Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 33:3
At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
3. At the noise of the tumult ] the convulsions which attend the manifestation of Jehovah. The phrase is found in 1Ki 18:41 of a rain storm, and in Isa 13:4 of a multitudinous host.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
3, 4. Assurance of Jehovah’s victory, founded on the great deliverances of the past. The perfects in Isa 33:3 may be either those of experience, expressing a general truth often verified in history, or of prophetic assurance. Isa 33:4 seems to apply this truth to the present crisis.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
At the noise of the tumult – Lowth supposes that this is addressed by the prophet in the name of God, or rather by God himself to the Assyrian, and that it means that notwithstanding the terror which he had caused the invaded countries, he would himself fall and become an easy prey to those whom he intended to subdue. But probably it should be regarded as a part of the address which the Jews made to Yahweh Isa 33:2, and the word tumult – hamon, sound, noise, as of rain 1Ki 18:41, or of music Eze 26:13; Amo 5:23, or the bustle or tumult of a people 1Sa 4:11; 1Sa 14:19; Job 39:7 – refers here to the voice of God by which the army was overthrown. Yahweh is often represented as speaking to people in a voice suited to produce consternation and alarm. Thus it is said of the vision which Daniel saw of a man by the side of the river Hiddekel, his words were like the voice of a multitude ( hamon), Dan 10:6. And thus, in Rev 1:10, the voice of Christ is said to have been like the voice of a trulupet; and in Isa 33:15, like the sound of many waters. It wilt be recollected also that it was said that God would send upon the Assyrian army thunder, and an earthquake, and a great noise, with storm and tempest, and a flame of devouring fire (Isa 29:6; compare Isa 30:30); and it is doubtless to this prediction that the prophet refers here. God would come forth with the voice of indignation, and would scatter the combined armies of the Assyrian.
The people fled – The people in the army of the Assyrian. A large part of them Were slain by the angel of the Lord in a single night, but a portion of them with Sennacherib escaped and fled to their own land (Isa 37:36-37.
At the lifting up of thyself – Of Yahweh; as when one rouses himself to strike.
The nations – The army of Sennacherib was doubtless made up of levies from the nations that had been subdued, and that composed the Assyrian empire.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. At the noise of the tumult – “From thy terrible voice”] For hamon, “multitude,” the Septuagint and Syriac read amica, “terrible,” whom I follow.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
At the noise of the tumult, which the angel shall make in destroying the army.
The people; those of the army who escaped that stroke.
The nations; the people of divers nations, which made up his army.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. the tumultthe approach ofJehovah is likened to an advancing thunderstorm (Isa 29:6;Isa 30:27), which is His voice(Re 1:15), causing the peopleto “flee.”
nationthe Assyrianlevies.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
At the noise of the tumult the people fled,…. The Vulgate Latin Version renders it, “at the voice of the angel”; and Jerom reports it as the opinion of the Jews, that it was Gabriel; and many interpret the words either of the noise the angel made in the air, or was made in the Assyrian camp, when the angel descended, and smote such a vast number of them, at which the remnant, being frightened, fled, 2Ki 19:35 but either this is to be understood as expressing what had been done in time past, and therefore the church took encouragement that it might and would be so again; or as a continuance of her prayer, thus, “at the noise of the tumult”, or multitude t, “let the people flee” u; or as a prediction, “they shall flee” w; that is, at the noise of the multitude of saints, the faithful, called, and chosen armies of heaven, that follow Christ on white horses, and clothed in white; when he shall go forth to battle with the kings of the earth, beast, and false prophet, let the people under them flee, or they shall flee, and not be able to stand before so puissant a General, and so powerful an army; see Re 17:14:
at the lifting up of thyself, the nations were scattered; so it has been in times past, when the Lord has lifted up himself, and appeared on behalf of his people, and has exerted himself, and displayed his power; and so it will be again; or so let it be: “let the nations be scattered”; the antichristian nations, as they will be, when the Lord shall lift up his hand, and pour out the vials of his wrath upon them.
t “a voce multitudinis”, Pagninus; “a voce turbae”, Montanus, Cocceius. u Fugiant, so some in Gataker. w Profugient, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
While the prophet is praying thus, he already sees the answer. “At the sound of a noise peoples pass away; at Thy rising nations are scattered. And your booty is swept away as a swarm of locusts sweeps away; as beetles run, they run upon it.” The indeterminate hamon , which produces for that very reason the impression of something mysterious and terrible, is at once explained. The noise comes from Jehovah, who is raising Himself judicially above Assyria, and thunders as a judge. Then the hostile army runs away ( = , from the niphal , 1Sa 13:11, from = , from ); and your booty (the address returns to Assyria) is swept away, just as when a swarm of locusts settles on a field, it soon eats it utterly away. Jerome, Cappellus, and others follow the Septuagint rendering, . The figure is quite as appropriate, but the article in hechasl makes the other view the more natural one; and Isa 33:4 places this beyond all doubt. Shaqaq , from which the participle shoqeq and the substantive m asshaq are derived, is sued here, as in Joe 2:9, to signify a busy running hither and thither ( discursitare ). The syntactic use of shoqeq is the same as that of (they call) in Isa 21:11, and soph e dm (they smite) in Isa 32:12. The inhabitants of Jerusalem swarm in the enemy’s camp like beetles; they are all in motion, and carry off what they can.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3. At the voice of the tumult the peoples fled. He now returns to the former doctrine, or rather he continues it, after having inserted a short exclamation. He had already shewn that the Assyrians would be defeated, though they appeared to be out of the reach of all danger; and now he bids the Jews look upon it as having actually taken place; for their power was vast, and all men dreaded them and reckoned them invincible. Isaiah therefore places before the eyes of the Jews the dreadful ruin of the Assyrians, as if it had been already accomplished. He makes use of the plural number, saying that they were peoples; for the kingdom of the Assyrians consisted of various “peoples,” and their army had been collected out of various nations; and therefore he affirms that, although their number was prodigious and boundless, yet they would miserably perish.
