Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 5:24
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
24. The conclusion. Render with R.V.
Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble,
And as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame, &c.
The similes are taken from two common customs, the burning of the stubble in the fields, and the use of dry grass for fuel. The comparison is completed in a different figure.
root blossom ] The expression is found on a Phnician sarcophagus (Eshmunazar), “let him not have root below or fruit above”; and frequently in the O.T., Isa 14:29; Isa 37:31; Amo 2:9; Hos 9:16, &c.
the law of the Lord of hosts ] See on Isa 1:10. The last clause is a summary description of the sins of the nation; the source from which they all spring is the rejection of the prophetic message.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Therefore as the fire … – The remainder of this chapter is occupied with predicting judgments, or punishments, upon the people for their sins which had been specified. The Hebrew here is, The tongue of fire. The figure is beautiful and obvious. It is derived from the pyramidal, or tongue-like appearance of flame. The concinnity of the metaphor in the Hebrew is kept up. The word devoureth is in the Hebrew eateth: As the tongue of fire eats up, etc. The use of the word tongue to denote flame is common in the Scriptures; see the note at Act 2:3.
And the flame consumeth the chaff – The word rendered chaff here, means rather hay, or dried grass. The word rendered consumeth, denotes properly to make to fall, and refers to the appearance when a fire passes through a field of grain or grass, consuming the stalks near the ground, so that the upper portion falls down, or sinks gently into the flames.
So their root shall be as rottenness – Be rotten; or decayed – of course furnishing no moisture, or suitable juices for the support of the plant. The idea is, that all the sources of national prosperity among the Jews would be destroyed. The word root is often used to denote the source of strength or prosperity; Isa 14:30; Hos 9:16; Job 18:16.
And their blossom – This word rather means germ, or tender branch. It also means the flower. The figure is kept up here. As the root would be destroyed, so would all that was supported by it, and all that was deemed beautiful, or ornamental.
As dust – The Hebrew denotes fine dust, such as is easily blown about. The root would be rotten; and the flower, lacking nourishment, would become dry, and turn to dust, and blow away. Their strength, and the sources of their prosperity would be destroyed; and all their splendor and beauty, all that was ornamental, and the source of national wealth, would be destroyed with it.
They have cast away – They have refused to obey it. This was the cause of all the calamities that would come upon them.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 5:24-30
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble
Sin brings judgment in its train
Let not those expect to live easily that live thus wickedly, for the righteous God wilt take vengeance.
Observe–
I. HOW COMPLETE this ruin will be, and how necessarily and unavoidably it will follow upon their sins. The prophet had compared this people to a vine (Isa 5:7), well fixed and which it was hoped would be flourishing and fruitful. But the grace of God towards it was received in vain, and then the root became rottenness, being dried up from beneath, and the blossom would of course blow off as dust, as a light and worthless thing (Job 18:16). Sin weakens the strength the root of a people, so that they are easily rooted up; it defaceth the beauty, the blossoms of a people, and takes away the hopes of fruit. Sinners make themselves as stubble and chaff, combustible matter, proper fuel to the fire of Gods wrath.
II. How Just the ruin will be. Because they have cast away the law, etc. God doth not reject men for every transgression of His law and word, but when His word is despised and His law cast away, what can they expect but that God should utterly abandon them?
III. WHENCE this ruin should come (Isa 5:25). It is destruction from the Almighty.
1. The justice of God appoints it.
2. The power of God effects it. He hath stretched forth His hand against them.
IV. The CONSEQUENCES AND CONTINUANCE of this ruin. When God comes forth in wrath against a people, the hills tremble; fear seizeth even their great men, that are strong and high; the earth shakes under men, and is ready to sink; and as this feels dreadful (what doth more so than an earthquake?) so what sight can be more frightful than the carcasses of men torn with dogs, or thrown as dung (margin) in the midst of the streets? This intimates that great multitudes should be slain, not only soldiers in the field of battle, but the inhabitants of their cities put to the sword in cold blood, and that the survivors should neither have hands nor hearts to bury them.
V. The INSTRUMENTS that should be employed in bringing this ruin upon them. It should be done by the incursions of a foreign enemy. When God designs the rum of a provoking people–
1. He can send a great way off for instruments to be employed in it. From the end of the earth (Isa 5:26). If God set up His standard, He can incline mens hearts to enlist themselves under it, though, perhaps, themselves know not why or wherefore.
2. He can make them come into the service with incredible expedition. With speed swiftly (Isa 5:26). Those that defy Gods judgments will be ashamed of their insolence when it is too late; they scornfully said (Isa 5:19), Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, and they shall find to their terror and confusion that so He will.
3. He can carry them on in the service with amazing forwardness and fury (Isa 5:27-30).
(1) Though their marches be very long, yet none among them shall be weary; so desirous shall they be to engage that they shall forget their weariness and make no complaints of it.
