Isaiah 1:29

For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. THEY SHALL BE ASHAMED (Romans 6:21) OF THE OAKS. Others translate ( 'eeyliym (H352)) elms; or else the terebinth or turpentine trees. Groves were dedicated to idols. The Druids took their name from the Greek for oaks. A sacred tree is often found in Assyrian sculpture: the symbol of the starry hosts, tsaabaa' (H6635). Hence, the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic translate, 'the idols.' YE SHALL BE CONFOUNDED FOR THE GARDENS - planted enclosures for idolatry; the awful counterpart of the garden of Eden....

29._For _(or, _that is_)_they shall be ashamed _In the Hebrew the particle כי (_ki_) is employed, which properly denotes a cause, but frequently also denotes exposition. Now, since the Prophet does not here state anything new, but only explains the cause of the destruction which awaited the ungodly, to render כי (_ki_) by _that is_, appears to connect it better with the preceding word, כלה, (_kalah_,) _consumed, They shall be consumed, that is, they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired_; as if the Prophet had said that no evil will be more destructive to them than their own superstition. The idols, says he, which you call upon for your protection and safety will rather bring destruction upon you. The word אלים, (_elim_,) _oaks_,...

21-31 Neither holy cities nor royal ones are faithful to their trust, if religion does not dwell in them. Dross may shine like silver, and the wine that is mixed with water may still have the colour of wine. Those have a great deal to answer for, who do not help the oppressed, but oppress them. Men may do much by outward restraints; but only God works effectually by the influences of his Spirit, as a Spirit of Judgment. Sin is the worst captivity, the worst slavery. The redemption of the spiritual Zion, by the righteousness and death of Christ, and by his powerful grace, most fully accord with what is here meant. Utter ruin is threatened. The Jews should become as a tree when blasted by heat; as a garden without water, which in those hot countries would soon be burned up. Thus shall they be that trust in idols, or in an arm of flesh. Even the strong man shall be as tow; not only soon br...

Verse Isaiah 1:29. _FOR THEY SHALL BE ASHAMED OF THE OAKS_ - "For ye shall be ashamed of the ilexes"] Sacred groves were a very ancient and favourite appendage of idolatry. They were furnished with the temple of the god to whom they were dedicated, with altars, images, and every thing necessary for performing the various rites of worship offered there; and were the scenes of many impure ceremonies, and of much abominable superstition. They made a principal part of the religion of the old inhabitants of Canaan; and the Israelites were commanded to destroy their groves, among other monuments of their false worship. The Israelites themselves became afterwards very much addicted to this species of idolatry. "When I had brought them into the land, Which I swore that I would give unto them;...

FOR THEY SHALL BE ASHAMED - That is, when they see the punishment that their idolatry has brought upon them, they shall be ashamed of the folly and degradation of their worship. Moreover, the gods in which they trusted shall yield them no protection, and shall leave them to the disgrace and confusion of being forsaken and abandoned. OF THE OAKS - Groves, in ancient times, were the favorite places of idolatrous worship. In the city of Rome, there were thirty-two groves consecrated to the gods. Those were commonly selected which were on hills, or high places; and they were usually furnished with temples, altars, and all the implements of idolatrous worship. Different kinds of groves were selected for this purpose, by different people. The Druids of the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany, offered their worship in groves of oak - hence the name Druid, derived from...

PART I.—EARLIER PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH (CH. 1-35.) SECTION I.—THE GREAT ARRAIGNMENT (Isaiah 1:1.). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 1:1 TITLE OF THE WORK. It is questioned whether the title can be regarded as Isaiah's, or as properly belonging to the work, and it is suggested that it is rather a heading invented by a collector who brought together into a volume such prophecies of Isaiah as were known to him, the collection being a much smaller one than that which was made ultimately. In favor of this view it is urged (1) that

FOR THEY SHALL BE ASHAMED OF THE OAKS WHICH YE HAVE DESIRED,.... Though there is a change of persons in the words, the same are intended; and design such, who being convinced of the idolatries of the church of Rome they have been fond of, and delighted in, will be ashamed of them, and relinquish them, and come out of Babylon a little before the destruction of it; for under oaks, and such like green trees, idolatry used to be committed, to which the allusion is; see Jeremiah 2:20 and so the Targum interprets it of "trees of idols"; that is, under which idolatry was practised: AND YE SHALL BE CONFOUNDED FOR THE GARDENS YE HAVE CHOSEN; where also idolatrous practices were used, see Isaiah 65:3 and so the Targum paraphrases it, "and ye shall be ashamed of the gardens of idols, fro

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS The reader will find that every chapter has been analyzed as to its contents. We have not made copious annotations, because the three lectures on the book of Isaiah as found at the close of the analysis cover the contents of this book in such a manner that detailed annotations for a study of the book can be omitted. We suggest that all who desire to study this great prophecy in a closer way read carefully the introduction, and after that the three lectures on “The Scope of Isaiah,” “The Messianic Predictions” and “Future Glories and Blessings.” These lectures should be carefully studied and every passage should be looked up. After this has been done, take up the book section by section and follow the analysis we give and consult the lectures whenever needed. I. THE EARLIER PROPHECIES (1-35) 1. Prophecies under the Reign of Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz (1-12) CHAP...

A fragment on tree-worship, possibly late, but probably Isaiah's. It is an immemorial form of idolatry (p. 100), and persists to the present time. The prophet warns his hearers that they will be disappointed in the divine denizens of terebinths (_mg._) and springs in the sacred gardens (_cf._ Isaiah 65:3; Isaiah 66:17). They will themselves fail like the terebinth, whose divine life fails with the fading leaf in autumn or the spring, no longer bubbling with divine energy, but scorched up by the heat. The parched terebinths and gardens are so inflammable that a spark sets them ablaze. Thus ripe for ruin are the strong; they are like tow, and their own work will be the spark that destroys them....

OAKS: the trees resorted to for idolatrous worship (Isaiah 57:5; Isaiah 65:3; Isaiah 66:17; 2 Kings 16:4; 2 Kings 17:10; Ezekiel 6:13). CHOSEN. Hebrew. _bachar._ Occurs four times in the "former" portion (here, Isaiah 7:15; Isaiah 7:16;...