Lord, the God of both spiritual and starry hosts. He smites down the branches of this forest of an army: seeph is a so-called piel privativum, to lop (lit. to take the branches in hand; cf., sikkel , Isa 5:2); and pu’rah = pe’urah (in Ezekiel po’rah ) is used like the Latin frons , to include both branches and foliage – in other words, the leafy branches as the ornament of the tree, or the branches as adorned with leaves. The instrument He employs is m aaratzah , his terrifying and crushing power (compare the verb in Isa 2:19, Isa 2:21). And even the lofty trunks of the forest thus cleared of branches and leaves do not remain; they lie hewn down, and the lofty ones must fall. It is just the same with the trunks, i.e., the leaders, as with the branches and the foliage, i.e., with the great crowded masses. The whole of the forest thicket (as in Isa 9:17) he hews down ( nikkaph , third pers. piel, though it may also be niphal); and Lebanon, i.e., the army of Asshur which is now standing opposite to Mount Zion, like Lebanon with its forest of cedars, falls down through a Majestic One ( ‘addr ), i.e., through Jehovah (Isa 33:21, cf., Psa 76:5; Psa 93:4). In the account of the fulfilment (Isa 37:36) it is the angel of the Lord ( mal’ach Jehovah ), who is represented as destroying the hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp in a single night. The angel of Jehovah is not a messenger of God sent from afar, but the chosen organ of the ever-present divine power.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
28. He is come to Aiath. The siege of the holy city being now at hand, Isaiah sets before their eyes the whole of Sennacherib’s march, that the hearts of the godly, by long and careful study of it, may remain steadfast. This delineation was powerfully calculated to allay their fears, when godly men saw that the Assyrians did not move a step but by the appointment of God; for by the mouth of the Prophet he had given a lively description of the whole of that march. (174) It is unnecessary to spend much time in explaining the relative position of the places here named, for it is enough if we understand that Sennacherib marched through those places of which the Jews had been informed.
At Michmash he will lay up his baggage. The words which we render, He will lay up his baggage or armor, are translated by some, He hath made a muster; for פקד ( pakad) signifies also to number. I do not dislike this interpretation, but prefer the former; for I understand the Prophet to mean that the Assyrian will lay up his armor, that is, the provisions, and the rest of the implements of war, in Michmash. It is the custom of warriors not to lead forward an army without providing the means of support, which they lay up in a safe and convenient place, that the army may be supplied out of it with all that is needful. Under the word baggage or arms, he includes not only darts and swords, but all the supplies and provisions of war. The meaning of the word כלי ( cheli) is extensive, and includes every kind of implements, and thus resembles the word ( vasa ) which denotes vessels in the Latin language.
(174) “Here is a lively description of the march of Sennacherib’s army, not that related below in Isa 36:1, but in his first invasion of Judea, when he passed Jerusalem to the northward on his way to Egypt; for so the places here mentioned indicate, stretching in order from the north to the west and south of that capital.” — Rosenmuller.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
5.
SHAME OF ASSYRIA
TEXT: Isa. 10:28-34
28
He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage;
29
they are gone over the pass; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
30
Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! hearken, O Laishah! O thou poor Anathoth!
31
Madmenah is a fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32
This very day shall be halt at Nob: he shaketh his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33
Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror: and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be brought low.
34
And he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
QUERIES
a.
Where are all these cities mentioned?
b.
Why are they mentioned?
PARAPHRASE
Look, the mighty armies of Assyria are coming! Now they are at Aiath, now at Migron; they are storing some of their equipment at Michmash and crossing over the pass; they are staying overnight at Geba; fear strikes the city of Ramah; all the people of Gibeahthe city of Saulare running for their lives. Well may you scream in terror, O people of Gallim. Shout a warning to Laish, for the mighty army comes. O poor Anathoth, what a fate is yours! There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing, and the citizens of Gebim are preparing to run. But the enemy stops at Nob for the remainder of that day. He shakes his fist at Jerusalem on Mount Zion. Then, look, look! The Lord, the Lord of the armies of heaven, is chopping down the mighty tree! He is destroying all of that vast army, great and small alike, both officers and men. He, the Mighty One, will cut down the enemy as a woodsmans axe cuts down the forest trees in Lebanon.
COMMENTS
Isa. 10:28-34 ASSYRIA CUT DOWN: These verses are an imaginative description of the approach of the Assyrian army. It is what is called in prophecy, predictive present. The prophet predicts what is to come as if it were presently occurring. Entering the borders of Judah at Ai and leaving his heavy baggage train behind because it would be in the way when contact was made with their enemies, Assyria attacks the land of the Jews. As they advance the inhabitants flee from their towns and cities, trembling and crying for help. At last the Assyrian stands at Nob (the priestly city destroyed by Saul, 1Sa. 22:19) which must have been in sight of Jerusalem. From this vantage point the Assyrian makes threatening gestures at Jerusalem (Cf. comments on Isa. 10:12-19) recorded in Isa. 37:22-23.
But Gods judgment catches up with Assyria. Again using the figure of trees with their boughs, the prophet describes how Assyria will be cut down. The Assyrian King is a great tree in Lebanon and the boughs are lopped off. This is a favorite figure of Old Testament prophecy (Cf. Daniel 4). When the angel of death slew 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army there was much terror among the Assyrians. That powerful, cruel, proud, arrogant and boastful nation was soon reduced to a fleeing horde of refugees chased by the Babylonians and eventually Assyria was reduced to oblivion as a nation. God keeps His word!
QUIZ
1.
What particular form of prophetic address has the prophet used here?
2.
With what detail has the prophet described the Assyrian assault upon Judah?
3.
