Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 1:28
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners [shall be] together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
28. And the destruction together ] Better as an exclamation: But destruction of rebels and sinners together! Rebels, sinners, forsakers of Jehovah, as in Isa 1:2-4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the destruction – Hebrew sheber – the breaking, or crushing, that is, the punishment which was about to come upon them; compare Lam 2:11; Lam 3:47; Pro 16:18.
Of the transgressors – Revolters, or those that rebel against God.
And of the sinners – Of all the sinners in the nation, of all kinds and degrees.
Together – At the same time with the redemption of Zion.
Shall be consumed – ykelu, from kalah, to be completed, or finished; to be consumed, wasted away; to vanish, or disappear. It denotes complete and entire extinction; or the completing of anything. It is applied to a cloud of smoke, that entirely dissolves and disappears:
As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away:
So he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more,
Job 7:9.
But the wicked shall perish,
And the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs;
They shall consume,
Into smoke shall they cosume away.
Psa 37:20.
It is applied to time, as vanishing and disappearing Job 7:6; and to the destruction or perishing of men; Jer 16:4; Eze 5:13. The idea is that of complete and entire consumption and destruction, so that none shall be left. Applied to future punishment, it means that the destruction of sinners shall be total and complete. There shall be no sinner who shall not be destroyed; and there shall be none destroyed whose destruction shall not be entire and total. The expression here refers to the heavy calamities which were about to come upon the guilty nation, but it is as descriptive of the future punishment that shall come upon the wicked.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 1:28
They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed
Forsaking the Lord
I.
THE GUILT OF FORSAKING THE SERVICE OF THE LORD.
1. Man is bound by the law of his nature to obey that Almighty Being by whom he was made an intelligent and immortal creature.
2. Many in forsaking the Lord violate their own express and solemn engagements. (Heb 10:29.)
II. THE FOLLY OF FORSAKING THE SERVICE OF THE LORD. If we do so we shall–
1. Incur the reproaches of our own mind.
2. Forfeit the esteem and confidence of all good men.
3. Forfeit the favour and incur the wrath of God. And for what are all those tremendous sacrifices made? For the pleasures of sin, which are but for a season!
III. THE DANGER OF FORSAKING THE SERVICE OF THE LORD. Shall be consumed. The threatened doom is–
1. Awful.
2. Certain. (J. H. Hobart, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
And; or rather, but, as that particle is oft used; for here is a manifest opposition.
The destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together; though I will deliver my people from the Babylonish captivity, yet those of them who shall still go on in their wickedness shall not have the benefit of that mercy, but are reserved for a more dreadful and total destruction.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. destructionliterally,”breaking into shivers” (Re2:27). The prophets hasten forward to the final extinction of theungodly (Psa 37:20; Rev 19:20;Rev 20:15); of which antecedentjudgments are types.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners [shall be] together,…. Of the beast and false prophet, of the followers of antichrist, the man of sin, who are transgressors of the law of God, and sinners against the Lord; the destruction of these, or the breaking of them into shivers, as the word o signifies, see Re 2:27 will be at the time of Zion’s redemption, and make a part of it; and it shall be all at once and together; these sinners will be all together consumed out of the earth, and these wicked antichristian ones will be no more in it, Ps 104:35
and they that forsake the Lord; his word, his worship and ordinances; as the Papists have manifestly done, by setting up their own unwritten traditions against the word of God, by adulterating his ordinances, and introducing new ones, and by worshipping images of gold, silver, brass, and wood;
wherefore they shall be consumed; with the breath of Christ’s mouth, and with the brightness of his coming, 2Th 2:8.
