Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 9:4
For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
4. Change the order as in R.V. For the yoke of his burden, &c. thou hast broken.
the staff of his shoulder ] (better back) means the staff with which his back was beaten; the pronouns refer to Israel.
rod of his oppressor ] task-master, as in Exo 5:6.
in the day of Midian ] when the dominion of the Midianites was for ever broken (Judges 7; cf. Isa 10:26). “Day” here means “day of battle,” as often in Arabic. The Arabs speak of the hero of many fights as dhu-l’ ayymn, “master of days.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
4, 5. The destruction of the oppressor.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For thou hast broken – This verse, and the following, show the way in which the occasion of the joy had been furnished. The expression thou hast does not necessarily refer to the past, but is a form of expression derived from the nature of the prophetic visions, where that is described as past which is seen to pass before the eyes of the prophet; see the Introduction, section 7.
The yoke – This word is often used to denote oppression, or tyranny; Lev 26:13; Deu 28:48 – where oppression is described as an iron yoke; compare 1Ki 12:4; Isa 47:6; Isa 58:6.
The staff of his shoulder – The word rendered staff here may mean a bough, a branch, a staff, stick, or rod. Gesenius supposes that the expression here means the rod by which punishment is inflicted, and that the, phrase rod of, or for the shoulder, denotes oppression and servitude. Rosenmuller thinks, that it refers rather to the custom among the ancients of placing a piece of wood, not unlike a yoke, on the necks and shoulders of slaves, as a mark of servitude. Hengstenberg understands it, the staff which strikes the neck or back.
The rod of his oppressor – This, doubtless, refers to the chastisement which was inflicted on those in bondage, and is a phrase denoting oppression and servitude. The word his here refers to Israel.
As in the day of Midian – This refers to the deliverance that was accomplished under Gideon against the Midianites; see Judg. 7; 8. That deliverance was a remarkable interposition of God. It was accomplished not by human strength; but was a signal manifestation of the power of God in delivering the nation from the long oppression of the Midianites. So the prophet says here, that the deliverance will be as signal a proof of the presence and power of God as is was in that day. Herder (Hebrew Poetry, vol. ii. p. 296) says, At that period, in the north part of the country, a great deliverance was wrought. Then, in the obscure forests of Naphtali and Zebulun, the light of freedom went forth over all the land. So now, also, in this northern press of nations, in the way along the sea of Galilee, where now the hostile Syrians are exercising their oppressions, the light of freedom is going forth, and there shall be joy and jubilee, like that of the song of Deborah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 9:4
For Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden
Deliverance from the burden of sin
I.
SIN IS A BURDEN (Psa 38:4). Sinners are heavy laden with this insupportable load, which detains them from God, who alone can relieve them; enfeebles their minds; and harasses them with perplexing fears, and the most uneasy reflections. A proper sense of its powerful influence, its polluting nature and dreadful guilt, like a crushing weight, depresses the spirit, becomes irksome and grievous, and if not happily removed, will prove the means of irremediable ruin.
II. THE CEREMONIAL LAW IS THE YOKE OF THIS BURDEN (Act 15:10).
III. IMMANUEL HAS BROKEN THE YOKE (Col 2:14). (R. Macculloch.)
The Gospel a liberating power
1. The design of the Gospel, and the grace of it, is to break the yoke of sin and Satan, to remove the burthen of guilt and corruption, and to free us from the rod of those oppressors, that we might be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
2. This is done by the Spirit working like fire (Isa 9:5). It is done as in the day of Midian, by a work of God upon the hearts of men. Christ is our Gideon. (M. Henry.)
Encouragement from the past
If God makes former deliverances His patterns in working for us, we ought to make them our encouragements to hope in Him.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Thou hast broken: this notes the matter and occasion of the foregoing joy.
The yoke of his burden; his burdensome and heavy yoke, as the throne of holiness is put for the holy throne, Psa 47:8.
The staff of his shoulder; either the staff wherewith his shoulders were smitten, or the staff or staves by which he was forced to carry burdens upon his shoulders.
The rod, wherewith he beat him. Or, the sceptre; the power and tyranny which he exercised over him.
Of his oppressor; of all his oppressors, but especially of sin and of the devil.