Why does the prophet describe the Assyrian king as a tree cut down?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(28) He is come to Aiath . . .There is an obvious break between this and the preceding verse, and a new section begins, connected with the former by unity of subject, both referring to Sargons invasion of Judah. That such an invasion took place at or about the time of that kings attack on Ashdod (Isa. 20:1) the inscriptions leave no doubt. The Koujunyik cylinder names the king of Judah as having joined with the king of Ashdod; and in another, Sargon speaks of himself as the subduer of the lands of Judah (Layard, Inscriptions, xxxiii. 8). There is nothing in the passage itself to determine whether Isa. 10:28-32 are predictive or historical, or when they were first uttered. Assuming that the Messianic prophecy of chap 11 is in close connection with them, it seems most probable that now, as in the earlier attack of Pekah and Rezin (Isaiah 7), as in the later invasion of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37), the bright vision of the future came to sustain the people when they were at their lowest point of depression. This would obviously be when Sargons armies were actually encamped round the city, when they had reached the last halting-place of the itinerary which Isaiah traces out. We may infer accordingly that the Assyrian armies were then at or near Nob, and that the prophet, supplied, either by human agency or supernaturally, with a knowledge of the movements of the Assyrian armies, describes their progress to a terrified and expectant people, and fixes the final goal. That progress we now have to trace. (1) Aiath is probably identical with the Ai of Jos. 7:2, the Aija of Neh. 11:31, in the tribe of Benjamin, not far from Bethel. (2) Migron. The route taken was not the usual one, but passed over three valleys, probably with a view to surprise Jerusalem by an unexpected attack. The modern name, Bure Magrun, survives, a short distance from Bethel. (3) Michmash. Now Muchmas, on the east side of the Migron valley. Here the carriages, i.e., the baggage (Act. 21:15; 1Sa. 17:22), the impedimenta, of the Assyrian army was left behind that the host might advance with greater rapidity to immediate action. (4) Geba, in the tribe of Benjamin (1Ch. 6:60). Here, after defiling through the passages, probably the gorge of Wady Suweinit memorable for Jonathan s adventure (1Sa. 14:4-5), the army halted and encamped. (5) The panic spread rapidly to Ramah, memorable as the chief residence of Samuel (1Sa. 7:17). (6) The inhabitants of Gibeah, still retaining in its name its old association with the hero-king of Israel (1Sa. 11:4), left their town deserted and undefended. (7) Gallim, not now identifiable, but mentioned in 1Sa. 25:44. (8) Laieh, not the northern city of that name (Jdg. 18:29), but near Jerusalem. Read, Listen, O Laish, as if to the tramp of the armies as they passed. (9) Anathoth; about four miles north of Jerusalem, the birth-place of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1). There is a special pathos in the prophets accents, anyah Anathth. A various reading adopted by many critics gives, Answer, O Anathoth. (10) Madmenah, or Madmen, appears in Jer. 48:2, as a Moabite city. The name (dung-hill) was, however, not an uncommon one. It is named (Jos. 15:31) as one of the south-eastern cities of Judah. (11) The people of Gebim (water-pits; locality not identified) gather their goods for flight. (12) At last the army reaches Nob, memorable as having been one of the resting-places of the Tabernacle in the time of Saul (1Sa. 21:1). The site has not been identified with certainty, but it was obviously a position that commanded Jerusalem, between it and Anathoth, probably not far from the hill Scopos (watch-tower) where Titus and his troops encamped during the siege of Jerusalem. The prophets narrative leaves the invader there shaking his hand, as with defiant menace, against the holy city. For that day, read this very day, fixing, as it were, the very hour at which Isaiah spoke.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Meanwhile another episode of the towering cedar the Assyrian in his menacing march upon Jerusalem must come in. All recent commentators admit this to be a scene in vision. It scarcely can be history, for the route described is impassable to so large a body loaded with accoutrements and luggage. The plan of the picture is that of a large army coming as in a straight line from Assyria, spreading terror on the villages near to Jerusalem, and having the city itself quite within its grasp, when suddenly it vanishes out of view, as by the sudden and unseen might of an irresistible providence. Delitzsch says, that esthetically considered, the description is one of the most magnificent human poetry has ever produced.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Assyria’s Advance on Jerusalem ( Isa 10:28-32 ).
We now have a very vivid representation of the onward march of Assyria towards Jerusalem as he approached Hezekiah’s Jerusalem.
Analysis.
a He has come to Aiath, he has passed through Migron, at Michmash he lays up his baggage (Isa 10:28).
b They are gone over the pass, they have taken up their lodging at Geba, Ramah trembles, Gibeah of Saul is fled (Isa 10:29).
c Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim (Isa 10:30 a).
c Listen, O Laisha, O you poor Anathoth (Isa 10:30 b).
b Madmenah is a fugitive, the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves together to flee (Isa 10:31).
a This very day will he stop at Nob. He is shaking his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem (Isa 10:32 b).
In ‘a’ we have the description of the establishment of his base camp, and in the parallel his establishment at Nob and his shaking of his head over Jerusalem. In ‘b’ fleeing is mentioned and reference made to Geba, and Gibeah associated with Saul, and in the parallel again a description of fleeing, and reference made to Gebim. In ‘c’ certain towns are addressed and exhorted.
Isa 10:28-32
‘He has come to Aiath,
He has passed through Migron,
At Michmash he lays up his baggage,
They are gone over the pass,
They have taken up their lodging at Geba,
Ramah trembles,
Gibeah of Saul is fled.
Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim,
Listen, O Laisha, O you poor Anathoth.
Madmenah is a fugitive,
The inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves together to flee,
This very day will he stop at Nob.
He is shaking his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
At the hill of Jerusalem.’
The slow, merciless advance of the king of Assyria, God’s rod of chastisement is now described. Every name mentioned represents a tragedy of slaying and destruction. The people quail at his advance, and they are cruelly brushed aside, crushed and slaughtered. He has come to Aiath, (only fifteen miles to go), more slaughter. He has passed through Mignon, he establishes his supply centre at Michmash. (indicating that his presence is to be permanent). He makes his way through the pass there, probably with much fierce fighting, and then descends into the valley, and then up the slope to settle his camp at Geba in order to pacify the surrounding area. (Now only six miles to go). The nearby fortress town of Ramah trembles – and waits in terror. Gibeah, another fortress town, has been evacuated. The Assyrians fan out. Those at Gallim cry out in terror, at Laisha they listen in fear for his approach, at Madmenah they become fugitives who are hunted down, and from Gebim they stream as refugees to the mountains. Judah is in turmoil and is being devastated. That very day he stops at Nob. And from there the next step is Jerusalem, which he can look down on and survey from the heights. So Judah is not getting off lightly.
