Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 59:10
We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead [men].
10. We grope for the wall, &c. ] Rather, along the wall seeking an outlet. Comp. the very similar passage Deu 28:29.
we are in desolate places as dead men] R.V. among them that are lusty we are as dead men. The A.V. follows the Vulgate, but the rendering “desolate places” seems destitute of any etymological basis. The word, which occurs only here, comes apparently from a root denoting “fatness”; hence the translation of the R.V., which gives a more effective turn to the figure than any other that has been proposed. The soundness of the text, however, is open to suspicion.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
We grope for the wall like the blind – A blind man, not being able to see his way, feels along by a wall, a fence, or any other object that will guide him. They were like the blind. They had no distinct views of truth, and they were endeavoring to feel their way along as well as they could. Probably the prophet here alludes to the threatening made by Moses in Deu 28:28-29, And the Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noon-day as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways.
We stumble at noon-day as in the night – The idea here is, that they were in a state of utter disorder and confusion. Obstacles were in their way on all hands, and they could no more walk than people could who at noon-day found their path filled with obstructions. There was no remission, no relaxation of their evils. They were continued at all times, and they had no intervals of day. Travelers, though at night they wander and fall, may look for approaching day, and be relieved by the returning light. But not so with them. It was all night. There were no returning intervals of light, repose and peace. It was as if the sun was blotted out, and all was one long, uninterrupted, and gloomy night.
We are in desolate places – There has been great variety in the interpretation of this phrase. Noyes, after Gesenius. translates it, In the midst of fertile fields we are like the dead. One principal reason which Gesenius gives for this translation (Commentary in loc.) is, that this best agrees with the sense of the passage, and answers better to the previous member of the sentence, thus more perfectly preserving the parallelism:
At noon-day we stumble as in the night;
In fertile fields we are like the dead.
Thus, the idea would be, that even when all seemed like noon-day they were as in the night; and that though they were in places that seemed luxuriant, they were like the wandering spirits of the dead. Jerome renders it, Caliginosis quasi mortui. The Septuagint, They fall at mid-day as at midnight: they groan as the dying ( hos apothneskontes stenachousin). The Syriac follows this. We groan as those who are near to death. The Chaldee renders it, It (the way) is closed before us as the sepulchre is closed upon the dead; that is, we are enclosed on every side by calamity and trial, as the dead are in their graves. The derivation of the Hebrew word ‘ashemanym is uncertain, and this uncertainty has given rise to the variety of interpretation. Some regard it as derived from shamam, to be laid waste, to be desolate; and others from shaman, to be, or become fat.
The word shemannym, in the sense of fatness, that is, fat and fertile fields, occurs in Gen 27:28, Gen 27:39; and this is probably the sense here. According to this, the idea is, we are in fertile fields like the dead. Though surrounded by lands that are adapted to produce abundance, yet we are cut off from the enjoyment of them like the dead. Such is the disturbed state of public affairs; and such the weight of the divine judgments, that we have no participation in these blessings and comforts. The idea which. I suppose, the prophet means to present is, that the land was suited to produce abundance, but that such was the pressure of the public calamity, that all this now availed them nothing, and they were like the dead who are separated from all enjoyments. The original reference here was to the Jew suffering for their sins, whether regarded as in Palestine under their heavy judgments, or as in Babylon, where all was night and gloom. But the language here is strikingly descriptive of the condition of the world at large. Sinners at noon-day grope and stumble as in the night. In a world that is full of the light of divine truth as it beams from the works and the word of God, they are in deep darkness. They feel their way as blind people do along a wall, and not a ray of light penetrates the darkness of their minds. And in a world full of fertility, rich and abundant and overflowing in its bounties, they are still like the dead. True comfort and peace they have not; and they seem to wander as in the darkness of night, far from peace, from comfort, and from God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. We stumble at noon day as in the night – “We stumble at mid-day, as in the twilight”] I adopt here an emendation of Houbigant, nishgegah, instead of the second, negasheshah, the repetition of which has a poverty and inelegance extremely unworthy of the prophet, and unlike his manner. The mistake is of long standing, being prior to all the ancient versions. It was a very easy and obvious mistake, and I have little doubt of our having recovered the true reading in this ingenious correction.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
We grope: as a blind man that hath no other eyes than his hands feels for the wall, from whence he expects either direction or a resting place to lean on; so they expect salvation as it were blindfold, not taking direction from the prophets, but hoping to obtain it by their cries and fasts, though they continued in their sins, and therefore may well be said to grope after it. See Deu 28:28,29; Job 12:25.
