Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 37:24
By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, [and] the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, [and] the forest of his Carmel.
24. For servants 2 Kings has “messengers,” as in Isa 37:9 ; Isa 37:14.
am I come up ] Better, I go up. The “I” is emphatic.
the sides of Lebanon means its recesses (R.V. “innermost parts”).
the height of his border ] Render, its furthest height; or (changing the text in accordance with 2Ki 19:33) its last retreat (lit. “lodging-place”).
the forest of his Carmel ] R.V. the forest of his fruitful field (see ch. Isa 10:18, Isa 29:17, Isa 32:15 f.) perhaps the cedar groves on the highest ridges.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
24, 25. The king of Assyria is represented as boasting of the ease with which he triumphs over all natural obstacles in the pursuance of his plans; such language is blasphemy against Jehovah, the Lord of Nature; although the king himself may be hardly conscious of the sin he is committing. The tenses in the speech might all be made perfects by a change of vowels, or they may all be rendered by presents; the king’s meaning being simply that he constantly performs such impossibilities as these. The Assyrian parallels cited by Cheyne are very striking (see his Commentary, p. 219 and the references there).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By thy servants – Hebrew, By the hand of thy servants. That is, by Rabshakeh Isa. 36, and by those whom he had now sent to Hezekiah with letters Isa 37:9, Isa 37:14.
And hast said – Isaiah does not here quote the precise words which Rabshakeh or the other messengers had used, but quotes the substance of what had been uttered, and expresses the real feelings and intentions of Sennacherib.
By the multitude of my chariots – The word chariots here denotes war-chariois (see the notes at Isa 2:7; Isa 66:20).
To the height of the mountains – Lebanon is here particularly referred to. Chariots were commonly used, as cavalry was, in plains. But it is probable that Lebanon was accessible by chariots drawn by horses.
To the sides of Lebanon – On the situation of Lebanon see the notes at Isa 10:34; Isa 29:17. Sennacherib is represented as having carried desolation to Lebanon, and as having cut down its stately trees (see the note at Isa 33:9).
I will cut down the tall cedars thereof – Margin, The tallness of the cedars thereof. The boast of Sennacherib was that he would strip it of its beauty and ornament; that is, that he would lay the land waste.
And the choice fir-trees thereof – (see the note at Isa 14:8). The Septuagint renders it, Uparissou – The beauty of the cypress. The word here denotes the cypress, a tree resembling the white cedar. It grew on Lebanon, and, together with the cedar, constituted its glory. Its wood, like that of the cedar, was employed for the floors and ceilings of the temple 1Ki 5:10; 1Ki 6:15, 1Ki 6:34. It was used for the decks and sheathing of ships Eze 27:5, for spears Neh 2:4; and for musical instruments 2Sa 6:5.
The height of his border – The extreme retreats; the furthest part of Lebanon. In 2Ki 19:23, it is, I will enter the lodgings of his borders; perhaps referring to the fact that on the ascent to the top of the mountain there was a place for the repose of travelers; a species of inn or caravansera which bounded the usual attempts of persons to ascend the mountain. Such a lodging-place on the sides or tops of mountains which are frequently ascended, is not uncommon.
And the forest his Carmel – On the meaning of the word Carmel, see the note at Isa 29:17. Here it means, as in that passage, a rich, fertile, and beautiful country. It is known that Lebanon was covered on the top, and far down the sides, with perpetual snow. But there was a region lying on its sides, between the snow and the base of the mountain, that was distinguished for fertility, and that was highly cultivated. This region produced grapes in abundance; and this cultivated part of the mountain, thick set with vines and trees, might be called a beautiful grove. This was doubtless the portion of Lebanon which is here intended. At a distance, this tract on the sides of Lebanon appeared doubtless as a thicket of shrubs and trees. The phrase garden-forest, will probably express the sense of the passage. After leaving Baalbec, and approaching Lebanon, towering walnut trees, either singly or in groups, and a rich carpet of verdure, the offspring of numerous streams, give to this charming district the air of an English park, majestically bordered with snow-tipped mountains. At Deir-el-Akmaar, the ascent begins winding among dwarf oaks, hawthorns, and a great variety of shrubs and flowers. A deep bed of snow had now to be crossed, and the horses sunk or slipped at every moment. To ride was impracticable, and to walk dangerous, for the melting snow penetrated our boots, and our feet were nearly frozen. An hour and a half brought us to the cedars. (Hogg.)
