ISAIAH CHAPTER 28 The drunkenness of Ephraim bringeth destruction on them: a remnant shall be honourable, ISAIAH 28:1. Their unteachableness, ISAIAH 28:9. Their mock at God's threatenings, ISAIAH 28:14,15. Christ prophesied for a sure foundation to believers, ISAIAH 28:16, and destruction to the moc... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD HATH, to wit, at his command, prepared and ready to execute his judgments, A MIGHTY AND STRONG ONE; the king of Assyria. SHALL CAST DOWN; understand it, the crown of pride; or _them_, the drunkards of Ephraim. WITH THE HAND; or, by his _hand_; either by that king's force or strong hand; or... [ Continue Reading ]
The expression is emphatical; the crown which was upon their own heads shall be trodden under the feet of others; and they, whose drunkenness made them stagger and fall to the ground, shall be trodden down there.... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE HASTY FRUIT; which coming before the season, and before other fruits, is most acceptable; which as soon as a man sees he covets it, and plucks it off, yet doth not long enjoy it, but through greediness devours it almost as soon as he can get it into his hand. And so shall it be with Ephraim's... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THAT DAY; when the kingdom of Israel shall be utterly destroyed. FOR A CROWN OF GLORY, AND FOR A DIADEM OF BEAUTY; God shall give them eminent glory and beauty. Unto the residue of his people; unto the kingdom of Judah, who shall continue in their own country, when Israel is carried into captivit... [ Continue Reading ]
He explains how, or wherein, God would glorify and beautify them, even by giving wisdom to their rulers, and courage to their soldiers; which two things contribute much to the strength, and safety, and glory of a nation. TO THEM THAT TURN THE BATTLE TO THE GATE; to their warriors; whom he describeth... [ Continue Reading ]
But, alas! Judah is guilty of the same sins with Israel, and therefore they also must expect the same calamities; of which he speaks afterward. They run into the same excess of wine and strong drink, whereby they besot themselves, and fall into many errors and miscarriages, both in sacred and civil... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL TABLES; at which the priests, and prophets, and other Jews did eat and drink. They hardly made one sober meal; drunkenness was their daily practice. NO PLACE; no table, or no part of the table; no, not so much as the holy places, in which the priests did frequently eat their meals.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOM SHALL HE, to wit, _the teacher_, which is easily understood out of the following verb; either God, or his prophets, or ministers; TEACH KNOWLEDGE? who is there among this people that are capable and willing to be taught the good knowledge of God? A minister may as soon teach a young child as th... [ Continue Reading ]
PRECEPT MUST BE UPON PRECEPT; they must be taught, like little children, slowly, and by leisure; the same things being oft repeated, because of their great dulness. LINE UPON LINE; one line of the book after another, as children are taught to read.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR; or, _therefore_, as this particle is oft used. For this seems to be the punishment of their dulness. WITH STAMMERING LIPS; either, 1. In way of condescension, as mothers and nurses teach children, lisping and stammering with them. Or, 2. In way of judgment; which suits best with the next claus... [ Continue Reading ]
TO WHOM HE SAID, to which people the Lord, by his minister, said, THIS, this doctrine or precept, as it is expressed, ISAIAH 28:9,10, or the word of the Lord, as it follows, ISAIAH 28:13, is the rest; the only way, in the observation of which you will find rest and satisfaction. CAUSE THE WEARY TO R... [ Continue Reading ]
The sense of the words thus rendered may be this, They spake of God's word with scorn and contempt, repeating the prophet's words in a scoffing manner, and with a stammering and ridiculous tone, saying, _Precept upon precept_, &c.; as if they had said, It seems the prophet takes us to be mere childr... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SCORNFUL MEN; which make a mock at sin, and at God's words and threatenings; and doubt not by your witty devices, and by your wicked practices, to escape God's judgments, of which we read in the next verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE YE HAVE SAID in your hearts, WE HAVE MADE A COVENANT WITH DEATH, and with hell are we at agreement; we are as safe from _death_, and _hell_, or the _grave_, as if they had entered into covenant with us, that they would not invade us. The word rendered _hell_ most commonly signifies the grave... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE: the coherence is something obscure and difficult. It may be made either, 1. Thus, Therefore I will bring most terrible judgments upon you; which are fully expressed, ISAIAH 28:17. But before he comes to the commination, to which _therefore_ properly belongs, he first propoundeth a comfor... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGMENT ALSO WILL I LAY TO THE LINE, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE PLUMMET; I will execute just judgment, as it were by a line and plummet annexed to it, i.e. with exactness and care. And this may be understood either, 1. That God would so order and settle things in his church, that justice and judgmen... [ Continue Reading ]
DISANNULLED; made void, or of none effect; it shall stand you in no stead. YE SHALL BE TRODDEN DOWN BY IT; which you flattered yourselves that it should not come unto you, ISAIAH 28:15.... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM THE TIME THAT IT GOETH FORTH IT SHALL TAKE YOU; as soon as this overflowing scourge or judgment shall _go forth_ from me into the land, it shall assuredly, and with the first, take or seize upon you scoffers, or _carry you away_, which agrees well, both with the Hebrew word, which is frequently... [ Continue Reading ]
For those lying refuges to which you trust will not be able to give you that protection and comfort which you expect from them, no more than a man can stretch himself (as these luxurious Israelites used to do, AMOS 6:4) upon a bed which is too narrow for him, or wrap or keep himself warm with a cove... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL RISE UP, to act and fight against you; as he is said _to sit still_, when he doth forbear to act. MOUNT PERAZIM where he fought against the Philistines, 2 SAMUEL 5:20. _The valley of Gibeon_; where he fought against the Canaanites, JOSHUA 10:10, &c, and afterwards against the Philistines, 1 CH... [ Continue Reading ]
BE YE NOT MOCKERS; for your own sakes do not make a mock of God's word and threatenings, as you use to do. LEST YOUR BANDS BE MADE STRONG; lest thereby you make the judgments of God, which are oft compared to bands, as PSALMS 66:11, PSALMS 73:4, and elsewhere, more sure and unavoidable, and more sev... [ Continue Reading ]
Observe what I say, and do you judge if it be not reasonable.... [ Continue Reading ]
DOTH THE PLOUGHMAN PLOUGH ALL DAY TO SOW? the ploughman doth not spend all his time in ploughing the ground, in order to the sowing it, or, as it follows, in opening it, and breaking its clods; but he hath several times for several works, a time for ploughing, and a time for sowing and harrowing, an... [ Continue Reading ]
MADE PLAIN THE FACE THEREOF, by breaking the clods, which made it ragged and uneven. THE PRINCIPAL WHEAT; either, 1. The wheat, which is the principal or chief of all these grains; or, 2. The best wheat, which he prudently chooseth for seed. THE APPOINTED BARLEY; that proportion of barley which he... [ Continue Reading ]
The sense of the words thus rendered is this, All this he performeth by that discretion which God hath put into him; and therefore be assured that God will order all his affairs with judgment, and will in due season execute the punishments which now he threatens, and will perfect his own works. But... [ Continue Reading ]
A THRESHING INSTRUMENT; which then and there was made like a sled shod with iron, which was drawn by men or beasts over the sheafs of corn, to bruise them, and beat the grain out of them. A CART WHEEL; a lesser and lower wheel than a cart wheel, but of the same form, upon which possibly the threshin... [ Continue Reading ]
BREAD CORN IS BRUISED with a threshing instrument, by comparing this with the foregoing verse and the following words. BECAUSE; or rather, _but_, or _nevertheless_, as the word is frequently used. The sense is, The husbandman doth indeed thresh the bread corn, but he doth it with moderation, and onl... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS ALSO; this part of the husbandman's discretion, expressed ISAIAH 28:27,28, as well as that expressed ISAIAH 28:24,25. WHICH IS WONDERFUL IN COUNSEL, AND EXCELLENT IN WORKING: these words contain the application of the similitude. The husbandman manageth all his affairs with common discretion; b... [ Continue Reading ]