Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 24:22
And they shall be gathered together, [as] prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
22. after many days shall they be visited ] See Judges 6, “reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day” (cf. 2Pe 2:4); and the following passages from the book of Enoch (ch. 18:14, 16). “This place serves as a prison for the stars of heaven and the host of heaven And he was wroth with them and bound them unto the time when their guilt should be complete in the year of the secret.” (See also Enoch Isa 21:6.) It is true that the verb “visited” may bear a favourable sense, and many commentators prefer that sense here. But this is opposed both to the tenor of the passage and the analogy of eschatological representations.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And they shall be gathered together – That is, those who occupy posts of honor and influence in the ecclesiastical and civil polity of the land. As prisoners. Margin, as in the Hebrew, With the gathering of prisoners. The reference is to the custom of collecting captives taken in war, and chaining them together by the hands and feet, and thrusting them in large companies into a prison.
In the pit – Margin, Dungeon. The sense is, that he rulers of the land should be made captive, and treated as prisoners of war. This was undoubtedly true in the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar. The people were assembled; were regarded as captives; and were conveyed together to a distant land.
And shall be shut up in the prison – Probably this is not intended to be taken literally, but to denote that they would be as secure as if they were shut up in prison. Their prison-house would be Babylon, where they were enclosed as in a prison seventy years.
And after many days – If this refers, as I have supposed, to the captivity at Babylon, then these many days refer to the period of seventy years.
Shall they be visited – Margin, Found wanting. The word used here ( paqad) may be used either in a good or bad sense, either to visit for the purpose of reviewing, numbering, or aiding; or to visit for the purpose of punishing. It is probably, in the Scriptures, most frequently used in the latter sense (see 1Sa 15:2; Job 31:14; Job 35:15; Psa 89:33; Isa 26:14; Jer 9:24). But it is often used in the sense of taking account of, reviewing, or mustering as a military host (see Num 1:44; Num 3:39; 1Ki 20:15; Isa 13:4). In this place it may be taken in either of these senses, as may be best supposed to suit the connection. To me it seems that the connection seems to require the idea of a visitation for the purpose of relief or of deliverance; and to refer to the fact that at the end of that time there would be a reviewing, a mustering, an enrollment of those who should have been carried away to their distant prison-house, to ascertain how many remained, and to marshal them for their return to the land of their fathers (see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah). The word here used has sometimes the sense expressed in the margin, found wanting (compare 1Sa 20:6; 1Sa 25:15; Isa 38:10); but such a sense does not suit the connection here. I regard the verse as an indication of future mercy and deliverance. They would be thrown into prison, and treated as captives of war; but after a long time they would be visited by the Great Deliverer of their nation, their covenant-keeping God, and reconducted to the land of their fathers.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
They shall be gathered together, by Gods special providence, in order to their punishment, as the following words show. And thus the unbelieving Jews were generally gathered together at Jerusalem, to their solemn feast, when Titus came and besieged, and after some time took and destroyed them; which was a very remarkable hand of God, as Josephus and other historians observed. And I know nothing to the contrary but this very thing may be meant in this place, it being confessed that divers passages of this chapter concern the times of the Messiah.
Shall be shut up in the prison; as malefactors, which are taken in several places, are usually brought to one common prison, where they are reserved in order to their trial and punishment.
Shall they be visited; either,
1. In judgment, as visiting is oft used. So the sense is, After they have been punished with long imprisonment, and tormented with expectation and fear, they shall be brought forth to receive condign punishment. Or rather,
2. In mercy. And so the sense may be either,
1. After the Jews shall have suffered many and grievous things from the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and others, at last their Messiah and Deliverer shall come into the world, he. Or,
2. After the unbelieving and apostate Jews shall have been shut up in unbelief and in great tribulations for many ages together, they shall be convinced of their sin in crucifying their Messiah, and brought home to God and Christ by true repentance.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22. in the pitrather, “forthe pit” [HORSLEY].”In the dungeon” [MAURER].Image from captives thrust together into a dungeon.