‘He is shaking his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.’ At last he has reached his objective. All the killing, and the murder, and the mayhem has had this purpose in mind. Jerusalem is at last within his grasp. He shakes his fist at her. He is convinced that like all before her she will soon capitulate. This is the very hill of Jerusalem on which he has set his sights. But he does not realise that he is shaking his fist at Yahweh’s daughter, Zion (Isa 1:8), and that within Jerusalem is Mount Zion. He will soon learn that his battle with Yahweh has just begun.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 10:28-32. He is come to Aiath This is so minute a detail of the march of Sennacherib toward Jerusalem, the route of his army, and their several stations, that, though the description is a prophecy, Isaiah seems rather to speak like an historian, who is relating a fact already past, says Bishop Lowth. We have in the fifth part of the discourse, first, the expedition of the Assyrian monarch, described in the most lively manner in these verses; and, secondly, the ill success of that expedition, with its consequences; Isa 10:33-34. The several places here mentioned are those where Sennacherib may have been supposed to have pitched his camp. Poor Anathoth, is in the Hebrew, aniiah anathoth; where the word, aniiah, rendered poor, relates to the signification of Anathoth; a beauty frequently to be met with in the original of the sacred writings, but seldom preserved in translations. The history of Sennacherib’s expedition well explains this fine and circumstantial prophesy. See 2Ch 32:9. 2Ki 18:13-14.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
3. THE IMPETUOUS ONSET OF THE CONDEMNED WORLDPOWER IN THE LIGHT OF ITS FINAL RUIN
Isa 10:28-34
28He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron;
At Michmash he hath laid up his 30carriages:
29They are gone over the passage:
They have taken up their lodging at Geba;
Ramah is afraid;
Gibeah of Saul is fled.
3031Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim:
32Cause it to be heard unto Laish,
O poor Anathoth.
31Madmenah 33is removed;
The inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
3234As yet shall he remain at Nob that day:
He shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.
33Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Shall lop the 35bough with terror:
And the 36high ones of stature shall be hewn down,
And the haughty shall be humbled.
34And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon 37shall fall 38by a mighty one.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
On Isa 10:28. with like Jdg 18:27, it means the falling over on., commisit, mandavit, deposuit, Jer 36:20; Jer 40:7; Jer 40:10.
On Isa 10:32. Pilel, only here; Hiph. with similar meaning, Isa 11:15; Isa 13:2; Isa 19:16 : 2Ki 5:11. The swinging of the hand is the gesture of one threatening. stands in accus. localis; Kthibh has , which is found nowhere else, and probably results from a confounding with .
On Isa 10:33. (comp. Isa 17:6; Isa 27:10), Pi. denominativum and privativum like the German aesten from Ast, Koepfen from Kopf (comp. to cut off the tail, Jos 10:19; to eradicate, Psa 52:7; to remove stones, Isa 5:2. [Like in English one says to stone, i.e., take the stones out]. This is . . . ., as regards meaning is certainly identical with , Eze 17:6; Eze 31:5-6; Eze 31:8; Eze 31:12-13. It appears to be a poetic expression for the grand, luxurious branch and leafy growth of the tree ( original meaning splendere, nitere, comp. ,., . . is terror in an active sense = perterrefactio. that which is standing, the trunks, the standing timber (comp. Isa 37:24).
On Isa 10:34. only here in Isaiah may be either Niph. or Piel.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The foregoing disposes the reader to look for an immediate portrayal of the destruction of Assyria. But to his surprise the Prophet translates him back into the commencement of the hostilities of Assyria, against Israel (Isa 10:28-32). This first onslaught of Assyria was so impetuous, that it seemed as if Jerusalem could not resist. But it only appeared so. How little dangerous that onslaught was appears from the brief description of the inevitable, impending ruin of the world-power, that immediately follows (Isa 10:33-34). A contrast is hereby presented that gives a most striking effect, which is still more enhanced by the masterly, dramatic representation of the march of the Assyrians against Jerusalem. So that this little passage proves to be a master-piece of Art, both by its arrangement as a whole and its execution in detail.
2. He comesthe hill of Jerusalem.
Isa 10:28-32. These verses describe the last part of the march to Jerusalem. For, no doubt, Aiath is the same as Ai that lay North-east of Jerusalem ( or the stone heap, Jos 7:2 sqq., Neh 11:31, [false reading ]; 1Ch 7:28), which is probably identical with (Jos 18:23) comp. Fayin loc.). Finn, Van de Velde, Arnold, Knobel, identify Aiath in Tell-el-Hadschar that lies less than an hour South-east of Beitin (Bethel). On the other hand Delitzsch, following Schegg who personally investigated the spot, locates Aiath about six hours north of Jerusalem in Tejjibe, that is situated on a hill with an extended prospect, in whose neighborhood there is still found a small village, Churbet Ai. It will perhaps depend on whether the locality of Tejjibe corresponds with Jos 8:11; Jos 8:13, according to which there was a valley North of the city. [Concerning the location of all the places named in the text consult Robinson and SmithsBib. Res. in Palestine, Vol. II.].
