Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 8:16
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
16. Cf. ch. Isa 30:8; Dan 12:4. Bind up seal ] The imperatives can only be understood as a command of Jehovah to Isaiah, as in Isa 8:1 ff. But in the next verse Isaiah himself is the speaker, and since the change of person is somewhat abrupt, the suggestion deserves consideration that the two verbs are infs. abs. (wrongly vocalised). We might then translate: “(I will) bind up (I will) seal.”
the testimony the law ] testimony instruction (see on Isa 1:10). Both words are here used of the contents of the revelations communicated to the prophet during these months of danger and anxiety; the former describes more particularly the evidential character of the predictions, the latter refers to the practical element in the revelation (as in Isa 7:4-9, Isa 8:11-13).
among my disciples ] i.e. those who had received the prophet’s message, and rallied round him as their spiritual guide.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16 18. The prophet, recognising the failure of his work as regards the nation, prepares a written record of his teaching, and deposits this as a sealed document in the custody of his disciples. By this solemn act he forms an inner circle of religious fellowship, which is the nucleus of the new people of God. See General Introd. p. xxxi.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Bind up – This expression is one that is applicable to a volume, or roll of writing. Thus far the prophet seems to have had the roll opened, which is mentioned in Isa 8:1. Now the prophecy is complete, and he directs to bind it up, or close it. Perhaps, also, it is implied that it would be useless any further to address a rebellious and headstrong people. He had delivered his message, but they disregarded it.
The testimony – The message; especially that of which Uriah and Zechariah had been called to bear witness, Isa 8:2. Any message from God is, however, sometimes called a testimony, as being that to which a prophet bears witness; Psa 19:7; 2Ki 11:12; Deu 4:45; Deu 6:17, Deu 6:20; 1Ki 2:3; Neh 9:34.
Seal – Books were made in the form of rolls, and were often sealed when completed – as we seal a letter. The mode of sealing them was not by wax only, but by uniting them by any adhesive matter, as paste, or glue. Wax in warm climates would be generally rendered useless by the heat. The meaning here is, to secure, to close up – perhaps by passing a cord or string around the volume, and making it secure, denoting that it was finished; see Dan 8:26; Dan 12:4.
The law – The communication or command which he had delivered, and which, being given by inspiration, had now the force of law.
Among my disciples – Most of the Jewish commentators suppose that the volume, when completed by a prophet, was given for safe keeping to his disciples, or to some employed to preserve it securely. The word disciples means those who are taught, and here means those who were taught by the prophet; perhaps the pious and holy part of the people who would listen to his instructions. The Chaldee translates this verse, O prophet, preserve the testimony, lest ye testify to those who will not obey; seal and hide the law, because they will not learn it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 8:16
Bind up the testimony
Bind up the testimony
There is evidently a reference in the text to wares or merchandise which are very valuable, and which must be bound up and sealed, to preserve them from being injured or lost, and to convey them in safety to those to whom they belong.
The meaning of the text is, that we should, by searching the Scriptures, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, ascertain what truths and duties are contained in them, and carefully preserve and maintain these like that which is bound up and sealed. In acting in accordance with the instructions given in the text, the once bearers of the Church should take the lead, to encourage and direct the people of Christ; and His people must concur with them in binding up the testimony and sealing the law. Brad up the testimony, seal the law among, or along with, My disciples.
I. IN WHAT MANNER the testimony must be bound up, and the law sealed, among Christs disciples.
1. By their faith in His Word.
2. By their profession of the faith.
3. By obeying the truth.
4. By suffering for the truth.
5. By religious covenanting.
II. FOR WHAT ENDS the testimony is bound up and the law sealed among Christs disciples.
1. For their preservation.
2. For their transmission to posterity. (Original Secession Magazine.)
Divine revelation
It is a great instance of Gods care of His Church and love to it, that He hath lodged in it the invaluable treasure of Divine revelation.
1. It is a testimony and a law.
2. This testimony and law are bound up and sealed, for we are not to add to them or diminish from them.
3. They are lodged as a sacred depositum in the hands of the disciples (2Ti 1:13-14). (M. Henry.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. Among my disciples.] belimmudai. The Septuagint render it . Bishop Chandler, Defence of Christianity, p. 308, thinks they read , that it be not understood, and approves of this reading. – Abp. Secker.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
These are, by the consent of all, Gods words to the prophet. By the testimony and the law or doctrine (for so this word is frequently taken) he understands one and the same thing, as he doth also to wit, the word of God, and especially that which is the main scope and substance thereof, the doctrine of the Messias, which, though now professed by all the Israelites, shall be disowned by the generality of them, when the Messiah shall come.
Bind up and
seal are to be understood prophetically, Declare and prophesy that it shall be bound up and sealed; as Isaiah is said to make fat, and to blind, &c. Isa 6:10, and Jeremiah to root out and pull down, &c., Jer 1:10, when they foretell these events. Moreover, bind up and
seal design the same thing, and that is, either,
1. Security and certainty, as things are bound up or sealed that they may not be lost. So he signifies, that although this doctrine would be lost among the body of the Israelites, yet it should be preserved among his disciples. Or,
2. Secrecy, as many things are bound up or sealed that they may be hid from the eyes of others. And so he informeth them that this doctrine now was and should be hid in a great measure among all Gods people, even till the accomplishment of it; and that even when it was accomplished, it should still continue to be as a secret and mystery, known indeed to his true disciples, but hid from the body of the nation, who would not see it, and therefore should be blinded by Gods just judgment, that they should not see it, as was prophesied, Isa 6:9,10. Or,
3. Both security and secrecy, signifying that it should certainly be fulfilled, yet withal kept secret from the unbelieving Jews. For why may not these two be joined in the exposition of this text, as they were in the event? By Gods disciples he means those who were taught of God, as it is expressed, Isa 54:13, where this very word is used; or, every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, and therefore cometh unto Christ, as it is explained, Joh 6:45.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. Bind up . . . sealWhatIsaiah had before briefly noted by inscribing Maher-shalal-hash-bazin a tablet, fixed up in some public place, he afterwardswrote out more in detail in a parchment roll (Isa30:8); this he is now to seal up, not merely in order thatnothing may be added to, or taken from it, as being complete, but toimply that it relates to distant events, and is therefore to be asealed and not understood testimony (Isa 6:9;Isa 6:10), except in part amongGod’s “disciples,” that is, those who “sanctify theLord” by obedient trust (Ps25:14). Subsequent revelations would afterwards clear up what nowwas dark. So the Apocalypse explains what in Daniel was leftunexplained (compare Dan 8:26;Dan 12:9). “The words areclosed up and sealed till the time of the end”; but Re22:10, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy . . .for the time is at hand” (compare Rev 5:1;Rev 5:5; Rev 5:9),
testimonyattested byUriah and Zechariah (Isa 8:2).
lawthe revelation justgiven, having the force of a law.
disciplesnot asMAURER, Uriah andZechariah (compare Joh 7:17;Joh 15:15).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Bind up the testimony,…. These are not the words of the prophet, as Kimchi thinks, but of the Lord to the prophet, and are part of that instruction given him, Isa 8:11. By “the testimony” is meant the word of prophecy delivered to him; particularly that evangelical part of it respecting Immanuel, who was to be born of a virgin, and would be for a sanctuary to them that believe in him, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, to unbelievers; so the Gospel is called the testimony of Christ, it bearing witness of his person, office, and grace, 2Ti 1:8 and “binding” denotes care of it, as something valuable, that it be not lost, but committed to the trust faithful men, called disciples of Christ in the next clause, in allusion to the binding up of money, or anything of value, in bundles, to be laid up and preserved, Ge 42:35 so the Targum,
“O prophet, keep the testimony:”
seal the law among my disciples: the disciples of Christ, the faithful of that day, and of after times, to whom this prophecy, and the “doctrine” in it, which the word “law” signifies, even the doctrine of Christ, should be transmitted or communicated, which is meant by “sealing” of it; not hiding it from them, but signifying, that while it was a sealed book, a hidden doctrine, and delivered in parables to others, it should be made known to them, and sealed and laid up by them among their treasure, and be so esteemed of; as the Gospel, the doctrine of grace, is, by the true disciples and followers of Christ; who are such as are taught of God, have learned of the Father, who continue in the word and doctrine of Christ, love his people, take up the cross and follow him, and bring forth fruit to the glory of his heavenly Father, Joh 6:45.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The words that follow in Isa 8:16, “Bind up the testimony, seal the lesson in my disciples,” appear at first sight to be a command of God to the prophet, according to such parallel passages as Dan 12:4, Dan 12:9; Rev 22:10, cf., Dan 8:26; but with this explanation it is impossible to do justice to the words “in my disciples” ( b’ilmmudai ). The explanation given by Rosenmller, Knobel, and others, viz., “by bringing in men divinely instructed” ( adhibitis viris piis et sapientibus ), is grammatically inadmissible. Consequently I agree with Vitringa, Drechsler, and others, in regarding Isa 8:16 as the prophet’s own prayer to Jehovah. We tie together ( , imperf. = ) what we wish to keep from getting separated and lost; we seal ( C hatam ) what is to be kept secret, and only opened by a person duly qualified. And so the prophet here prays that Jehovah would take his testimony with regard to the future, and his instruction, which was designed to prepare for this future – that testimony and thorah which the great mass in their hardness did not understand, and in their self-hardening despised – and lay them up well secured and well preserved, as if by band and seal, in the hearts of those who received the prophet’s words with believing obedience ( limmud , as in Isa 50:4; Isa 54:13). For it would be all over with Israel, unless a community of believers should be preserved, and all over with this community, if the word of God, which was the ground of their life, should be allowed to slip from their hearts. We have here an announcement of the grand idea, which the second part of the book of Isaiah carries out in the grandest style. It is very evident that it is the prophet himself who is speaking here, as we may see from Isa 8:17, where he continues to speak in the first person, though he does not begin with .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Importance of the Scriptures. | B. C. 740. |
16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 17 And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. 19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
In these verses we have,
I. The unspeakable privilege which the people of God enjoy in having the oracles of God consigned over to them, and being entrusted with the sacred writings. That they may sanctify the Lord of hosts, may make him their fear and find him their sanctuary, bind up the testimony, v. 16. Note, It is a great instance of God’s care of his church and love to it that he has lodged in it the invaluable treasure of divine revelation. 1. It is a testimony and a law; not only this prophecy is so, which must therefore be preserved safely for the comfort of God’s people in the approaching times of trouble and distress, but the whole word of God is so; God has attested it, and he has enjoined it. As a testimony it directs our faith; as a law it directs our practice; and we ought both to subscribe to the truths of it and to submit to the precepts of it. 2. This testimony and this law are bound up and sealed, for we are not to add to them nor diminish from them; they are a letter from God to man, folded up and sealed, a proclamation under the broad seal. The binding up and sealing of the Old Testament signified that the full explication of many of the prophecies of it was reserved for the New-Testament times. Dan. xii. 4, Seal the book till the time of the end; but what was then bound up and sealed is now open and unsealed, and revealed unto babes, Matt. xi. 25. Yet with reference to the other world, and the future state, still the testimony is bound up and sealed, for we know but in part, and prophesy but in part. 3. They are lodged as a sacred deposit in the hands of the disciples of the children of the prophets and the covenant, Acts iii. 25. This is the good thing which is committed to them, and which they are charged with the custody of, 2Ti 1:13; 2Ti 1:14. Those that had prophets for their tutors must still keep close to the written word.
