Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 25:12
And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, [and] bring to the ground, [even] to the dust.
12. the fortress walls ] Better perhaps, the towering fortification of thy walls. This verse has suggested the identification of the city of Isa 25:2, Isa 26:5 f. with a city of Moab. The expressions of the verse are certainly remarkably parallel to those of Isa 26:5, to which Duhm thinks that it was a marginal variant. Other commentators also have surmised that it is misplaced.
shall he bring down, &c. ] R.V. more literally, hath he brought down, &c. The perfects, however, may be those of certainty.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the fortress … – Thy strong defenses shall be destroyed. This is spoken of Moab (compare the notes at Isa 15:1-9;Isa 16:1-14), and is designed to be emblematic of the enemies of the people of God (compare the notes at Isa. 34) The repetition of the expressions bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, is designed to make the sentence emphatic, and to indicate that it would certainly be accomplished.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The fortress of the high fort of thy walls; all thy walled cities and fortifications, to which thou trustest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. fortressthe strongholdsof Moab, the representative of the foes of God’s people[BARNES]. Babylon[MAURER]. The society ofinfidels represented as a city (Re11:8).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down,…. That is, their high and, fenced walls, which were about their cities, the fortifications of them; these should be destroyed by the Lord, be battered and brought down, not being able to stand against his mighty power. The Targum renders it,
“the mighty city, the cities of the nations;”
and may design the city of Rome, and the cities of the nations that shall fall at the pouring out of the seventh and last vial, Re 16:19 it follows,
lay low, [and] bring to the ground, [even] to the dust; which variety of words without any copulative are used to express the sudden, quick, certain, and irrecoverable destruction of such fortified city, or cities, and their fortifications.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
12. And the fortress. The Prophet now directs his discourse to the country of Moab. It was highly fortified, and was proud of its walls and fortifications; and he affirms that the lofty towers, and other defences, however strong and seemingly impregnable, will be of no avail. The ancients, it is well known, had quite a different method of fortifying from what is practiced among us.
He will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground. The three words here employed, for conveying the meaning more strongly, are not superfluous; for it was necessary to beat down that pride which swelled the hearts of the Moabites, and which, as we formerly saw, (153) made them intolerable. The Prophet therefore mocks at them, “As if the Lord could not cast down that loftiness of which you boast!”
To the dust. The meaning of this clause is as if he had said, “He will not only level it with the ground, but will reduce it to dust, so that there will not even be a trace of the ancient ruin.” This passage contains an excellent and highly seasonable consolation; for the enemies of the Church in the present day are so haughty, that they mock not only at men, but at God himself, and are so much swelled and puffed up by their power, that they imagine themselves to be invincible; but, in opposition to their bulwarks and defences, we ought to bring forward this declaration of the Prophet, “The Lord will quickly bring down and lay them low.” Yet we must patiently endure to see them strong and powerful, till the full time for their destruction arrive.
(153) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls . . .Primarily the words, as interpreted by Isa. 25:10, point to Kir-Moab (Isa. 15:1) as the stronghold of the nation. Beyond this they predict a like destruction of every stronghold, every rock-built fortress (2Co. 10:5) of the great world-power of which Moab was for the time the symbol.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
REFLECTIONS
READER! how shall we close our meditation on the gospel subject contained in this chapter, in better terms than in seeking grace to catch the Prophet’s note, and blessing God, and exalting his holy name, as he did, for such mercies as are here recorded, and with which the Lord comforted his Church and people, in days remote from the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! Think, Reader! how gracious the Lord is, and was, and ever will be, that he will have his people made happy in the expectation of blessings, as well as in the enjoyment of them! So that by faith, our fathers in the Church, gone before us, lived upon Christ, and feasted on the Redeemer’s blood and righteousness, as the souls of his redeemed now live and feast upon him since redemption – work hath been completed; and all, with one heart and one mouth, glorify the same God, and Saviour, for the same precious salvation. Hail! holy, gracious, almighty God and Father! let the souls of all thy people bless and praise thee, in and through the person and work of our adorable Mediator; that from thine own free and everlasting love it is, that thou hast made a feast of fat things in thy Church, thy holy mountain! Yea, Lord, it is thou who hast given us Jesus, thy dear and ever blessed Son, and with him thou hast given all things.
Hail! thou blessed Immanuel! thou art strength to thy poor, a feast to thy hungry, a garment to thy naked; yea, everything, in life, in death, in time, and to all eternity! It is thou, blessed Jesus, who in our nature hath conquered sin and all its dreadful consequences, and fully, and finally, and completely taken away their rebuke, and wiped away all tears from off all faces.
Hail! thou blessed and eternal Spirit! by whose gracious teachings these precious things are made known to us, and by whose divine influences our hearts are brought both to believe and to rejoice in them! Blessed be thy holy name, for the discovery that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it!
Lord! add one blessing; more to the numberless blessings contained in this chapter, if agreeable to thy holy mind and will; and cause the heart of him that writes, and him that reads, to know their own personal interest in the blessings themselves. Oh! for grace here, that in glory hereafter, we may join that rapturous song: Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation! Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 25:12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, [and] bring to the ground, [even] to the dust.
Ver. 12. Shall he bring down, &c. ] To show that there is no strength against the Lord, the true .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground. Note the Figure of speech Synonymia, to emphasize the certainty and reality of what had been expressed by the Figure of speech Simile in verses: Isa 25:10, Isa 25:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the fortress: Isa 26:5, Jer 51:58, Jer 51:64, 2Co 10:4, 2Co 10:5, Heb 11:30, Rev 18:21
to the dust: Isa 13:19-22, Isa 14:23
Reciprocal: Jos 6:5 – and the wall Psa 89:39 – profaned Isa 25:2 – For Lam 2:2 – brought them down to Dan 11:10 – to his Mic 1:6 – I will make