And we grope as if we had no eyes; as if we were stark blind; and being here put for yea, thereby aggravating the misery in repeating the expression.
We stumble at noon-day: this notes their exceeding blindness, as it must needs be with one that can discern no more at noon-day than if it were midnight, Job 5:14.
We are as dead men: he compares their captivity to men dead without hope of recovery; their bonds render them as free among the dead, Psa 88:5. They can see the way, or get out of their captivity, no more than dead men can get out of their graves; thus a calamitous estate is set forth, Psa 44:19, great calamity and despair oft going together: they are as men cast out, no more to be looked after. Compare Lam 3:6. All darkness is uncomfortable, but that of the grave terrible.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. gropefulfilling Moses’threat (De 28:29).
stumble at noon . . . as . .. nightThere is no relaxation of our evils; at the time whenwe might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of ourcalamity.
in desolate placesrather,to suit the parallel words “at noonday,” in fertile(literally, “fat”; Ge27:28) fields [GESENIUS](where all is promising) we are like the dead (who have nohope left them); or, where others are prosperous, wewander about as dead men; true of all unbelievers (Isa 26:10;Luk 15:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
We grope for the wall like the blind,…. Who either with their hands, or with a staff in them, feel for the wall to lean against, or to guide them in the way, or into the house, that they may know whereabout they are, and how they should steer their course:
and we grope as if we had no eyes: which yet they had, the eyes of their reason and understanding; but which either were not opened, or they made no use of them in searching the Scriptures, to come at the light and knowledge of divine things; and therefore only at most groped after them by the dim light of nature, if thereby they might find them. This is to be understood not of them all, but of many, and of the greatest part:
we stumble at noonday as in the night; as many persons do now: for though it is noonday in some respects, and in some places, where the Gospel and the truths of it are clearly preached; yet men stumble and fall into the greatest errors, as in the night of the greatest darkness; as if it was either the night of Paganism or Popery with them:
we are in desolate places as dead men; or “in fatnesses” a; in fat places where the word and ordinances are administered, where is plenty of the means of grace, yet not quickened thereby; are as dead men, dead in trespasses and sin, and at most have only a name to live, but are dead. Some render it, “in the graves” b; and the Targum thus,
“it is shut before us, as the graves are shut before the dead;”
we have no more light, joy, and comfort, than those in the graves have.
a “in rebus pinguissimis”, Junius Tremellius “in pinguetudinibus”, Piscator; “in opimis rebus”, Vitringa. b “In sepulchris”, Pagninus; and so Ben Melech interprets it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10. We grope for the wall like the blind. He explains the same thing by different forms of expression; for, in consequence of the grievous complaints which were heard among the people, he determined to omit nothing that was fitted to describe their calamities. It is perhaps by way of concession (139) that he mentions those things; as if he had said, “Our affairs are reduced to the deepest misery, but we ought chiefly to consider the cause, for we have deserved all this and far worse.” But it is not a probable interpretation, that stupid persons are aroused to think of their evil actions; for, although they are abundantly disposed to complain, yet the devil stupifies them, so that the tokens of God’s anger do not awaken them to repentance, he alludes to that metaphor which he employed in the preceding verse, when he said that the people were in darkness and obscurity, and found no escape; and. his meaning is, that they are destitute of counsel, and overwhelmed by so deep anguish that they have no solace or refuge. When a lighter evil presses upon us, we look around and hope to find some means of escape; but when we are overpowered by heavier distresses, despair takes from us all ability to see or to judge. For this reason the Prophet says that they have been thrown into a labyrinth, and are “groping.”
