Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 30:23
Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
23. the rain of thy seed ] the “early rain” falling in the month of October.
bread of the increase of the earth ] Perhaps: “bread-corn (Isa 28:28) the produce of the ground.” Cf. ch. Isa 37:30.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
23 26. The temporal blessings of the new dispensation.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Then shall he give the rain of thy seed – That is, he shall send rain on the seed which is sown. You will be allowed to cultivate the soil without molestation, and God will give you fruitful seasons and abundant harvests. This is a poetic description of a happy or golden age, when there would be peace and prosperity (compare the notes at Isa 11:6-7).
And bread of the increase of the earth – And bread which the ground shall produce.
And it shall be fat and plenteous – It shall be rich and abundant; that is, there shall be prosperity and an ample supply for your needs.
Feed in large pastures – This is a description of security when their cattle should be permitted to roam at large, and have abundant pasturage – an image of prosperity that would be very gratifying to a people whose main conception of wealth consisted in abundance of flocks and herds.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 30:23
Then shall He give the rain of thy seed
The effusion of the Holy Spirit
These words are, in their literal sense, a promise of a bountiful supply from God of the showers of dew and rain, by which the earth would be made abundantly fruitful.
The promise is given with reference to the casting away of their idols by the Jewish people. But the words are capable of a larger interpretation. The whole chapter looks to blessings greater than any that can be counted by the numbers of time. The plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit of God, which is so often spoken of under the emblem of rain and dew, is hereby intended. As the rain and dew could elicit no fertility without preparation of the ground, and industrious tilling upon the part of man,–as the concurrence of both these conditions is requisite in order to secure a produce,–so is it true likewise with regard to spiritual husbandry. There must be on the part of man the use of means, as well as the bestowing of His gifts on the part of God. But it may be asked, How is Gods grace to be obtained? Have any means or channels been appointed for its supply?
1. Prayer is one appointed channel.
2. So is hearing the Word of God.
3. The sacraments. (H. J. Hastings, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
The rain of thy seed; or rather, as others render it; to or for thy seed, when thou hast newly sown thy seed, which was called the former rain; or such as thy seed requires, which may include both the former and the latter rain. Their sins, the cause of all Gods judgments which had befallen them, being removed by their sincere repentance, and Gods gracious pardon, God showereth down all his blessings upon them.
Bread of the increase of the earth; which shall be the fruit of thy own land and labour; which is a great mercy and comfort.
It shall be fat and plenteous; thy bread shall be excellent for quality, which is called fat. Deu 32:14, and abundant for quantity.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. rain ofrather, “forthy seed.” Physical prosperity accompanies national piety;especially under the Old Testament. The early rain fell soonafter the seed was sown in October or November; the latterrain in the spring, before the ripening of the corn. Both were neededfor a good harvest.
increasethe produce.
fatbread made of thebest wheat flour (compare Gen 49:20;Deu 32:14).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then shall he give thee rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal,…. Or, “rain to thy seed” f; that is, when the seed is sown in the earth, the Lord will give the former rain, and cause it to take root, and spring up:
and bread of the increase of the earth; the earth, being watered with rain, should give its increase of corn, of which bread should be made; so that there would be seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, as in Isa 55:10:
and it shall be fat and plenteous; or “fat and fat”; very fat and rich, exceeding good bread, and plenty of it; and after the siege of the city by Sennacherib’s army was broke up, and that was destroyed, for years following there was great fruitfulness in the land, as was foretold, Isa 37:30 and this may denote the great fruitfulness of the Gospel, and the excellency of the spiritual food of it, and of the blessings of grace that come by it:
in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures; signifying that there should be pastures for cattle in the several parts of the country, and these large ones, where cattle should feed, and enjoy great plenty. This clause belongs to the next verse Isa 30:24, and should of right begin it. The Targum interprets it thus,
“and the righteous shall be nourished with their cattle at that time, with the fat of tender and fat things;”
as the earth would be fruitful, the cattle would be well fed; and so there would be plenty of provision for man and beast.