(2) Though the way be rough, and, perhaps embarrassed by the usual policies of war, yet none among them shall stumble, but all the difficulties in their way shall easily be got over.
(3) Though they are forced to keep constant watch, yet none shall slumber or sleep; so intent shall they be upon their work in prospect of having the plunder of the city for their pains.
(4) They shall not desire any rest or relaxation; they shall not put off their clothes, not loose the girdle of their loins, but shall always have their belts on and swords by their sides.
(5) They shall not meet with the least hindrance to retard their march, or oblige them to halt; not a latchet of their shoes shall be broken, which they must stay to mend, as Jos 9:13.
(6) Their arms and ammunition should all be fixed and in good posture (verse 28).
(7) Their horses and chariots of war shall all be fit for service (verse 28).
(8) All the soldiers bold and daring; their roaring, or shouting before a battle, shall be like a lion, who with his roaring animates himself and terrifies all about him.
(9) There shall not be the least prospect of relief or succour. Let the distressed look which way they will, everything appears dismal; for if God frown upon us how can any creature smile? (M. Henry.)
Divine judgments as fire and flame
They cannot be resisted, their direction cannot be altered, their force abated, nor can the flame be extinguished by human efforts. As threatened calamities cannot be averted, so inflicted judgments cannot be removed, unless by true repentance and earnest supplication to the supreme Disposer of all events. (R. Macculloch.)
Root and blossom
The posterity of Israel are here compared to a fruit-bearing tree, whose root gives it strength and stability, conveys to it nourishment, and preserves it firm amidst the storms to which it may be exposed. By their root may be meant everything whereby they thought to secure and establish themselves, such as their secret counsels, their deep-laid designs, their strength and riches, their friends and connections, from all which they derived support, and expected to keep their station. Viewing them in their social capacity, by their root we may understand parents, heads of families, judges, governors and princes, who give stability and support to the state and preserve it in a flourishing condition . . . The blossoms denote the beautiful promising appearances among that people, which seemed to presage plenty of fruit; such as their religion, their children, their magnificence and influence as a nation; in short, everything which constituted their excellence, and displayed their glory was to be consumed. (R. Macculloch.)
Universal judgment
The judgment here foretold was to prove universal; for what remains of a tree when its roots and branches are destroyed! (R. Macculloch.)
Sin and judgment
Sin doth as naturally draw and suck judgments to it as the loadstone doth iron, as dry stubble and light chaff doth fire. (J. Trapp.)
The law and the word
The law of Jehovah was given by Moses and embodied in institutions and a code; the word was that exposition of the meaning and life of these which the prophets were, from time to time, declaring in the ears of the people. The nation had cast away this law and despised this word. (Sir E. Strachey, Bart.)
Withered roots
When all heart and morality are gone from a nation, its roots below ground are rotten, and its flourishing appearance is ready to turn to dust. There is no substance in such a people, nothing which can stand calamity of any kind. It will sweep them away as the fire licks up the stubble which men burn when the crop of corn or hay has been gathered in. (Sir E. Strachey, Bart.)
Unfruitfulness: cause and effect
The sin of unfruitfulness is punished with the plague of unfruitfulness. (M. Henry.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 24. The flame – “The tongue of fire”] “The flame, because it is in the shape of a tongue; and so it is called metaphorically.” Sal. ben Melec. The metaphor is so exceedingly obvious, as well as beautiful, that one may wonder that it has not been more frequently used. Virgil very elegantly intimates, rather than expresses, the image; –
Ecce levis summo de vertice visus Iuli
Fundere lumen apex; tactuque innoxia molli
Lambere flamma comas, et circum tempora pasci.
AEn. ii. 682.
“Strange to relate! from young Iulus’ head
A lambent flame arose, which gently spread
Around his brows, and on his temples fed.”
And more boldly of AEtna darting out flames from its top: –
Interdumque atram prorumpit ad aethera nubem,
Turbine fumantem piceo, et candente favilla:
Attollitque globos flammarum, et sidera lambit.
AEn. iii. 574.
“By turns a pitchy cloud she rolls on high,
By turns hot embers from her entrails fly,
And flakes of mountain flames, that lick the sky.”
The disparted tongues, as it were of fire, Ac 2:3, which appeared at the descent of the Holy Spirit, on the apostles, give the same idea; that is, of flames shooting diversely into pyramidal forms, or points, like tongues. It may be farther observed that the prophet in this place has given the metaphor its full force, in applying it to the action of fire in eating up and devouring whatever comes in its way, like a ravenous animal whose tongue is principally employed in taking in his food or prey; which image Moses has strongly exhibited in an expressive comparison: “And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now shall this collection of people lick up ali that are around about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field,” Nu 22:4. See also 1Kg 18:38.
Their root shall be as rottenness] cammak, like mak; whence probably our word muck, dung, was derived.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Their root shall be as rottenness; they shall be like a tree which not only withers in its branches, but dies and rots at the roots, and therefore is past all hopes of recovery. The sense is, They shall be destroyed both root and branch.