Migron, which is mentioned beside only 1Sa 14:2 (but in all probability this passage is corrupt: Arnold in Herz.R. Encycl. XIV. p. 755) appears to have been quite insignificant. Delitzsch regards it as identical with Burg-Magran, a cluster of ruins eight minutes from Bethel. But, then, would they not have marched backwards? Michmash, a city of Benjamin as all the rest named here, plays an important part in the history of Saul and Jonathan, 1 Samuel 13, 14 It still exists as a small deserted village with the name Muchmas one hour North of Geba (now Dscheba), three hours and a half North of Jerusalem (Robinson and S. II. comp. Ruetschi, Herz.R. Encycl. IX. p. 526). There the Assyrians left their baggage in order to press on quicker. The passage of Michmash is mentioned 1 Samuel 13, 14. It is the Wady-es-Suweinit (according to others es-Suweikehcomp. Ruetschi,l. c.)a deep, rough ravine, forty-eight minutes wide, immediately below Michmash. As it runs from East to West, they must cross it obliquely to approach Jerusalem. The ravine is difficult to traverse. It is hardly credible that the proper highway from Shechem or Nabulus (comp. Arnold in Herz.R. Encycl. XV. p. 163 sq. Art. Strassen in Palaestina,) passed through it. The Prophets description is ideal. He depicts not what is past but what is future, and that, not in the manner of historical accuracy, but as became his prophetic interests. He would depict how the enemy presses forward with utmost speed, by the shortest way, deterred by no obstacles. On the arduous way they cheer one another with the cry: Geba give us lodging. Thus they promise themselves good quarters in Geba, that lay so charmingly on an elevated plateau (comp. Schegg in Delitzsch). Geba cannot be the same as Gebea of Saul, as appears evident from our text. For if it were the same, why is it mentioned twice with a difference in the form of the name, and with the name of another city coming between? Rama, now er–Ram, the city of Benjamin, made notorious by Saul (1Sa 1:19; 1Sa 2:11, etc.), seems to have lain aside from their route though near by. For it looks with trembling on the passers by; but Gebea of Saul opposite, lying perhaps still nearer, fled outright, It lay on the summit of Tuleil-el-Tul (the Bean mountain, see Arnold, Herz.Real. Encycl. p. 744) which commands a view of the whole neighborhood. In a direct line the expedition encounters Gallim, (1Sa 25:44) which Valentiner (Ztschr. d. D. M. G. XII. p. 169) thinks he has discovered in the hill Chirbet el-Dschisr that lies South of the Bean mountain. Because immediately threatened, Gallim shall shriek out ( accus.). Laishah, by no means identical with Jdg 18:29, cannot be located. But Knobel is likely correct in finding evidence of its being a place near Gallim in 1Sa 25:44, where is mentioned Phaltiel son of Laish from Gallim (comp. 2Sa 3:15). , O poor Anathoth, is evidently a play on words. By this and the emotion of the orator is to be explained the order of the words, which is not quite normal (comp. Isa 54:11). Anathoth, now Anata, is only three-fourths of an hour distant from JerusalemMadmenah (Dung-heaps) and Gebim (fountains, Jer 14:3) are not mentioned elsewhere, nor are any traces of the places discovered as yet. Both are directly threatened; so nothing remains but to flee and save their goods. Saving their goods seems to be indicated by (comp. Exo 9:19); yet it may very well be construed as synonymous with according to Jer 4:6; Jer 6:1. To-day still in Nob, to make a halt, is likewise the enemies shout to one another. The thing is to pass on to Nob to-day, but there make a preliminary halt in order to make the necessary dispositions for the attack on Jerusalem. Nob (comp. 2Sa 21:16; 2Sa 21:18; Neh 11:32) without doubt quite near Jerusalem, is to the present not certainly identified. Schegg contends very decidedly that it may be Isawije that lies South-west of Anata fifty-five minutes North of Jerusalem.
3. Behold the Lorda mighty one.
Isa 10:33-34. The proud expedition of the Assyrian falls like trees felled by the axe. Like the tempest tears away the branches, so the terror that goes forth from Jehovah breaks the power of the Assyrian. The high ones of stature (of the standing wood) shall be cut down (Isa 9:9) the lofty ones must bow. The entire forest thicket (Isa 9:17) shall be cut down with the iron; but Lebanon (notice how the Prophet before distinguished branches, trunks and thicket, but at last combines all in the common, all comprehending name Lebanon) shall fall by a Mighty One. Who this Mighty One will be the Prophet does not say. That it is the Lord Himself as the remote cause, who Isa 33:21, comp. Psa 93:4, is called glorious, mighty, is of course. But it may convey also an allusion at the same time to that one among the Lords ministers, that was the principal instrument in annihilating the Assyrian army before Jerusalem (Isa 37:36). For the ministers of the Lord, too, are called the excellent or mighty, (Psa 16:3).
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Isa 7:1. Hierosolyma oppugnatur, etc. Jerusalem is assaulted but not conquered. The church is pressed but not oppressed.Foerster.
2. On Isa 7:2. Quando ecclesia, etc. When the Church is assaulted and Christ crucified over again in His elect, Rezin and Pekah, Herod and Pilate are wont to form alliance and enter into friendly relations. There are, so to speak, the foxes of Samson, joined indeed by the tails, but their heads are disconnected.Foerster.He that believes flees not (Isa 28:16). The righteous is bold as a lion (Pro 28:1). Hypocrites and those that trust in works (work-saints) have neither reason nor faith. Therefore they cannot by any means quiet their heart. In prosperity they are, indeed, overweening, but in adversity they fall away (Jer 17:9). Cramer.
3. On Isa 7:9. (If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.) Insignis sententia, etc. A striking sentiment that may be adapted generally to all temptation, because all earnest endeavor after anything, as you know, beguiles us in temptation. But only faith in the word of promise makes us abide and makes sure whatever we would execute. He warns Ahaz, therefore, as if he said: I now promise you by the word, it shall be that those two kings shall not hurt you. Believe this word! For if you do not, whatever you afterwards devise will deceive you: because all confidence is vain which is not supported by the word of God.Luther.
4. On Isa 7:10-12. Wicked Ahaz pretends to great sanctity in abstaining from asking a sign through fear of God. Thus hypocrites are most conscientious where there is no need for it: on the other hand, when they ought to be humble, they are the most insolent. But where God commands to be bold, one must be bold. For to be obedient to the word is not tempting God. That is rather tempting God when one proposes something without having the word for it. It is, indeed, the greatest virtue to rest only in the word, and desire nothing more. But where God would add something more than the word, then it must not be thought a virtue to reject it as superfluous. We must therefore exercise such a faith in the word of God that we will not despise the helps that are given in addition to it as aids to faith. For example the Lord offers us in the gospel all that is necessary to salvation. Why then Baptism and the Lords Supper? Are they to be treated as superfluous? By no means. For if one believes the word he will at the same time exhibit an entire obedience toward God. We ought therefore to learn to join the sign with the word, for no man has the power to sever the two.
But do you ask: is it permitted to ask God for a sign? We have an example of this in Gideon. Answer: Although Gideon was not told of God to ask a sign, yet he did it by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, and not according to his own fancy. We must not therefore abuse his example, and must be content with the sign that is offered by the Lord. But there are extraordinary signs or miracles, like that of the text, and ordinary ones like Baptism and the Lords Supper. Yet both have the same object and use. For as Gideon was strengthened by that miraculous event, so, too, are we strengthened by Baptism and the Lords Supper, although no miracle appears before our eyes. Heim and Hoffmann after Luther. Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, also asked the Lord to show him the right wife for Isaac by means of a sign of His own choosing, (Gen 24:14).
