Isaiah 22:23

And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. NAIL IN A SURE PLACE. Large nails or pegs stood in ancient houses, on which were suspended the ornaments of the family. The sense is, All that is valuable to the nation shall rest securely on him. In , "nail" is used of the large spike driven into the ground to fasten the cords of the tent to, and so is used for the tent itself: "grace hath been showed from the Lord our God ... to give us a nail in his holy place." THRONE - i:e., resting-place to his family, as applied to Eliakim; but "throne," in the strict sense, as applied to Messiah the antitype (Luke 1:32)....

23._And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place. _The particle of comparison must here be supplied, and therefore I have inserted in the text the word _as_. By נאמן, (_nĕĕmān_,) _faithful_, he means what is “firm and sure.” The original idea of the word is “truth;” for where “truth” is, there firmness and certainty are found; (94) and therefore Hebrew writers employ the word “truth” to denote what is firm and certain. Isaiah employs an elegant metaphor, from which godly magistrates, who are few in number, ought to draw large consolation. They may conclude that not only has God raised them to that honorable rank, but they are confirmed and established, as if they had been _fixed _by his hand. And indeed, where the fear of the Lord dwells, there the stability, and power, and authority of kings, as Solomon says, are established by justice and judgment. ...

15-25 This message to Shebna is a reproof of his pride, vanity, and security; what vanity is all earthly grandeur, which death will so soon end! What will it avail, whether we are laid in a magnificent tomb, or covered with the green sod? Those who, when in power, turn and toss others, will be justly turned and tossed themselves. Eliakim should be put into Shebna's place. Those called to places of trust and power, should seek to God for grace to enable them to do their duty. Eliakim's advancement is described. Our Lord Jesus describes his own power as Mediator, Revelation 3:7, that he has the key of David. His power in the kingdom of heaven, and in ordering all the affairs of that kingdom, is absolute. Rulers should be fathers to those under their government; and the honour men bring unto their families, by their piety and usefulness, is more to be valued than what they derive from them...

Verse Isaiah 22:23. _A NAIL_] In ancient times, and in the eastern countries, as the way of life, so the houses, were much more simple than ours at present. They had not that quantity and variety of furniture, nor those accommodations of all sorts, with which we abound. It was convenient and even necessary for them, and it made an essential part in the building of a house, to furnish the inside of the several apartments with sets of spikes, nails, or large pegs, upon which to dispose of and hang up the several movables and utensils in common use, and proper to the apartment. These spikes they worked into the walls at the first erection of them, the walls being of such materials that they could not bear their being driven in afterwards; and they were contrived so as to strengthen the walls by binding the parts together, as well as to serve for convenience. Sir John Chardin's account of...

AND I WILL FASTEN HIM AS A NAIL IN A SURE PLACE - The word ‘nail’ here (יתד _yâtēd_) means properly a peg, pin, or spike; and is applied often to the pins or large spikes which were used to drive into the ground to fasten the cords of tents. It is also applied to the nails or spikes which are driven into walls, and on which are suspended the garments or the utensils of a family. In ancient times, every house was furnished with a large number of these pegs, or nails. They were not “driven” into the walls after the house was made, but they were “worked in” while the walls were going up. The houses were usually made of stone; and strong iron hooks, or spikes, were worked into the mortar while soft, and they answered the double purpose of nails to hang things on, and of cramp-irons, as they were so bent as to hold the walls together. These spikes are described by Sir John Chardin (Harmer’s...

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 22:1 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). Preparations have been made for resistance, which are described (Isaiah 22:8); but there has been no turning to God. On the contrary, the dange

AND I WILL FASTEN HIM [AS] A NAIL IN A SURE PLACE,.... In a strong part of the wall or timber, where it shall not fail, or be removed, or cut down, and so let drop what is hung upon it: it denotes the stability and continuance of his government, and of the strength and support he should be of unto others; and well agrees with Christ his antitype; see Zechariah 10:4 and is expressive of the strength of Christ, as the mighty God; and as the man of God's right hand, made strong for himself; and as the able Saviour, and mighty Redeemer; and of the stability of his person, he is unchangeable, the same today, yesterday, and for ever; and of his office, as Mediator, Head, and Surety of the covenant; whose priesthood passes not from one to another, and whose kingdom is an everlasting one, and his truths and ordinances unshaken and immovable: the sure place in which he is fixed is both his church...

CHAPTER 22 The Burden of the Valley of Vision (Jerusalem) 1. _Jerusalem's deplorable state (Isaiah 22:1)_ 2. _The invading armies (Isaiah 22:5)_ 3. _The siege and the calamity (Isaiah 22:8)_ 4. _Shebna (Isaiah 22:15)_ 5. _Eliakim (Isaiah 22:20)_ This is another intensely interesting prophecy. Jerusalem has passed through many sieges and at last in part the prophecy has been fulfilled. But there is another siege of Jerusalem impending. It will come after the message of the fall of the final Babylon. See...

SHEBNA TO BE DEPOSED AND ELIAKIM INSTALLED IN HIS OFFICE. This denunciation of Shebna, who seems to have been a foreigner, was probably due to the obnoxious character of his policy. Presumably he favoured the Egyptian alliance. The sarcastic description of the abuse of Eliakim's position by his relatives, and their subsequent downfall with him, can hardly be due to the author of the remarkable eulogy that has just preceded. Accordingly Isaiah 22:24 f., at least, must be regarded as a later addition, probably by a scribe unfriendly to Eliakim's family. On the other hand, it is not likely that Isaiah 22:19 is also an appendix. Isaiah's address to Shebna may have stopped with Isaiah 22:18 or...

Isaiah 22:15-25. A Philippic against an influential Politician Shebna, the minister here addressed, is supposed from his name and from Isaiah's indignation at his ambitious desire to have a magnificent sepulchre in Jerusalem, to have been a foreigner in the royal service. The office which he holds is the highest in the court, and is of course a measure of his influence with the king. That he was a partisan of the Egyptian alliance may be safely assumed, and it is likely that Isaiah had found in him the most astute and resolute opponent of the policy which he advocated. This opposition, together with hearty contempt for the character of the man, is the occasion of Isaiah's only invective against an individual. The prophecy is therefore probably contemporaneous with ch. 28 31. Eliakim was probably the leader of the party favourable to Isaiah's views, and the substitution of the one mi