Their blossom shall go up as dust; shall vanish (for so the word ascend or go up is oft used, as Exo 16:14; Job 5:26; Jer 48:15; Eze 11:23,24) as the dust, which is blown away with every wind; or, shall be resolved into dust, and yield no fruit.
They have cast away; which implies disobedience joined with contempt.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. Literally, “tongue offire eateth” (Ac 2:3).
flame consumeth thechaffrather, withered grass falleth before the flame (Mt3:12).
root . . . blossomentiredecay, both the hidden source and outward manifestationsof prosperity, perishing (Job 18:16;Mal 4:1).
cast away . . . lawinits spirit, while retaining the letter.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble,…. Or “tongue of fire” h; meaning the flame, the same as in the next clause; because it is in the form of a tongue; see Ac 2:3:
and the flame consumeth the chaff; which is done easily, speedily, and entirely; the metaphors denote that their destruction would be easy, swift, sudden, irresistible, and irrecoverable. Reference may be had to the burning of Jerusalem, literally understood:
[so] their root shall be rottenness; and so utterly perish; meaning their fathers, as Aben Ezra and Abarbinel think; or their chief and principal men, before mentioned; or their riches and substance, and whatever they gloried of, or trusted in; see Mt 3:10:
and their blossom shall go up as dust; before the wind; either their children, or whatever was excellent or valuable with them; so Jarchi interprets it of their grandeur, pomp, and glory; it seems to express an utter destruction of them, root and branch, as in Mal 4:1:
because they have cast away the law of the Lord; or doctrine of the Lord; that is, the Gospel; which the Jews blasphemed, contradicted, and put away from them, and judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life: the preaching of a crucified Christ, and salvation by him, and justification by his righteousness, were a stumbling block to them: this is to be understood not of the law of works, but of the law or doctrine of faith:
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel; meaning either the same as before; expressing their great contempt of the Gospel, and the reason why they rejected it, because they loathed, abhorred, and despised it: or else Christ, the essential Word of God; so the Targum,
“they rejected the Word, the Holy One of Israel;”
as the Messiah, and received him not; and this their rejection of him, and ill treatment of his Gospel and ministers, were the cause of the burning of Jerusalem, and of their utter ruin and destruction,
Mt 22:4.
h “lingua ignis”, Vatablus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In the three exclamations in Isa 5:18-21, Jehovah rested contented with the simple undeveloped “woe” ( hoi ). On the other hand, the first two utterances respecting the covetous and the debauchees were expanded into an elaborate denunciation of punishment. But now that the prophet has come to the unjust judges, the denunciation of punishment bursts out with such violence, that a return to the simple exclamation of “woe” is not to be thought of. The two “therefores” in Isa 5:13, Isa 5:14, a third is now added in Isa 5:24: “Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours stubble, and hay sinks together in the flame, their root will become like mould, and their blossom fly up like dust; for they have despised the law of Jehovah of hosts, and scornfully rejected the proclamation of the Holy One of Israel.” The persons primarily intended as those described in Isa 5:22, Isa 5:23, but with a further extension of the range of vision to Judah and Jerusalem, the vineyard of which they are the bad fruit. The sinners are compared to a plant which moulders into dust both above and below, i.e., altogether (cf., Mal 4:1, and the expression, “Let there be to him neither root below nor branch above,” in the inscription upon the sarcophagus of the Phoenician king Es’mun’azar). Their root moulders in the earth, and their blossom ( perach, as in Isa 18:5) turns to fine dust, which the wind carries away. And this change in root and blossom takes place suddenly, as if through the force of fire. In the expression Ce’ecol kash leshon ‘esh (“as the tongue of fire devours stubble”), which consists of four short words with three sibilant letters, we hear, as it were, the hissing of the flame. When the infinitive construct is connected with both subject and object, the subject generally stands first, as in Isa 64:1; but here the object is placed first, as in Isa 20:1 (Ges. 133, 3; Ewald, 307). In the second clause, the infinitive construct passes over into the finite verb, just as in the similarly constructed passage in Isa 64:1. As yirpeh has the intransitive meaning Collabi , to sink together, or collapse; either lehabah must be an acc. loci, or Chashash lehabah the construct state, signifying flame-hay, i.e., hay destined to the flame, or ascending in flame.
(Note: In Arabic also, Chashsh signifies hay; but in common usage (at least in Syriac) it is applied not to dried grass, but to green grass or barley: hence the expression yachush there is green fodder. Here, however, in Isaiah, Chashash is equivalent to Chashish yabis , and this is its true etymological meaning (see the Lexicons). But kash is still used in Syro-Arabic, to signify not stubble, but wheat that has been cut and is not yet threshed; whereas the radical word itself signifies to be dry, and Chashash consequently is used for mown grass, and kash for the dry halm of wheat, whether as stubble left standing in the ground, or as straw (vid., Comm. on Job, at Job 39:13-18).)