As in the day of Midian; when God destroyed the Midianites in so admirable a manner, and by such unlikely and contemptible means, by three hundred men, and they not fighting, but only holding lamps in their hands, and sounding their trumpets; which was an eminent type of Christs conquering the devil, and all his enemies, by dying upon the cross, and by the preaching of a few unlearned and despicable persons, &c.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. The occasion of the “joy,”the deliverance not only of Ahaz and Judah from the Assyrian tribute(2Ki 16:8), and of Israel’s tentribes from the oppressor (2Ki15:19), but of the Jewish Christian Church from its last greatenemy.
hastthe past time forthe future, in prophetic vision; it expresses the certainty ofthe event.
yoke of his burdentheyoke with which he was burdened.
staff of . . . shoulderthestaff which strikes his shoulder [MAURER];or the wood, like a yoke, on the neck of slaves, the badge ofservitude [ROSENMULLER].
day of Midian (Jud7:8-22). As Gideon with a handful of men conquered the hosts ofMidian, so Messiah the “child” (Isa9:6) shall prove to be the “Prince of peace,” and thesmall Israel under Him shall overcome the mighty hosts of Antichrist(compare Mic 5:2-5),containing the same contrast, and alluding also to “theAssyrian,” the then enemy of the Church, as here in Isaiah, thetype of the last great enemy. For further analogies between Gideon’svictory and the Gospel, compare 2Co 4:7;Jdg 7:22. As the “dividing ofthe spoil” (Isa 9:3) wasfollowed by that which was “not joy,” the making of theidolatrous ephod (Jud8:24-27), so the gospel victory was soon followed by apostasy atthe first, and shall be so again after the millennial overthrow ofAntichrist (Rev 20:3; Rev 20:7-9),previous to Satan’s last doom (Re20:10).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden,…. Of Galilee, of the nation multiplied, of the spiritual inhabitants of it, whose joy was increased; and this is one reason of it, because they were delivered by the Lord from the burdensome yoke of the ceremonial law, which was broken off and abolished by Christ; and from the tyranny of Satan, the god of this world, out of whose hands they were ransomed and delivered; and from the dominion of sin, under the power of which they had been in bondage.
And the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor; different phrases, expressive of the same thing; the bondage and slavery of the law, sin, and Satan:
as in the day of Midian; when Gideon got an entire victory over the Midianites, with a few unarmed men, by the sound of trumpets, and breaking of pitchers, Jud 7:16 and may denote the easy manner in which Christ obtained a conquest over all his and our enemies; and the means by which it is made known unto us, and we are freed from bondage to spiritual enemies; namely, by the ministration of the Gospel, compared to the blowing of trumpets; and which is a treasure put into earthen vessels, frail and weak men.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“For the yoke of its burden and the stick of its neck, the stick of its oppressor, Thou hast broken to splinters, as in the day of Midian.” The suffixes refer to the people ( haeam ). Instead of soblo , from sobel , we have intentionally the more musical form (with dagesh dirimens and chateph kametz under the influence of the previous u instead of the simple sheva). The rhythm of the v. of anapaestic. “ Its burden ” ( subbolo ) and “its oppressor” ( noges bo ) both recall to mind the Egyptian bondage (Exo 2:11; Exo 5:6). The future deliverance, which the prophet here celebrates, would be the counterpart of the Egyptian. But as the whole of the great nation of Israel was then redeemed, whereas only a small remnant would participate in the final redemption, he compares it to the day of Midian, when Gideon broke the seven years’ dominion of Midian, not with a great army, but with a handful of resolute warriors, strong in the Lord (Judg 7). The question suggests itself here, Who is the hero, Gideon’s antitype, through whom all this is to occur? The prophet does not say; but building up one clause upon another with , he gives first of all the reason for the cessation of the oppressive dominion of the imperial power – namely, the destruction of all the military stores of the enemy.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(4) For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden . . .The text comes in the Hebrew with all the emphasis of position. The yoke of his burden . . . thou hast broken. The phrase suggests a bondage like that of Egypt, where the task-masters (the same word as that here rendered oppressors) drove the people to their labours with their rods.
As in the day of Midian.The historical allusion was probably suggested by the division of spoil that had been in the prophets thoughts. Of all victories in the history of Israel, that of Gideon over the Midianites had been most conspicuous for this feature (Jdg. 8:24-27). In Psa. 83:9-11 (which the mention of Assur shows to have been nearly contemporary with Isaiah) we find a reference to the same battle. Men remembered the day of Midian centuries after its date, as we remember Poitiers and Agincourt.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. Thou hast broken In speaking of Messianic times the prophet sees things prospective as though past: but facts of those times he sees in a group, and all in the present tense, as in verse six.
Yoke of his burden “His” refers to Judah. From the Assyrian tributary burden upon him, the thought here rises to the complete unburdening of the future true Israel.
Staff Or, stick, for the yoke Oriental is merely such a pole across the neck of oxen.