It ought to be said that this asking a sign (opening the Bible at a venture, or any other book) does not suit Christian perfection (Heb 6:1). A Christian ought to be inwardly sensible of the divine will. He ought to content himself with the guarantees that God Himself offers. Only one must have open eyes and ears for them. This thing of demanding a sign, if it is not directly an effect of superstition (Mat 12:39; Mat 16:4; 1Co 1:22), is certainly childish, and, because it easily leads to superstitious abuses, it is dangerous.
5. On Isa 7:13. Non caret, etc. That the Prophet calls God his God is not without a peculiar emphasis. In Zec 2:12 it is said, that whoever touches the servants of God touches the pupil of Gods eye. Whoever opposes teacher and preacher will have to deal with God in heaven or with the Lord who has put them into office.Foerster.
6. On Isa 7:14. The name Immanuel is one of the most beautiful and richest in contents of all the Holy Scripture. God with us comprises Gods entire plan of salvation with sinful humanity. In a narrower sense it means God-man (Mat 1:23), and points to the personal union of divinity and humanity, in the double nature of the Son of God become man. Jesus Christ was a God-with-us, however, in this, that for about 33 years He dwelt among us sinners (Joh 1:11; Joh 1:14). In a deeper and wider sense still He was such by the Immanuels work of the atonement (2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:3). He will also be such to every one that believes on Him by the work of regeneration and sanctification and the daily renewal of His holy and divine communion of the Spirit (Joh 17:23; Joh 17:26; Joh 14:19-21; Joh 14:23). He is such now by His high-priestly and royal administration and government for His whole Church (Mat 28:20; Heb 7:25). He will be snch in the present time of the Church in a still more glorious fashion (Joh 10:16). The entire and complete meaning of the name Immanuel, however, will only come to light in the new earth, and in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:3; Rev 21:23; Rev 22:5).Wilh. Fried. Roos.
Isa 8:7. On Isa 8:5 sqq. Like boastful swimmers despise small and quiet waters, and on the other hand, for the better display of their skill, boast of the great sea and master it, but often are lost in it,thus, too, did the hypocrites that despised the small kingdom of Judah, and bragged much and great things of the power and splendor of the kingdom of Israel and of the Syrians; such hypocrites are still to be found now-a-dayssuch that bear in their eye the admiranda Romae, the splendor, riches, power, ceremonies and pomp of the Romish church, and thereupon set their bushel by the bigger-heap. It is but the devils temptation over again: I will give all this to thee.Cramer.Fons Siloa, etc. The fountain of Siloam, near the temple, daily reminded the Jews that Christ was coming.Calvin on Joh 9:7.
8. On Isa 8:10. When the great Superlatives sit in their council chambers and have determined everything, how it ought to be, and especially how they will extinguish the gospel, then God sends the angel Gabriel to them, who must look through the window and say: nothing will come of it.Luther.Christ, who is our Immanuel, is with us by His becoming man, for us by His office of Mediator, in us by the work of His sanctification, by us by His personal, gracious presence.Cramer.
9. On Isa 8:14-15. Christ alone is set by God to be a stone by which we are raised up. That He is, however, an occasion of offence to many is because of their purpose, petulance and contempt (1Pe 2:8). Therefore we ought to fear lest we take offence at Him. For whoever falls on this stone will shatter to pieces (Mat 21:44). Cramer.
10. On Isa 8:16 sqq. He warns His disciples against heathenish superstition, and exhorts them to show respect themselves always to law and testimony. They must not think that God must answer them by visions and signs, therefore He refers them to the written word, that they may not become altogether too spiritual, like those now-a-days who cry: spirit! spirit! Christ says, Luke 16 : They have Moses and the prophets, and again Joh 5:39 : Search the Scriptures. So Paul says, 2Ti 3:16 : The Scripture is profitable for doctrine. So says Peter, 2Pe 1:9 : We have a sure word of prophecy. It is the word that changes hearts and moves them. But revelations puff people up and make them insolent. Heim and Hoffmann after Luther.
Chap. 911. On Isa 9:1 sqq. (2). Postrema pars, etc. The latter part of chap. 8 was (legal and threatening) so, on the other hand, the first and best part of chap. 9 is , (evangelical and comforting). Thus must ever law and gospel, preaching wrath and grace, words of reproof and words of comfort, a voice of alarm and a voice of peace follow one another in the church. Foerster.
12. On Isa 9:1 (2). Both in the Old Testament and New Testament Christ is often called light. Thus Isaiah calls Him a light to the gentiles, Isa 42:6; Isa 49:6. The same Prophet says: Arise, shine (make thyself light), for thy light is come, Isa 60:1. And again Isa 9:19 : The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light. In the New Testament it is principally John that makes use of this expression: The life was the light of men, Joh 1:4, and the light shined in the darkness, Joh 9:5. John was not that light, but bore testimony to the light, Joh 9:8. That was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, Joh 9:9. And further: And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, Joh 3:19. I am the light of the world, (Joh 8:12; Joh 9:5; comp. Joh 12:35).
13. On Isa 9:1 (2). The people that sit in darkness may be understood to comprise three grades. First, the inhabitants of Zebulon and Naphtali are called so (Isaiah 8:23), for the Prophets gaze is fixed first on that region lying in the extreme end of Palestine, which was neighbor to the heathen and mixed with them, and on this account was held in low esteem by the dwellers in Judah. The night that spreads over Israel in general is darkest there. But all Israel partakes of this night, therefore all Israel, too, may be understood, as among the people sitting in darkness. Finally, no one can deny that this night extends over the borders of Israel to the whole human race. For far as men dwell extends the night which Christ, as light of the world, came to dispel, Luk 1:76 sqq.