As the reason for the sudden dissolution of the plantation of Judah, instead of certain definite sins being mentioned, the sin of all sins is given at once, namely, the rejection of the word of God with the heart ( m a’as ), and in word and deed ( ni’ets ). The double ‘eth (with yethib immediately before pashta, as in eleven passages in all; see Heidenheim’s Imspete hate’amim, p. 20) and v’eth (with tebir ) give prominence to the object; and the interchange of Jehovah of hosts with the Holy One of Israel makes the sin appear all the greater on account of the exaltation and holiness of God, who revealed Himself in this word, and indeed had manifested Himself to Israel as His own peculiar people. The prophet no sooner mentions the great sin of Judah, than the announcement of punishment receives, as it were, fresh fuel, and bursts out again.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verse 24-30:
1. Because they despised the word of God, and cast His law from them, they will be consumed by His wrath, (Verse 24; comp. Isa 8:6-7; Isa 30:9; Isa 30:12-13; Hab 1:5).
2. Though the hand of the Lord is stretched out against this people, until “the hills tremble” and their carcasses are torn in the midst of the street, His anger is still unrequited, (Verse 25; 2Ki 22:13; 2Ki 22:17; Isa 64:1-4; Psa 18:7; Nah 1:5; 2Ki 9:37; comp. Jer 16:4; Jer 4:8; Dan 9:16).
3. Thus, He will set up an ensign, and “hiss” to the ends of the earth, for nations that will swiftly assemble, (Verse 26; comp. Isa 7:18; Deu 28:49; Isa 13:2-5).
a. The instruments of divine judgment are pictured as alert, and ready for action, (Verse 27; comp. Joe 2:7-8; Dan 5:6).
b. Their .arrows are sharp, their bows bent, the hoofs of their horses like flint; the wheels of their chariots are like a tornado, (Verse 28; comp. Isa 13:18; Psa 7:11-13; Psa 45:5).
c. Like young lions, they will roar, seize the prey and, concealing it, take it away; there will be no rescue! (Verse 29; comp. Jer 51:38; Zec 11:3; Isa 10:6; contr. 49:24-25).
d. When the roar of the enemy is like the roar of the sea, those who have forsaken the Lord will find no hope; in darkness and sorrow will their days be spent, (Verse 30; comp. Isa 17:12; Jer 6:23; Luk 21:25-28).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
24. Therefore as the flame of fire devoureth the stubble. Lest it should be thought that he has so frequently cried out without good reason, he again shows what grievous and dreadful punishment awaits the nation, and threatens utter destruction to the stubborn, because they did not permit themselves to be brought back to the right path, but obstinately resisted instruction. He employs metaphors exceedingly well adapted to express his meaning, and better fitted to affect their hearts than if he had spoken plainly and without a figure. He begins with a comparison, but immediately slides into a metaphor, attributing a root and branch to the nation as to a tree. Under those two words he includes all the strength, either hidden or visible, that belongs to the nation, and says that the whole will be destroyed; for when the root, which alone gives strength and nourishment to the tree, becomes rotten, it is all over with the tree; and in like manner he threatens that it is all over with the nation, and that its whole strength is wasted and consumed.
Because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts. He does not now enumerate, as formerly, the particular kinds of crime by which they had provoked the wrath of God, but assigns a general cause, namely, contempt of the law of God; for this, as all men know, is the source of everything bad. And it is no small aggravation of their crime that, when the will of God had been made known to them in his law, it was not through ignorance or mistake, but through inveterate malice, that they shook of the yoke of God, and abandoned themselves to every kind of licentiousness; which was nothing else than to reject so kind a Father, and to give themselves up to be the slaves of the devil. Besides, he accuses them of open revolt; as if he had said that it was not in one or a few instances that they were rebellious, but that they might be regarded as treacherous apostates, and had altogether forsaken God.
And loathed the word of the Holy One of Israel. He complains that they not only despised the word of God, but — what is far more shocking — turned away from it, or threw it away in wicked disdain. But if contempt for the law of God is the source, head, and accumulation of all that is evil, there is nothing against which we ought more carefully to guard than that Satan should take away our reverence for it; and if there are any faults to which we are liable, we ought, at least, to allow a remedy to be applied to them, if we do not choose, by wickedly rejecting it, to draw down upon ourselves everlasting destruction.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE DOOM OF DESPISERS
Isa. 5:24. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Shut God out of the heart, and this is what it comes to at last. In Jewish history, we have a commentary on the judgments announced in the text, written in fire and blood. We have here
I. Gods merciful approaches to the soul.
1. God begins with law. In the present day there is a nervous dread of law, as if it were the offspring of severity rather than of grace [679] But law checks, rectifies, and blesses in innumerable ways (Psa. 19:7-11; Psa. 119:105, &c).