We stumble. The same thing is expressed, and even in a still more aggravated form, by this mode of expression, that, if they stir a foot, various stumbling blocks meet them on every hand, and, indeed, that there is no alleviation to their distresses, as if day had been changed into night.
In solitary places as dead men. By “solitary places” I understand either gulfs or ruinous and barren regions; for in this passage I willingly follow the version of Jerome, who derives the word אשמנים ( ashmannim) from אשם ( asham,)”to be desolate.” The Jews, who choose to derive it from שמן ( shaman,) to be fat, appear to me to argue idly, and to have no solid ground for their opinion. They think that it denotes men, because שמן ( shemen) denotes “ointment,” and say that this word is used for describing the Gentiles. But the true meaning of the Prophet is, that the Jews have been reduced to a wilderness, so that, shut out from the society of men, they resemble the dead, and have no hope of escape.
(139) “ Comme s’il accordoit qu’elles fassent vrayes.” “As if he admitted that they were true.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) We grope for the wall . . .The words present a striking parallelism with Deu. 28:29, and may have been reproduced from, or in, it.
We are in desolate places . . .Many critics render, (1) among those full of life, or (2) in luxuriant fields, of which (1) is preferable, as giving an antithesis like that of the other clauses. So taken, we have a parallelism with Psa. 73:5-8.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10, 11. We grope for the wall Like the blind we feel our way. And the same or similar course of figures continues to Isa 59:15, each illustrating some comprehensive phase in this confession which the people are openly and freely making, but which, in chap. lviii, it was boasted there was no need to make. Self-righteousness was uppermost in that chapter. Now it is confessed, “Moral blindness and darkness is our lot. Light and peace belong to the lot of the good, but to us it is the same as if we were dead.” In Isa 59:11 the figure is changed to indicate still the same bad state of the heart. With the insolence of a bear we growl; with hopeless sadness we moan like the turtledove.
For judgment That is, for vindication, (see Isa 59:9,) for apology for our condition, but in vain.
For salvation For deliverance from this state; but it fails to appear.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead [men].
Ver. 10. We grope for the wall like the blind. ] We are altogether to seek, utterly destitute of good counsel or advice; neither can we enjoy those comforts that we have.
We are in desolate places as dead men.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
We grope, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 28:29). Idea the same, but word different. The word in Deuteronomy is the same as in Gen 27:12, Gen 27:22; Gen 31:34, Gen 31:37. Exo 10:21. Job 5:14; Job 12:25. The word in Isaiah occurs nowhere else. App-92.
night. Hebrew. nesheph. A Homonym, with two meanings: (1) darkness, as here; Job 24:15. Pro 7:9. 2Ki 7:5, 2Ki 7:7. 2Ki 5:11; 2Ki 21:4. Jer 13:16; (2) daylight, 1Sa 30:17. Job 7:4. Psa 119:147.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
grope: Deu 28:29, Job 5:14, Pro 4:19, Jer 13:16, Lam 4:14, Amo 8:9, Joh 11:9, Joh 11:10, Joh 12:35, Joh 12:40, 1Jo 2:11
in desolate: Lam 3:6
Reciprocal: Job 12:25 – grope Eze 26:20 – in places Amo 5:8 – maketh Mic 3:6 – the sun Zep 1:16 – day Zep 1:17 – they shall Mat 20:30 – two Joh 8:27 – General 2Co 3:14 – their
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
59:10 We grope for the wall like the {h} blind, and we grope as if [we had] no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead [men].
(h) We are altogether destitute of counsel, and can find no end to our miseries.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
All the parallel descriptions in this verse stress the hopelessness and vulnerability of the Israelites due to their natural blindness to God’s ways (cf. Isa 6:10; Isa 8:16-17; Isa 42:7; Deu 28:29).
"They are ’blind’ as to vision and clarity for guiding life, ’stumbling’ as to constancy and stability of life, ’dead’ as to vitality and ’get-up-and-go’." [Note: Ibid., p. 487.]