II. The good use which we ought to make of this privilege. This we are taught,
1. By the prophet’s own practice and resolutions, Isa 8:17; Isa 8:18. He embraced the law ad the testimony, and he had the comfort of them, in the midst of the many discouragements he met with. Note, Those ministers can best recommend the word of God to others that have themselves found the satisfaction of relying upon it. Observe,
(1.) The discouragements which the prophet laboured under. He specifies two:– [1.] The frowns of God, not so much upon himself, but upon his people, whose interests lay very near his heart: “He hides his face from the house of Jacob, and seems at present to neglect them, and lay them under the tokens of his displeasure.” The prophet was himself employed in revealing God’s wrath against them, and yet grieved thus for it, as one that did not desire the woeful day. If the house of Jacob forsake the God of Jacob, let it not be thought strange that he hides his face from them. [2.] The contempt and reproaches of men, not only upon himself, but upon his disciples, among whom the law and the testimony were sealed: I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders; we are gazed at as monsters or outlandish people, pointed at as we go along the streets. Probably the prophetical names that were given to his children were ridiculed and bantered by the profane scoffers of the town. I am as a wonder unto many, Ps. lxxi. 7. God’s people are the world’s wonder (Zech. iii. 8) for their singularity, and because they run not with them to the same excess of riot, 1 Pet. iv. 4. The prophet was herein a type of Christ; for this is quoted (Heb. ii. 13) to prove that believers are Christ’s children: Behold, I and the children whom God has given me. Parents must look upon their children as God’s gifts, his gracious gifts; Jacob did so, Gen. xxxiii. 5. Ministers must look upon their converts as their children, and be tender of them accordingly (1 Thess. ii. 7), and as the children whom God has given them; for, whatever good we are instrumental of to others, it is owing to the grace of God. Christ looks upon believers as his children, whom the Father gave him (John xvii. 6), and both he and they are for signs and wonders, spoken against (Luke ii. 34), every where spoken against, Acts xxviii. 22.
(2.) The encouragement he took in reference to these discouragements. [1.] He saw the hand of God in all that which was discouraging to him, and kept his eye upon that. Whatever trouble the house of Jacob is in, it comes from God’s hiding his face; nay, whatever contempt was put upon him or his friends, it is from the Lord of hosts; he has bidden Shimei curse David, Job 19:13; Job 30:11. [2.] He saw God dwelling in Mount Zion, manifesting himself to his people, and ready to hear their prayers and receive their homage. Though, for the present, he hide his face from the house of Jacob, yet they know where to find him and recover the sight of him; he dwells in Mount Zion. [3.] He therefore resolved to wait upon the Lord and to look for him; to attend his motions even while he hid his face, and to expect with a humble assurance his returns in a way of mercy. Those that wait upon God by faith and prayer may look for him with hope and joy. When we have not sensible comforts we must still keep up our observance of God and obedience to him, and then wait awhile; at evening time it shall be light.
2. By the counsel and advice which he gives to his disciples, among whom the law and the testimony were sealed, to whom were committed the lively oracles.
(1.) He supposes they would be tempted, in the day of their distress, to consult those that had familiar spirits, that dealt with the devil, asked his advice, and desired to be informed by him concerning things to come, that they might take their measures accordingly. Thus Saul, when he was in straits, made his application to the witch of Endor (1Sa 28:7; 1Sa 28:15), and Ahaziah to the god of Ekron, 2 Kings i. 2. These conjurors had strange fantastic gestures and tones: They peeped and muttered; they muffled their heads, that they could neither see nor be seen plainly, but peeped and were peeped at. Or both the words here used may refer to their voice and manner of speaking; they delivered what they had to say with a low, hollow, broken sound, scarcely articulate, and sometimes in a puling or mournful tone, like a crane, or a swallow, or a dove, ch. xxxviii. 14. They spoke not with that boldness and plainness which the prophets of the Lord spoke with, but as those who desire to amuse people rather than to instruct them; yet there were those who were so wretchedly sottish as to seek to them and to court others to do so, even the prophet’s hearers, who knew better things, whom therefore the prophet warns not to say, A confederacy with such. There were express laws against this wickedness (Lev 19:31; Lev 20:27), and yet it was found in Israel, is found even in Christian nations; but let all that have any sense of religion show it, by startling at the thought of it. Get thee behind me, Satan. Dread the use of spells and charms, and consulting those that by hidden arts pretend to tell fortunes, cure diseases, or discover things lost; for this is a heinous crime, and, in effect, denies the God that is above.
(2.) He furnishes them with an answer to this temptation, puts words into their mouths. “If any go about thus to ensnare you, give them this reply: Should not a people seek to their God? What! for the living to the dead!” [1.] “Tell them it is a principle of religion that a people ought to seek unto their God; now Jehovah is our God, and therefore to him we ought to seek, and to consult with him, and not with those that have familiar spirits. All people will thus walk in the name of their God, Mic. iv. 5. Those that made the hosts of heaven their gods sought unto them, Jer. viii. 2. Should not a people under guilt, and in trouble, seek to their God for pardon and peace? Should not a people in doubt, in want, and in danger, seek to their God for direction, supply, and protection? Since the Lord is our God, and we are his people, it is certainly our duty to seek him.” [2.] “Tell them it is an instance of the greatest folly in the world to seek for living men to dead idols.” What can be more absurd than to seek to lifeless images for life and living comforts, or to expect that our friends that are dead should do that for us, when we deify them and pray to them, which our living friends cannot do? The dead know not any thing, nor is there with them any device or working,Ecc 9:5; Ecc 9:10. It is folly therefore for the living to make their court to them, with any expectation of relief from them. Necromancers consulted the dead, as the witch of Endor, and so proclaimed their own folly. We must live by the living, and not by the dead. What life or light can we look for from those that have no light or life themselves?
(3.) He directs them to consult the oracles of God. If the prophets that were among them did not speak directly to every case, yet they had the written word, and to that they must have recourse. Note, Those will never be drawn to consult wizards that know how to make a good use of their Bibles. Would we know how we may seek to our God, and come to the knowledge of his mind? To the law and to the testimony. There you will see what is good, and what the Lord requires of you. Make God’s statutes your counsellors, and you will be counselled aright. Observe, [1.] What use we must make of the law and the testimony: we must speak according to that word, that is, we must make this our standard, conform to it, take advice from it, make our appeals to it, and in every thing be overruled and determined by it, consent to those wholesome healing words (1 Tim. vi. 3), and speak of the things of God in the words which the Holy Ghost teaches. It is not enough to say nothing against it, but we must speak according to it. [2.] Why we must make this use of the law and the testimony: because we shall be convicted of the greatest folly imaginable if we do not. Those that concur not with the word of God do thereby evince that there is no light, no morning light (so the word is) in them; they have no right sense of things; they do not understand themselves, nor the difference between good and evil, truth and falsehood. Note, Those that reject divine revelation have not so much as human understanding; nor do those rightly admit the oracles of reason who will not admit the oracles of God. Some read it as a threatening: “If they speak not according to this word, there shall be no light to them, no good, no comfort or relief; but they shall be driven to darkness and despair;” as it follows here, Isa 8:21; Isa 8:22. What light had Saul when he consulted the witch? 1Sa 28:18; 1Sa 28:20. Or what light can those expect that turn away from the Father of lights?
(4.) He reads the doom of those that seek to familiar spirits and regard not God’s law and testimony; there shall not only be no light to them, no comfort or prosperity, but they may expect all horror and misery, Isa 8:21; Isa 8:22. [1.] The trouble they feared shall come upon them: They shall pass through the land, or pass to and fro in the land, unfixed, unsettled, and driven from place to place by the threatening power of an invading enemy; they shall be hardly bestead whither to go for the necessary supports of life, either because the country would be so impoverished that there would be nothing to be had, or at least themselves and their friends so impoverished that there would be nothing to be had for them; so that those who used to be fed to the full shall be hungry. Note, Those that go away from God go out of the way of all good. [2.] They shall be very uneasy to themselves, by their discontent and impatience under their trouble. A good man may be in want, but then he quiets himself, and strives to make himself easy; but these people when they shall be hungry shall fret themselves, and when they have nothing to feed on their vexation shall prey upon their own spirits; for fretfulness is a sin that is its own punishment. [3.] They shall be very provoking to all about them, nay, to all above them; when they find all their measures broken, and themselves at their wits’ end, they will forget all the rules of duty and decency, and will treasonably curse their king and blasphemously curse their God, and this more than in their thought and in their bedchamber, Eccl. x. 20. They begin with cursing their king for managing the public affairs no better, as if the fault were his, when the best and wisest kings cannot secure success; but, when they have broken the bonds of their allegiance, no marvel if those of their religion do not hold them long: they next curse their God, curse him, and die; they quarrel with his providence, and reproach that, as if he had done them wrong. The foolishness of man perverts his way, and then his heart frets against the Lord, Prov. xix. 3. See what need we have to keep our mouth as with a bridle when our heart is hot within us; for the language of fretfulness is commonly very offensive. [4.] They shall abandon themselves to despair, and, which way soever they look, shall see no probability of relief. They shall look upward, but heaven shall frown upon them and look gloomy; and how can it be otherwise when they curse their God? They shall look to the earth, but what comfort can that yield to those with whom God is at war? There is nothing there but trouble, and darkness, and dimness of anguish, every thing threatening, and not one pleasant gleam, not one hopeful prospect; but they shall be driven to darkness by the violence of their own fears, which represent every thing about them black and frightful. This explains what he had said v. 20, that there shall be no light to them. Those that shut their eyes against the light of God’s word will justly be abandoned to darkness, and left to wander endlessly, and the sparks of their own kindling will do them no kindness.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verse 16-18: SIGNS AND WONDERS
1. Here command is given that this prophecy be preserved by, and for, the faithful remnant of disciples who are willing to obey the word of God, (comp. Verse 1-2; Isa 50:4):
2. Though Judah has forsaken the law of her God, the remnant thereof must seal it up among themselves, (comp. Dan 12:4).
3. The face of the Lord is hidden from the house of Jacob because of their sins (Isa 1:15; Isa 45:15; Isa 54:8; Isa 59:1-2; cf. Deu 31:16-18);. yet, they are adding to their sin by seeking worldly alliances – while the prophet declares his readiness to wait, and expectantly look to the Lord for help, (Verse 17; comp. Isa 25:9; Isa 30:18; Hab 2:3).