2. To His law, He adds His word; His word of persuasion, exhortation, promise, and especially the great word of the Gospel.
[679] The spring of the law is love. With its Thou shalt not do this, and Thou shall not do that, the law presents rather an ungracious aspect. We like ill to be bidden, but worse to be forbidden. But does love never forbid? A mother, does she never forbid her child; but, on the contrary, indulge every caprice and grant all its wishes? How disastrous the fate, and brief the life, of a child denied nothing, indulged in everything, allowed to play with fire, or fire-arms; to devour the painted but poisonous fruitto bathe where the tide runs like a racehorse or the river rushes roaring into the black, swirling pool. And he who frets against the restraints of Gods holy law because it forbids this and the other thing, is no wiser than the infant who weeps, and screams, and struggles, and perhaps beats the kind bosom that nurses it, because its mother has snatched a knife from its foolish hands.Guthrie.
II. Gods merciful approaches rejected. They have cast away the law, &c. Man meets Gods law with resistance, His love with contempt.
III. Gods merciful approaches giving place to indignation and wrath. Therefore as the fire devoureth, &c. Law being resisted, and love despised, things cannot be as they were before; one of two things must happenthere must be either pardon or punishment. If pardon be rejected, only punishment remains. The images under which this is set forth in the text are most alarming. They show
1. That at last Gods anger strikes at the root of our beingat the very substance of our life. The wrath of man at the worst rages only on the surface, but God strikes at the root (Luk. 12:4; Mat. 10:28).
2. Gods anger smites the blossom of our being. All that constitutes the show, promise, and pride of our life, is scattered like dust.
3. When God smites in anger, He smites suddenly and swiftly, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff.
4. When God smites in anger, man can offer no resistance. What power to resist a hurricane has a tree whose roots are not only rotten, but rottenness? How can the stubble withstand the fire, or the chaff defend itself against tongues of flame?J. R. Wood.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE DOOM OF IMPENITENT ISRAEL
Isa. 5:24-30. Therefore as the fire devoureth, &c.
In this threatening, fulfilled in the utter destruction of Israel by Assyria, we find illustrations of the following facts:I. That the Lord is a God of judgment as well as of mercy [682] The mercy of God had been exemplified in His long forbearance with sinful Israel: His justice was manifested in the utter destruction that came upon Israel when it was seen that that forbearance had been shown in vain. God is still as He revealed Himself in His Word and in His actual dealings with His people. It is utterly vain for us to frame for ourselves an ideal God in whose character the sternest justice has no place. II. That we can sustain no relation to God which will render it safe for us to break His commandments, or exempt us from the consequences of wrong-doing (Isa. 5:25. Compare Isa. 5:5; Amo. 3:2). III. That all the forces of the universe are at Gods disposal for the execution of His purposes. Appalling is the variety of the scourges and swords that lie ready to His hand for the chastisement of the rebellious [685] and for the destruction of the incorrigible! IV. That in addressing Himself to the work of judgment, God is moved by the highest moral considerations. Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel: therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people. In His wrath, as well as in His love, He is holy: in neither is there any caprice. V. That consequently God will not pause in His work of judgment out of any weak regard to the mere sufferings of wrong-doers. It is against sin that His anger burns, and while sin endures the fires of His wrath will continue to flame. Eternal punishment! For impenitent transgressors there is woe upon woe, and no severity of suffering that they may endure abates the anger of the Lord against them. There is no such thing as salvation by personal suffering. See how all this is expressed in our text, from beginning to end.
[682] See my Homiletic Encyclopdia of Illustrations in Theology and Morals, Nos. 22882301.
[685] As for example, conscience, the awakening of which Henry Smith has thus depicted:There is a warning conscience and a gnawing conscience. The warning comes before sin; the gnawing conscience follows after sin. The warning conscience is often lulled asleep, but the gnawing conscience wakes her again. If there be any hell in this world, they who feel the worm of conscience gnawing on their hearts may truly say that they have felt the torments of hell. Who can express that mans horror but himself? Nay, what horrors are those which he cannot express himself! Sorrows are met in his soul as at a feast; and fear, thought, and anguish divide the soul between them. All the furies of hell leap upon his heart like a stage. Thought calls to Fear; Fear whistles to Horror; Horror beckons to Despair, and says, Come, and help me to torment this sinner. One says that she comes from this sin, and another says that she comes from that sin. So he goes through a thousand deaths, and cannot die. Irons are laid upon his body like a prisoner. All his lights are put out at once. He has no soul fit to be comforted. Thus he lives as it were upon the rack, and says that he hears the world upon his shoulders, and that no man suffers that which he suffers. So let him lie, says God, without ease, until he confess and repent and call for mercy.
GENERAL CONCLUSION.It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The history of the Jews since Israels day is a terrible comment on this declaration.
PARTICULAR CONCLUSIONS.
1. As sinners, let us bestir ourselves to avert the consequences of our transgressions by a timely and genuine repentance (Isa. 55:6-7; Hos. 14:1-4, &c.)