14. On Isa 9:5 (6). Many lay stress on the notion child, inasmuch as they see in that the reason for the reign of peace spoken of afterwards. It is not said a man, a king, a giant is given to us. But this is erroneous. For the child does not remain a child. He becomes a man: and the six names that are ascribed to Him and also the things predicted of His kingdom apply to Him, not as a child, but as a man. That His birth as a child is made prominent, has its reason in this, that thereby His relation to human kind should be designated as an organic one. He does not enter into humanity as a man, i.e. as one whose origin was outside of it, but He was born from it, and especially from the race of David. He is Son of man and Son of David. He is a natural offshoot, but also the crowning bloom of both. Precisely because He was to be conceived, carried and born of a human mother, and indeed of a virgin, this prophecy belongs here as the completion and definition of the two prophetic pictures Isa 7:10 sqq.; Isa 8:1 sqq.He came down from heaven for the sake of us men, and for our bliss (1Ti 1:15; Luk 2:7). For our advantage: for He undertook not for the seed of angels, but for the seed of Abraham (Heb 2:16). Not sold to us by God out of great love, but given (Rom 5:15; Joh 3:16). Therefore every one ought to make an application of the word to us to himself, and to learn to say: this child was given to me, conceived for me, born to me.Cramer.Cur oportuit, etc. Why did it become the Redeemer of human kind to be not merely man nor merely God, but God and man conjoined or ? Anselm replies briefly, indeed, but pithily: Deum qui posset, hominem, qui deberet. Foerster.
15. On Isa 9:5 (6). You must not suppose here that He is to be named and called according to His person, as one usually calls another by his name; but these are names that one must preach, praise and celebrate on account of His act, works and office. Luther.
16. On Isa 9:6. Verba pauca, etc. A few words, but to be esteemed great, not for their number but for their weight. Augustine. Admirabilis in, etc. Wonderful in birth, counsellor in what He preaches, God in working, strong in suffering, father of the world to come in resurrection, Prince of peace in bliss perpetual. Bernard of Clairvaux. In reference to a child is born, and a son is given, Joh. Cocceius remarks in his Heb. Lex. s. v. : respectu, etc., in respect to His human nature He is said to be born, and in respect to His divine nature and eternal generation not indeed born, but given, as, Joh 3:16, it reads God gave His only begotten Son.
In the application of this language all depends on the words is born to us, is given to us. The angels are, in this matter, far from being as blessed as we are. They do not say: To us a Saviour is born this day, but; to you. As long as we do not regard Christ as ours, so long we shall have little joy in Him. But when we know Him as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, as a gift that our heavenly Father designed for us, we will appropriate Him to ourselves in humble faith, and take possession of all His redeeming effects that He has acquired. For giving and taking go together. The Son is given to us; we must in faith receive Him. J. J. Rambach, Betracht. ber das Ev. Esaj., Halle, 1724.
On Isa 9:6 (7). The government is on His shoulders. It is further shown how Christ differs in this respect from worldly kings. They remove from themselves the burden of government and lay it on the shoulders of the privy counsellors. But He does not lay His dominion as a burden on any other; He needs no prime minister and vicegerent to help Him bear the burden of administration, but He bears all by the word of His power as He to whom all things are given of the Father. Therefore He says to the house of Jacob (Isa 46:3 sq.): Hearken unto me ye who were laid on my shoulders from your mothers womb. I will carry you to old age. I will do it, I will lift, and carry and deliver,on the contrary the heathen must bear and lift up their idols, (Isa 46:1; Isa 46:7).Rambach. In the first place we must keep in mind His first name: He is called Wonderful. This name affects all the following. All is wonderful that belongs to this king: wonderfully does He counsel and comfort; wonderfully He helps to acquire and conquer, and all this in suffering and want of strength. (Luther, Jen. germ. Tom. III. Fol. 184 b.). He uses weakness as a means of subduing all things to Himself. A wretched reed, a crown of thorns and an infamous cross, are the weapons of this almighty God, by means of which He achieves such great things. In the second place, He was a hero and conqueror in that just by death, He robbed him of his might who had the power of death, i.e., the devil (Heb 2:14); in that He, like Samson, buried His enemies with Himself, yea, became poison to death itself, and a plague to hell (Hos 13:14) and more gloriously resumed His life so freely laid down, which none of the greatest heroes can emulate.Rambach.
17. On Isa 9:18 (19) sqq. True friendship can never exist among the wicked. For every one loves only himself. Therefore they are enemies one of another; and they are in any case friends to each other, only as long as it concerns making war on a third party.
Isaiah 10-18. On Isa 10:4. (Comp. the same expression in chap. 10). Gods quiver is well filled. If one arrow does not attain His object, He takes another, and so on, until the rights of God, and justice have conquered.
19. On Isa 10:5-7. God works through men in a threefold way. First, we all live, move and have our being in Him, in that all activity is an outflow of His power. Then, He uses the services of the wicked so that they mutually destroy each other, or He chastises His people by their hand. Of this sort the Prophet speaks here. In the third place, by governing His people by the Spirit of sanctification: and this takes place only in the elect.Heim and Hoffmann.
20. On Isa 10:5 sqq. Ad hunc, etc. Such places are to be turned to uses of comfort. Although the objects of temptation vary and enemies differ, yet the effects are the same, and the same spirit works in the pious. We are therefore to learn not to regard the power of the enemy nor our own weakness, but to look steadily and simply into the word, that will assuredly establish our minds that they despair not, but expect help of God. For God will not subdue our enemies, either spiritual or corporal, by might and power, but by weakness, as says the text: my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2Co 12:9).Luther.
21. On Isa 10:15. Efficacia agendi penes Deum est, homines ministerium tantum praebent. Quare nunc sibilo suo se illos evocaturum minabatur (cap. Isa 5:26; Isa 7:18); nunc instar sagenae sibi fore ad irretiendos, nunc mallei instar ad feriendos Israelitas. Sed praecipue tum declaravit, quod non sit otiosus in illis, dum Sennacherib securim vocat, quae ad secandum manu sua et destinata fuit et impacta. Non male alicubi Augustinus ita definit, quod ipsi peccant, eorum esse; quod peccando hoc vel illud agant, ex virtute Dei esse, tenebras prout visum est dividentis (De praedest Sanctt.).Calvin Inst. II. 4, 4.
22. On Isa 10:20-27. In time of need one ought to look back to the earlier great deliverances of the children of God, as to the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, or later, from the hand of the Midianites. Israel shall again grow out of the yoke.Diedrich.
Isaiah 11-23. On Isa 11:4. The staff of His mouth. Evidence that the kingdom of Christ will not be like an earthly kingdom, but consist in the power of the word and of the sacraments; not in leathern, golden or silver girdles, but in girdles of righteousness and faith.Cramer.
