Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 22:18
He will surely violently turn and toss thee [like] a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory [shall be] the shame of thy lord’s house.
18. The first half of the verse reads: He will roll thee up in a bundle ( and toss thee) like a ball into a spacious land (lit. “a land broad on both sides,” as Gen 34:21; Jdg 18:10). The words “and toss thee” have to be supplied from the context; the construction is pregnant. The figure expresses banishment from Jehovah’s territory, the “spacious land” referring probably to the Assyrian Empire.
there shall thou die (cf. Amo 7:17) and there shall be thy splendid chariots, thou shame of thy lord’s house ] To ride forth with “chariots and horses” was once regarded as a sign of aspiring to the highest dignity (2Sa 15:1; 1Ki 1:5); later it seems to have been the privilege of the princely caste (Jer 17:25), peculiarly offensive, therefore, in a foreign adventurer. The concentrated bitterness of the last words points to something worse than political differences as the cause of Isaiah’s antipathy to Shebna.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He will surely violently turn – Lowth has well expressed the sense of this:
He will whirl thee round and round, and cast thee away.
Thus it refers to the action of throwing a stone with a sling, when the sling is whirled round and round several times before the string is let go, in order to increase the velocity of the stone. The idea is here, that God designed to cast him into a distant land, and that he would give such an impulse to him that he would be sent afar, so far that he would not be able to return again.
Like a ball – A stone, ball, or other projectile that is cast from a sling.
Into a large country – Probably Assyria. When this was done we have no means of determining.
And there the chariots of glory shall be the shame of thy lords house – Lowth renders this,
– And there shall thy glorious chariots
Become the shame of the house of thy lord.
Noyes renders it,
There shall thy splendid chariots perish,
Thou disgrace of the house of thy lord.
The Chaldee renders it, And there the chariots of thy glory shall be converted into ignominy, because thou didst not preserve the glory of the house of thy lord. Probably the correct interpretation is that which regards the latter part of the verse, the shame of thy lords house, as an address to him as the shame or disgrace of Ahaz, who had appointed him to that office, and of Hezekiah, who had continued him in it. The phrase the chariots of thy glory, means splendid or magnificent chariots; and refers doubtless to the fact that in Jerusalem he had affected great pride and display, and had, like many weak minds, sought distinction by the splendor of his equipage. The idea here is, that the chariot of his glory, that is, the vehicle in which he would ride, would be in a distant land, not meaning that in that land he would ride in chariots as magnificent as those which he had in Jerusalem, but that he would be conveyed there, and probably be borne in an ignominous manner, instead of the splendid mode in which he was carried in Jerusalem. The Jews say that when he left Jerusalem to deliver it into the hands of the enemy, they asked him where his army was; and when he said that they had turned back, they said, thou hast mocked us; and that there-upon they bored his heels, and tied him to the tails of horses, and that thus he died.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 22:18
He will surely violently turn and toss the like a ball
Shebnas doom
To this unfamilied intruder, who had sought to establish himself in Jerusalem, after the manner of those days, by hewing himself a great sepulchre, Isaiah brought sentence of violent banishment: Behold, Jehovah will be hurling, hurling thee away, thou big man, and crumpling, crumpling thee together.
He will roll, roll thee on, thou rolling stone, like a ball thrown out On broad, level ground; there shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, thou shame of the house of thy lord. And I thrust thee from thy post, and from thy station do they pull thee down. This vagabond was not to die in his bed, nor to be gathered in his big tomb to the people on whom he had foisted himself. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)
Shebnas doom
For him, like Cain, there was a land of Nod; and upon it he was to find a vagabonds death. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)
Shebnas ejection
The ideas suggested are those of violence, rapidity, and distance. (J. A. Alexander.)
Retribution
Those that, when they are in power, turn and toss others, will be justly turned and tossed themselves when their day shall come to fall. Many that have thought themselves fastened like a nail may come to be tossed like a ball, for here have we no continuing city. Shebna thought his place too strait for him, he had no room to thrive; God will, therefore, send him into a large country, where he shall have room to wander, but never find the way back again. (M. Henry.)
The irresistibleness of Gods judgments
Learn–
I. THE EASE WITH WHICH GOD EFFECTS HIS JUDGMENTS.
II. THE UTTER USELESSNESS OF ANY RESISTANCE TO THE DIVINE JUDGMENTS. As surely as a ball must follow the line of projection, so surely must we go whither the judgments of God carry us.