f “sementi tuae”, Piscator; “semini tuo”, V. L. Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The promise, after setting forth this act of penitence, rises higher and higher; it would not stop at bread in time of need. “And He gives rain to thy seed, with which thou sowest the land; and bread of the produce of the land, and it is full of sap and fat: in that day your flocks will feed in roomy pastures. And the oxen and the young asses, which work the land, salted mash will they eat, which is winnowed with the winnowing shovel and winnowing fork! And upon every high mountain, and every hill that rises high, there are springs, brooks in the day of the great massacre, when the towers fall.” The blessing which the prophet depicts is the reverse of the day of judgment, and stands in the foreground when the judgment is past. The expression “in that day” fixes, as it were, the evening of the day of judgment, which is followed by the depicted morning of blessing. But the great mass of the Jewish nation would be first of all murdered in war; the towers must fall, i.e., (though without any figure, and merely as an exemplifying expression) all the bulwarks of self-confidence, self-help, and pride (Isa 2:15; Mic 5:9-10). In the place of the self-induced calamities of war, there would now come the God-given rich blessings of peace; and in the place of the proud towers, there would come fruitful heights abounding with water. The field would be cultivated again, and produce luxuriant crops of nutritious corn; so that not only the labour of man, but that of the animals also, would receive a rich reward. “Rain to thy seed:” this is the early rain commencing about the middle of October. as an accusative, being construed with a double accusative, as in Deu 22:9. might be the singular, so far as the form is concerned (see Isa 1:30; Isa 5:12; Isa 22:11); but, according to Exo 17:3, it must be taken as a plural, like . The ‘ alaphm are the oxen used in ploughing and threshing; the ayarm , the asses used for carrying manure, soil, the sheaves, or the grain. B e ll c hamts is a mash (composed of oats, barley, and vetches, or things of that kind) made more savoury with salt and sour vegetables;
(Note: Such as Salsola kali, Salsola tragus, Salsola soda, and other plants of the family of the chenopodiaceae.)
that is to say, a farrago (from balal , to mix; Comm. on Job, at Job 40:19-24). According to Wetzstein, it is ripe barley (unthreshed during the harvest and threshing time, and the grain itself for the rest of the year) mixed with salt or salt vegetables. In any case, b e ll is to be understood as referring to the grain; this is evident from the relative clause, “which has been winnowed” (= m e zoreh , Ewald, 169, d), or perhaps more correctly, “which he (one) winnows” ( part. kal), the participle standing for the third person, with the subject contained within itself (Ewald, 200), i.e., not what was generally given from economy, viz., barley, etc., mixed with chopped straw ( tibn ), but pure grain ( habb m ahd , as they say at the present day). Rachath is a winnowing shovel, which is still used, according to Wetzstein, in Merj. Gedur, and Hauran; mizreh , on the other hand, is the winnowing fork with six prongs. Dainty food, such as was only given occasionally to the cattle, as something especially strengthening, would then be their regular food, and would be prepared in the most careful manner. “Who cannot see,” exclaims Vitringa, “that this is to be taken spiritually?” He appeals to what Paul says in 1Co 9:9, viz., that God does not trouble Himself about oxen. But Paul did not mean this in the same sense as Aristotle, who maintained that the minima were entirely excluded from the providence of God. What the Scriptures say concerning cattle, they do not say for the sake of the cattle, but for the sake of men; though it does not follow that the cattle are to be understood figuratively, as representing men. And this is the case here. What the prophet paints in this idyllic style, in colours furnished by the existing customs,
(Note: Asses particularly, even those of a guest, are generally very much neglected. The host throws them a little grass, and then hangs up the fodder-sack full of chopped straw; and it is a sign of extraordinary hospitality of corn is given to the asses as well as to the horses. – Wetzstein.)