2. Having obtained mercy, let us be in the fear of the Lord all the daylong (Joh. 5:14).
3. For our guidance in life, let us keep constantly before us the Biblical presentation of God, as a God of justice and of mercy;of justice, that we may be restrained from transgression; of mercy, that there may grow up in our hearts that love for Him which will cause us to find our highest joy in doing His will.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
3.
THE WRATH OF JUDGMENT
TEXT: Isa. 5:24-30
24 Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25
Therefore is the anger of Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them; and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
26
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly;
27
none shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
28
whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent: their horses hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind;
29
their roaring shall be like a lioness, they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver.
30
And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.
QUERIES
a.
Why is Gods anger so fierce?
b.
What is the ensign to the nations in Isa. 5:26?
c.
How successful will be Gods punishment?
PARAPHRASE
Therefore God will deal with them and burn them. They will disappear like straw on fire. Their roots will rot and their flowers wither, for they have thrown away the laws of God and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. That is why the anger of the Lord is hot against His people; that is why He has reached out His hand to smash them. The hills will tremble, and the rotting bodies of His people will be thrown as refuse in the streets. But even so, His anger is not ended; His hand is heavy on them still. He will send a signal to the nations far away, whistling to those at the ends of the earth, and they will come racing toward Jerusalem, They never weary, never stumble, never stop; their belts are tight, their bootstraps strong; they run without stopping for rest or for sleep. Their arrows are sharp; their bows are bent; sparks fly from their horses hoofs, and the wheels of their chariots spin like the wind. They roar like lions and pounce upon the prey. They seize My people and carry them off into captivity with none to rescue them. They growl over the victims like the roaring of the sea. Over all Israel lies a pall of darkness and sorrow and the heavens are black.
COMMENTS
Isa. 5:24-25 THE ANGER OF GOD: The people are to be smitten. What happens to them will be in proportions of earthquake shaking mightily the earth. Great numbers to be slain. His anger still unappeased. This judgment does not end in a single day or week or even a month. The fundamental cause for all their sin is the rejection of Gods law (Cf. Jer. 6:19; Jer. 8:9; Isa. 30:9; Isa. 30:12). They not only reject His law, they despise it. (Hos. 4:6).
Isa. 5:26-28 THE ANGER STRIKES: The scourge comes. God is perfectly equipped. This scourging instrument is the invading armies of Assyria, composed of a conglomeration of peoples. God gives the signal Lift up an ensign (a signal of some sort) He will hiss (whistle). These armies did not come except through His will and purpose. Strong trained efficiently accoutered. God sends His signal (stirs up the spirit of nations and rulers) and they serve Him (Cf. Oba. 1:1; 2Ch. 36:22; Ezr. 1:1; Isa. 44:28; Isa. 45:1; Isa. 10:5 ff).
Isa. 5:29 GOD IS TERRIBLY FIERCE: Unwearied courageous powerful ferocious cruel bloodthirsty and terrifying swift.
Isa. 5:30 GOD IS COMPLETELY OR OVERWHELMINGLY SUCCESSFUL: As a lioness overwhelms her prey and carries it away. The land is utterly desolated. And if Israel from Assyrian captivity looks toward the home land they will see only the darkness of a cloudy and obscure future. A future and a land darkened by divine judgment.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(24) Therefore as the fire devoureth.Literally, the tongue of fire. The scene brought before us is(1) that of a charred and burnt-up field, horrible and hideous to look upon (comp. Heb. 6:8); (2) that of a tree decayed and loathsome. The double imagery represents the end of the riotous mirth of the unjust judges.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Therefore The general subject of destructive judgments is here resumed from Isa 5:14.
As the fire devoureth Very like the stubble and chaff by fire shall Judah’s glory disappear; root and branch it shall be burned up and pass off in air as smoke.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Consequences of Their Deterioration in Behaviour ( Isa 5:24 ).
Isa 5:24
‘Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
And as the dry grass shrivels in the flame,
So their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will go up as the dust,
Because they have rejected the instruction (Law) of Yahweh of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.’
This ‘therefore’ looks back to the previous four woes. By their behaviour, attitudes, wisdom and self-indulgence these men have rejected the instruction of the mighty Yahweh of hosts, and have despised the word of the supremely Holy One. They have refused to listen to His voice. They have revealed themselves to be stubble and dry grass, the emptiness that is left when the former fruitfulness has gone. So will they be burned up and consumed, as the stubble is burned up in the fields once the fruitful yield has gone, and as the useless dry grass shrivels and collapses down into the flame.
The sad thing is their unawareness of this. They think that their lives are taking root and blossoming. But really their root is like stubble, a useless rejected waste, and their blossom is like dry grass, set to be burned to ashes.
