Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 25:3
Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
3. The effect of this judgment on the heathen world. The probable rendering is, Therefore ( many) a strong people shall glorify Thee, ( many) a city of terrible nations shall fear Thee. If a single city were meant we should have a second representative centre of heathenism, alongside of the “city” of Isa 25:2, and the view that Babylon is there referred to could no longer be maintained. It is easier, however, on account of the following plurals (in the Heb. “fear” is pl.), to understand the word here in a collective sense.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The strong people – The reference here is not probably to the Babylonians, but to the surrounding nations. The deliverance of the Jews, and the destruction of Babylon, would be such striking events that they would lead the surrounding nations to acknowledge that it was the hand of God.
The city of the terrible nations – The word city here is taken probably in a collective sense, to denote the cities or the strong places of the surrounding nations which would be brought thus to tremble before God. The destruction of a city so proud and wicked as Babylon would alarm them, and would lead them to fear that they might share the same fate, especially as many of them had been associated in oppressing the now delivered people of the land of Judea.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Thy stoutest enemies observing thy wonderful works, in saving thy people, and in destroying others of thine and their adversaries, shall be either converted, or at least convinced, and forced to acknowledge thy power, and shall tremble before thee.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. strong peopleThis cannotapply to the Jews; but other nations on which Babylon had exercisedits cruelty (Isa 14:12) shallworship Jehovah, awed by the judgment inflicted on Babylon (Isa23:18).
citynot Babylon, whichshall then be destroyed, but collectively for the cities ofthe surrounding nations.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee,…. To whom the Lord is strength, as in the following verse Isa 25:4; who are strong in the Lord, in the power of his might, and in the grace that is in him; or such of the antichristian party as shall be awakened and convinced by the judgments of God on antichrist, and shall be converted, these shall give glory to the God of heaven, Re 11:13:
the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee; or such who have belonged to the city or jurisdiction of Rome, and have been terrible to the people of God, yet now shall be frightened themselves, and shall fear the Lord, either with a servile fear, or some, at least, with a truly filial fear; see Re 11:13.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee. This is the end which I mentioned; (139) for if the Lord should destroy the world, no good result would follow, and indeed destruction could produce no feeling but horror, and we would never be led by it to sing his praise; but, on the contrary, we must be deprived of all feeling, when we perceive nothing but wrath. But praises flow from a sense of grace and goodness. It is therefore as if he had said, “Thou wilt not only strike and afflict, O Lord, but wilt cause the chastisements to be not without effect; for by them thou wilt subdue the fierceness of men, so that those who were formerly estranged from thee shall bend their neck to thee.” This passage should lead us to observe how much we need chastisements, which train us to obedience to God; for we are carried away by prosperity to such an extent, that we think that we have a right to do anything, and we even grow wanton and insolent when God treats us with gentleness.
The city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. When the Prophet next mentions fear, he shews that this praise does not consist in words or outward gestures, but in the sincere feeling of the heart. Hence we infer that he now speaks of the entire worship of God; but, as many persons think that they have fully discharged their duty, as soon as they have made a confession with the mouth, he adds, for the sake of explanation, “The nations shall fear thee.” When he calls them strong and powerful, by these epithets he denotes their pride and arrogance; for they were elated by their prosperity. They rebel against God, and cannot be made humble or submissive, unless they have been deprived of all things. To such views, therefore, ought our thoughts to be directed amidst those calamities which we perceive. The fierceness of men must be restrained and subdued, that they may be prepared for receiving doctrine and for rendering true obedience. So long as they shall be blinded by their wealth and vain confidence, they will fearlessly mock at the judgments of God, and will never yield subjection to him.
(139) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) Therefore shall the strong people . . .Better, a fierce people and a city, the Hebrew having no article before either noun. The words paint the effect of the downfall of the imperial oppressor on the outlying fiercer nations, who were thus taught to recognise the righteous judgments of the God of Israel. (Comp. Rev. 11:13; Rev. 15:4.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Strong people terrible nations People outside of Babylon, even wild, idolatrous tribes, seeing such divine judgments on that great city, and recognising Israel’s God as the avenger, shall fear Him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 25:3-5. Therefore, &c. These verses contain another gradation of this triumphal song; the meaning whereof is, that the deliverance and salvation which God had procured by his right hand for his people, reduced to extreme straits, and, as it seemed, about to perish should conciliate to him the reverence and honour of powerful and fierce nations; nay, even of those very nations which had opposed the church, and had affected empire over it, and of the city itself, the metropolis of those nations. The fourth and fifth verses should be rendered, for thou hast been, &c. a shadow from the heat: for the blast of the violent is as a winter’s storm. Isa 25:5. As heat in a dry place, so is the tumult of my enemies. Thou breakest the heat with the shadow of a cloud. The proud singing of the violent shall be brought down. The church praises Jehovah for his protection against the violent persecution of her enemies, which she compares to a wintry storm, and to the burning heat of the sun, tempered by the intervening protection of God, like the shadow of a thick cloud. See chap. Isa 4:6. There seems no doubt that the strong people here spoken of means the Romans. See 1Ma 8:17, &c. Isa 12:1, &c. and the other historians. For the mystical exposition of this prophesy, we refer to Rev 6:7 : as before.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 25:3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
Ver. 3. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee. ] Will they nill they, they shall confess, as Julian did, that thou art too hard for them, and that thy Church is invincible. Thus God wringeth out of the mouth of the wicked a confession of his praises, and a counterfeit subjection. Isa 60:14
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 49:23-26, Isa 60:10-14, Isa 66:18-20, Psa 46:10, Psa 46:11, Psa 66:3, Psa 72:8-11, Eze 38:23, Eze 39:21, Eze 39:22, Zec 14:9, Zec 14:16, Rev 11:13, Rev 11:15-17
Reciprocal: Psa 22:23 – glorify Psa 35:18 – much Jer 15:21 – the terrible Eze 28:7 – the terrible Eze 32:12 – they shall Dan 2:31 – terrible Mic 4:3 – and rebuke Heb 6:19 – both Rev 15:4 – and glorify
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 25:3-4. Therefore shall the strong people fear thee Thy stoutest enemies, observing thy wonderful works, shall be converted, or at least, convinced, and forced to tremble before thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor Hast defended thy poor and helpless people against the fiercest assaults of their enemies. When Or rather, for, or therefore, as the particle , generally signifies; the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm Of hail, rain, or wind, which makes a great noise, but without any effect; against the wall Which stands firm in spite of it. It is probable the prophet, in these words, had a special respect to the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the rage and attempt of Sennacherib; although the words be general, and include other deliverances of a like nature.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
25:3 Therefore shall the {d} strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
(d) The arrogant and proud who before would not know you will by your corrections fear and glorify you.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Strong people and groups of ruthless individuals will fear God and respect Him for what He has done. They will not necessarily become believers in Him, but they will acknowledge that He has done great things (cf. Rev 9:20-21).