4. Isaiah states plainly that both he and the children whom the Lord has given him are for “signs” and “wonders” in Israel -prophetic signs, from the Lord who dwells in Mt Zion, (Verse 18; Psa 9:11; Zec 8:3).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
16. Bind up the testimony. The Lord now turns his discourse to the Prophet, and encourages him, while he must contend against apostates and rebels, to discharge his office with boldness and perseverance. This was highly necessary, for Isaiah had met with great obstinacy in the people; so that if he had only looked at their present condition, that is, at the unbelief of the people, and his fruitless and unsuccessful exertions, he must have altogether given way. On this account the Lord determined to confirm and seal his calling, not only on his account, but for the sake of all who should obey his doctrine; and if very few persons believed the words of the Prophet, still the Lord testifies that his doctrine has been sealed to them, and that, therefore, neither must he desist from his office of teaching, nor must they cease to yield the obedience of faith.
Seal the law. He compares the doctrine of the word to a sealed letter, which may indeed be felt and handled by many persons, but yet is read and understood by few, that is, by those to whom it is sent and addressed. Thus the word of God is received by few, that is, by the elect, though it is held out indiscriminately to all. The word is therefore sealed to those who derive no advantage from it, and is sealed in such a manner that the Lord unseals and opens it to his own people by the Spirit. Some derive the verb צור ( tzor) from נצר, ( natzar,) and translate it keep. But though this does not greatly affect the general meaning, still the superiority of the rendering which I have followed (131) may be proved from the other verb seal; for the custom in ancient times was, first, to tie a thread around a letter, and then to seal it.
We draw from it this highly useful doctrine, namely, that teachers and ministers of the word ought constantly to persevere in discharging their office, though it may seem that all men revolt, and give no evidence of anything but obstinacy and rebellion; for the Lord will reserve for himself some disciples, by whom his letter will be read with advantage, though it be closed to others. The Prophet afterwards employs the same metaphor, when he says, that the word is like a closed book, (Isa 29:11😉 but there he only mentions wicked men, and here he mentions disciples, to whom the doctrine of the word is not without advantage.
It may be objected, Was it then the duty of the Prophet to disregard the people, and to withdraw and shut himself up with the disciples, among whom some good effect was produced? I reply, this was not the Prophet’s meaning; for it was the will of the Lord that Isaiah should appear in public, and cry aloud, and reveal his will to all. But as he spoke to the deaf, and might be discouraged by seeing no evidence of the fruit of his labors, the Lord determined to excite and encourage him to go forward, even when matters were in a desperate condition, and, satisfied with his disciples, though their number was small, to become every day more and more courageous.
(131) Which is also followed in the English Bible, namely, Bind. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE DUTY OF TEACHERS OF TRUTH IN TIMES OF NATIONAL PERVERSION
Isa. 8:16-18
In Heb. 2:13 the commencement of Isa. 8:18 is quoted as an utterance of the Messiah. This opens up questions concerning the New Testament quotations from the Old which cannot be fully discussed in this commentary. It may suffice to remark that the Spirit inspiring Isaiah was the Spirit of Christ, and that therefore Isaiahs utterances generally may be regarded as the utterances of Christ; and further, this is especially true in those cases in which there is a close similarity in the position occupied by the great prophet of the Messiah and the Messiah Himself. At times Isaiah appears to be merely the spokesman of the Messiah; but in others, while his words had their ultimate and highest fulfilment in Christ, they were primarily true of himself, and this appears to be the case here.
There are times when a nation goes utterly wrong, politically, socially, and, as the root of all the evil, religiously. God is forgotten, and the people give themselves over to purposes of ambition or of sensual pleasure. It is a time of formalism and pharisaism, of infidelity and blasphemy, of luxury and vice. So strong is this current of evil that it seems a hopeless and foolish thing for any man or body of men to resist it. What, then, is the prophet or faithful preacher to do? Prudence counsels compliance with the prevailing temper (2Ch. 18:12), or at least a temporary silence. Shall he listen to prudence, and bid principle wait for a more fitting season? Nay, but
I. Let him betake himself in prayer to God (Isa. 8:16). Let him pray especially that Divine truth may be kept in the hearts of the few who have been led to receive it [863]
[863] I agree with Vitringa, Drechsler, and others in regarding Isa. 8:16 as the prophets own prayer to Jehovah. We bindtie togetherwhat we wish to keep from getting separated and lost; we seal what is to be kept secret, and only opened by a person duly qualified. And so the prophet here prayed that Jehovah would take his testimony with regard to the future, and his intimation, which was designed to prepare for the future that testimony and thorah which the great mass, in their hardness, did not understand, and in their self-hardening despised, and lay them up well secured and well preserved, as if by bond and seal, in the hearts of those who received the prophets words with loving obedience. For it would be all over with Israel unless a community of believers should be preserved, and all over with the community if the word of God, which was the ground of their life, should be allowed to slip out of their hearts.Delitzsch.
II. Let him wait upon God with immovable confidence that His truth shall yet prevail in the earth (Isa. 8:17). Thus did the Primitive Christians, the Puritans, and the Covenanters in the evil days in which they lived.
III. Let him recognise and glory in the position he occupies (Isa. 8:18). He and his spiritual children are Gods witnesses (Isa. 44:8); what position could be more honourable? Let them not shrink from its conspicuousness (Php. 2:15); let them not be disheartened by the singularity it involves (H. E. I. 10421045, 3906, 3914; P. D. 1188). Amid all that is depressing and threatening in the position to which they have been Divinely called, let them remember their Lords declarations (Mat. 10:32; Rev. 3:5).
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
3.
THE PEDAGOGY Isa. 8:16-22
TEXT: Isa. 8:16-22
16
Bind thou up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17
And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
18
Behold, I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.
19
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?
20
To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
21
And they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward:
22
and they shall look unto the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and into thick darkness they shall be driven away.
QUERIES
a.
Who were Isaiahs or the Lords disciples?
b.
How were the children of Isaiah signs in Israel?
c.
Why were the people seeking familiar spirits?
PARAPHRASE
Complete the written testimony which I have given you, authenticate and corroborate it among My faithful remnant, said the Lord to me. But, I will trust the Lord, who is presently withdrawing from this rebellious nation, but my hope is in Him because He has promised to be with us again. Behold, I and the children God has given me are signs that He keeps His word and fulfills His promises. Now when the unbelieving people shall advise you to try to find out the future by consulting mediums and witches, do not listen to their superstitions and jargon. Should not the people seek the truth from the God of all truth? How can they ever expect to find out about living from the dead? Seek for truth in the law and testimony of God! Check these so-called revelations of the witches and mediums and if they are different than Gods testimony then you know they do not speak for Him; there is not even the slightest dawning of light in them. My people are going to be led away captive, stumbling, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, those who do not trust Me will rave and shake their fists at heaven and curse their king and their God. Wherever they look there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. And they will be thrust out into the darkness of captivity.
COMMENT
Isa. 8:16-20 TRUE AND FALSE TEACHING: The real crisis in the nation was in its choice of its source for truth and light. Isaiah was commanded by the Lord to bind up (complete) the testimony (revelation from God) and seal (authenticate, prove, corroborate) it among Gods disciples (followers, the faithful remnant). The testimony was all that God had revealed through Isaiah concerning the condition of Israel and Judah and how they might turn to God and be saved. The prophet and his children had even been named to symbolize Gods promises. Isaiah means Jehovah will save (His people); Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return; Maher-shalal-hash-baz means Your enemies will soon be preyed upon and spoiled.
Isaiah and his sons, displaying the image of God in their lives, in the midst of an unbelieving society, were given for testimony of Gods presence and protection for those who trust Him. Their testimony is where the nation is to seek for Jehovah, not in the obscure and ambiguous and false teachings of witches and mediums. It is nothing short of shocking that even Christians are sometimes seduced into seeking the answers to life in witchcraft and spiritism. Seeking to learn from such false and demonic sources is absolutely condemned in both the Old and New Testaments. Isa. 8:18 is quoted in Heb. 2:13 as messianic. Christ, the Great Prophet, the Divine Being coming into the world in the form of flesh, and His disciples, partaking of the divine nature through faith, both displaying the image of God in the midst of an unbelieving society, are given for a testimony of Gods power, presence and protection. Thus Isaiah and his children are types of the Messiah-Prophet and His children.
To the law and to the testimony! There is no alternative if man wants light and truth. Every claim to light and truth must be measured by Gods law and testimonyGods revelation. If any teaching does not speak according to Gods word there is no light in that teaching. It is darkness, falsehood and condemnation. Whatever it is or wherever it is found, if it is true it will agree in fact, principle and practice with Gods revelation. Witchcraft and necromancy does not agree with Gods word. Therefore, there is not even the dawning of light in it.
Isa. 8:21-22 CONSEQUENCES OF CONSULTING FALSE TEACHING: When men choose ignorance falsehood and sin, deliberately, they lose the power to reason to relate and to understand. Nothing makes sense. Man suffers a dehumanizing, deranging, despairing experience. When calamity strikes, as it surely will do those who disobey Gods moral principles of human social existence, chaos reigns. Distresses of many kinds are the consequences of casting away Divine truthboth physical and psychological. Such conditions are described in these versesdistress, famine, anxiety, cursing ones fellowman, cursing God, searching, darkness, gloom, anguish, being driven away. Such is a description of the chosen people at the time of their captivities.
QUIZ
1.
Where was the real crisis in the nations of Israel and Judah?
2.
What was the testimony that Isaiah was to bind up and seal?
3.
What does the word seal mean here?
4.
How did the prophet and his children become a testimony for Jehovah?
5.
How does Isa. 8:18 apply to the New Testament?
6.
What are the consequences of false teaching?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(16) Bind up the testimony . . .The intensity of feeling in which the prophetic utterance of Isa. 8:11-15 had its birth, is followed by a corresponding solemnity at its close. The words which had been so full of meaning for the prophet himself are to be impressed on the disciples of Jehovah (for it is He who speaks), i.e., on those who looked to Isaiah as their guide and counsellor. They are to be written on a parchment roll, as men wrote the sacred Book of the Law; the roll is to be sealed up, partly as a security against its being tampered with, till the time came for its disclosure (Dan. 12:4), partly as an attestation, like the seal of a kings letter (1Ki. 21:8; Est. 3:12), that it was authentic. The two terms testimony (Deu. 8:19; Psa. 50:7; Psa. 119:2) and law are here taken in their wider sense as applicable to any revelation of the mind of God. The law of the Lord of Psa. 19:7; Psa. 119:1 was wider and higher than the Pentateuchal code.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Bind (thou) up The Septuagint and the Targum, and the greater majority of commentators, regard this verse as God’s command to the prophet, and Isa 8:17 as the prophet’s answer. The reason for the command is, that warnings to the ungodly factions and the duty of Jehovah’s adherents have been sufficiently presented; the divine voice, inwardly heard by the prophet, now urges to close this strain, and to seal up the roll containing the preceding truths the testimony which the mass of the people, in their blindness, do not apprehend, and, in their self-hardening, despise. See note at Isa 6:9-10. It is as if God was now saying to Isaiah, “The prophecy is complete; close it up.”