prisonthat is, as in aprison. This sheds light on the disputed passage, 1Pe3:19, where also the prison is figurative: The “shuttingup” of the Jews in Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, and againunder Titus, was to be followed by a visitation of mercy”after many days”seventy years in the case of theformerthe time is not yet elapsed in the case of the latter.HORSLEY takes “visited”in a bad sense, namely, in wrath, as in Isa26:14; compare Isa 29:6;the punishment being the heavier in the fact of the delay. Probably adouble visitation is intended, deliverance to the elect, wrath tohardened unbelievers; as Isa 24:23plainly contemplates judgments on proud sinners, symbolized by the”sun” and “moon.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they shall be gathered together,…. First to the battle of the great day of God Almighty at Armageddon, Re 16:14 and there being overcome and taken, they shall be gathered together
[as] prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; in the prison or the grave, and in hell; as captives are, till such time as something is determined and ordered what to be done with them:
and after many days shall they be visited; or punished, that is, after the thousand years are ended, when the wicked dead will be all raised; after the battle of Gog and Magog, when Satan, the beast, and false prophet, and all their adherents, shall be cast into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, Re 19:20.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Isa 24:22 announces the preliminary punishment of both angelic and human princes: ‘ asephah stands in the place of a gerundive, like taltelah in Isa 22:17. The connection of the words ‘ asephah ‘assir is exactly the same as that of taltelah gaber in Isa 22:17: incarceration after the manner of incarcerating prisoners; ‘ asaph , to gather together (Isa 10:14; Isa 33:4), signifies here to incarcerate, just as in Gen 42:17. Both verbs are construed with al , because the thrusting is from above downwards, into the pit and prison ( al embraces both upon or over anything, and into it, e.g., 1Sa 31:4; Job 6:16; see Hitzig on Nah 3:12). We may see from 2Pe 2:4 and Jud 1:6 how this is to be understood. The reference is to the abyss of Hades, where they are reserved in chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day. According to this parallel, yippakedu (shall be visited) ought apparently to be understood as denoting a visitation in wrath (like Isa 29:6; Eze 38:8; compare pakad followed by an accusative in Isa 26:21, also Isa 26:14, and Psa 59:6; niphkad , in fact, is never used to signify visitation in mercy), and therefore as referring to the infliction of the final punishment. Hitzig, however, understands it as relating to a visitation of mercy; and in this he is supported by Ewald, Knobel, and Luzzatto. Gesenius, Umbreit, and others, take it to indicate a citation or summons, though without any ground either in usage of speech or actual custom. A comparison of Isa 23:17 in its relation to Isa 23:15
(Note: Cf., Targ., Saad., “they will come into remembrance again.”)
favours the second explanation, as being relatively the most correct; but the expression is intentionally left ambiguous. So far as the thing itself is concerned, we have a parallel in Rev 20:1-3 and Rev 20:7-9: they are visited by being set free again, and commencing their old practice once more; but only (as Isa 24:23 affirms) to lose again directly, before the glorious and triumphant might of Jehovah, the power they have temporarily reacquired. What the apocalyptist of the New Testament describes in detail in Rev 20:4, Rev 20:11., and Rev 21:1, the apocalyptist of the Old Testament sees here condensed into one fact, viz., the enthroning of Jehovah and His people in a new Jerusalem, at which the silvery white moon ( lebanah ) turns red, and the glowing sun ( c hammah ) turns pale; the two great lights of heaven becoming (according to a Jewish expression) “like a lamp at noonday” in the presence of such glory. Of the many parallels to Isa 24:23 which we meet with in Isaiah, the most worthy of note are Isa 11:10 to the concluding clause, “and before His elders is glory” (also Isa 4:5), and Isa 1:26 (cf., Isa 3:14), with reference to the use of the word zekenim (elders). Other parallels are Isa 30:26, for c hammah and lebanah ; Isa 1:29, for c hapher and bosh ; Isa 33:22, for m alak ; Isa 10:12, for “Mount Zion and Jerusalem.” We have already spoken at Isa 1:16 of the word neged (Arab. Ne’gd , from nagad , njd , to be exalted; vid., opp. Arab. gar , to be pressed down, to sink), as applied to that which stands out prominently and clearly before one’s eyes. According to Hofmann ( Schriftbeweis, i. 320-1), the elders here, like the twenty-four presbuteroi of the Apocalypse, are the sacred spirits, forming the council of God, to which He makes known His will concerning the world, before it is executed by His attendant spirits the angels. But as we find counsellors promised to the Israel of the new Jerusalem in Isa 1:26, in contrast with the bad z e kenim (elders) which it then possessed (Isa 3:14), such as it had at the glorious commencement of its history; and as the passage before us says essentially the same with regard to the zekenim as we find in Isa 4:5 with regard to the festal meetings of Israel (vid., Isa 30:20 and Isa 32:1); and still further, as Rev 20:4 (cf., Mat 19:28) is a more appropriate parallel to the passage before us than Rev 4:4, we may assume with certainty, at least with regard to this passage, and without needing to come to any decision concerning Rev 4:4, that the z e kenim here are not angels, but human elders after God’s own heart. These elders, being admitted into the immediate presence of God, and reigning together with Him, have nothing but glory in front of them, and they themselves reflect that glory.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
22. And they shall be gathered together, and shall be shut up in prison. He continues his subject in the beginning of the verse. The mode of expression is metaphorical; for they were not all captives, but God reduced them to servitude, as if a man held in his hand the enemies whom he subdued. He therefore brings forward God as a conqueror, who shuts up enemies in prison, as captives are commonly shut up. We know that men, as it were, flee from God, and despise him, so long as he spares them, and exercises any forbearance towards them; and on this account also he threatens that they shall be thrown into prison in large masses, that they may not solace themselves with their multitude.