is not indeed intended to be understood in the letter; and yet it is to be taken literally. In the age of glory, even on this side of eternity, a gigantic stride will be taken forward towards the glorification of universal nature, and towards the end of all those sighs which are so discernible now, more especially among domestic animals. The prophecy is therefore to be interpreted according to Rom 8:19.; from which we may clearly see that God does trouble Himself about the sighing of an ox or ass that is overburdened with severe toil, and sometimes left to starve.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
23. Then will he give rain to thy seed. From the fruit he again shews how desirable it is to be converted to God; for the fruit of repentance is, that he receives converted persons into favor, and bestows his blessing on them, so that they are in want of nothing, but, on the contrary, are loaded with every kind of blessings. As troubles and distresses proceed from the wrath of God, whom we provoke by our crimes, so, when he is pacified, everything goes on prosperously with us, and we obtain every sort of kindness, as the Law more fully testifies. (Lev 26:3; Deu 28:3.) A little before, he had spoken of “rain,” from which they were led to expect an abundant supply of food; but because he had not observed order in beginning with earthly and fading blessings, he therefore now adds to doctrine, which is spiritual nourishment, those things which belong to the use of this corruptible life; for, although godliness has the promise of the present life as well as “of that which is to come,” (1Ti 4:8,) yet first of all it aims at heaven. (Mat 6:33.)
Hence also let us learn that it is in vain for men to toil in cultivating their fields, if the Lord do not send rain from heaven. Our labors must be watered by him, and he must “give the increase;” otherwise they will be of no service. Yet we must not expect rain but from the blessing of God; and if we receive abundant produce, we ought to give to him the glory. Hence learn also that we shall be in want of nothing, and shall obtain very abundant fruits of our labors, if we are converted to God, and that it is our own fault that we often suffer poverty and want, because by our wickedness we drive away from us the blessing of God. Let us not therefore ascribe barrenness and famine to any other causes than to our own fault; for it is impossible that there should be so great a multitude of men as to be incapable of deriving support and nourishment from the earth; but by our iniquities and transgressions we shut the bosom of the earth, which would otherwise be laid open to us, and would abundantly yield fruits of every description, that we might lead a prosperous and happy life.
And thy cattle shall feed. What he now adds about the “cattle” tends greatly to magnify the grace of God; for if his kindness overflows even on the dumb cattle, (Psa 36:6,) how much more on men whom “he created after his image.” (Gen 1:27.) But we need not wonder if brute beasts, which were created for the use of men, suffer hunger along with their masters, and that they have a share in the bestowal of favor when God is reconciled to men.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) Then shall he give the rain . . .Following in the steps of Joel (Joe. 2:21-26), the prophet draws a picture of the outward plenty that should follow on the renewal of the nations inner life.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 30:23-25. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed And he shall give rain for thy seed. Lowth. It appears very plainly from the latter end of the 25th verse, and from the 26th, that the prophet here is not to be understood literally, but figuratively, and that the words contain a splendid promise of pure and abundant spiritual pasture; which is exhibited in four articles, and closed with a sign of the time when this benefit should be conferred upon the church. The first article is, that the Lord would give rain for the seed sown, and a great increase of bread; where, though the literal sense may not be excluded, yet the figurative meaning is, that God would supply the spiritual sowing, (that is to say, pure and sound instruction in the word of righteousness, to be made by spiritual sowers, teachers properly furnished from the word of truth) with a copious blessing, and the heavenly grace of his Holy Spirit, so that a great produce of all spiritual graces should follow from it. See ch. Isa 32:15 and Zec 10:1; Zec 14:17. The next article is, that the cattle in those times should feed in large pastures. The literal meaning is plain: the mystical is, that the flock of the Lord should find an abundance to exercise themselves in the undertaking and search after spiritual things; not only for the necessities of their spiritual life, but for their delight and satisfaction in that word of God especially, where there is sufficient for the spiritual repast of every true believer. The third article still runs in the same metaphor; the oxen likewise, &c. See ch. Isa 32:20. The word obedei, rendered ear in this verse signifies to plough or till, which was done in those countries by oxen or asses. See Boch. Hieroz. pars i. lib. ii. c. 3. Instead of clean, Vitringa prefers savoury provender; such as was of a choicer kind, and either mixed with salt, or some kind of herbs, which rendered it more palatable to the animals. The mystical signification is, that the ministers labouring in the word and doctrine, both of superior and inferior order, should be honestly supported, and themselves find abundant supply of sound and wholesome words for the work of the ministry. See 1Co 9:9; 1Co 9:27. 1Ti 5:17-18. The fourth article is, Isa 30:25 that there should be upon every high mountain, &c. rivers and streams of water; which cannot be understood literally: the mystical meaning is, that in all the more celebrated places, whether of kingdoms or cities, there should be synagogues, public schools, or oratories, in which the word of God, and the doctrine of pure religion, should be copiously taught; so that the lovers of true wisdom might there quench their thirst, and apply the waters of sound instruction to their use. So the metaphor is used, ch. Isa 35:6 Isa 41:18. The time in which these benefits should be conferred upon the church is denoted by this character, Isa 30:25. In the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall; whereby a certain remarkable period is denoted, in which God would take severe vengeance upon the enemies of his church, with the destruction of many, and those the chief and greatest personages; for all interpreters are agreed, that these are metaphorically understood by towers. See ch. Isa 2:15. The period, in its first and literal sense, is to be applied to the times of the Maccabees; but, in its secondary and full sense, to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. See Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 30:23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
Ver. 23. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed. ] Or, For thy seed, or to thy seed. A figurative description of God’s superabundant blessings, viz., the spiritual blessing, saith Diodate. This was fulfilled in the letter, under Hezekiah and Ezra: in the figure, under Christ.