At thy exaltation. The word “exaltation” is explained by some to mean the “manifestation” by which the Lord illustriously displayed what he was able to do. But I explain it in a more simple manner, that the Lord, who formerly seemed as it were to remain at rest, when he permitted the Babylonians to ravage with impunity, now suddenly came forth to public view; for his delay was undoubtedly treated with proud scorn by the enemies, as if the God of Israel had been humbled and vanquished; but at length he arose and sat down on his judgmentseat, and took vengeance on the crimes of the ungodly. There is therefore an implied contrast between the “exaltation” and that kind of weakness which the Lord appeared to exhibit, when he permitted his people to be afflicted and scattered. (3)
By “the voice of the tumult” some suppose to be meant that the Lord will put the enemies to flight by merely making a noise; but that interpretation, I fear, is more ingenious than solid. I therefore willingly interpret the word “voice” to mean the loud noise which would be raised by the Medes and Persians.
(3) The rising meant is not the ascent of the Judge to the judgmentseat, (Piscator,) nor the exaltation of the Assyrian power, (AbenEzra.) but the act of rising from a state of seeming inaction, as when one rouses himself to strike, (Barnes.)” — Alexander.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) At the noise of the tumult . . .The people are the mingled nations of the Assyrian armies; the tumult is that of the rush and crash, as of a mighty tempest, when Jehovah should at last up lift Himself for the deliverance of His chosen ones.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3, 4. The prophet is not left in doubt. He sees the answer. The deliverance is yet future, but he sees it as if it were past, or now transpiring.
At the noise of the tumult the people (Assyrian) fled; at the lifting up of thyself Words figuratively expressing the silent power of Jehovah in destroying the enemy. See Isa 37:36-37. A demonstration of thunder and great noise from the heavens is unnecessarily assumed by some.
Your spoil That of the destroyed and routed armies.
Shall be gathered By the inhabitants of Jerusalem going to the evening’s abandoned camps, and, like hungry locusts and caterpillars, (as they sweep clean every thing on which they light,) hastily seizing every thing they find.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
If the Prophet be here speaking of general things, the whole will be suited to all times, in the Church. God’s faithfulness is the same: the efficacy of Christ’s blood and righteousness, the same: and the blessed effect of both, the same, on the minds of the people. When Jehovah ariseth in grace upon the hearts of his redeemed, how is he exalted in glory to their view!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 33:3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
Ver. 3. At the noise of the tumult the people fled, ] i.e., The Assyrian soldiers shall flee at the coming of the angel, with a hurry noise in the air for greater terror; a but he shall give them their passport. This their confidence was the fruit of prayer.
At the lifting up of thyself.
a A voce angeli. – Vulg.
the people = peoples.
the nations = nations.
Isa 10:13, Isa 10:14, Isa 10:32-34, Isa 17:12-14, Isa 37:11-18, Isa 37:29-36, Psa 46:6
Reciprocal: Num 16:34 – fled Psa 68:1 – God arise
Isa 33:3-4. At the noise of the tumult Which shall be made upon the angels destroying the army; the people fled Namely, those of the army who escaped that stroke. At the lifting up of thyself To execute judgment; the nations were scattered The people of divers nations which made up Sennacheribs army. And your spoil That treasure which you have raked together by spoiling divers people; shall be gathered By the Jews at Jerusalem, when you shall be forced to flee away with all possible speed, leaving your spoils behind you; like the gathering of the caterpillar As caterpillars gather and devour all the fruits of the earth, which was a common plague in those countries; as the running to and fro of locusts, &c. As locusts, especially when they are armed by commission from God, come with great force, and run hither and thither devouring every thing before them; shall he run upon them Namely, Hezekiah, with his people, shall thus eagerly run to the spoil of the Assyrian camp, and shall take it.
33:3 At the noise of the tumult the {f} people fled; at the {g} lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
(f) That is, the Assyrians fled before the army of the Chaldeans, or the Chaldeans for fear of the Medes and Persians.
(g) When you, O Lord, lifted up your arm to punish your enemies.
The prayer continues as the remnant anticipated the Lord creating a tumult and rising up to defend His people. When He would do that, enemies would flee and their nations disperse.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)