o “contritio sive confractio”, Syr.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“And breaking up of the rebellious and sinners together; and those who forsake Jehovah will perish.” The judicial side of the approaching act of redemption is here expressed in a way that all can understand. The exclamatory substantive clause in the first half of the v. is explained by a declaratory verbal clause in the second. The “rebellious” were those who had both inwardly and outwardly broken away from Jehovah; “sinners,” those who were living in open sins; and “those who forsake Jehovah,” such as had become estranged from God in either of these ways.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
28. And the destruction of the transgressors Lest hypocrites should imagine that any fruit of these promises belongs to them, and should indulge in vain boasting, he threatens that they shall perish, though God redeem his Church. For hypocrites have always been mingled with the Church, and indeed are connected with it in the closest manner; but they form their estimation of it from outward show. All that God promises they at once apply confidently to themselves. The apostle tears from them this trust, if indeed it deserve the name of trust, which springs from pride and the arrogance of a haughty mind. Here we ought to observe how great wisdom is needed by godly teachers, that, while they terrify the wicked by the judgment of God, they may at the same time support good men, and strengthen them by some consolation, that they may not be cast down and discouraged. On the other hand, when believers are encouraged be the promise of God, and when wicked men falsely apply it to themselves, and puff up their minds with vain confidence, the method and course which we ought to pursue is, that we neither give occasion to wicked men to become proud, nor depress and discourage the minds of the godly; as Isaiah does in this passage. For while he speaks of the redemption of the Church, he at the same time threatens that sinners, that is, wicked men, shall be destroyed, that they may not suppose that these acts of God’s kindness belong at all to them.
And yet, while he pronounces destruction against the wicked, by this comparison he exhibits more fully the favor of God towards believers, which is far more distinctly seen, when God allows the reprobate to perish, but preserves his own in safety, as it is said,
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Psa 91:7.
Besides, he mitigates the grief and anguish which the diminution of the numbers of the Church might produce in godly minds; for he shows that there is no other way of imparting health to the whole body than by removing its corruption.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE DOOM OF THE APOSTATES
Isa. 1:28-31. They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they [472] shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye [475] have denied, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
[472] In Isa. 1:29 is an instance of what seemed to Lowths classical taste a corrupt readingThey shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired. But this variation of the persons of the verb is not unusual in Hebrew, and certainly no corruption. Indeed, if we look at Psalms 91, which is very artistically constructed, we shall see reason to think that what jars so harshly on a classically trained ear was a beauty to the Hebrew poets.Strachey.
[475] Which ye have desired. He was speaking of the sinners, he suddenly turns round to the men of his own generation, and says, You are the men who are thus storing up shame and confusion.Kay.
In modern days, when men forsake the Lord, they become simply irreligiouspractical atheists; but in ancient times such men became idolaters, they became worshippers of idols set up under the oaks planted on the hilltops, or in gardens [478] It is almost impossible for us to understand the fascination of idol-worship, but it was very powerful, and the idols were made objects of passionate trust. They were regarded as the strength of those who served them. Trusting in their protection their votaries went forth confidently to battle. Defeat did not dispel this delusion; it was interpreted to mean merely that the god of the victors was mightier than the god of the vanquished. To men glorying in their false deities, and confiding in their protection, the prophet predicts utter destruction. You shall be consumed, he says; the day is at hand when ye shall be caused to blush for your gods; you yourselves shall be withered oaks, and gardens without water; yea, your idols, and ye who have made them, for they are but things, the work of your hands, shall be burned together in unquenchable fire [481] The theme of these verses is therefore the doom of the apostates, and of the objects of their trust.
[478] In the judgments and the restoration which the prophet foretells, he declares that the people shall learn the worthlessness of the idols which they have been worshipping under the oak-trees, and in the sacred groves and gardens. The worship of the high places was partly a local worship of Jehovah, which only became irregular and blameable in later times; but there was also a widespread worship of Baal, Astarte, and Moloch, the old gods of the Canaanites and other nations, in sacred groves and gardens, as well as on the hill-topsa worship of impersonated and deified sensuality and crueltywhich sometimes even established itself within the precincts of the temple itself, and was still more readily blended with, or substituted for, the worship of Jehovah in the high places. And this idolatrous worship was going on in Juda during the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham, at the same time with the temple services, as appears from 2Ki. 15:3-4, compared with 2Ch. 27:2. In the day of judgment and restoration, says the prophet, these men who have been flourishing in their sin like their oaks, and living in pleasures like those of their well-watered gardens, shall find that the idols to which these oaks and gardens are dedicated have no power to save them from a destruction which shall make them as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water, images which will be the more forcible if we remember that in a southern climate trees fade rather from excessive heat than from seasonable cold, and a garden without water is a mere desert of sand. Then shall the strong, the mighty, and the unjust ruler become tow, and his idols, the work of his hands, a spark; they shall both burn together, and no man shall quench them.Strachey.