24. On Isa 11:10 sqq. If the Prophet honors the heathen in saying that they will come to Christ before Israel, he may be the more readily believed, when Isa 11:11 sqq., he gives the assurance that the return out of the first, the Egyptian exile, shall be succeeded by a return out of the second, the Assyrian exile, (taking this word in the wider sense of Isaiah). It is manifest that the return that took place under Zerubbabel and Ezra was only an imperfect beginning of that promised return. For according to our passage this second return can only take place after the Messiah has appeared. Farthermore, all Israelites that belong to the remnant of Israel, in whatever land they may dwell, shall take part in it. It will be, therefore, a universal, not a partial return. If now the Prophet paints this return too with the colors of the present (Isa 11:13 sqq.), still that is no reason for questioning the reality of the matter. Israel will certainly not disappear, but arise to view in the church of the new covenant. But if the nation is to be known among the nations as a whole, though no more as a hostile contrast, but in fraternal harmony, why then shall not the land, too, assume a like position among the lands? But the nation can neither assume its place among nations, nor the land its place among lands, if they are not both united: the people Israel in the land of their fathers.
25. On Isaiah 11 We may here recall briefly the older, so-called spiritual interpretation. Isa 11:1-5 were understood of Christs prophetic office that He exercised in the days of His flesh, then of the overthrow of the Roman Empire and of Antichrist, who was taken to be the Pope. But the most thorough-going of those old expositors must acknowledge, at Isa 11:4, that the Antichrist is not yet enough overthrown, and must be yet more overthrown. If such is the state of the case, then this interpretation is certainly false, for Isa 11:4 describes not a gradual judgment, but one accomplished at once. There have been many Antichrists, and among the Popes too, but the genuine Antichrist described 2 Thessalonians 2, is yet to be expected, and also the fulfillment of Isa 11:4 of our chapter. Thereby is proved at the same time that the peaceful state of things in the brute world and the return of the Jews to their native land are still things of the future, for they must happen in that period when the Antichristian world, and its head shall be judged by Christ. But then, too, the dwelling together of tame and wild beasts is not the entrance of the heathen into the church, to which they were heretofore hostile, and the return of the Jews is not the conversion of a small part of Israel that took place at Pentecost and after. The miracles and signs too, contained in Isa 11:15-16 did not take place then. We see just here how one must do violence to the word if he will not take it as it stands. But if we take it as we have done, then the whole chapter belongs to the doctrine of hope (Hoffnungslehre) of the Scripture, and constitutes an important member of it. The Lord procures right and room for His church. He overthrows the world-kingdom, together with Antichrist. He makes of the remnant of Israel a congregation of believers filled with the Spirit, to whom He is near in an unusual way, and from it causes His knowledge to go out into all the world. He creates peace in the restless creatures, and shows us here in advance what more glorious things we may look for in the new earth. He presents to the world a church which, united in itself, unmolested by neighbors, stands under Gods mighty protection. All these facts are parts of a chain of hope that must be valuable and dear to our hearts. The light of this future illumines the obscurity of the present; the comfort of that day makes the heart fresh. Weber, der Prophet Jesaja, 1875.
Chap. 1226. On Isa 12:4 sq. These will not be the works of the New Testament: sacrificing and slaying, and make pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the Holy Sepulchre, but praising God and giving thanks, preaching and hearing, believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth. For to praise our God is good; such praise is pleasant and lovely (Psa 147:1). Cramer.
27. On Chap. 12 With these words conclude the prophetic discourses on Immanuel. Through what obscurity of history have we not had to go, until we came to the bright light of the kingdom of Christ! How Israel and the nations had to pass through the fire of judgment before the sun arises in Israel and the entire gentile world is illumined! It is the, same way that every Christian has to travel. In and through the fire we become blessed. Much must be burnt up in us, before we press to the full knowledge of God and of His Son, before we become entirely one with Him, entirely glad and joyful in Him. Israel was brought up and is still brought up for glory, and we too. O that our end too were such a psalm of praise as this psalm! Weber, Der Pr. Jes. 1875.
Footnotes:
[30]baggage.
[31]Heb. Cry shrill with thy voice.
[32]Hark Laish.
[33]takes flight.
[34]yet to-day in Nob to halt.
[35]leafy coronal.
[36]the giants of the standing wood are felled.
[37]he fells.
[38]Or, mightily.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Isa 10:28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
Ver. 28. He is come to Aiath. ] Elegans hypotyposis, a dainty description of Sennacherib’s invasion into the land, and progress with his army toward Jerusalem, through the tribe of Benjamin.
He is passed to Migron.
At Michmash he hath laid up his carriages,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 10:28-32
28He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through Migron;
At Michmash he deposited his baggage.
29They have gone through the pass, saying,
Geba will be our lodging place.
Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled away.
30Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth!
31Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32Yet today he will halt at Nob;
He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
Isa 10:28-32 H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Isaiah, vol. 1, p. 40, describes this stanza (strophe) as The Strategic Assyrian Advance That Almost Took Zion Described in Terms of Bulletin-from-the-Front. Many geographical locations are mentioned and what was occurring at that location as the Assyrian mercenary army approached.
Isa 10:28 Aiath This is Ai close to Jericho. The places mentioned show the movement of the Assyrians toward Jerusalem from the north.
Isa 10:30 Cry aloud. . .Pay attention These are both IMPERATIVES.
1. BDB 843, KB 1007, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
This breaks the pattern of Isa 10:28-32. If this stanza is reports from the front lines, then Isa 10:30 is a comment from the prophet, not an Assyrian messenger.
NASBwretched Anathoth
NKJVpoor Anathoth
NRSVAnswer her, O Anathoth
TEVAnswer, people of Anathoth
NJB, REBAnathoth will listen
PESHITTAAnswer me, O Anathoth
This is from either
1. the VERB answer, BDB 772, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. an ADJECTIVE poor, BDB 776
They both have the same consonants. UBS Hebrew Text Project gives #2 a C rating (considerable doubt). It is surely possible that poor and Anathoth are a sound play (NASB Study Bible, p. 974).
Isa 10:32 The second line of poetry expresses the Assyrian’s contempt for Judah’s God and His temple.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
He is come. This is a prophetic description of Sennacherib’s advance against Judah.