Seal the law The mode of sealing rolls was, by uniting the end to the body of the roll by adhesive paste or glue, then tying the volume with a cord. Dan 8:26; Dan 12:4. “The law” is the inspired communication within the roll.
Among my disciples The roll thus bound was to be kept with the adherents of Jehovah and the prophet, who were composed of the few believing people, and the members of the prophetic school at Jerusalem, of which, no doubt, Isaiah was the head. These were witnesses, like those in Isa 8:1-4.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Warning Against False Testimony
v. 16. Bind up the testimony, v. 17. And I will wait upon the Lord, v. 18. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given Me, v. 19. And when they, v. 20. To the Law and to the testimony! v. 21. And they, the unbelievers, shall pass through it, v. 22. And they shall look unto the earth,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Isa 8:16. Bind up the testimony Engrave the testimony, seal up the law in my disciples. There seems no doubt that the person here introduced speaking is God the Father, in whose will the Messiah immediately after professeth his acquiescence. The testimony and law, mean the doctrine and the law of the Messiah, at which many should be offended; and the words are frequently used in the prophets and the sacred writers for the doctrine of Christ. The engraving or sealing of this in men, is that efficacious operation of Christ and his Spirit, whereby men are brought to a belief of, and an obedience to the word of truth written in their hearts. See Jer 33:2
Cor. Isa 3:3 and 1Co 1:6 in which last passage the apostle seems to have had his eye on these words of Isaiah, as also in 2Co 1:22 and Eph 4:30.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
3. THE TESTAMENT OF THE PROPHET TO HIS DISCIPLES
CHAPTER Isa 8:16 to Isa 9:6
a) Prayer and Exhortation merging into prophetic vision
CHAPTER Isa 8:16-22. (Isa 9:1)
16
BIND up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17
And I will wait upon the LORD,
That hideth his face from the house of Jacob,
And I will look for him.
18
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me
Are for signs and for wonders in Israel
From the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion.
19
And when they shall say unto you,
Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards
That peep, and that mutter:
Should not a people seek unto their God?
For the living to the dead?
20
To the law and to the testimony:
If they speak not according to this word,
It is because there is no light in them,
21
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry:
And it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves,
And curse their king and their God,
And look upward.
22
And they shall look unto the earth;
And behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish;
And they shall be driven to darkness.
Isa 9:1 (23). Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation,
When at the first he lightly afflicted
The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward did more grievously afflict
Her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in kGalilee of the nations.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
On Isa 8:16. beside here and Isa 8:20 occurs only Rth 4:7. The meaning is testifying; in the passive sense, that which is testified, which then may be taken in various senses. The divine will which the prophets testify to men (Exo 19:21; Exo 19:23; Deu 8:19; 1Sa 8:9; Jer 11:7; Jer 42:19; Amo 3:13, etc.) has for contents both what men ought to do and what God has resolved to do. imper. from constringere, colligare (Isa 11:13); (in Isaiah again only Isa 29:11) is to seal. occurs only Isa 1:4; Isa 54:13 and Jer 2:24; Jer 13:23. It means doctus, eruditus; and is used both of spiritual and of physical relations.
On Isa 8:17-18. According to our construction it might be expected that there would be before . But this follows in Isa 8:18; for does not mean behold, I am here, but, behold I. I do not deny that in itself it may mean the former. But I believe that were this the Prophets meaning he would have expressed it in a less mistakable form by writing before or (Gen 49:16) . I think , then, is epexegetical of the subject of . Then is explained why this subject is not more distinctly marked by . The Prophet obtains a more emphatic prominence for it in the . and are combined as in Deuteronomy (Deu 4:34; Deu 6:22; Deu 7:19; Deu 13:3; Deu 26:8; Deu 28:46; Deu 29:2; Deu 34:11. Comp. Isa 20:3. depends on . This addition is, in relation to , not superfluous.
On Isa 8:19. means an inflated leather bottle (occurs only Job 32:19, and as a proper name Num 21:10; Num 33:43), then the distended body of the ventriloquist, and then, not only the ventriloquist himself, (1Sa 28:3; 1Sa 28:9; 2Ki 23:24; Isa 19:3; and the passage previously cited) but the pretended spirit of the dead that spoke by him (1Sa 28:7-8; Isa 29:4; 1Ch 10:13). In many of these passages it is indeed doubtful which of these two meanings the word may have; or if it does not have both. Elsewhere the word seems to mean the secret art, necromancy, divination itself (2Ki 21:6; 2Ch 33:6). The plural is always . Because this plural occurs also Job 32:19, it cannot for that reason be concluded that only women were possessed of this necromancy ( , 1Sa 28:7, the witch of Endor). Still it is surprising that (mase.) is found only in the Talmud (vid. GESEN. Thes. p. 35). never occurs alone, but always joined with . It means the knowing one, wise one, or wizard. DELITZSCH, very much to the point, compares according to Plato = , the much knowing being. Pilpel, found only in Isaiah. The word primarily is used of the chirping of birds (Isa 10:14; Isa 38:14), then of the voice proceeding out of the ground (Isa 29:4). is likewise a word that imitates a sound (comp. ach. chsen). As represents a high, shrill sound, so does a low one; for it is used for the growling of a lion (Isa 31:4), of the rolling of the thunder (Job 37:2), of the low murmuring of the dove (Isa 38:14; Isa 59:11). It occurs again in Isa 16:7; Isa 33:18; Isa 59:3; Isa 59:13. In classic antiquity, too, we find a gentle, chirping, whispering voice ascribed to the dead. Comp. Iliad XXIII. 101, where it is said of the soul of Patroclos ; Odyss. Isa 24:5-9, where stridere is equally ascribed to the souls of the dead suitors and to the whirring of the bats in the dark caves. Other examples see in GESENIUS, in loc. In our passage the necromancers are said to hiss and mutter, because they imitated the voice of the dead in this fashion. with (elsewhere it is construed with Eze 14:7, or with 1Sa 28:7, 2Ki 1:2) by reason of Deu 12:30; Deu 18:11, occurs in Isaiah three times; here, Isa 11:10; Isa 19:3; comp. Job 5:8. The preposition is perhaps to be treated as depending on the notion of penetrating that is contained in that of investigation.
On Isa 8:20. is an exclamation, a sort of shout of command. But if one must have a grammatical construction, the may be taken as dependent on or (comp. Lev 19:31; Lev 20:6), whereby the remark of GESENIUS (Thes. p. 728) obtains, that praemittitur homini, rei locoque. DELITSZCH compares Jdg 7:18. , but it is doubtful whether is not to be supplied there according to Isa 8:20.
Expositors differ extraordinarily about . The explanation is grammatically quite incorrect that makes begin the apodosis, and construes it as a particle of asseveration or of the apodosis ( = ) VITRINGA, ROSENMUELLER, GESENIUS, etc.). Others (DE WETTE, MAURER, EW., HITZIG, DRECHSLER) take as a form of adjuration: they will say truly. But this involves an evident contradiction. For how can he who turns to the law and testimony curse his king and God in time of need? Others (KNOBEL, DELITZSCH) take it as an interrogative particle, referring it back to Isa 8:19 : Or will not they accord in this word that are without dawn? But from the context it appears that this is just what they will not do. I construe simply = nisi, and begin the apodosis with Isa 9:21 (so, too, DIESTEL). (comp. Isa 19:12) occurs Isa 47:11; Isa 58:8, as figure of the dawning revelation of salvation.
On Isa 8:21. is referred by VITRINGA, MAURER, DELITZSCH, etc., to understood as a matter of course, Isa 8:22. But this is not so a matter of course, because it first appears after; and cannot be said only in relation to the notion land. ROORDA, DRECHSLER refer it more correctly to the condition intimated by . is the . . If means durum esse, to be hard, heavy, then is treated hard, grieved, oppressed. (Isa 9:19; Isa 29:8; Isa 32:6; Isa 44:12; Isa 58:7; Isa 58:10) adds to the notion of outward pressure that of incapacity to bear, that is occasioned by hunger. The full (Deu 32:15; Psa 78:29; Pro 30:9) has easily too much, the hungry too little strength.Hithp. only here Kal. Isa 47:6; Isa 54:9; Isa 57:16-17; Isa 64:4; Isa 64:8. I construe with in the sense of curse against one. Elsewhere it is construed with the accusative, and the following signifies the higher power by which one swears, i.e., by whose mediation one imprecates evil on the object of his wrath (1Sa 17:43; 2Ki 2:24). But with that construction there would be wanting here an object of the cursing (DIESTEL). And it is much more natural that one enraged should curse the cause of his sufferings than the sufferings themselves. may be construed with after the analogy of verbs that mean striving (Isa 19:2; Isa 30:32, etc.) and being angry (Deu 3:26; Psa 78:62; Gen 30:2; Gen 44:18, etc.).On Isa 8:22. Hiph. Isa 18:4; Isa 22:11; Isa 42:18; Isa 51:1-2; Isa 51:6, etc. , distress and darkness, vid. comment. on Isa 8:30. caligo obscurity, . . found again Isa 30:6; Pro 1:27. (again Isa 58:10; Isa 59:9) is used for thick darkness, e. g., Exo 10:22. some take in the sense of scared away, so that the transition would begin here. As to this time the nation will have been rejected, so from now on shall misfortune, as it were, be exiled (DRECHSLER). But the words are so completely co-ordinate with both the foregoing members of the sentence, and on the other hand the transition is so utterly without anything to indicate it, that this meaning cannot be satisfactory. Others (KNOBEL, DELITZSCH) explain after the analogy of Jer 23:12, as if it read , or . But this also seems too artificial. The omission of the subject, when it is especially looked for on account of its generic difference from the subjects of both the foregoing members, must raise a doubt. But has by no means only the signification to scatter, disperse. In Deu 20:19 it means impellers (securim), 2Sa 15:14, propellere, immittere (miseriam) Pro 7:21 depellere, drive away; seduce. Why then may not mean tenebrae immissae, whereby, because the notion dispellere undoubtedly lies in the word, it may be taken in the sense of ab omni parte immissae, longe lateque diffusae? So substantially SAADIA, KOCHER. As regards the incongruity of gender, it need give no surprise. The predicate is to be construed as neuter: tenebrae immissum, expansum aliquid. It is apparent that in the three members of Isa 8:22 b reigns the law of unity in manifoldness. For evidently these three members are so far alike that in all of them the words are in pairs, and the notion of darkness recurs as the chief one. But in the first member occurs hendiadys (distress and darkness = obscuring distress, or distressing obscurity), in the second both are merged into one notion, dimness of anguish; in the third the predicate is added in an adjective, i. e., participial form.