Afterwards they shall be visited. When he adds that after a time “they shall be visited,” it is not simply a promise, but includes also a threatening to this effect, “As formerly by their obstinacy they mocked God, and excessively prolonged the time of sinning, so God will punish without making haste, till at length, though late, they acknowledge the cause of their distresses.” Thus earthly judges frequently do not deign to admit into their presence the malefactors who have offended them, but plunge them into darkness and filth, and gradually wear them out, in order to subdue their obstinacy. Again, as there are two ways in which God visits the world, either when he punishes the wicked, or when he shews to the elect the tokens of a Father’s kindness, the word visit here signifies “to look upon;” and thus the Prophet softens the harshness of the threatening. It was necessary that the hearts of the godly should be supported amidst these distresses, that they might not faint; and on their account, therefore, after various threatenings, the prophets are wont to add consolations. As these statements tended to support believers, they were undoubtedly addressed to the Jews, among whom chiefly faith was found, or rather, there was none to be seen anywhere else.
After many days. This also deserves attention. It was intended to try the faith of the godly; (134) for we are hasty in our desires, and would wish that God should immediately perform his promises: we complain that he is slow, and we cannot brook any delay. It is therefore our duty to wait patiently for that mercy; and no delay, however long, should make us lose heart. Yet it ought also to be observed, that this does not refer to all; for, as we saw a little before, God had determined to save but a small remnant; and this ought to quicken us the more, that, being humbled by slow and long-continued punishments, we may meet God who visits us.
(134) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(22) As prisoners are gathered in the pit . . .The imagery is drawn from the deep underground dungeons of Eastern prisons (Jer. 38:6), which are here the symbol of the abyss of Hades, in which the rebel powers of earth and heaven await the final judgment (2Pe. 2:4; Jud. 1:6).
After many days shall they be visited.The verb is the same as that translated punish in the previous verse, but does not in itself involve the idea of punishing, and in some of its forms is used of visiting in mercy. Interpreters have, according to their previous bias, assigned this or that meaning to it. Probably the prophet used it in a neutral sense, drawing his imagery from the custom of Eastern kings, who, after leaving their enemies in prison for an appointed time, came to inspect them, and to award punishment or pardon according to their deserts. In such a company there might be prisoners of hope (Zec. 9:12), waiting with eager expectation for the coming of the king. The passage is interesting in the history of Christian doctrine, as having furnished to Origen and his followers an argument in favour of the ultimate restitution of all created spirits.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Here is a most precious conclusion, and full of gospel mercies. Jesus was called by the Father purposely to bring the prisoners out of the prison, and them that sat in darkness out of the prison-house. And when we observe the promise here given, that though shut up, yet after many days they shall be visited; what a sweet testimony is this of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Consult those scriptures, Isa 42:6-7 ; Zec 9:11-12 ; Luk 4:14-20 . Reader, ask your own heart, must not Jesus in such a day, and in the display of such mercies as are here said to be shown by him, in visiting his people after many days, must he not be truly glorious, in the eyes of his redeemed? Yes! the moon shall look pale, and even the sun blush, and hide his diminished head, as overawed and having lost all lustre, in being eclipsed by his Maker and his Lord!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 24:22 And they shall be gathered together, [as] prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Ver. 22. And they shall be gathered together, &c. ] Id quod de poenis Iudaeorum intelligimus, saith an interpreter – that is, This we understand to be the punishment of the obstinate Jews, whose bodies after death were clapped up close prisoners in the grave, their souls held fast in hell till the last day; when after many days they shall be visited, i.e., in the whole man punished with eternal torments. Caveamus, si sapimus, a destinata peccandi malitia. Origen was certainly out when he argued from his text, that the damned in hell should after a time be visited, that is, delivered. There are that begin the promise at these words,
And after many days shall they be visited,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
pit. Not the same word as in verses: Isa 24:17, Isa 24:18. Here, Hebrew. bor, a dug-out pit, or dungeon. Occurs in Isa 14:15, Isa 14:19; Isa 36:13; Isa 38:18; and in “latter” portion, Isa 51:1. App-79.
and = even.
visited: i.e. with the judgments foretold in the preceding Verses. Compare Isa 10:3; Isa 26:14, Isa 26:16; Isa 29:6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
they shall: Isa 24:17, Isa 2:19, Jos 10:16, Jos 10:17, Jos 10:22-26
as prisoners are gathered: Heb. with the gathering of prisoners
pit: or, dungeon
shall they: Jer 38:6-13, Zec 9:11
visited: or, found wanting
Reciprocal: Gen 42:17 – put Exo 12:29 – dungeon Num 24:14 – the latter Job 12:21 – poureth Job 34:14 – he gather Psa 40:2 – brought Isa 40:23 – General Jer 8:13 – I will surely consume Eze 38:8 – thou shalt be Dan 8:26 – for Rev 6:15 – the kings
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
24:22 And they shall be gathered together, [as] prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be {o} visited.
(o) Not with his rods as in Isa 24:21 but will be comforted.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Before God punishes them, He will confine them in a pit (cf. 2Pe 2:4; Jud 1:6; Rev 17:8; Rev 18:21; Rev 19:3; Rev 19:17-18; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:1-3; Rev 20:11-15). "Many days" probably refers to the Millennium (cf. Rev 20:1-3).
"What the apocalyptist of the New Testament describes in detail in Rev. xx. 4, xx. 11 sqq., and xxi., the apocalyptist of the Old Testament sees here condensed into one fact . . ." [Note: Delitzsch, 1:435.]