Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 28:4
And the glorious beauty, which [is] on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, [and] as the hasty fruit before the summer; which [when] he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
4. Render: And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley ( Isa 28:1), shall be like the early fig before the fruit-harvest, &c. These “early figs,” which might be found in the end of June, several weeks before the proper fig-season (in August), were esteemed a great delicacy; Hos 9:10; Mic 7:1; Nah 3:12; Jer 24:2.
which when he seeth ] Render: which when any one seeth (lit. “(the seer) seeth”; indef. subj., Davidson, Synt. 108, R. 1). To see, to snatch, to swallow, is the work of a moment. So greedily and hastily and easily shall the Assyrians devour Samaria!
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
As the hasty fruit before the summer – The word rendered hasty fruit ( bikurah); in Arabic, bokkore; in Spanish, albacore), denotes the early fig. this ripens in June; the common fig does not ripen until August. Shaw, in his Travels, p. 370, says: No sooner does the boccore (the early fig) draw near to perfection in the middle or latter end of June, than the kermez or summer fig begins to be formed, though it rarely ripens before August, about which time the same tree frequently throws out a third crop, or the winter fig, as we may call it. This is usually of a much longer shape and darker complexion than the kermez, hanging and ripening on the tree after the leaves are shed; and provided the winter be mild and temperate it is gathered as a delicious morsel in the spring. Robinson (George), (Travels in Palestine and Syria, vol. i. p. 354), says, The fig tree, which delights in a rocky and parched soil, and is therefore often found in barren spots where nothing else will grow, is very common in Palestine and the East. The fruit is of two kinds, the boccore and the kermouse. The black and white boccore, or early fig, is produced in May; but the kermouse, or the fig properly so called, which is preserved and exported to Europe, is rarely ripe before September. Compare Hos 9:10. The phrase before the summer means before the heat of the summer, when the common fig was usually ripe. The idea here is this, the early fig would be plucked and eaten with great greediness. So the city of Samaria would be seized upon and destroyed by its enemies.
Which when he that looketh upon it seeth … – That is, as soon as he sees it he plucks it, and eats it at once. He does not lay it up for future use, but as soon as he has it in his hand he devours it. So soon as the Assyrian should see Samaria he would rush upon it, and destroy it. It was usual for conquerors to preserve the cities which they took in war for future use, and to make them a part of the strength or ornament of their kingdom. But Samaria was to be at once destroyed. Its inhabitants were to be carried away, and it would be demolished as greedily as a hungry man plucks and eats the first fig that ripens on the tree.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 4. The hasty fruit before the summer – “The early fruit before the summer”] “No sooner doth the boccore, (the early fig,) draw near to perfection in the middle or latter end of June, than the kermez or summer fig begins to be formed, though it rarely ripens before August; about which time the same tree frequently throws out a third crop, or the winter fig, as we may call it. This is usually of a much longer shape and darker complexion than the kermez, hanging and ripening upon the tree even after the leaves are shed; and, provided the winter proves mild and temperate, is gathered as a delicious morsel in the spring;” Shaw, Travels, p. 370, fol. The image was very obvious to the inhabitants of Judea and the neighbouring countries, and is frequently applied by the prophets to express a desirable object; by none more elegantly than by Hosea, Ho 9:10: –
“Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel;
Like the first ripe fig in her prime, I saw your fathers.”
Which when he that looketh upon it seeth – “Which whoso seeth, he plucketh it immediately”] For yireh, which with haroeh makes a miserable tautology, read, by a transposition of a letter, yoreh; a happy conjecture of Houbigant. The image expresses in the strongest manner the great ease with which the Assyrians shall take the city and the whole kingdom, and the avidity with which they shall seize the rich prey without resistance.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
As the hasty fruit; which coming before the season, and before other fruits, is most acceptable; which as soon as a man sees he covets it, and plucks it off, yet doth not long enjoy it, but through greediness devours it almost as soon as he can get it into his hand. And so shall it be with Ephraims glory, which his enemies, as soon as they observe, shall covet and spoil, and devour it greedily, and with delight.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. Rather, “the fadingflower, their glorious beauty (Isa28:1), which is on the head of the fat (fertile) valley, shall beas the early fig” [G. V. SMITH].Figs usually ripened in August; but earlier ones (Hebrew bikkurah,Spanish bokkore) in June, and were regarded as a delicacy(Jer 24:2; Hos 9:10;Mic 7:1).