On Isa 8:23 (Isa 9:1). I construe the words Isa 8:20 on to Isa 8:22 as a parenthesis, and refer to Isa 9:20. Where law and testimony live in mens souls, there, spite of distress ( only here in Isaiah; comp. Job 36:16; Job 37:10), is no darkness. . . notice in Mu-aph a reverse vowel pointing from Ma-uph, Isa 8:22, a play of words that reflects the contrast of thought. anticipates the idea of land contained in next clause. . is not a conjunction as, but a preposition, and signifies the coincidence (Isa 9:2; Gen 18:1; Gen 18:10; Gen 18:14; Gen 39:18; Jdg 2:4, etc.) = about the first time. This first time evidently extends to the dawn of the new time that begins with the Messiah; and last time coincides therefore with (Isa 2:2). means levem, tenuem, exilem esse (Gen 8:11; Job 7:6; Nah 1:14; Jer 4:13, etc.,) therefore the Hiph. (again in Isaiah only, Isa 23:9) levem, exilem reddere. a poetic form of (comp. Job 34:13; Job 37:12). is best construed as accusative of time. It might, indeed, be taken as nominative, but elegance is against it. The same regions, that in the first clause of the verse are described as the object of the degrading, are now, in the second clause, by other divisions and names, said to be the object of , glorifying. [The English version supposes a contrast that requires to be taken in the sense of lightly afflicting, as distinguished from to afflict more grievously. But this distinction is unauthorized by usage.J. A. ALEXANDER].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. I cannot help thinking that in this section we have a farewell address of the Prophet; as it were, his spiritual will. That it speaks of disciples, whereas there is no mention of them elsewhere, is a hint that here lies before us a written archive specially meant for them. What, then, could the Prophet have given his disciples in this written form, but something that must be valuable to them for the time, when he could no longer communicate with them by word of mouth as he could at that moment? Then, too, the prayer to the LORD, to seal in the disciples law and testimony, the emphatic reference to the pledges of faith given in the persons of himself and his sons, the warning against future seductions, and the reference to that which could give light and comfort in the troublous days to be expected,all this brings me to the conviction that here we have actually the spiritual testament of Isaiah to his disciples.
2. Bind upmy disciples.
Isa 8:16. The opening words of this will connect appropriately with the LORDS words of exhortation Isa 8:13. I have no doubt that the words Isa 8:16, are addressed to Jehovah. For only the LORD can do this binding up and sealing. The prophets might seal a book roll, or declare that the meaning of a prophecy is to be shut up till a certain time (vid.Dan 8:26; Dan 12:4; Dan 12:9; Isa 10:4; Isa 22:10; Isa 29:11; Jer 51:60 sqq. and my comment); but they cannot seal the divine revelation in the hearts of men. Moreover, in all the following verses the Prophet is the speaker, and the change from the words of God to the words of the Prophet must certainly have been more distinctly marked than by the simple before . The mention of binding up and sealing in a spiritual sense was perhaps occasioned by the actions appropriate to the real documents (vid.Jer 32:9 sqq.). Having so disposed of the writing that contained his own will, the Prophet prayed the LORD to do still better, and enclose and seal up his testament in the hearts of his disciples. For the propriety of the metaphor, vid.Pro 3:3; Pro 7:3; Jer 31:33. They are the same as are written to life, Isa 4:3. As primarily the law means the Mosaic law, which was the basis and norm of all prophetic announcements (Deu 13:1 sqq.; Deu 18:18 sqq.), and which the Prophets ever and again had to reimpress (Jer 29:19), so Isaiah must mean by the testimony all additional prophetic testimony, especially all threatenings and promises that referred to the future. In the prayer he makes for his disciples, he does not intend the preservation of the divine testimony unto the proper time for its revelation, but he would thereby give to themselves the only true support and comfort for the evil days to come. As, according to Isa 8:17, his faith in the word of God was his own sole comfort, so (Isa 8:20) he directs his disciples to the law and testimony, warning them against every false comfort (Isa 8:19). Though Isaiah had primarily disciples and scholars in mind, we need not suppose he was at the head of a school of prophets. What he would teach them was religious truth, not to prophesy. And thus about this group of scholars, as about a nucleus, would gather all in Jerusalem and Judah that had any heart for the spiritual jewels of Israel.
3. I will waitin mount Zion.
Isa 8:17-18. This affords a touching insight into the personal life of the Prophet. He enforces the prayer just made by confessing that he holds fast to the LORD, and waits (vid.Isa 5:4; Isa 25:9; Isa 26:8; Isa 33:2; Isa 51:5; Isa 59:9; Isa 59:11; Isa 60:9; Isa 64:2), notwithstanding the LORD seems to have forsaken the house of Jacob (he evidently means this people, the fleshly Israel) and hidden His face (comp. Isa 50:6; Isa 53:3; Isa 54:8; Isa 59:2; Isa 64:6). But he does not hope alone. His children hope with him. This is significant. We know, indeed, nothing about the age of the children. That our passage follows close on Isa 8:1-4, is no proof that it originated in that period. Isaiah would hardly at that time have designated his children (plural) as companions of his faith. For Maher-shalal was hardly yet born, and this circumstance speaks rather for later composition. Isaiah knows that his children are not only children of his body, but of his spirit too. They are miraculous children, products, not only of nature, but of the divine effective power. (Rom 9:7 sqq.: Gal 4:28 sq.). Therefore, not only are his and their names prophetic, but their birth, too, is such; at least that of Maher-shalal. Thus they are by their existence as by their names , signa, (Rom 5:14) finger boards, and , miraculous pledges of miracles. Which Jehovah has given me; by these words Isaiah points to the support of his hope. For why should not we hope in God who has done such wonders? Our passage, moreover, recalls the words of Jos 24:15 : I and my house will serve the LORD
4. And when they shall sayto the dead.
Isa 8:19. The Prophet now adds a warning against seduction to idolatrous necromancy. And does not this warning give the impression of proceeding from a man who is on the point of leaving his own, and who, before his departure, seeks to protect them against impending danger? And when they shall say, presents the superstition as at hand and to be dreaded. From Isa 2:6; Isa 3:2 sq., we see that various sorts of superstitious divination were practised among the Jews at that time. Such were expressly forbidden in the law. Comp. Lev 19:31; Lev 20:6; Lev 20:27; Deu 18:10-11. In all these passages familiar spirits and wizards are named together, and Deu 18:11 the words necromancer are expressly added: so that Isaiah seems to have had this passage in mind.
The second clause of the verse, should not, etc., is usually regarded as the reply of the believing disciples to those who tempted them [J. A. ALEXANDER]. But this seems to me unnecessary. It is primarily the answer that Isaiah himself gives, and it is to be understood that the disciples are to reply to the same effect. According to the Prophet, those seductive temptations are to be met by two arguments. First, he urges that every nation must inquire of its god as the chief disposer of its destiny. Therefore Israel onght to turn to Jehovah. It appears from this that the Prophet assumes the position that Jehovah is the national god of Israel, without challenging the existence of other gods, and that he assumes that those tempters recognize Jehovah as the proper national god. (God of the fathers). The second argument Isaiah takes from the representation of the ancients of the relation of the dead to the living. Only he that lives in the body lives really. By death he sinks deep down. Comp. FRIEDR., NAGELSBACH,Homer. Theol. VII. 14 sqq. Nachhomer. Theol. VII. 14 sqq. But how nearly Hebrew representations approach those of classic antiquity, may be seen from passages like Isa 14:9 sqq.; Eze 26:20 sq,; Eze 31:14 sqq.; Eze 32:17 sqq.; Eze 38:18 eq.; Psa 6:6; Psa 88:4 sqq.; Job 14:10 sqq. It is therefore folly, nonsense, to seek any help for the living among those gone down deep. Thus the words are to be construed interrogatively: For the living (shall one inquire of) the dead?
4. To the lawGalilee of the nations.
Isa 8:20-21 (Isa 9:1). Now Isaiah refers his disciples to the divine source of light and comfort, which alone can keep them upright in the impending evil days. Whoever does not find these his support, will undoubtedly be destroyed. Who shall say: To the law and the testimony? All that have no dawn. They are such as nowhere see in any outward relations a ray of light, that announces the day of salvation. When such see no inward comfort and support by means of Gods word, they wander oppressed and hungry, etc. As hunger smarts, it readily happens that such fall into a bitter rage and curse their king and God, thus both the heavenly and earthly government, as being to blame for their sufferings. Most expositors understand by his king that a divinity is meant; and only differ as to whether, according to Psa 5:3; Psa 68:25, Jehovah is meant, [so J. A. ALEXANDER and BARNES] or, according to Amo 5:26; Zep 1:5, the idols; agreeing that king and God mean the same person. But against this speaks: 1. occurring twice; 2. the following he looks upward and to the earth he looks. Similar blasphemy is described as a symptom of the anti-Christian time Rev 16:9; Rev 16:11; Rev 16:21.
Wherever the wretched look, above or to earth, everywhere presents itself only the mournful sight of dark distress.
About the first time,etc.
Isa 8:23 (Isa 9:1). The Prophet now intimates what sort of light shall arise to the believing from the law and testimony. He shall know from the prophecy, which the Prophet with these very words gives to his own (to which however, others still are added later), that the North of Palestine, which heretofore was little regarded compared with the South, shall attain to great honor, and become a place of great blessing to the whole land. He evidently refers to the Messianic time, and intimates that the glory of it will illuminate in an eminent way that northern region of Palestine. More particularly as to the how? and when? the Prophet does not know. If it is asked why he predicts this just here, we may see the ground for it in the fact that at that time, it was just from that northern quarter of the Ten Tribes, that great danger threatened Judah. The war with Syria and Ephraim was the occasion of this whole series of prophecies. The gaze of the Prophet is emphatically fastened on the North. What wonder if on this occasion he not only predicts the impending judgment of this northern land, but also the glory in store for it!