III. THE AWFULNESS OF FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD. (W. Manning.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball, Heb. wrapping he will wrap thee up like a ball, which consists of materials wrapped and bound together, that it may be tossed far away. Or, Rolling he will roll thee with the rolling of a ball. Into a large country; like a ball which is cast into a large and plain spot of ground, where being thrown by a strong man, it runs far and wide. Or, to a far country, which seems to be here called large of spaces, not so much in itself, for that was inconsiderable to him, whether the land of his captivity was large or little, as in respect of its distance from the place of his birth and abode.
The chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lords house. The sense of the words thus rendered seems to be this, Thy glorious chariots, wherein thou didst ride in great state at Jerusalem, shall then and there be turned into shame to thyself, and to thy master, to whom it is just matter of reproach, that he was so foolish as to advance and trust such a faithless and unworthy person. But the words are by divers others fitly rendered,
there the chariots of thy glory shall be, (or, shall die or vanish, i.e. that shall be the end of all thy pompous chariots, and other monuments of thy pride,) O thou who art
the shame of thy Lords house; who by thy unjust and wicked practices hast exposed thy king and master, and the royal family, to reproach and contempt.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. violently turn andtossliterally, “whirling He will whirl thee,” thatis, He will, without intermission, whirl thee [MAURER].”He will whirl thee round and round, and (then) cast thee away,”as a stone in a sling is first whirled round repeatedly, before thestring is let go [LOWTH].
large countryperhapsAssyria.
chariots . . . shall be theshame of thy lord’s houserather, “thy splendid chariotsshall be there, O thou disgrace of thy lord’s house” [NOYES];”chariots of thy glory” mean “thy magnificentchariots.” It is not meant that he would have these in a distantland, as he had in Jerusalem, but that he would be borne thither inignominy instead of in his magnificent chariots. The Jews say that hewas tied to the tails of horses by the enemy, to whom he had designedto betray Jerusalem, as they thought he was mocking them; and so hedied.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He will surely violently turn and toss thee,…. Or, “wrapping he will wrap thee with a wrapping”; as anything is wrapped up close and round, either to be more commodiously carried, or more easily tossed: or, “rolling he will roll thee with a rolling” d; that is, roll thee over and over again, till brought to a place appointed:
[like] a ball into a large country; where there is nothing to stop it; and being cast with a strong hand, runs a great way, and with prodigious swiftness; and signifies, that Shebna’s captivity was inevitable, which he could not escape; that he was no more in the hands of the Lord than a ball in the hands of a strong man; and could as easily, and would be, hurled out of his place, into a distant country, as a ball, well wrapped, could be thrown at a great distance by a strong arm; and that this his captivity would be swift and sudden; and that he should be carried into a large country, and at a distance. Jarchi says Casiphia e, a place mentioned in Ezr 8:17. Aben Ezra interprets it of Babylon, which seems likely.
There shalt thou die: in that large and distant country; and not at Jerusalem, where he had built a magnificent sepulchre for himself and family:
and there the chariots of thy glory; shall cease and be no more; he should not have them along with him to ride in pomp and state, and to show his glory and grandeur, as he had done in Jerusalem. We connect this with the following clause, and supply it thus,
[shall be] the shame of thy lord’s house; as if the chariots and coaches of state he had rode in were to the reproach of the king his master; who had made such an ill choice of a steward of his house, or prime minister of state, and had advanced such a worthless creature to such a dignity; but it may be better supplied thus, without being so strictly connected with the other clause, and which is more agreeable to the accents, “[O thou], the shame of thy lord’s house” f; a disgrace and dishonour to Ahaz, who perhaps put him in his office; and to Hezekiah, that continued him in it. The Jews say he was brought to a very shameful end; they say g, that when he went out of the city of Jerusalem, in order to deliver Hezekiah’s forces into the hands of the enemy, Gabriel shut the gate before his army; to whom the enemy said, where’s thy army? he replied, they are turned back; say they, thou hast mocked us: upon which they bored his heels, and fastened him to the tails of horses, and drew him upon thorns and briers. So says Kimchi, instead of chariots of glory, he thought they would give him, they put him to shame, binding him to the tails of horses.
