Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 10:34
And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest – The army of the Assyrians, described here as a thick, dense forest; compare Isa 10:18-19.
With iron – As a forest is cut down with an axe, so the prophet uses this phrase here, to keep up and carry out the figure. The army was destroyed with the pestilence 2Ki 19:35; but it fell as certainly as a forest falls before the axe.
And Lebanon – Lebanon is here evidently descriptive of the army of the Assyrian, retaining the idea of a beautiful and magnificent forest. Thus, in Eze 31:3, it is said, the king of the Assyrians was a cedar of Lebanon with fair branches. Lebanon is usually applied to the Jews as descriptive of them (Jer 22:6, Jer 22:23; Zec 10:10; 11: l), but it is evidently applied here to the Assyrian army; and the sense is, that that army should be soon and certainly destroyed, and that, therefore, the inhabitants of Jerusalem had no cause of alarm; see the notes at Isa. 37.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 34. Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one] beaddir, the angel of the Lord, who smote them, Kimchi. And so Vitringa understands it. Others translate, “The high cedars of Lebanon shall fall:” but the king of Assyria is the person who shall be overthrown.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
With iron; or, as with iron, as the trees of the forest are cut down by instruments of iron.
And Lebanon; or, his Lebanon, the pronoun being oft understood in the Hebrew text; the Assyrian army, which being before compared to a forest or wood, and being called his Carmel in the Hebrew text, Isa 10:18, may very fitly, upon the same ground, be called his Lebanon here; especially considering that the king of Assyria is called a cedar of Lebanon, Eze 31:3.
By a mighty one; by a mighty angel, Isa 37:36.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
34. This verse and Isa10:33 describe the sudden arrest and overthrow of Sennacherib inthe height of his success; Isa 10:18;Isa 10:19; Eze 31:3;Eze 31:14, c., contain the sameimage “Lebanon” and its forest are the Assyrian army; the”iron” axe that fells the forest refers to the stroke whichdestroyed the one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians (2Ki19:35). The “Mighty One” is Jehovah (Isa 10:21;Isa 9:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,…. The multitude of the common soldiers, the whole body of the army, by means of one of his angels, that excel in strength, for which he is compared to “iron”; and which is explained in the next clause:
and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one; the Assyrian army is compared to the forest of Lebanon, for the multitude of trees in it, and the tallness of its cedars, it abounding not only with common soldiers, but with great men; so it is compared to a forest, and to Carmel, or a fruitful field, in Isa 10:18 and the Assyrian monarch is said to be a cedar in Lebanon, Eze 31:3 which fell by the hands of one of the mighty angels, 2Ki 19:35 some, because of this last clause, think that this and the preceding verse
Isa 10:33 are to be understood of the calamities that should come upon the Jews, at the time of the Babylonish captivity; for though Sennacherib should stop at Nob; and proceed no further, however should not be able to take Jerusalem, yet hereafter a successor of his should; and, according to this sense, by the “bough” lopped may be meant Jeconiah, or Zedekiah king of Judah; by the “high ones of stature”, and the “haughty” ones, his children, the princes of the blood, and the nobles of the land; and by the “thickets of the forest”, the common people, who were either killed or carried captive; and by Lebanon, the temple, Zec 11:1 and by the “mighty one”, Nebuchadnezzar that burnt it. And some of the ancient Jews interpret this last clause of the destruction of the temple by Vespasian; they observe upon this passage in one place m, there is no mighty one but a king, as in
Jer 30:21 and there is no Lebanon but the house of the sanctuary, according to De 3:25 wherefore when a certain Jew saluted Vespasian as a king, and he replied that he was no king, the Jew made answer, if thou art not a king, thou shall be one; for this house (meaning the temple) shall not be destroyed but by the hands of a king, as it is said, “and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one” n.
m T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 56. 2. n Midrash Echa Rabbati, fol 46. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
34. And he will cut down the thick places of the forest with iron. There is no difficulty in explaining this metaphor, for it is plain enough that by tall and high trees is denoted all that is powerful, excellent, or lofty. Thus he foretells the destruction and ruin of Judea, which he compares to the cutting down of a forest; by which he means that there is nothing so valuable that the enemies will not destroy it, till they have stripped the whole land of its ornaments.
And Lebanon will fall violently. He mentions Lebanon, because that mountain, as we all know, was highly celebrated for fruitful and highly valuable trees. Now, if he had been speaking of the Assyrians, it would not have been appropriate to introduce the destruction of Lebanon. Hence we infer that the Prophet, in this passage, again threatens the Jews; and this agrees well with the introduction of the discourse, for it begins with a word which calls attention, Behold.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
REFLECTIONS
READER! hath it ever struck you, when at anytime perusing the judgments of God upon a guilty land, as set forth in this chapter, how awful the state of those must be, whom the Lord appoints for the correction of his people? Like the Assyrian here spoken of, all of this description are only commissioned to correct, not to destroy. They are by the Lord’s bridle in their jaws, but the kindliest ministers for good and not evil. And had the children of God but light enough during the dark hour, to see the limits of their chain, how different would be their views of God’s people, and of the divine love in sending them. Howbeit, they mean not so, neither do their hearts think so, for their wish is to destroy: but Jesus appoints, overlooks, regulates, restrains, and brings about his blessed purposes, in all. How sweet the thought!
My soul! bless thy Lord for this most precious scripture! The remnant of Israel is still on the earth. It is in the midst of many people, as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass! See to it, my soul, that thou hast the gracious marks here set down: They stay no more upon him that smote them. They look not for salvation from an arm of flesh. Thy false confidences, and false supports have too often, my soul, like the reeds of Egypt, pierced thee through with many sorrows. Surely thou art looking no more to the works of thine hands, not saying to them, Ye are my god; for in Jesus alone the fatherless findeth mercy! See to it, that thou art now finally, fully, and completely returned, among the remnant of Jacob, unto Jacob’s mighty God, and staying thyself in truth upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. Oh! for grace to call heaven and earth to witness, that He, and He only is Jehovah’s Christ, is thy Christ; and the Father’s chosen, thy chosen: so shalt thou never be confounded nor ashamed, world without end.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 10:34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
Ver. 34. By a mighty one. ] a That is, by an angel. Isa 37:36 Psa 78:25 ; Psa 89:5-6
a Per magnificum.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
forest. Authorized Version, edition 1611, reads., “forests” (plural) These are Sennacherib’s own figures of himself. See 2Ki 19:23. Compare Isa 29:17. Eze 31:3-8. Note the contrast in Isa 11:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
cut down: Isa 10:18, Isa 37:24, Jer 22:7, Jer 46:22, Jer 46:23, Jer 48:2, Nah 1:12
Lebanon: Zec 11:1, Zec 11:2
by a mighty one: or, mightily, Isa 31:8, Isa 37:36, Psa 103:20, Dan 4:13, Dan 4:14, Dan 4:23, 2Th 1:7, 2Pe 2:11, Rev 10:1, Rev 18:21
Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:5 – ax head 2Ch 32:21 – the leaders Psa 37:36 – General Isa 2:13 – General Isa 10:25 – For yet Isa 17:13 – but Isa 37:7 – I will Isa 48:3 – and I Isa 51:13 – where is Eze 31:3 – a cedar Dan 4:10 – a tree Joe 3:11 – cause Luk 3:9 – General