Isaiah 29:9

Isaiah only pretends to speak seriously. He does not actually want the people to be stupid. He wants them to realise the effects of their stupid behaviour.

The women in Jerusalem reply here and in 6:1 to the woman’s request for help. There are two things that they want to know.

• Why is this man better than other men? (They ask this in 5:9.)

• Where did he go? (They ask this in 6:1.)

Many people, like me, believe that the man in the Song is a word picture for God. The first question is an important one for us. Her reply to it (verses 10-16) describes how wonderful God is. But other people do not agree. They say that she is simply describing a wonderful man. And that man seems very wonderful to her because she loves him deeply.