[481] The interpretation of Isa. 1:31 on which the above outline is based is that of Calvin and the earlier Protestant commentators. That which in modern days has been almost universally adopted, is given in the preceding extract from Strachey, and the homiletic use to which it may be put is indicated in the next outline: The tow and the spark. We are persuaded, however, that the earlier interpretation is that which is most in harmony with the scope of the whole passage. All the ancient versions treat as an abstract, meaning strength, and Dr. Alexander admits that this agrees well with its form, resembling that of an infinitive or verbal noun. Latterly it has become the fashion to translate it strong man, but the harmony of the whole passage is best maintained by rendering it their strength, that is, that which the idolaters have regarded as their strength, the deity in whose protection they have trusted.
I. Idolatry is still the sin of our race. It is not confined to heathen lands. There is need in this land for a proclamation of the first commandment. For what is idolatry in its essence? It is loving and trusting some being or thing more than God. Every mans God is what he lives for. Hence the declaration that covetousness is idolatry; it is one form of the widespread sin.
II. The confidence of men in their idols is still limitless and exultant. Every idolater is persuaded that that which he lives for is worth living for; this is the conviction of the miser, the ambitious man, &c.
III. The time is at hand when the falsity of this confidence shall be exposed. There are coming upon those who cherish it calamities amid which they will seek in vain for comfort from their idols. How often this is verified in daily life! In the withered, desolate condition of those who have forsaken the Lord how awfully is their folly demonstrated!
IV. Yea, there is a day appointing in which all idolaters and their idols shall be consumed together. In the day of judgment the worshippers of Dagon, of Astarte, of Baal, and of Brahm will not be the only persons on whom utter destruction shall come: those who have made gold their confidence, &c., shall be burned up, together with their gods. The objects of their trust shall be as powerless as is tow to resist flame, and they themselves shall be but as sparks, swept away by the blast of the Divine indignation.
Application.
1. The day of judgment is a great reality; it is no mere dream of theologians, it is A TREMENDOUS FACT with which we shall soon be brought face to face.
2. This fact should govern us in selecting the object of our supreme love and trust.
3. It should prevent us from envying those who have forsaken the Lord, because of the temporary prosperity in which they are rejoicing [484]
4. It should make us earnest in our endeavours to reclaim them from their apostasy while the day of Divine long-suffering and mercy still continues.
[484] O sirs! do wicked men purchase their present pleasures at so dear a rate as eternal torments, and do we envy their enjoyment of them so short a time? Would any envy a man going to execution because he saw him in a prison nobly feasted, and nobly attended, and bravely courted? or because he saw him go up the ladder with a gold chain about his neck, and a scarlet gown upon his back? or because he saw him walk to execution through pleasant fields or delightsome gardens? or because there went before him drums beating, colours flying, and trumpets sounding? &c. Surely no! Oh, no more should we envy the grandeur of the men of the world, for every step they take is but a step to an eternal execution.Brooks, 16281680.
What reason have we to envy the wicked in their riches and prosperity? If a man be standing firmly on a rivers bank, and sees another gliding gaily but inevitably down to a tremendous precipice below, shall he be envious of the pleasant sail that intervenes before the dread catastrophe? Shall he stand and envy him, and wish to exchange places with him? Oh no, but let him rather cry aloud, and warn him of his danger. Let him hasten to the rescue; throw out his arms with right good-will, and if it may be, save a soul from death.Nason.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(28) Of the transgressors and of the sinners.The first of the two words presents evil in its aspect of apostasy, the second in that of the open sin which may accompany the apostasy or exist without it.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Destruction transgressors Literally, there shall be a breaking, or entire crushing out, of apostates, revolters, deserters from Jehovah.
They that forsake An equivalent expression to apostates; they shall come to an end, be destroyed totally. The characters in the first of the chapter are here referred to. See Psa 37:20; Psa 37:38.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Doom and Gloom ( Isa 1:28-31 ).
In contrast with this glorious future for the true Israel, is the fate determined for those who are untrue, those who do not respond to God’s activity, as described in Isa 1:28 onwards.
Analysis.
a But the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners will be together, and they who forsake Yahweh will be consumed.
b For they will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you will be confounded for the gardens which you have chosen.
b For you will be as an oak whose leaf fades, and as a garden which has no water.
a And the strong will be as tow, and his work as a spark, and they will both burn together, and none will quench them
Isa 1:28
And the destruction of the transgressors and the sinners will be together,
And they who forsake Yahweh will be consumed.’