‘Because they have rejected the instruction (Law) of Yahweh of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.’ That is the essence of the matter. They have rejected the Almighty One and the Holy One. God is too big and too moral for them. They want to settle for something less. But that also reveals the greatness of their crime. They have rejected the One Who is over all, the only One Who can pull them from the morass in which they find themselves.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 5:24. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble The latter part of the parabolic song which is contained in the 6th verse, here begins to be more fully explained; and to the end of the chapter we have an account of that total destruction of the Jewish polity which should be brought upon it by a people most skilful in war, and coming from a very distant country. First, the punishment of this threatened destruction and most grievous vengeance is explained in general in this and the following verse. Secondly, the instruments of the destruction, the executors of the divine judgment, a fierce and warlike people, are described: Isa 5:26-29. Thirdly, the consequence of the destruction, and the desperation and troubled conscience of those who remained from this slaughter, are set forth. In the present verse the punishment is denounced, and the impelling cause of that punishment is related; the divine Spirit so directing the discourse, that with the punishment of men the justice of God might immediately appear. The metaphor in this verse is taken from a tree, whose root and flower being wholly consumed, nothing remains but useless wood. It expresses the total destruction of the Jewish state. See Heb 6:7-8. The law of the Lord, and the word of the holy One of Israel, refer more immediately to the divine word of grace offered by Jesus Christ. Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Ver. 24. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble. ] For all the crimes aforementioned, and for that, to all the former they add this, that they have cast away the law of the Lord, and despised his Word.
As the fire.
Devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff.
So their root shall be rottenness.
And their blossom shall go up as dust.
a Lib. xvi. cap. 27.
b Var. ap. Cas. Dion.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 5:24-25
24Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble
And dry grass collapses into the flame,
So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust;
For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down.
And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
For all this His anger is not spent,
But His hand is still stretched out.
Isa 5:24 Fire is a metaphor for judgment and cleansing (i.e., chaff and stubble burn quickly and completely, cf. Isa 33:11; Isa 47:14; Joe 2:5; Mat 4:1). See Special Topic: FIRE .
So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust This is a Hebrew metaphor for total destruction.
For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel This is the reason for judgment. It was the willful, purposeful rejection of the Judean people of their covenant God (esp. Isa 5:19). Notice the two titles for Deity. See Special Topic: NAMES FOR DEITY .
Isa 5:25 On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people Judgment will begin with the household of God. God’s anger is as biblical a theme as is His love! The anger is even accentuated in the presence of great light (cf. Luk 12:48).
And the mountains quaked Many have assumed that this refers to the violent earthquake recorded in the days of Uzziah (cf. Amo 1:1; Zec 14:5). However, it may well be hyperbole of a Theophany. Nature quakes at the coming of her Creator. This imagery is common in the OT (i.e., Isa 64:3; Exo 19:18; Jer 4:24; Joe 2:10; Nah 1:5).
their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets OT people were shocked by unburied bodies, rotting, exposed, or eaten by animals (i.e., Eze 39:4; Eze 39:17-20; Nah 3:3). A proper burial affected one’s joy in the afterlife. It was a curse and horror to be unburied (cf. 1Sa 31:8-13).
SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL PRACTICES
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the law. See note on Isa 1:10.
the word = saying, or spoken word. Hebrew. ‘imrah.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 5:24-30
Isa 5:24-25
“Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts, and despised the way of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them; and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”
The big thing in this paragraph is the clear statement of the reason why God’s judgment and destruction of Israel were proclaimed here as already predetermined and certain to occur, the past perfect tenses used here being the Biblical tenses of prophetic certainty.
Sinful men who have rebelled against God’s government and who stubbornly continue their wickedness are on a collision course with disaster, determined and foretold from the foundation of the world and absolutely impossible of avoidance.
The mention of “God’s law” is a reference to the Pentateuch without any doubt whatever, thus categorically giving the lie to all theories about the Pentateuch having been derived from the post-exilic works of Jewish priests.
Isa 5:26-30
“And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly. None shall be weary or stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind: their roaring shall be like a lioness, they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver. And they shall roar against thee in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.”
The extended metaphor of the lion, the lioness, and the young lions points squarely at the king of Assyria and his merciless armies as instruments through which the impending judgment of God’s rebellious and wicked people would be executed. A reading of Nah 2:11-13 will quickly reveal how this lion metaphor constituted the universally known logo of Assyria, an identification that clung to that evil kingdom until their own final destruction.
God’s providential help of the enemies who would destroy Israel is indicated in the promise that not even the hoofs of the horses would be lame, and that at centuries of time before the shoeing of horses, as known to us, was ever heard of.
Here we also have another glimpse of the pattern in God’s punishment of nations. The first chapter of Zechariah has the remarkable story of the horns that changed into smiths; and there it was revealed that the same nation, at first a horn to execute God’s judgment upon the wicked; but when any “horn,” that is, a persecuting power against God’s purpose on earth, went beyond God’s purpose, God at once changes another horn into a smith that destroys the offending horn. Thus Assyria was the “horn” that mined Egypt; but Babylon became the “smith” that mined Assyria.