Zebulon was bounded on the North by Naphtali, eastward by the sea of Galilee, westward by Asher and Phnicia (comp. Jos 19:10 sqq.). Naphtali possessed the north-east of Canaan west of Jordan, for it touched the base of Antilebanon, was bounded on the east by the sea of Galilee, on the south by Zebulon, and on the west by Asher. (Jos 19:32 sqq.). As the way of the sea, according to the context, must be a land inhabited by Israelites, it cannot be the coast of the Mediterranean, as some have supposed; for Phnicians dwelt there. It can only be the coast of the the sea of Chinnereth (Num 34:11; Jos 12:3; Jos 13:27) bank of Jordan, is East Jordan land. The expression, with and without the sun-rising, is extremely common (Gen 1:10 sq.; Num 35:14; Deu 1:1; Deu 1:5; Jos 1:14 sq.; Isa 2:10, etc.). The region named here Galilee of the nations, (. .), was originally called , the Galilee, (the bent, the circuit, circulus, annulus, comp. ) and was a part of Naphtali. Comp. Jos 20:7; Jos 21:32; 1Ch 6:61; 1Ma 2:63. The region is called also (1Ki 9:11), and (2Ki 15:29).
In Jdg 1:30-33 we are told that, as elsewhere, the Canaanites were not exterminated from this region. From the nature of things, in a region so distant from the national sanctuary, the heathen element would increase more than elsewhere. The continual intercourse with neighboring heathen in war and peace, moreover, the depriving the land of its Israelite inhabitants by Tiglath-Pileser (2Ki 15:29) may have gradually given the heathen element a preponderance. From the New Testament, we know that the Jews looked down on the Galileans with a certain contempt (Joh 1:46; Joh 7:41; Joh 7:52; Act 2:7). When, Joh 7:41 the Jews questioned whether the Messiah would come out of Galilee, when they, John 9:52, asserted, too, that not even a Prophet was to come out of Galilee, it is the more remarkable that, as DELITZSCH quotes, Talmud and Midrasch say: that the Messiah shall be revealed in Galilee, and from out Tiberias shall the redemption dawn. But Matthew sees in the fact that Jesus came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim a fulfilment of our prophecy, and justly (vid.Mat 4:13 sqq.). For that the Prophet notices such special traits of the Messianic picture of the future as the ante-nuptial conception, and the going forth from Galilee will not surprise those who reflect that these special matters are no trifles, but of greatest importance, and thus in a high degree worthy of prophetic notice. For they belong essentially to that fundamental character of the plan of redemption, whereby the Redeemer and His kingdom shall rise out of the depth of humility and ignominy to honor and glory.
[J. A. ALEXANDER with HENDERSON, COCCEIUS and others regard the words Isa 9:16 as spoken to the Prophet by God, or, as some suppose, by the Messiah, the mentioned in the foregoing verse; and likewise Isa 9:17-18, because there is no intimation of a change in the speaker, and because Heb 2:13, 5:17 is quoted as the words of the Messiah, not as an illustration, but as a proof that Christ partook of the same nature with the persons called His children. DELITZSCH and v. HOFMANN (vid. their comment on Heb 2:13), who agree in treating these words of Isa 8:16-18 as the Prophets, and yet recognize a typical and prophetic reference to Christ, explain the use made of this in Heb. l. c. by the canon: it admits of no doubt that the writers of the New Testament, allow themselves to quote utterances of typical Old Testament personages concerning themselves as utterances, and words of Christ. DELITZSCH.TR.].
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Isa 7:1. Hierosolyma oppugnatur, etc. Jerusalem is assaulted but not conquered. The church is pressed but not oppressed.Foerster.
2. On Isa 7:2. Quando ecclesia, etc. When the Church is assaulted and Christ crucified over again in His elect, Rezin and Pekah, Herod and Pilate are wont to form alliance and enter into friendly relations. There are, so to speak, the foxes of Samson, joined indeed by the tails, but their heads are disconnected.Foerster.He that believes flees not (Isa 28:16). The righteous is bold as a lion (Pro 28:1). Hypocrites and those that trust in works (work-saints) have neither reason nor faith. Therefore they cannot by any means quiet their heart. In prosperity they are, indeed, overweening, but in adversity they fall away (Jer 17:9). Cramer.
3. On Isa 7:9. (If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.) Insignis sententia, etc. A striking sentiment that may be adapted generally to all temptation, because all earnest endeavor after anything, as you know, beguiles us in temptation. But only faith in the word of promise makes us abide and makes sure whatever we would execute. He warns Ahaz, therefore, as if he said: I now promise you by the word, it shall be that those two kings shall not hurt you. Believe this word! For if you do not, whatever you afterwards devise will deceive you: because all confidence is vain which is not supported by the word of God.Luther.
4. On Isa 7:10-12. Wicked Ahaz pretends to great sanctity in abstaining from asking a sign through fear of God. Thus hypocrites are most conscientious where there is no need for it: on the other hand, when they ought to be humble, they are the most insolent. But where God commands to be bold, one must be bold. For to be obedient to the word is not tempting God. That is rather tempting God when one proposes something without having the word for it. It is, indeed, the greatest virtue to rest only in the word, and desire nothing more. But where God would add something more than the word, then it must not be thought a virtue to reject it as superfluous. We must therefore exercise such a faith in the word of God that we will not despise the helps that are given in addition to it as aids to faith. For example the Lord offers us in the gospel all that is necessary to salvation. Why then Baptism and the Lords Supper? Are they to be treated as superfluous? By no means. For if one believes the word he will at the same time exhibit an entire obedience toward God. We ought therefore to learn to join the sign with the word, for no man has the power to sever the two.
But do you ask: is it permitted to ask God for a sign? We have an example of this in Gideon. Answer: Although Gideon was not told of God to ask a sign, yet he did it by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, and not according to his own fancy. We must not therefore abuse his example, and must be content with the sign that is offered by the Lord. But there are extraordinary signs or miracles, like that of the text, and ordinary ones like Baptism and the Lords Supper. Yet both have the same object and use. For as Gideon was strengthened by that miraculous event, so, too, are we strengthened by Baptism and the Lords Supper, although no miracle appears before our eyes. Heim and Hoffmann after Luther. Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, also asked the Lord to show him the right wife for Isaac by means of a sign of His own choosing, (Gen 24:14).
It ought to be said that this asking a sign (opening the Bible at a venture, or any other book) does not suit Christian perfection (Heb 6:1). A Christian ought to be inwardly sensible of the divine will. He ought to content himself with the guarantees that God Himself offers. Only one must have open eyes and ears for them. This thing of demanding a sign, if it is not directly an effect of superstition (Mat 12:39; Mat 16:4; 1Co 1:22), is certainly childish, and, because it easily leads to superstitious abuses, it is dangerous.
5. On Isa 7:13. Non caret, etc. That the Prophet calls God his God is not without a peculiar emphasis. In Zec 2:12 it is said, that whoever touches the servants of God touches the pupil of Gods eye. Whoever opposes teacher and preacher will have to deal with God in heaven or with the Lord who has put them into office.Foerster.
6. On Isa 7:14. The name Immanuel is one of the most beautiful and richest in contents of all the Holy Scripture. God with us comprises Gods entire plan of salvation with sinful humanity. In a narrower sense it means God-man (Mat 1:23), and points to the personal union of divinity and humanity, in the double nature of the Son of God become man. Jesus Christ was a God-with-us, however, in this, that for about 33 years He dwelt among us sinners (Joh 1:11; Joh 1:14). In a deeper and wider sense still He was such by the Immanuels work of the atonement (2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:3). He will also be such to every one that believes on Him by the work of regeneration and sanctification and the daily renewal of His holy and divine communion of the Spirit (Joh 17:23; Joh 17:26; Joh 14:19-21; Joh 14:23). He is such now by His high-priestly and royal administration and government for His whole Church (Mat 28:20; Heb 7:25). He will be snch in the present time of the Church in a still more glorious fashion (Joh 10:16). The entire and complete meaning of the name Immanuel, however, will only come to light in the new earth, and in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:3; Rev 21:23; Rev 22:5).Wilh. Fried. Roos.
Isa 8:7. On Isa 8:5 sqq. Like boastful swimmers despise small and quiet waters, and on the other hand, for the better display of their skill, boast of the great sea and master it, but often are lost in it,thus, too, did the hypocrites that despised the small kingdom of Judah, and bragged much and great things of the power and splendor of the kingdom of Israel and of the Syrians; such hypocrites are still to be found now-a-dayssuch that bear in their eye the admiranda Romae, the splendor, riches, power, ceremonies and pomp of the Romish church, and thereupon set their bushel by the bigger-heap. It is but the devils temptation over again: I will give all this to thee.Cramer.Fons Siloa, etc. The fountain of Siloam, near the temple, daily reminded the Jews that Christ was coming.Calvin on Joh 9:7.
8. On Isa 8:10. When the great Superlatives sit in their council chambers and have determined everything, how it ought to be, and especially how they will extinguish the gospel, then God sends the angel Gabriel to them, who must look through the window and say: nothing will come of it.Luther.Christ, who is our Immanuel, is with us by His becoming man, for us by His office of Mediator, in us by the work of His sanctification, by us by His personal, gracious presence.Cramer.
9. On Isa 8:14-15. Christ alone is set by God to be a stone by which we are raised up. That He is, however, an occasion of offence to many is because of their purpose, petulance and contempt (1Pe 2:8). Therefore we ought to fear lest we take offence at Him. For whoever falls on this stone will shatter to pieces (Mat 21:44). Cramer.
10. On Isa 8:16 sqq. He warns His disciples against heathenish superstition, and exhorts them to show respect themselves always to law and testimony. They must not think that God must answer them by visions and signs, therefore He refers them to the written word, that they may not become altogether too spiritual, like those now-a-days who cry: spirit! spirit! Christ says, Luke 16 : They have Moses and the prophets, and again Joh 5:39 : Search the Scriptures. So Paul says, 2Ti 3:16 : The Scripture is profitable for doctrine. So says Peter, 2Pe 1:9 : We have a sure word of prophecy. It is the word that changes hearts and moves them. But revelations puff people up and make them insolent. Heim and Hoffmann after Luther.
Chap. 911. On Isa 9:1 sqq. (2). Postrema pars, etc. The latter part of chap. 8 was (legal and threatening) so, on the other hand, the first and best part of chap. 9 is , (evangelical and comforting). Thus must ever law and gospel, preaching wrath and grace, words of reproof and words of comfort, a voice of alarm and a voice of peace follow one another in the church. Foerster.
12. On Isa 9:1 (2). Both in the Old Testament and New Testament Christ is often called light. Thus Isaiah calls Him a light to the gentiles, Isa 42:6; Isa 49:6. The same Prophet says: Arise, shine (make thyself light), for thy light is come, Isa 60:1. And again Isa 9:19 : The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light. In the New Testament it is principally John that makes use of this expression: The life was the light of men, Joh 1:4, and the light shined in the darkness, Joh 9:5. John was not that light, but bore testimony to the light, Joh 9:8. That was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, Joh 9:9. And further: And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, Joh 3:19. I am the light of the world, (Joh 8:12; Joh 9:5; comp. Joh 12:35).