while it is yetthatis, immediately, without delay; describing the eagernessof the Assyrian Shalmaneser, not merely to conquer, but to destroyutterly Samaria; whereas other conquered cities were oftenspared.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the glorious beauty which is on the head of the fat valley,…. Meaning the riches and fruitfulness of the ten tribes, and especially of Samaria the head of them:
shall be a fading flower; as before declared, Isa 28:1 and here repeated to show the certainty of it, and to awaken their attention to it:
[and] as the hasty fruit before the summer; the first ripe fruit, that which is ripe before the summer fruits in common are. The Septuagint render it the first ripe fig; and so the Targum and Aben Ezra:
which [when] he that looketh upon it seeth it; that it is goodly and desirable, and so gathers it, Mic 7:1:
while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up; and as soon as he has got it into his hand, he cannot keep it there to look at, or forbear eating it, but greedily devours it, and swallows it down at once; denoting what a desirable prey the ten tribes would be to the Assyrian monarch, and how swift, sudden, and inevitable, would be their destruction.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
4. And the excellence of its glory. He repeats nearly the same words; for we know how difficult it is to terrify and humble those who have been blinded by prosperity, and whose eyes success covers in the same manner that fatness would. As Dionysius the Second, (213) in consequence of gorging himself at unseasonable banquets, was seized with such blindness that he constantly stumbled, so pleasures and luxuries blind the minds of men in such a manner that they no longer know either God or themselves. The Prophet therefore inculcates the same truth frequently on the minds of men who were stupid and amazed, that they might understand what would otherwise have appeared to them to be incredible. (214)
As the hasty fruit before the summer. He now illustrates the subject by another metaphor exceedingly beautiful and appropriate; for the first-ripe fruits are indeed highly commended, because they go before others, and hold out the expectation of the rest of the produce; but they last but a short time, and cannot be preserved, for they are quickly eaten up either by pregnant women, or by children, or by men who do not make a proper selection of their food. He says that the happiness of the Israelites will be of that sort, because their flourishing prosperity will not be of long duration, but will be swallowed up in a moment. What Isaiah declared about the kingdom of Israel, applies also to the whole world. By their ingratitude men prevent all the goodness which the Lord has bestowed on them from reaching maturity; for we abuse his blessings and corrupt them by our wickedness. The consequence is, that hasty and short-lived fruits are produced, which could not yield to us continual nourishment.
(213) Bogus footnote
(214) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) And the glorious beauty . . .Better, And the fading flower of his glorious beauty . . . shall be us the early fig before the fruit-gathering. The early fig, as a special delicacy (Hos. 9:10; Mic. 7:1), becomes a type of the beauty and pride of Samaria, doomed to inevitable destruction. (Comp. Nah. 3:12.) Such a fig the passer-by seizes, and eagerly devours. So, the prophet says, with a Dante-like homeliness of comparison, should the Assyrian king treat Samaria.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 28:4 And the glorious beauty, which [is] on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, [and] as the hasty fruit before the summer; which [when] he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
Ver. 4. As the hasty fruit. ] Quasi primae et praematurae ficus, early maturing fruits much coveted and caught at.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
be = become.
and. Omit.
hasty fruit = early fig [becomes].
eateth it up = swalloweth it.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shall be: Isa 28:1, Psa 73:19, Psa 73:20, Hos 6:4, Hos 9:10, Hos 9:11, Hos 9:16, Hos 13:1, Hos 13:15, Jam 1:10, Jam 1:11
the hasty: “No sooner,” says Dr. Shaw, “doth the boccore (or early fig) draw near to perfection in the middle or latter end of June, than the kermez or summer fig, begins to be formed, though it rarely ripens before August; about which time the same tree frequently throws out a third crop, or winter fig, as we may call it. This is usually of a much longer shape and darker complexion than the kermez hanging and ripening upon the tree, even after the leaves are shed; and, provided the winter proves mild and temperate, is gathered as a delicious morsel in the spring.” Mic 7:1, Nah 3:12, Rev 6:13
eateth: Heb. swalloweth
Reciprocal: Gen 45:18 – the fat Psa 103:15 – a flower Jer 24:2 – first ripe Amo 8:2 – A basket
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
28:4 And the glorious beauty, which [is] on the head of the rich valley, shall be a fading flower, [and] as {d} the early fruit before the summer; which [when] he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
(d) Which is not of long continuance, but is soon ripe and first eaten.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Ephraim’s pride (Isa 28:3) made her ripe for judgment. Her enemy would pluck her and consume her as greedily and as easily as a person who sees a ripe fig on a tree at the beginning of the fig season picks it, pops it into his mouth, and swallows it (cf. Hos 9:10; Mic 7:1).