In that day shall thy cattle feed.
a Scultet.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 30:23-26
23Then He will give you rain for the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. 24Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.
Isa 30:23-26 This describes the agricultural and pastoral blessing promised to Abraham’s seed if they walk in YHWH’s covenant (cf. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-28).
1. rain at the proper time, Isa 30:23; Isa 30:25, cf. Isa 35:6-7; Isa 41:18; Isa 43:19-20
2. good crops, Isa 30:23
a. rich (BDB 206)
b. plenteous (BDB 1032)
3. green pastures for the livestock, Isa 30:23, cf. Isa 32:20
4. a special food for the working livestock, Isa 30:24 (term BDB 330 is found only here)
5. enemies defeated, Isa 30:25 (on every high hill. This same idiom was used for Ba’al worship in Hosea)
6. plenty of light for health and growth, Isa 30:26, cf. Isa 60:20-21 (seven being symbolic of the perfect amount and light being symbolic of God’s presence, i.e., His name, Isa 30:27)
Isa 30:26 These blessings of restoration (cf. Isa 11:6-9; Rom 8:18-22) are after
1. the day of great slaughter when the towers fall, Isa 30:25
2. the day of the LORD binds up the fracture of His people, Isa 30:26
3. the day the LORD heals the bruise He has inflicted, Isa 30:26
heals the bruise He has inflicted This phrase and others like it (i.e., Deu 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; 2Ki 5:7; Job 5:18; Isa 45:7; Jer 1:10; Jer 24:6; Jer 31:28; Hos 6:1; Amo 3:6) have caused moderns to question the merciful character of God. These are all idiomatic ways of asserting monotheism (i.e., one and only one causality). Modern western people assume that there are many causalities in their experiences and their histories. The Bible asserts the sovereignty of God in all areas of reality. He is present and active!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
thy seed. Another reading (Ben Naphtali) is “thy land”.
earth = ground, or soil.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 30:23-26
Isa 30:23-26
HAPPY CONDITIONS IN THE GOLDEN AGE
“And he will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures; the oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork. And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.”
This is an agricultural metaphor of very extravagant promises of God’s blessings; “But we must understand that this language prefigures the glorious blessings in Christ (Eph 3:19; Col 2:8-10).” Yes indeed, it also refers to marvelous blessings to Israel after the return from Babylonian captivity; but the continued rebellion of Israel prevented the full blessings God intended for Israel after their return. God had promised to bless Israel “above the blessings upon their fathers” (Deu 30:5) and that he would do more for them than at their “beginning” (Eze 36:11); but it seems never to have occurred to Israel that these blessings were contingent, absolutely, upon their fidelity to God and upon their honoring and abiding by the teachings of his word. Even today, many Christian people are making the same tragic mistake, prattling about salvation “by faith alone.” Israel tried that method and it didn’t work. Neither will it work now (Jas 2:24). Even as late as the days of Malachi, God said that he would “open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal 3:10); but Israel continually forfeited such blessings by their rebellions.