d “cidarizando cidarizabit te cidari”, Forerius; as the priest’s linen mitre, Lev. xvi. 4. which was wrapped about his head, so Ben Melech; or any turban, such as were used in the eastern countries; signifying, that he should be rolled up like this, or any such like round thing, and carried away. e So in Vajikra, sect. 5. fol. 150. 3. f “tu, O dedecus domus domini tui”, Tigurine version; “O ignominia”, &c. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. g T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol 26. 1, 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
18. Turning he will turn thee. (91) Isaiah continues the same discourse, in which he ridiculed the pride of Shebna, who had bestowed so much cost on building a sepulcher. This statement is connected with the first clause of the former verse; for, as he formerly said “He will remove thee by an extraordinary removal,” so he now says, “He will toss thee as a ball into an open plain.” By this comparison he means that nothing will prevent the Lord from casting him out into a distant country, though he thinks that his power is firmly established; and since he had been so careful about his sepulcher, and had given orders about it, as if he had been certain as to his death, Isaiah declares that he will not die in Jerusalem, but in a foreign country, to which he shall be banished.
The chariot of thy glory. Under the word chariot he includes all the fame and rank of Shebna; as if he had said that disgrace would be his reputation among foreigners. Thus, the Lord ridicules the mad ambition of those who look at nothing but the world, and who judge of their happiness by the glory of fading and transitory objects.
The shame of thy lord’s house. He calls it “the shame of” the royal “house,” either because he had polluted that holy place which might be regarded as the sanctuary of the Lord, or because Hezekiah had judged ill in elevating him to that station. That the mask of his high rank might not screen him from this prediction, the Prophet expressly states, that the office which he holds aggravates his guilt and renders him more detestable. Let princes, therefore, if they do not wish to expose themselves and their houses to reproaches, learn to act with judgment in appointing men to hold office.
(91) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE IRRESISTIBLENESS OF GODS JUDGMENTS
Isa. 22:18. He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country.
Such was the prophets message to a haughty statesman who prided himself on his power. Learn from it
1. The ease with which God effects His judgments. There are many things we wish to do which require great preparations and extensive machinery; but to toss a ball from the hand is an easy matter, mere childs play. He who takes up the isles as a very little thing, performs all His works with an ease which cannot be baffled or disturbed.
2. The utter uselessness of any resistance to the Divine judgments. As surely as a ball must follow the line of projection, so surely must we go whither the judgments of God carry us when His set time to visit us is come (H. E. I., 2269, 4960).
3. The awfulness of falling into the hands of the living God.William Manning.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(18) Like a ball into a large country.The picture is that of a ball flung violently on a smooth, even plain where it bounds on and on with nothing to stay its progress. The large country is, probably, the plain of Mesopotamia, where Shebna is to end his days in exile.
There the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lords house.Better, Thither shall go the chariots of thy glory, the shame of thy lords house. The words point to another form of Shebnas ostentatious pride. Not content with riding on an ass or mule, as even judges and counsellors rode (Jdg. 5:10; Jdg. 10:4; Jdg. 12:14; 2Sa. 17:23), he had appeared in public in stately chariots, such as were used by kings (Song Son. 1:9; Son. 3:9). These were to accompany him in his exile, but it would be as the spoil of the conqueror. There are no records of the fulfilment of the prediction, and the judgment may have been averted by repentance; but when we next meet with Shebna (Isa. 36:22) he is in the inferior position of a scribe, and Eliakim occupies his place as being over the household.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 22:18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee [like] a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory [shall be] the shame of thy lord’s house.
Ver. 18. He will surely turn and toss thee. ] Turn thee like a bowl, and toss thee like a ball. How and when this was fulfilled the Scripture relateth not. But the Talmudists tell us that Shebna, revolting to Sennacherib, was by him – after the execution done by God’s angel upon his forces – carried to Nineveh, there tied to a horse tail, and drawn through briers and brambles till he died.
There shalt thou die.
And there the chariots of thy glory.
a Myst. of Iniq., p. 15.
b O dedecus domus domini!
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
surely violently turn and toss thee. Note the Figure of speech Paronomasia. Hebrew. zanoph, yiznaphka, zenephah.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
surely: Isa 17:13, Amo 7:17
a large country: Heb. a land large of spaces
Reciprocal: Isa 22:17 – will carry Eze 21:24 – ye shall Hos 4:16 – as a lamb
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
22:18 With violence he will surely turn and toss thee [like] a ball into a wide country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory [shall be] the {t} shame of thy lord’s house.
(t) Signifying that whatever dignity the wicked attain to, at length it will turn to the shame of those princes by whom they are preferred.