Rod The symbol of the oppressor’s power, as the ox-goad (as the word may be interpreted) is the implement with which the driver asserts his power. All are broken together. The ground idea is, that of complete deliverance from the Assyrian rule for the time being. But the antitypical idea of the Messianic deliverance is that which mostly fills the prophet’s vision. This deliverance is to be the counterpart of the Egyptian, in which the whole of Israel was redeemed, though here spoken of the “remnant” only. But the result shall be as in the day of Midian. See Judges 7. In a worldly view, the delivering force is small, but it is God’s force, as it was in the days of Gideon. But who is Gideon’s antitype, through whom all this is to occur? It is not stated. But the reason for the cessation of Assyria’s oppression is given in the next verse.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 9:4. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden His burdensome yoke. The following discourse illustrates the preceding; for it sets forth the great and mighty benefits connected with the appearance of the Messiah, among which the first mentioned is a taking off of the yoke from the shoulders of the people of Christ, and the giving them true liberty, after the example of the deliverance formerly obtained by Gideon, though proceeding from God alone without any human aid. See Jer 23:6 and Luk 1:70-71 where Zechariah seems to have had this passage in view. The yoke here spoken of means the yoke of sin, which occasioned the yoke and servitude of the law, (Gal 3:19. Act 15:10.) and the oppressor seems most probably to refer to that strong man, whose power Christ broke and destroyed. The general meaning of the verse is, that Christ destroyed the power of sin and Satan: Heb 2:14-15. 1Jn 3:8. We may just observe, that as all the great deliverances in the church were figurative of that through Christ, so this of Gideon has by most writers been understood as remarkably figurative of the Christian redemption. See Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 9:4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
Ver. 4. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, ] i.e., Thou hast disenthralled and delivered thy people from the burdenous yokes of their enemies, both corporal and spiritual; that taking thine easy yoke, thy light burden upon them, they might “serve thee without fear in holiness and righteousness before thee all the days of their lives.” Luk 1:74 The Jewish doctors expound all this of Sennacherib’s tyranny, and their deliverance therefrom. But the prophet intendeth a further matter Isa 9:6-7
And the staff of his shoulder.
The rod of his oppressor.
As in the day of Midian.
a Turkish History, 361.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
For thou hast broken: or, When thou brakest, Isa 14:25, Isa 47:6, Gen 27:40, Lev 26:13, Jer 30:8, Nah 1:13
the staff: Isa 10:5, Isa 10:27, Isa 14:3-5, Isa 30:31, Isa 30:32, Psa 125:3
as in the day: Isa 10:26, Jdg 6:1-6, Jdg 7:22-25, Jdg 8:10-12, Psa 83:9-11
Reciprocal: Jdg 8:28 – was Midian Psa 72:4 – the oppressor Psa 81:6 – I removed Psa 146:7 – executeth Pro 22:8 – the rod of his anger shall fail Isa 10:24 – smite thee Isa 14:5 – General Jer 2:20 – For of Jer 28:4 – I will break Jer 48:17 – How Eze 7:11 – Violence Eze 30:18 – I shall break Eze 34:27 – when I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 9:4. For thou hast broken, &c. Bishop Lowth translates this verse, For the yoke of his burden, the staff laid on his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor hast thou broken, as in the day of Midian. The Jews had been under the yoke repeatedly, to one hostile people or another, and had been sorely oppressed by them; formerly by the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Midianites, and, in after times, by the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Macedonians; and many and successive deliverances from their oppressors had God granted them. Now, as the yokes which they had been under were emblematical of those of Satan, sin, and death, the spiritual enemies of Gods people, so their deliverances were figures of the spiritual deliverance which believers, whether Jews or Gentiles, receive through Christ. And of this spiritual deliverance and salvation, as the context shows, this verse is to be understood. For the preceding verses foretel the diffusion of gospel light, and those that follow attest the birth of the Messiah, unfold his characters and offices, and set forth the blessings of his peaceful and righteous reign. See Jer 23:6; Luk 1:70-74, where Zacharias, full of the Holy Ghost, seems most admirably to expound this passage of the prophet. As in the day of Midian When God destroyed the Midianites in so admirable a manner, and by such unlikely and contemptible means, which was an eminent type of Christs conquering the powers of darkness, and all his enemies, by dying on the cross, and by the preaching of a few unlearned, and poor, despised men.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:4 For thou hast broken the {h} yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
(h) You gave them perfect joy by delivering them, and by destroying the tyrants, that had kept them in cruel bondage, as you delivered them by Gideon from the Midianites, Jud 7:21 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God would deliver them from their enemies, primarily physical but also spiritual enemies. The Assyrians would impose a yoke on the Israelites, but God would break that yoke off (cf. Exo 1:11; Exo 2:11; Exo 3:7-8; Exo 5:4-7; Exo 5:10-14; Exo 6:6-7; Lev 26:13; Mat 11:29-30). This deliverance would be entirely of God and against overwhelming odds, as when God broke the yoke of Midian (Judges 6-7, cf. especially Jdg 6:35; Isa 7:2-14; Isa 7:20).