13. On Isa 9:1 (2). The people that sit in darkness may be understood to comprise three grades. First, the inhabitants of Zebulon and Naphtali are called so (Isaiah 8:23), for the Prophets gaze is fixed first on that region lying in the extreme end of Palestine, which was neighbor to the heathen and mixed with them, and on this account was held in low esteem by the dwellers in Judah. The night that spreads over Israel in general is darkest there. But all Israel partakes of this night, therefore all Israel, too, may be understood, as among the people sitting in darkness. Finally, no one can deny that this night extends over the borders of Israel to the whole human race. For far as men dwell extends the night which Christ, as light of the world, came to dispel, Luk 1:76 sqq.
14. On Isa 9:5 (6). Many lay stress on the notion child, inasmuch as they see in that the reason for the reign of peace spoken of afterwards. It is not said a man, a king, a giant is given to us. But this is erroneous. For the child does not remain a child. He becomes a man: and the six names that are ascribed to Him and also the things predicted of His kingdom apply to Him, not as a child, but as a man. That His birth as a child is made prominent, has its reason in this, that thereby His relation to human kind should be designated as an organic one. He does not enter into humanity as a man, i.e. as one whose origin was outside of it, but He was born from it, and especially from the race of David. He is Son of man and Son of David. He is a natural offshoot, but also the crowning bloom of both. Precisely because He was to be conceived, carried and born of a human mother, and indeed of a virgin, this prophecy belongs here as the completion and definition of the two prophetic pictures Isa 7:10 sqq.; Isa 8:1 sqq.He came down from heaven for the sake of us men, and for our bliss (1Ti 1:15; Luk 2:7). For our advantage: for He undertook not for the seed of angels, but for the seed of Abraham (Heb 2:16). Not sold to us by God out of great love, but given (Rom 5:15; Joh 3:16). Therefore every one ought to make an application of the word to us to himself, and to learn to say: this child was given to me, conceived for me, born to me.Cramer.Cur oportuit, etc. Why did it become the Redeemer of human kind to be not merely man nor merely God, but God and man conjoined or ? Anselm replies briefly, indeed, but pithily: Deum qui posset, hominem, qui deberet. Foerster.
15. On Isa 9:5 (6). You must not suppose here that He is to be named and called according to His person, as one usually calls another by his name; but these are names that one must preach, praise and celebrate on account of His act, works and office. Luther.
16. On Isa 9:6. Verba pauca, etc. A few words, but to be esteemed great, not for their number but for their weight. Augustine. Admirabilis in, etc. Wonderful in birth, counsellor in what He preaches, God in working, strong in suffering, father of the world to come in resurrection, Prince of peace in bliss perpetual. Bernard of Clairvaux. In reference to a child is born, and a son is given, Joh. Cocceius remarks in his Heb. Lex. s. v. : respectu, etc., in respect to His human nature He is said to be born, and in respect to His divine nature and eternal generation not indeed born, but given, as, Joh 3:16, it reads God gave His only begotten Son.
In the application of this language all depends on the words is born to us, is given to us. The angels are, in this matter, far from being as blessed as we are. They do not say: To us a Saviour is born this day, but; to you. As long as we do not regard Christ as ours, so long we shall have little joy in Him. But when we know Him as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, as a gift that our heavenly Father designed for us, we will appropriate Him to ourselves in humble faith, and take possession of all His redeeming effects that He has acquired. For giving and taking go together. The Son is given to us; we must in faith receive Him. J. J. Rambach, Betracht. ber das Ev. Esaj., Halle, 1724.
On Isa 9:6 (7). The government is on His shoulders. It is further shown how Christ differs in this respect from worldly kings. They remove from themselves the burden of government and lay it on the shoulders of the privy counsellors. But He does not lay His dominion as a burden on any other; He needs no prime minister and vicegerent to help Him bear the burden of administration, but He bears all by the word of His power as He to whom all things are given of the Father. Therefore He says to the house of Jacob (Isa 46:3 sq.): Hearken unto me ye who were laid on my shoulders from your mothers womb. I will carry you to old age. I will do it, I will lift, and carry and deliver,on the contrary the heathen must bear and lift up their idols, (Isa 46:1; Isa 46:7).Rambach. In the first place we must keep in mind His first name: He is called Wonderful. This name affects all the following. All is wonderful that belongs to this king: wonderfully does He counsel and comfort; wonderfully He helps to acquire and conquer, and all this in suffering and want of strength. (Luther, Jen. germ. Tom. III. Fol. 184 b.). He uses weakness as a means of subduing all things to Himself. A wretched reed, a crown of thorns and an infamous cross, are the weapons of this almighty God, by means of which He achieves such great things. In the second place, He was a hero and conqueror in that just by death, He robbed him of his might who had the power of death, i.e., the devil (Heb 2:14); in that He, like Samson, buried His enemies with Himself, yea, became poison to death itself, and a plague to hell (Hos 13:14) and more gloriously resumed His life so freely laid down, which none of the greatest heroes can emulate.Rambach.
17. On Isa 9:18 (19) sqq. True friendship can never exist among the wicked. For every one loves only himself. Therefore they are enemies one of another; and they are in any case friends to each other, only as long as it concerns making war on a third party.
Isaiah 10-18. On Isa 10:4. (Comp. the same expression in chap. 10). Gods quiver is well filled. If one arrow does not attain His object, He takes another, and so on, until the rights of God, and justice have conquered.
19. On Isa 10:5-7. God works through men in a threefold way. First, we all live, move and have our being in Him, in that all activity is an outflow of His power. Then, He uses the services of the wicked so that they mutually destroy each other, or He chastises His people by their hand. Of this sort the Prophet speaks here. In the third place, by governing His people by the Spirit of sanctification: and this takes place only in the elect.Heim and Hoffmann.
20. On Isa 10:5 sqq. Ad hunc, etc. Such places are to be turned to uses of comfort. Although the objects of temptation vary and enemies differ, yet the effects are the same, and the same spirit works in the pious. We are therefore to learn not to regard the power of the enemy nor our own weakness, but to look steadily and simply into the word, that will assuredly establish our minds that they despair not, but expect help of God. For God will not subdue our enemies, either spiritual or corporal, by might and power, but by weakness, as says the text: my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2Co 12:9).Luther.
21. On Isa 10:15. Efficacia agendi penes Deum est, homines ministerium tantum praebent. Quare nunc sibilo suo se illos evocaturum minabatur (cap. Isa 5:26; Isa 7:18); nunc instar sagenae sibi fore ad irretiendos, nunc mallei instar ad feriendos Israelitas. Sed praecipue tum declaravit, quod non sit otiosus in illis, dum Sennacherib securim vocat, quae ad secandum manu sua et destinata fuit et impacta. Non male alicubi Augustinus ita definit, quod ipsi peccant, eorum esse; quod peccando hoc vel illud agant, ex virtute Dei esse, tenebras prout visum est dividentis (De praedest Sanctt.).Calvin Inst. II. 4, 4.
22. On Isa 10:20-27. In time of need one ought to look back to the earlier great deliverances of the children of God, as to the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, or later, from the hand of the Midianites. Israel shall again grow out of the yoke.Diedrich.
Isaiah 11-23. On Isa 11:4. The staff of His mouth. Evidence that the kingdom of Christ will not be like an earthly kingdom, but consist in the power of the word and of the sacraments; not in leathern, golden or silver girdles, but in girdles of righteousness and faith.Cramer.
24. On Isa 11:10 sqq. If the Prophet honors the heathen in saying that they will come to Christ before Israel, he may be the more readily believed, when Isa 11:11 sqq., he gives the assurance that the return out of the first, the Egyptian exile, shall be succeeded by a return out of the second, the Assyrian exile, (taking this word in the wider sense of Isaiah). It is manifest that the return that took place under Zerubbabel and Ezra was only an imperfect beginning of that promised return. For according to our passage this second return can only take place after the Messiah has appeared. Farthermore, all Israelites that belong to the remnant of Israel, in whatever land they may dwell, shall take part in it. It will be, therefore, a universal, not a partial return. If now the Prophet paints this return too with the colors of the present (Isa 11:13 sqq.), still that is no reason for questioning the reality of the matter. Israel will certainly not disappear, but arise to view in the church of the new covenant. But if the nation is to be known among the nations as a whole, though no more as a hostile contrast, but in fraternal harmony, why then shall not the land, too, assume a like position among the lands? But the nation can neither assume its place among nations, nor the land its place among lands, if they are not both united: the people Israel in the land of their fathers.
25. On Isaiah 11 We may here recall briefly the older, so-called spiritual interpretation. Isa 11:1-5 were understood of Christs prophetic office that He exercised in the days of His flesh, then of the overthrow of the Roman Empire and of Antichrist, who was taken to be the Pope. But the most thorough-going of those old expositors must acknowledge, at Isa 11:4, that the Antichrist is not yet enough overthrown, and must be yet more overthrown. If such is the state of the case, then this interpretation is certainly false, for Isa 11:4 describes not a gradual judgment, but one accomplished at once. There have been many Antichrists, and among the Popes too, but the genuine Antichrist described 2 Thessalonians 2, is yet to be expected, and also the fulfillment of Isa 11:4 of our chapter. Thereby is proved at the same time that the peaceful state of things in the brute world and the return of the Jews to their native land are still things of the future, for they must happen in that period when the Antichristian world, and its head shall be judged by Christ. But then, too, the dwelling together of tame and wild beasts is not the entrance of the heathen into the church, to which they were heretofore hostile, and the return of the Jews is not the conversion of a small part of Israel that took place at Pentecost and after. The miracles and signs too, contained in Isa 11:15-16 did not take place then. We see just here how one must do violence to the word if he will not take it as it stands. But if we take it as we have done, then the whole chapter belongs to the doctrine of hope (Hoffnungslehre) of the Scripture, and constitutes an important member of it. The Lord procures right and room for His church. He overthrows the world-kingdom, together with Antichrist. He makes of the remnant of Israel a congregation of believers filled with the Spirit, to whom He is near in an unusual way, and from it causes His knowledge to go out into all the world. He creates peace in the restless creatures, and shows us here in advance what more glorious things we may look for in the new earth. He presents to the world a church which, united in itself, unmolested by neighbors, stands under Gods mighty protection. All these facts are parts of a chain of hope that must be valuable and dear to our hearts. The light of this future illumines the obscurity of the present; the comfort of that day makes the heart fresh. Weber, der Prophet Jesaja, 1875.
Chap. 1226. On Isa 12:4 sq. These will not be the works of the New Testament: sacrificing and slaying, and make pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to the Holy Sepulchre, but praising God and giving thanks, preaching and hearing, believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth. For to praise our God is good; such praise is pleasant and lovely (Psa 147:1). Cramer.