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 24. By thy servants – “By thy messengers”] The text has abdeycha, thy servants; but the true reading seems to be malacheycha, thy messengers, as in the other copy, 2Kg 19:23; and as the Septuagint and Syriac found it in their copies in this place.
Reproached the Lord] Adonai: but one of my MSS. has Yehovah Adonai, Jehovah the Lord. This reading is not found, I think, in any other MS., but several have Yehovah for Adonai.
I will enter into the height of his border – “I will penetrate into his extreme retreats”] The text has marom, the height which seems to have been taken by mistake from the line but one above. Two MSS. have here malon, the lodge or retreat; which is the word in the other copy, 2Kg 19:23, and I think is the true reading.
The forest of his Carmel.] The forest and his fruitful field; that is, I will possess myself of the whole country.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
24. saidvirtually. Hast thouwithin thyself?
heightimagery from theAssyrian felling of trees in Lebanon (Isa 14:8;Isa 33:9); figuratively for, “Ihave carried my victorious army through the regions most difficult ofaccess, to the most remote lands.”
sidesrather,”recesses” [G. V. SMITH].
fir treesnotcypresses, as some translate; pine foliage and cedars are still foundon the northwest side of Lebanon [STANLEY].
height of . . . borderIn2Ki 19:23, “the lodgingsof his borders.” Perhaps on the ascent to the top there was aplace of repose or caravansary, which bounded the usual attempts ofpersons to ascend [BARNES].Here, simply, “its extreme height.”
forest of . . .Carmelrather, “its thickest forest.” “Carmel”expresses thick luxuriance (see on Isa10:18; Isa 29:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord,…. Particularly by Rabshakeh, and the other two that were with him, who, no doubt, assented to what he said; not content to reproach him himself, he set his servants to do it likewise; he made use of them as instruments, and even set them, as well as himself, above the Lord:
and hast said, by the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains; not only with his foot soldiers, but with his chariots, and a great number of them, he had travelled over hills and mountains, as Hannibal over the Alps, and was now upon the high mountains which were round about Jerusalem, and very near the mountain of the Lord’s house; of which Jarchi interprets the words:
to the sides of Lebanon; meaning either the mountain of Lebanon, which was on the borders of the land of Israel, famous for cedars and fir trees, later mentioned; or, the temple made of the wood of Lebanon, near which his army now lay; so the Targum and Jarchi understand it:
and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof; to make way for his army, and to support himself with materials for the siege; to make tents with for his soldiers to lie in, or wooden fortresses from whence to annoy the city. The cedars of Lebanon were very large and tall. Mr. Maundrell p says he measured one of the largest, and
“found it six and thirty feet and six inches thick; its branches spread a hundred and eleven feet; its trunk from the ground was about fifteen or sixteen feet, and then divided into five branches, each of which would make a large tree.”
Monsieur Thevenot q says, now there are no more nor less that, twenty three cedars on Mount Lebanon, great and small: or it may be, these metaphorically intend the princes, and nobles, and chief men of the Jewish nation, he threatens to destroy; so the Targum,
“and I will kill the most beautiful of their mighty ones, and the choicest of their princes:”
and I will enter into the height of his border; some think the tower of Lebanon, which stood on the east part of it towards Syria, is meant; but it seems rather to design Jerusalem, the metropolis of the nation, which he thought himself sure of entering into, and taking possession of; and this was what his heart was set upon; so the Targum,
and I will subdue the city of their strength; their strong city Jerusalem, in which they placed their strength:
and the forest of his Carmel: or “the forest and his fruitful field” r; the same city, which, for the number of its houses and inhabitants, was like a forest, and was Hezekiah’s fruitful field, where all his riches and treasure were. The Targum interprets it of his army,
“and I will consume the multitude of their army.”
p Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 179. q Travels, part 1. B. 2. ch. 60. p. 221. r “sylvas, arva ejus”, Junius Tremellius “sylvas et arva ejus”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Second turn, “By thy servants (K. thy messengers) hast thou reviled the Lord, in that thou sayest, With the multitude (K. chethib ) of my chariots have I climbed the height of the mountains, the inner side of Lebanon; and I shall fell the lofty growth of its cedars, the choice ( mibhchar , K. mibhchor ) of its cypresses: and I shall penetrate (K. and will penetrate) to the height (K. the halting-place) of its uttermost border, the grove of its orchard.” The other text appears, for the most part, the preferable one here. Whether m al’akhekha (thy messengers, according to Isa 9:14) or abhadekha (thy servants, viz., Rabshakeh, Tartan, and Rabsaris) is to be preferred, may be left undecided; also whether is an error or a superlative expression, “with chariots of my chariots,” i.e., my countless chariots; also, thirdly, whether Isaiah wrote mibhchor . He uses mistor in Isa 4:6 for a special reason; but such obscure forms befit in other instances the book of Kings, with its colouring of northern Palestine; and we also meet with mibhchor in 2Ki 3:19, in the strongly Aramaic first series of histories of Elisha. On the other hand, is certainly the original reading, in contrast with . It is important, as bearing upon the interpretation of the passage, that both texts have , not , and that the other text confirms this pointing, inasmuch as it has instead of . The Lebanon here, if not purely emblematical (as in Jer 22:6 = the royal city Jerusalem; Eze 17:3 = Judah-Jerusalem), has at any rate a synecdochical meaning (cf., Isa 14:8), signifying the land of Lebanon, i.e., the land of Israel, into which he had forced a way, and all the fortresses and great men of which he would destroy. He would not rest till Jerusalem, the most renowned height of the land of Lebanon, was lying at his feet. Thenius is quite right in regarding the “resting-place of the utmost border” and “the pleasure-garden wood” as containing allusions to the holy city and its royal citadel (compare the allegory in chapter 5).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
24. By the hand of thy servants. This also heightens the baseness and cruelty of the insult, for it is harder to bear reproaches from a servant than from his master, the insult being rendered more grievous by the meanness of the person. Renee also proud and insolent men, in order to render their threatenings more galling and offensive, boast that they will do this or that by one of their servants or footmen, for the purpose of testifying more strongly their contemptuous feelings towards those whom they hate. The Prophet therefore intended to represent more strongly the baseness of the blasphemy by this circumstance, that Sennacherib had not only vomited it out of his own mouth, but had employed “his servant” Rabshakeh to utter scornful language against the holy name of God.
I will ascend the heights of the mountains, the sides of Lebanon. What he now repeats as having been spoken by Sennacherib, some understand to relate generally to former victories which he had gained, and by which, as we have already said, he had vanquished many nations. But I choose rather to take a more simple view, and to interpret it as relating to the present siege. Perceiving almost the whole of Judea subjected to his power, having taken possession of the hills which surrounded that country on all sides, he swells with insolence as if he had gained a complete victory, and threatens that he will take within his grasp those battlemerits and Mount Lebanon, with its cedars and firs and ether attractions; as if he had said that nothing shall hinder him from taking possession of the bulwarks, castles, and best fortified places, and wielding the whole of Judea at his pleasure. Thus do tyrants, though they acknowledge that war is doubtful, still dream of having in their power the successful results of battles.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(24) By the multitude of my chariots.The words refer apparently to the taunt of Isa. 36:8. The inscriptions of the Assyrian king are full of like boasts. Shalmaneser, Trackless paths and difficult mountains . . . I penetrated (Records of the Past, iii. 85): and Assumacirpal, Rugged mountains, difficult paths, which for the passage of chariots were not suited, I passed (Ibid. p. 43).