The thing that destroyed Israel was their blind and foolish appropriation of God’s most sacred promises without regard to the contingency, existing always, whether stated or not, that the blessings will be received only by the obedient! One of the most important passages in all the Word of God is this:
“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them” (Jer 18:7-10).
“That these verses (Isa 30:23-26) refer to the times of the Messiah there can be little or no room to doubt. It is language which Isaiah commonly employed to describe those times; and there is a fullness and splendor about it that can suit no other period.
Isa 30:23-26 RESTORATION: These verses are figurative hyperbole to describe the great way in which God will prosper His people upon their repentance and turning back to Him. It does not seem to be intended to be understood literally. There are things which, so far as history knows, have never happened literally-and should they happen literally they would bring an end to life on our planet, i.e., the moon becoming as the light of the sun and the suns light increasing sevenfold! It is even doubtful that animals ever ate as well as they are described to eat in Isa 30:24. It is also a matter of record that Palestine has never known literally a time when there were brooks and streams upon every lofty mountain and every high hill! It is apparent that Isaiah is talking in times coloring of the great spiritual blessings that are to come as a result of the repentance of Gods covenant people when God binds up the hurt of his people, and heals up the stroke of their wound. It is the binding up and healing that is to come through the Messiah (cf. Isa 53:4-6). It is through the Messiah Gods people are to prosper (cf. Isa 53:10-12).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
shall he: Isa 5:6, Isa 32:20, Isa 44:2-4, Isa 55:10, Isa 55:11, Isa 58:11, Psa 65:9-13, Psa 104:13, Psa 104:14, Psa 107:35-38, Jer 14:22, Eze 36:25, Eze 36:26, Hos 2:21-23, Joe 2:21-26, Amo 4:7, Amo 4:8, Zec 8:11, Zec 8:12, Zec 10:1, Mal 3:10, Mat 6:33, 1Ti 4:8
it shall: Isa 4:2, Psa 36:8
thy cattle: Gen 41:18, Gen 41:26, Gen 41:47, Psa 144:12-14, Hos 4:16, Mal 4:2
Reciprocal: Lev 25:19 – General Lev 26:4 – Then I Psa 23:2 – maketh Psa 67:6 – Then Psa 72:16 – There Psa 85:12 – our land Isa 2:11 – in that day Isa 14:30 – the poor Eze 34:14 – feed them Eze 36:8 – ye shall Hos 10:12 – rain Joe 2:22 – afraid Joe 2:23 – the former
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 30:23-24. Then shall he give thee the rain of thy seed Or rather, to, or for thy seed, namely, when thou hast newly sown it, which was called the former rain; or, such as thy seed requires, which may include both the former and the latter rain. Their sins, the cause of all Gods judgments, being removed by their sincere repentance and Gods gracious pardon, God showers down his blessings upon them. When he gives them their teachers, says Henry, and they give him their hearts, so that they begin to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then all other things are added unto them. And bread of the increase of the earth Which shall be the fruit of thy own land and labour. And it shall be fat and plenteous Excellent for quality, which is called fat, Deu 32:14, and abundant for quantity. This promise, by the special blessing of God, was remarkably fulfilled after the defeat of Sennacherib, (Isa 37:30,) God thus repairing the losses they sustained by that devastation. The oxen likewise, &c., shall eat clean provender There shall be such plenty of corn that the very beasts, instead of straw, shall eat corn; and that not in the ear, or with the straw, but the pure grain. Vitringa, with some other commentators, thinks it appears plainly, from the next two verses, that the prophet is to be understood in this passage as speaking, not so much literally as figuratively, and that the words contain a splendid promise of pure and abundant spiritual provision, made by the Lord for his people, in the ministry of the word, the spiritual sowing; the effusions of his Spirit, the rain of the seed; and in the due administration of his various ordinances, the large pastures in which his flock feeds.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
There will be plenty of rain so the harvests will be bountiful. The agriculture of Palestine depended totally on rain. [Note: Watts, p. 401.] There will be such abundant pastureland for the cattle that they will eat the best food.