Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die - This has been the language or all those who have sought their portion in this life, since the foundation of the world. So the poet: - Heu, heu nos miserif quam totus homuncio nil est! Sic erimus cuncti, postquam nos auferet orcus. Ergo vivamus, dum licet esse, bene read more
It was revealed in mine ears "The voice of Jehovah" - The Vulgate has vox Domini ; as if in his copy he had read יהוה קול kol Yehovah ; and in truth, without the word קול kol , voice, it is not easy to make out the sense of the passage; as appears from the strange versions which the rest of the ancients, (except the Chaldee), and many of the moderns, have given of it; as if the matter were revealed in or to the ears of Jehovah: εν τοις ωσι Κυριου , in the ears of the Lord,... read more
A PROPHECY AGAINST JERUSALEM . The prophet, present in Jerusalem, either actually, or at any rate in spirit, sees the inhabitants crowded together upon the housetops, in a state of boisterous merriment ( Isaiah 22:1 , Isaiah 22:2 ). Outside the walls is a foreign army threatening the town ( Isaiah 22:5-7 ). Preparations have been made for resistance, which are described ( Isaiah 22:8-11 ); but there has been no turning to God. On the contrary, the danger has but made the... read more
Judgment upon Jerusalem. I. THE PROPHET AS SPECTATOR . The valley of vision seems to mean Jerusalem as a whole, round about which are mountains ( Psalms 125:2 ); the city is spoken of, when compared with the surrounding mountains, as the "inhabitant of the valley," otherwise as the "rock of the plain" ( Jeremiah 21:13 ; comp. Jeremiah 17:3 ). If Isaiah is gazing from his house in the lower town, the city would appear as in a valley in relation to the mountains inside as much... read more
The sorrow of the world. We have here a striking picture of that which, in distinction from "godly sorrow," Paul calls "the sorrow of the world." I. THAT GOD SENDS SORROW TO HUMAN SOULS . These national distresses were to be of his sending; it was to be "a day of trouble … by the Lord of hosts" ( Isaiah 22:5 ). The human instrumentality would be visible enough, and both those who inflicted the blow and those who endured it—their enemies and themselves—might fail to... read more
The covering of Judah was that which hid their weakness either from themselves or from the enemy—probably the former. God drew this aside, and they suddenly saw their danger, and began to think how they could best defend themselves. Arms were the first things needed. The armor of the house of the forest . "The house of the forest" was probably that portion of the palace of Solomon which he had called "the house of the forest of Lebanon" ( 1 Kings 7:2-5 ). This was, it would seem, used as... read more
Man's trust in his weapons. "Thou didst look in that day to the armor of the house of the forest." A sermon for the times, in which the highest science and inventive skill are devoted to the perfecting of the deadliest engines of war; and when men dare to say that "Providence is always on the side of the largest battalions." "Some trust in horses, and some in chariots, but we will trust in the Name of the Lord;" "A horse is a vain thing for safety;" "God is a Refuge for us." I. MEN ... read more
Ye have seen also …. are many ; rather, ye saw also were many . The breaches of the city of David . "The city of David" may be here a name for Jerusalem generally, as "the city where David dwelt" ( Isaiah 29:1 ), or it may designate the eastern hill, where David fixed his residence ( 2 Samuel 5:7 ; Nehemiah 3:15 , Nehemiah 3:16 , Nehemiah 3:25 ; Nehemiah 12:37 ). In 2 Chronicles 32:5 we read that Hezekiah at this time "built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it... read more
Ye have numbered … have broken down ; rather, ye numbered … ye broke down . The "numbering" was probably in order to see how many could be spared for pulling down. The repair of the walls with materials thus furnished was a sign of extreme haste and urgency. It would seem from Isaiah 22:7 , Isaiah 22:8 that the repairs were not begun until the town was invested. read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 22:11
Unto the maker thereof "To him that hath disposed this" - That is, to God the Author and Disposer of this visitation, the invasion with which he now threatens you. The very same expressions are applied to God, and upon the same occasion, Isaiah 37:26 ; : - "Hast thou not heard of old, that I have disposed it; And of ancient times, that I have formed it?" read more