Aiath = Ai: now et Tell, or Khan Haiyan.
laid up. In anticipation of a speedy conquest of Jerusalem.
carriages = baggage (Old English). Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct) for what is carried.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 10:28-34
Isa 10:28-32
“He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at Micmash he layeth up his baggage; they are gone over the pass; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeah of Saul is fled. Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! Hearken O Laisha! O thou poor Anathoth! Madmenah is a fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety. This very day shall he halt at Nob: he shaketh his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.”
“These verses are a prophecy of Sennacherib’s army’s approach of Jerusalem in order to invest it.
Here is another reason for our preferring the view that all of these verses are prophecy, not history. Note that Isaiah here represented Assyria’s approach as being from the north; but actually, as Kidner pointed out the final approach was probably from Lachish which is southwest of Jerusalem; but in a prophecy, Lachish would most surely have been grouped with all of the nearby cities lying in the vicinity of Jerusalem, nearly all of which were indeed north of the city. This lone city lying somewhat to the southwest does not compromise the language of the prophecy in any manner.
These verses pause with the great Assyrian army poised to strike; but at the very last moment, when it seemed that all was lost, God intervened and put his hook in the nose of the invader and hauled him back to Nineveh. Isaiah will elaborate this event more fully in Isaiah 36.
Isa 10:33-34
“Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror: and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be brought low. And he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.”
“Lebanon is here a metaphor, because of their (Assyria’s) forests of cedars. The only hint provided in this chapter of just how such a mighty deliverance is to come about is found in Isa 10:26 where it is revealed that it would resemble in some way the slaughter of Midian and of the Egyptians. This is a pledge that the deliverance will not come by an army, or by any human device, but that the deliverance shall be of God and of him only. The mighty one who is depicted here as cutting down the forest of Lebanon (a metaphor for Assyria) is, of course, God himself.
Isa 10:28-34 ASSYRIA CUT DOWN: These verses are an imaginative description of the approach of the Assyrian army. It is what is called in prophecy, predictive present. The prophet predicts what is to come as if it were presently occurring. Entering the borders of Judah at Ai and leaving his heavy baggage train behind because it would be in the way when contact was made with their enemies, Assyria attacks the land of the Jews. As they advance the inhabitants flee from their towns and cities, trembling and crying for help. At last the Assyrian stands at Nob (the priestly city destroyed by Saul, 1Sa 22:19) which must have been in sight of Jerusalem. From this vantage point the Assyrian makes threatening gestures at Jerusalem (Cf. comments on Isa 10:12-19) recorded in Isa 37:22-23.
But Gods judgment catches up with Assyria. Again using the figure of trees with their boughs, the prophet describes how Assyria will be cut down. The Assyrian King is a great tree in Lebanon and the boughs are lopped off. This is a favorite figure of Old Testament prophecy (Cf. Daniel 4). When the angel of death slew 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army there was much terror among the Assyrians. That powerful, cruel, proud, arrogant and boastful nation was soon reduced to a fleeing horde of refugees chased by the Babylonians and eventually Assyria was reduced to oblivion as a nation. God keeps His word!
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
He is come: This is a prophetical description of the march of Sennacherib’s army approaching Jerusalem in order to invest it, and of the terror and confusion spreading and increasing through the several places as he advanced; expressed with great brevity, but finely diversified. Aiath, or Ai, was situated a little east of Bethel about twelve miles north of Jerusalem; Michmash about three miles nearer, where there was a narrow pass between two sharp hills; Geba and Ramah about three miles more to the south; Gibeah a mile and a half more southward; Anathoth within three miles of Jerusalem; to the westward of which, towards Lydda, was Nob, from which place Sennacherib might have a prospect of Zion, and near which, it would appear, his army was destroyed.
Aiath: Jos 7:2, Neh 11:31, Aija
Migron: 1Sa 14:2
Michmash: 1Sa 13:2, 1Sa 13:5, 1Sa 14:5, 1Sa 14:31
Reciprocal: Gen 12:8 – Hai 1Sa 13:11 – Michmash 1Sa 13:23 – passage 2Ki 19:32 – He shall not come Ezr 2:27 – Michmas Ecc 7:8 – Better Isa 8:8 – he shall pass Isa 17:14 – at eveningtide Isa 22:7 – full Isa 30:16 – for we will Isa 36:1 – that Sennacherib Mic 1:9 – he
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 10:28-32. He is come to Aiath Here the prophet returns to his former discourse concerning Sennacheribs invasion of Judah, of whose march toward Jerusalem, the route of his army, and their several stations, he gives so minute a detail, that though the description is a prophecy, he seems rather to speak like an historian, who is relating facts already past. This is the fifth part of the prophets discourse, in which we have, 1st, the expedition of the Assyrian monarch, described in the most lively manner in these verses; and, 2d, the unhappy success of that expedition, with its consequences, Isa 10:33-34. The several places here mentioned, are those where Sennacherib may be supposed to have pitched his camp; and were most of them towns of Benjamin, though some were in Judah, as appears from other scriptures. He is passed to Migron Namely, Sennacherib, in his way to Jerusalem. At Michmash he hath laid up his carriages Leaving such things there as were less necessary, that so he might march with more expedition. They are gone over the passage Some considerable passage, then well known. Gibeah of Saul is fled The people fled to Jerusalem for fear of the Assyrians. Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim Jerusalem was the mother city, and lesser towns were commonly called her daughters. O poor Anathoth Hebrew, , Aniah Anathoth, where the former word, rendered poor, relates to the signification of Anathoth; a beauty frequently to be met with in the original of the sacred Scriptures, but which can seldom be preserved in any translation. He shall shake his hand against the mount of Zion By way of commination. But, withal, the prophet intimates, that he should be able to do no more against it; and that there his proud waves should be stayed, as is declared in the following verses, and in the history.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
10:28 He is come to {y} Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath attended to his carriages:
(y) He describes by what way the Assyrians would come against Jerusalem, to confirm the faithful, when it would come to pass, that as their plague was come, so should they be delivered.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
A description of Assyria’s attack and judgment 10:28-34
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Isaiah foresaw the Assyrian army descending on Jerusalem from the north, passing through various towns, and finally arriving at Nob just north of Jerusalem. From that location, probably modern Mt. Scopus, which was somewhat higher in elevation than Mt. Zion, the enemy looked down on Jerusalem and shook his fist menacingly. All the towns and villages mentioned stood only a few miles north and east of Jerusalem.