Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 24:18
And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
From the noise of the fear – A cry or shout was made in hunting, designed to arouse the game, and drive it to the pitfall. The image means here that calamities would be multiplied in all the land, and that if the inhabitants endeavored to avoid one danger they would fall into another.
And he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit – A figure taken still from hunting. It was possible that some of the more strong and active of the wild beasts driven into the pitfall would spring out, and attempt to escape, yet they might be secured by snares or gins purposely contrived for such an occurrence. So the prophet says, that though a few might escape the calamities that would at first threaten to overthrow them, yet they would have no security. They would immediately fall into others, and be destroyed.
For the windows on high are open – This is evidently taken from the account of the deluge in Gen 7:11 : In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows (or flood-gates, Margin) of heaven were opened. The word windows here ( ‘aruboth) is the same which occurs in Genesis, and properly denotes a grate, a lattice, a window, and then any opening, as a sluice or floodgate, and is applied to a tempest or a deluge, because when the rain descends, it seems like opening sluices or floodgates in the sky. The sense here is, that calamities had come upon the nation resembling the universal deluge.
And the foundations of the earth do shake – An image derived from an earthquake – a figure also denoting far-spreading calamities.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 24:18-20
The foundations of the earth do shake
The religious improvement of earthquakes
(preached in 1756):–The works of Creation and Providence were undoubtedly intended for the notice and contemplation of mankind, especially when God comes out of His place, that is, departs from the usual and stated course of His providence to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquities; then it becomes us to observe the operation of His hands with fear and reverence.
To this the Psalmist repeatedly calls us: Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth. Come, and see the works of God; He is terrible in His doing toward the children of men. This world is a state of discipline for another; therefore chastisements of various kinds and degrees are to be enumerated among the ordinary works of Providence–pain, sickness, losses, bereavements, disappointments. But when these are found too weak and ineffectual for their reformation; or when, from their being so frequent and common, men begin to think them things of course, and not to acknowledge the Divine hand in them; then the universal Ruler uses such signal and extraordinary executioners of His vengeance, as cannot but rouse a slumbering world, and render it sensible of His agency. These extraordinary ministers of His vengeance are generally these four: the Famine, Sword, Pestilence, and Earthquakes.
I. Let the majestic and terrible phenomenon of earthquakes put you in mind of THE MAJESTY AND POWER OF GOD AND THE DREADFULNESS OF HIS DISPLEASURE.
II. This desolating judgment may justly lead you to reflect upon THE SINFULNESS OF OUR WORLD.
III. This melancholy event may carry your minds gratefully to reflect upon THE PECULIAR KINDNESS OF HEAVEN towards our country, in that it was not involved in the same destruction.
IV. That which I would particularly suggest to your thoughts from the devastations of the late earthquake, is THE LAST UNIVERSAL DESTRUCTION OF OUR WORLD AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT. Of this, an earthquake is both a confirmation to human reason, and a lively representation (S. Davies, M. A.)
Removed like a cottage
(Isa 24:20):–Swayeth to and fro like a hammock. Such is the more literal rendering. The hammock (the same word as in Isa 1:8) is still used throughout the East by the night-watchers of vineyards. (Sir E. Strachey, Bart.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. Out of the midst of the pit – “From the pit”] For mittoch, from the midst of, a MS. reads min, from, as it is in Jer 48:44; and so likewise the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He who fleeth from the noise of the fear; upon the report of some terrible evil coming towards him; the act, fear, being here put for the object, or the thing feared, as it is in many places. And thus this very phrase is taken Job 15:21.
Shall fall into the pit; when he designs to avoid one danger, by so doing he shall plunge himself into another and a greater mischief.
The windows from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake; both heaven and earth conspire against him. He alludes to the deluge of waters which God poured down from heaven, and to the earthquakes which he ofttimes causeth below.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. noise of . . . feartheshout designed to rouse the game and drive it into the pitfall.
windows . . . opentakenfrom the account of the deluge (Ge7:11); the flood-gates. So the final judgments of fire onthe apostate world are compared to the deluge (2Pe3:5-7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear,…. From the fearful noise that will be made, the voices and thunderings heard in the heavens above, the sea and waves roaring below; or from wars, and rumours of wars, and terrible armies approaching and pursuing, Lu 21:25 or rather at the report of an object to be feared and dreaded by wicked men, even the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, Re 1:7:
shall fall into the pit; of ruin and destruction, dug for the wicked, Ps 94:13 just as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into the slime pits, when they fled from their conquerors, Ge 14:10:
and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare; the meaning is, that he that escapes one trouble should fall into another, so that there will be no safety anywhere. Jarchi’s note is,
“he that escapes the sword of Messiah ben Joseph, shall fall upon the sword of Messiah ben David; and he that escapes from thence shall be taken in a snare in the war of Gog:”
for the windows from on high are open; not hereby signifying, as Jerom thinks, that the Lord would now see all the sins of men, which, because he did not punish before, he seemed by sinners to be ignorant of; but the allusion is to the opening of the windows of heaven at the time of the deluge, Ge 7:11 and intimates, that the wrath of God should be revealed from heaven, and the severest judgments be denounced, made manifest, and come down from thence in a very visible, public, and terrible manner, like an overflowing tempest of rain:
and the foundations of the earth do shake: very probably the dissolution of the world may be attended with a general earthquake; or this may denote the dread and terror that will seize the inhabitants of it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(18) The windows from on high are open . . .The phrase reminds us of the narrative of the Flood in Gen. 7:11; Gen. 8:2. There was a second judgment on the defiled and corrupted land like that of the deluge. The next clause and the following verses were probably reminiscences of the earthquake in Uzziahs reign, and of the panic which it caused (Isa. 2:19; Amo. 1:1; Zec. 14:5).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 24:18 And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
Ver. 18. He who fleeth from the noise of the fear. ] See Amo 5:19 . See Trapp on “ Amo 5:19 “ And learn to fear God, the stroke of whose arm none may think to escape.
For the windows from on high are opened.
The foundations of the earth do shake.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
fear. pit. snare. Figure of speech Paronomasia
again. Hebrew. happahad. huppahath. happahath bapah. See Luk 21:35, and compare Jer 48:43, Jer 48:44.
the windows from on high, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Gen 7:11).
are open = have opened.
foundations of the earth. See Isa 58:12. Compare Isa 40:21.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
he who fleeth: Deu 32:23-26, Jos 10:10, Jos 10:11, 1Ki 20:29, 1Ki 20:30, Job 18:8-16, Job 20:24, Amo 5:19
for the: Gen 7:11, Gen 19:24, 2Ki 7:2
the foundations: Deu 32:22, Psa 18:7, Psa 18:15, Psa 46:2, Psa 46:3
Reciprocal: Gen 14:10 – fell 1Ki 19:17 – him that escapeth Psa 11:6 – Upon Jer 15:2 – for death Jer 16:16 – every mountain Jer 48:43 – General Lam 2:22 – my terrors Lam 3:47 – Fear Eze 11:8 – General Eze 12:13 – My net Eze 15:7 – they shall Amo 9:1 – shall not flee Luk 21:35 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
24:18 And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the {m} windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
(m) Meaning that God’s wrath and vengeance would be over and under them, so that they would not escape no more than they did at Noah’s flood.