In contrast with the redemption of the righteous is the fact that transgressors and sinners (the opposite of the just and the righteous) will be destroyed, and those who forsake Yahweh, those who are unfaithful, will be consumed. God’s mercy will not reach all. Some will turn from it. Not all God’s nominal people are God’s true people. Time will reveal which are which.
Isa 1:29
‘For they will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired,
And you will be confounded for the gardens which you have chosen.’
This sudden change of pronoun appears constantly throughout the Old Testament as the writers seek to bring home their words more personally. In that day those who perish will, in their perishing, be ashamed of the sacred oaks to which they have made obeisance, the very oaks which ‘you hearers’ still do ‘desire’ (seek to worship). And you will be confounded because of the sacred gardens, symbols of the fertility cult, that you have set your heart on, but which fail you in the end. ‘Ashamed’ and ‘confounded’ do not just include embarrassment, but also the sense of their failure. These in which they trusted have let them down. They have been fools.
The sacred gardens were places to which men went for their unnatural activities with sacred prostitutes and loose women as they sought to influence or imitate nature through their manifested behaviour. Possibly they also sought to absorb life from the trees. But it would do them no good. The gardens had nothing real to offer.
Isa 1:30-31
‘For you will be as an oak whose leaf fades,
And as a garden which has no water.
And the strong will be as tow,
And his work as a spark,
And they will both burn together,
And none will quench them.’
Instead of gaining life force from their sacred oaks, their sacred watered gardens and their sacred activities, which in their vain hope and lust they saw as life-giving, these will rather be like a fading oak whose leaf withers and is cast off, and like a waterless garden which has no source of life, and is therefore bare and empty. For the gods can give no life. They are lifeless themselves. Even the strong man, with his ‘work’ (i.e. his idol which he has made for himself), will be like tow, that is, a piece of hemp or similar flammable material, made ready for burning, and lit by a spark. Both man and idol will burn up together. No one will be able to prevent it or put out the flame.
So God is finally merciful to His own. He chastens that He might restore. But for those who will not respond mercy finally runs out. For them there can only be judgment.
Note. Yahweh as sovereign ‘Lord’ (adonai) is a regular feature of Isaiah. As sovereign Lord He judges His enemies, delivering and refining His people and destroying His enemies (Isa 1:24-28); He removes from sinful Judah and Jerusalem their mainstay (Isa 3:1-3); He punishes the vain and arrogant women (daughters of Zion) with scabs and takes away the jewellery and ornaments in which the women delight (Isa 3:16-23); He will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purge Jerusalem from its bloodiness (Isa 4:4); He thwarts the enemies of Jerusalem and Judah (Isa 7:7), even the powerful Assyria (Isa 7:20); He will bring up mighty Assyria against His people because they look elsewhere than to Him (Isa 8:7); His word reveals itself against His opponents (Isa 8:8); He turns away from those who do evil (Isa 9:17); He will perform His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem (Isa 10:12); He will bring judgment on the king of Assyria (Isa 10:16); He will bring about His determined will (Isa 10:23); He will work on behalf of His true people (Isa 10:24); He will cut down their enemies (Isa 10:33); He will bring back His people from all over the world (Isa 11:11); and so on to Isa 65:13-18 where He provides blessing and a new heaven and a new earth to the faithful remnant. End of note.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners [shall be] together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
Ver. 28. And the destruction. ] Heb., The shivering or shattering. Tremellius rendereth it, the fragments or scraps – sc., of the dross above mentioned; these shall be broken and burnt together.
Shall be together.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
transgressors = rebels, App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the destruction: Heb. the breaking, Job 31:3, Psa 1:6, Psa 5:6, Psa 37:38, Psa 73:27, Psa 92:9, Psa 104:35, Psa 125:5, Pro 29:1, Luk 12:45, Luk 12:46, 1Th 5:3, 2Th 1:8, 2Th 1:9, 2Pe 3:7, Rev 21:8
they that: Isa 30:13, Isa 50:11, Isa 65:11, 1Sa 12:25, 1Ki 9:6-9, 1Ch 28:9, Zep 1:4-6
Reciprocal: Jos 24:20 – he will turn 1Ki 14:15 – beyond the river 2Ch 28:6 – because 2Ch 28:23 – But they were Pro 11:3 – the perverseness Jer 17:13 – they that Heb 6:6 – to renew
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1:28 And the {n} destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners [shall be] together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
(n) The wicked will not be partakers of God’s promise, Psa 92:9 .