27. On Chap. 12 With these words conclude the prophetic discourses on Immanuel. Through what obscurity of history have we not had to go, until we came to the bright light of the kingdom of Christ! How Israel and the nations had to pass through the fire of judgment before the sun arises in Israel and the entire gentile world is illumined! It is the, same way that every Christian has to travel. In and through the fire we become blessed. Much must be burnt up in us, before we press to the full knowledge of God and of His Son, before we become entirely one with Him, entirely glad and joyful in Him. Israel was brought up and is still brought up for glory, and we too. O that our end too were such a psalm of praise as this psalm! Weber, Der Pr. Jes. 1875.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Isa 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
Ver. 16. Bind up the testimony, seal the law, &c. ] Et lateat, et lucent. let it both be hidden and be conspicuous. Let thy doctrine, saith God here to the prophet, contained in that great roll, Isa 8:1 or otherwise published (concerning Immanuel especially), be concealed from these profane scoffers, but imparted to my disciples that “sit down at my feet to receive my word.” Deu 33:3 Those Jews in Christ’s time had the testimony, that is, the gospel preached to them; but they were woefully blinded; so that when the Messiah, to whom all their odd signs so well agreed, was among them, they could by no means own him and receive him. Mat 2:5 Joh 1:11 That Italian translation of the New Testament which the Jews lately had, is, for their abuse of it, called in and taken from them. Pope Gregory IX caused their Talmud, wherein Christian religion is so much blasted, to be burned; and the like did Julius III about the year 1553.
Seal the law among my disciples.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 8:16-18
16Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 17And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. 18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
Isa 8:16-18 This stanza links to the beginning of the chapter (cf. Isa 8:1-2). These prophetic messages are for YHWH’s faithful disciples (in every age). There has been/always will be a group of faithful disciples (BDB 541). Isaiah uniquely uses this connotation (i.e., disciples) of this term (cf. Isa 8:16; Isa 50:4 [twice]; Isa 54:13), usually translated teach, train, learn.
Who then does Isa 8:19-22 describe? It could refer to (1) faithless Judeans (i.e., Southern Kingdom) or (2) faithless Israelites (i.e., the Northern Kingdom).
Isa 8:16 Isaiah is to
1. bind, BDB 864, KB 1058, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. seal, BDB 367, KB 364, Qal IMPERATIVE (i.e., put a wax seal on the outer edge)
These are metaphors denoting preservation and security!
Isa 8:17 Isaiah speaks on behalf of the faithful remnant during times of divine punishment. They will wait (BDB 314, KB 313, Piel PERFECT), which can also mean hope, wait patiently, or long for, usually used of hoping/waiting for God (Isa 8:17; Isa 25:9; Isa 26:8; Isa 33:2; Isa 40:31; Isa 51:5; Isa 60:9; Isa 64:4; Zep 3:8). Faith is expressed by patience and hope through trials and the passing of time.
the LORD who is hiding His face This is a metaphor for a broken relationship (cf. Deu 31:17-18).
I will even look eagerly for Him This VERB (BDB 875, KB 1082, Piel PERFECT) denotes intense longing.
1. used of YHWH in Isa 5:2; Isa 5:7
2. used of His disciples in Isa 25:9; Isa 33:2; Isa 60:9
This stresses the interpersonal aspect of faith. It is not God’s blessings, but His presence that believers ultimately desire! This is what the title Immanuel implies.
Isa 8:18 This refers in context to Isaiah in the eighth century, but ultimately it applies best to Jesus (cf. Heb 2:13).
who dwells on Mount Zion In reality YHWH dwelt in heaven, but the Ark of the Covenant was His footstool (i.e., cf. 1Ch 28:2; Psa 99:5; Psa 132:7, the place where heaven and earth met).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
testimony. law. No Art. either here or in Isa 8:20. Note the Structure, above, and the Introversion of these two words. See note on Isa 1:10.
disciples = instructed ones.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 8:16-22
Isa 8:16-18
“Bind thou up the testimony, and the law among my disciples. And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.”
“Bind thou up the testimony …” The meaning here is that Isaiah will interrupt his public ministry for awhile. It is already too late to replace the schemes of Ahaz with a return to the Lord and to trust in his word. We apparently have the same kind of instructions here that God gave to Daniel in Dan 12:4. Isaiah will no longer (for awhile) lift his voice against the sins of the king and his people; but he will conceal and preserve the prophecies he has given until a later period. In the meanwhile, Isaiah and his two sons, Isaiah in his character and devotion, and the sons in their symbolical names, will continue to be silent, but nonetheless undeniable witnesses of the truth.
A very significant development here is seen in the fact that the righteous “remnant” is effectively separated from the sinful nation as a whole; and that proved to be the very plan that Christ would follow in the building of his Church and the spreading of the gospel.
Isa 8:19-22
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead? To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. And they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward; and they shall look unto the earth, and, behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and into thick darkness they shall be driven away.”
These verses are a gloomy prophecy indeed of the gathering darkness about to fall upon Immanuel’s land because of the gross sins of the people as a whole. The specific warnings against witchcraft and other works of darkness indicate the depths to which many had fallen. Notice the power of the warning:
“To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them!”
In times of general wickedness and increasing immorality, there is always the revival of every old and discredited practice the devil ever invented. It is a mark of the sinfulness of our own generation that all kinds of witches, palm readers, star readers, etc., are back in business as they were a thousand years before Christ! “There is no morning” for those who thus seek supernatural help.
Look how ridiculous it is that people would go to the dead in order to procure valid knowledge to help the living. It would be just like going to a pauper to learn how to handle money, or going to a drunkard to learn how to handle liquor! The only absolute yardstick of spiritual truth is the Word of God; and absolutely no human opinions, religions, philosophies, or systems of morality can be valid unless they are in harmony with the Word of God.
Isa 8:16-20 TRUE AND FALSE TEACHING: The real crisis in the nation was in its choice of its source for truth and light. Isaiah was commanded by the Lord to bind up (complete) the testimony (revelation from God) and seal (authenticate, prove, corroborate) it among Gods disciples (followers, the faithful remnant). The testimony was all that God had revealed through Isaiah concerning the condition of Israel and Judah and how they might turn to God and be saved. The prophet and his children had even been named to symbolize Gods promises. Isaiah means Jehovah will save (His people); Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return; Maher-shalal-hash-baz means Your enemies will soon be preyed upon and spoiled.
Isaiah and his sons, displaying the image of God in their lives, in the midst of an unbelieving society, were given for testimony of Gods presence and protection for those who trust Him. Their testimony is where the nation is to seek for Jehovah, not in the obscure and ambiguous and false teachings of witches and mediums. It is nothing short of shocking that even Christians are sometimes seduced into seeking the answers to life in witchcraft and spiritism. Seeking to learn from such false and demonic sources is absolutely condemned in both the Old and New Testaments. Isa 8:18 is quoted in Heb 2:13 as messianic. Christ, the Great Prophet, the Divine Being coming into the world in the form of flesh, and His disciples, partaking of the divine nature through faith, both displaying the image of God in the midst of an unbelieving society, are given for a testimony of Gods power, presence and protection. Thus Isaiah and his children are types of the Messiah-Prophet and His children.
To the law and to the testimony! There is no alternative if man wants light and truth. Every claim to light and truth must be measured by Gods law and testimony-Gods revelation. If any teaching does not speak according to Gods word there is no light in that teaching. It is darkness, falsehood and condemnation. Whatever it is or wherever it is found, if it is true it will agree in fact, principle and practice with Gods revelation. Witchcraft and necromancy does not agree with Gods word. Therefore, there is not even the dawning of light in it.
Isa 8:21-22 CONSEQUENCES OF CONSULTING FALSE TEACHING: When men choose ignorance falsehood and sin, deliberately, they lose the power to reason to relate and to understand. Nothing makes sense. Man suffers a dehumanizing, deranging, despairing experience. When calamity strikes, as it surely will do those who disobey Gods moral principles of human social existence, chaos reigns. Distresses of many kinds are the consequences of casting away Divine truth-both physical and psychological. Such conditions are described in these verses-distress, famine, anxiety, cursing ones fellowman, cursing God, searching, darkness, gloom, anguish, being driven away. Such is a description of the chosen people at the time of their captivities.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Bind up: Isa 29:11, Dan 12:4
the testimony: Isa 8:20, Deu 4:45, 2Ki 11:12, Joh 3:32, Joh 3:33, Heb 3:5, 1Jo 5:9-12, Rev 19:10
seal: Dan 9:24, Rev 5:1, Rev 5:5, Rev 10:4
among: Isa 54:13, Psa 25:14, Pro 8:8, Pro 8:9, Dan 12:9, Dan 12:10, Mat 13:11, Mar 4:10, Mar 4:11, Mar 4:34, Mar 10:10, 1Co 2:14, Rev 2:17
Reciprocal: 2Ch 23:11 – the testimony Psa 19:7 – testimony Rev 22:10 – Seal
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 8:16. Bind up the testimony There seems no doubt that the person here introduced speaking, is God the Father. By the testimony, and the law or doctrine, the prophet understands one and the same thing, as he doth also Isa 8:20, namely, the word of God, and especially that which is the main scope thereof, the doctrine of the Messiah, which, though now professed by all the Israelites, should be disowned by the generality of them, when the Messiah should come. Bind up and seal are to be understood prophetically, that is, declare and prophesy, that it shall be bound up and sealed; as Isaiah is said to make fat, and to blind, &c., Isa 6:10; and Jeremiah, to root out, and pull down, &c., Jer 1:10, when they foretel these events. Moreover, the expressions, bind up, and seal, design the same thing; and that Isaiah , 1 st, Security, as things are bound up and sealed, that they may not be lost. So he signifies, that although this doctrine should be lost among the body of the Israelites, yet it should be preserved among his disciples; and, 2d, Secrecy, as many things are bound up, or sealed, that they may be hid from the eyes of others. And so he informs them that this doctrine now was, and should be, hid, in a great measure, from all Gods people, till the accomplishment of it; and that even when it was accomplished, it should still continue to be as a secret and mystery, known, indeed, to Gods true disciples, but hid from the body of the nation, who would not see it, and therefore should be blinded by Gods just judgment, that they should not see it, as was prophesied Isa 6:9-10. By Gods disciples, Hebrew, , he means those who were taught of him, as it is expressed Isa 54:13, where this very word is used; or, every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, and therefore cometh unto Christ, as it is explained, Joh 6:45.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:16 {r} Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
(r) Though all forsake me, yet you who are mine keep my word sure sealed in your hearts.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Isaiah’s audience needed to return to God’s revelation and recommit themselves to it, which the prophet led the way in doing (cf. Jos 24:14-15). Those who followed his lead became his disciples and disciples of the Lord.
"Once his [Isaiah’s] message had been rejected by the court (Isa 7:1-17) and the people (Isa 8:1-8), he turned to his disciples (Isa 8:16-18), thus preparing the way for the judgment that God had already pronounced (Isa 6:11-13)." Jesus did the same thing (cf. John 12-16).