To the sides of Lebanon.The passage of Lebanon was not necessarily implied in Sennacheribs invasion of Palestine. Possibly the words had become a kind of proverb for surmounting obstacles. Lebanon and Carmel are joined together, as in Isa. 33:9.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. By thy servants hast thou Thus Sennacherib is properly held responsible for the insult his servants had given at his command. The reasons seem good which consider Lebanon, here, with its accompanying figures, as referring to Jerusalem. The kingdoms above mentioned, with the kingdom of Israel, have all fallen by Assyrian power; now the kingdom of Judah and its capital shall go the same way. So Sennacherib thought and said.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 37:24-25. By the multitude of my chariots Cities, in the prophetical writings, are metaphorically represented by woods or forests, especially those of Lebanon and Carmel; and the several ranks of inhabitants by the taller and lesser trees growing there. Hence we may collect the true sense of this passage, which represents the Assyrian prince as threatening to take mount Zion, together with the capital city of Jerusalem, and to destroy their principal inhabitants. The height of his border, and the grove of his fruitful field, are generally thought figuratively to refer to the temple and the city. The Chaldee paraphrast renders it, And I will also take the house of their sanctuary, and I will subject to myself their fortified city. The Assyrian adds, I have digged and drunk waters, or, as it is in 2 Kings, strange waters; that is, according to Vitringa, “I have hitherto possessed all my desires; whatever I have vehemently thirsted after, I have attained.” Others understand this and the following clause more literally, thus: “I have marched through desarts, where it was expected my army would perish with thirst, and yet even there I have digged and found water; and I have rendered rivers fordable by turning their streams from their ancient beds, and deprived the besieged of the benefit of those waters.” Vitringa, however, renders the last clause, And with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt. The prophet here alludes to a custom of the Egyptians, who commonly made use of machines, which were worked by the foot, to draw water from rivers, for whatever purpose it might be wanted; and the meaning, according to Vitringa, is, that the Assyrian, by the assistance of his very numerous army,the sole of his feet, would dry up all the rivers of Egypt, so that they should not delay the success of his expedition. The expression is of the hyperbolic or Thrasonic kind, and well suits this haughty monarch, whose mind was at this time full of his expeditions into Judaea and Egypt. See 2Ch 32:4 and Deu 11:10. The author of the Observations remarks, that he thinks this whole verse a reference to the Eastern way of watering; as much as to say, “I have digged channels, and drank, and caused my army to drink out of new-made rivers, into which I have conducted the waters which used to flow elsewhere; and I have laid those old channels dry with the sole of my foot, with as much ease as a gardener digs channels in his garden, and, directing the waters of a cistern into a new well, with his foot stops up that in which they before ran.” In confirmation whereof, let it be remembered, that this way of watering by rills is in use in those countries whence Sennacherib came, continued down from ancient times there, without doubt, as it is in Egypt. The understanding of those words of the Psalmist, Psa 65:9. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it; thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, as expressive of the watering it as by a rill of water, makes an easy and beautiful sense; the rain being to the earth in general the same thing, from God, that a watering rill, or little river, is to a garden from man. See Observations, p. 343.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
LORD*. One of the 134 places where the Sopherim changed “Jehovah” of the primitive text to “Adonai”.
am I come up = have I scaled. Compare Isa 36:10. These boasts probably refer to the future as well as the past.
Lebanon, &c. Compare 2Ki 19:23. Fulfilling Isa 14:8 (see note there). As Hannibal later scaled the Alps.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
thy servants: Heb. the hand of they servants, Isa 37:4, Isa 36:15-20, 2Ki 19:22, 2Ki 19:23
By the: Isa 10:13, Isa 10:14, Isa 36:9, Exo 15:9, Psa 20:7, Dan 4:30
tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: Heb. tallness of the cedars thereof and the choice of the fir trees thereof. Isa 10:18, Isa 14:8, Eze 31:3-18, Dan 4:8-14, Dan 4:20-22, Zec 11:1, Zec 11:2
of his Carmel: or, and his fruitful field, Isa 29:17
Reciprocal: Exo 9:17 – General Exo 14:7 – General Num 15:30 – reproacheth Deu 20:1 – horses Jos 19:26 – Carmel Jdg 9:15 – the cedars 1Ki 20:1 – and horses 1Ki 20:10 – if the dust 2Ch 32:1 – win them 2Ch 32:17 – to rail Psa 44:16 – For the Psa 74:18 – the foolish Psa 94:4 – boast Isa 2:13 – General Isa 10:33 – lop Isa 10:34 – cut down Isa 14:14 – ascend Isa 21:7 – And he saw Isa 32:19 – it shall Isa 33:9 – Lebanon Jer 21:14 – in the Jer 22:7 – cut Jer 46:8 – I will go Jer 46:22 – and come Eze 38:11 – go up Oba 1:12 – spoken proudly Mic 7:14 – in the midst Nah 2:4 – chariots Hab 1:16 – they Zep 3:6 – cut
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Assyria’s sin included her failure to recognize God’s hand in her fortunes. She proudly thought that her own might was responsible for the victories she had gained and that she controlled her own destiny. She considered herself omnipotent rather than acknowledging that Yahweh was. These verses read much like the portions of the Assyrian annals in which the kings boasted of their conquests.