In this mention of Assyria as the horn that destroyed Egypt, it should be recognized that Assyria was also the horn that destroyed the Northern Israel. Long prior to that, Israel had been the smith that wrecked the Canaanites under the leadership of Joshua. From the whole Biblical record, it seems reasonable to assume that when any nation reaches a certain degree of wickedness, God will destroy and remove them.
Isa 5:24-25 THE ANGER OF GOD: The people are to be smitten. What happens to them will be in proportions of earthquake shaking mightily the earth. Great numbers to be slain. His anger still unappeased. This judgment does not end in a single day or week or even a month. The fundamental cause for all their sin is the rejection of Gods law (Cf. Jer 6:19; Jer 8:9; Isa 30:9; Isa 30:12). They not only reject His law, they despise it. (Hos 4:6).
Isa 5:26-28 THE ANGER STRIKES: The scourge comes. God is perfectly equipped. This scourging instrument is the invading armies of Assyria, composed of a conglomeration of peoples. God gives the signal – Lift up an ensign (a signal of some sort) He will hiss (whistle). These armies did not come except through His will and purpose. Strong – trained – efficiently accoutered. God sends His signal (stirs up the spirit of nations and rulers) and they serve Him (Cf. Oba 1:1; 2Ch 36:22; Ezr 1:1; Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1; Isa 10:5 ff).
Isa 5:29 GOD IS TERRIBLY FIERCE: Unwearied – courageous – powerful – ferocious – cruel – bloodthirsty and terrifying – swift.
Isa 5:30 GOD IS COMPLETELY OR OVERWHELMINGLY SUCCESSFUL: As a lioness overwhelms her prey and carries it away. The land is utterly desolated. And if Israel from Assyrian captivity looks toward the home land they will see only the darkness of a cloudy and obscure future. A future and a land darkened by divine judgment.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
fire: Heb. tongue of fire
devoureth: Isa 47:14, Exo 15:7, Joe 2:5, Nah 1:10, Mal 4:1, 1Co 3:12, 1Co 3:13
the flame: Mat 3:12, Luk 3:17
their root: Isa 9:14-17, Job 18:16, Hos 9:16, Amo 2:9
cast away: 1Sa 15:23, 1Sa 15:26, 2Ki 17:14, 2Ki 17:15, Neh 9:26, Psa 50:17, Jer 6:19, Jer 8:9, Luk 7:30, Joh 12:48, Heb 10:28, Heb 10:29
despised: Isa 30:12, 2Sa 12:9, 2Sa 12:10, Luk 10:16, Act 13:41, 1Th 4:8
Reciprocal: Exo 5:12 – stubble Num 17:5 – blossom Deu 28:24 – make the rain 2Ki 19:22 – the Holy One 2Ch 34:14 – the law Job 8:17 – roots Job 21:18 – as stubble Psa 71:22 – O thou Isa 1:4 – the Holy Isa 9:18 – mount Isa 26:11 – fire Isa 33:11 – your Isa 33:14 – Who among us shall dwell with the Eze 15:6 – General Amo 2:4 – because Oba 1:18 – for stubble
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 5:24. Therefore as the fire, &c. The latter part of the parabolic song, contained in Isa 5:6, begins here to be more fully explained; and, to the end of the chapter, we have an account of that total destruction of the republic, which was to be brought upon it by a people most skilful in war, and coming from a very distant country. The greatness and impelling cause of this threatened destruction are explained in this and the following verse: the instruments of it, a fierce and warlike people, are described Isa 5:26-29. And the consequence of it, the trouble and desperation of those that remained from this slaughter, Isa 5:30. See Vitringa. Their root shall be as rottenness They shall be like a tree, which not only withers in its branches, but dies and rots at the roots, and therefore is past all hopes of recovery. That is, they shall be destroyed, both root and branch, and that as certainly and irresistibly as fire devours the stubble on which it kindles, and the flame consumes the chaff which it touches. Their blossom shall go up as dust Shall vanish as the dust, which is blown away with every wind, or shall be resolved into dust, and yield no fruit; because they have cast away the law of the Lord, &c. Have cast off all obedience to it, and treated it with contempt.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, [so] their {d} root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
(d) Both they and their posterity so that nothing will be left.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The second explanation for the coming judgment 5:24-25
The second double "therefores" (cf. Isa 5:13-14) announce God’s judgment for the sins mentioned in Isa 5:18-22, but also those identified since Isa 5:8. The condemnation is cumulative.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The people had challenged God to act speedily (Isa 5:19), and Isaiah assured them that He would. God in judgment is seen as an external fire that would consume His people. He would also be to them as an internal disease that decimates a whole plant, from roots to shoots. The reason for judgment is the people’s rejection of mighty Yahweh’s revealed will (cf. Isa 5:12).