Isaiah 25:11

And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. HE SHALL SPREAD FORTH HIS HANDS ... - Yahweh shall spread his hands to strike the foe on this side and on that, with as little effort as a swimmer spreads forth his arms to cleave a passage through the water (Calvin) (Zechariah 5:3). Lowth takes "he" as Moab, who, in danger of sinking, shall strain every nerve to save himself: but Yahweh (and "He") shall cause him to sink ('bring down the pride' of Moab). I prefer the English version (Isaiah 16:6). TOGETHER WITH THE SPOILS OF THEIR HANDS - literally, the craftily acquired spoils of his (Moab's) h...

11._And he shall spread out. _The Prophet now explains and confirms the former statement; but he employs a different metaphor, by which he means, that the Lord will spread out his hand to the innermost part of the country of Moab, and not merely to its extremities. Some explain the metaphor thus: “As the arms are stretched out in swimming, so the Lord will chastise the Moabites on all sides.” Others think that it expresses the doubling of punishments, as if he had said, “The Lord will not only punish the Moabites, but will again and again take vengeance for the cruelty which they exercised against the children of God.” But we might take another way of explaining that metaphor. Those who swim do not rush forward with the utmost violence, but gently spread out and quickly draw back their arms, and yet they cut and subdue the waters. In like manner, the Lord does not always put forth great...

9-12 With joy and praise will those entertain the glad tidings of the Redeemer, who looked for him; and with a triumphant song will glorified saints enter into the joy of their Lord. And it is not in vain to wait for him; for the mercy comes at last, with abundant recompence for the delay. The hands once stretched out upon the cross, to make way for our salvation, will at length be stretched forth to destroy all impenitent sinners. Moab is here put for all adversaries of God's people; they shall all be trodden down or threshed. God shall bring down the pride of the enemies by one humbling judgment after another. This destruction of Moab is typical of Christ's victory, and the pulling down of Satan's strong holds. Therefore, beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; for your labour is not in vain in the Lord....

Verse Isaiah 25:11. _AS HE THAT SWIMMETH SPREADETH FORTH_ HIS HANDS TO _SWIM_ - "As he that sinketh stretcheth out his hands to swim"] There is great obscurity in this place: some understand God as the agent; others, Moab. I have chosen the latter sense, as I cannot conceive that the stretching out of the hands of a swimmer in swimming can be any illustration of the action of God stretching out his hands over Moab to destroy it. I take השחה _hashshocheh_, altering the point on the ש _sin_. on the authority of the _Septuagint_, to be the participle of שחה _shachah_, the same with שוח _shuach_, and שחח _shachach, to bow down, to be depressed_; and that the prophet designed a paronomasia here, a figure which he frequently uses between the similar words שהח _shachah_, and שחות _shechoth_. As תחתיו _tachtaiv, in his place_, or...

AND HE SHALL SPREAD FORTH HIS HANDS - The sense is, that Yahweh would stretch out his hands everywhere, prostrating his enemies, and the enemies of his people. Lowth, however, applies this to Moab, and supposes that it is designed to represent the action of one who is in danger of sinking, and who, in swimming, stretches out his hands to sustain himself. In order to this, he supposes that there should be a slight alteration of a single letter in the Hebrew. His main reason for suggesting this change is, that he cannot conceive how the act of the stretch out of the hands of a swimmer can be any illustration of the action of God in extending his hands ever Moab to destroy it. It must be admitted that the figure is one that is very unusual. Indeed it does not anywhere else occur. But it is the obvious meaning of the Hebrew text; it is so understood in the Vulgate, the Chaldee, the Syriac, a...

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 25:1 ISAIAH'S SONG OF PRAISE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GOD'S KINGDOM. AS in Isaiah 12:1, after describing the first setting up of Christ's kingdom and the call of the Gentiles, the prophet broke out into song, through joy at the tidings he was commissioned to announce, so now, having proclaimed the final establishment of the same kingdom in the heavenly Zion, he is again carried away by the sense of exultant gladness into a fresh _Lobgesang_, which he utters in his own person—not, as the former one, in the person of the Church. His song divides itself into three

AND HE SHALL SPREAD FORTH HIS HANDS IN THE MIDST OF THEM,.... In the midst of Moab, in the midst of the enemies of the church of God; and so it denotes the utter destruction of them; for the spreading forth of the hands is to be understood of the Lord, that should do so: AS HE THAT SWIMMETH SPREADETH FORTH [HIS HANDS] TO SWIM; signifying, that as he should exert the power of his might, in the midst of them, he should strike on both sides, as a swimmer does; and as easily and utterly destroy them as the swimmer parts the waters, and has the command of them; though some interpret this of Moab stretching out his hands as the swimmer, either in a way of submission and supplication, or as catching, as men drowning do, at anything, to save them. But the former sense agrees best with what follows: AND HE SHALL BRING DOWN THEIR PRIDE; that is, God shall bring down the pride of Moab, which was...

CHAPTER 25 Israel's Praise and the Blessings of the Kingdom 1. _The praise of the delivered nation (Isaiah 25:1)_ 2. _The blessing for all nations during the Kingdom (Isaiah 25:6)_ 3. _Israel rejoicing after waiting (Isaiah 25:9)_ 4. _Moab and Israel's enemies judged (Isaiah 25:10)_ In the foreground of this chapter stands another hymn of praise, which redeemed Israel will sing in “that day.” Jehovah has done wonderful things for His people. Compare with Isaiah 12:5 ;

A SONG OF DELIVERANCE. MOAB IS CRUSHED. Then they will sing, Yahweh is our Saviour, let us exult in His salvation. For Moab shall be ignominiously trampled under foot, and if he tries to keep himself afloat, Yahweh will bring to nought all his clever and ingenious movements. ISAIAH 25:10. MOAB: may be singled out as an example of Israel's enemies in general, but more probably is intended literally, though to what historical situation the catastrophe belongs is quite uncertain. _Cf._ Isaiah 15 f., Jeremiah 48, Ezekiel 25:8; Zephaniah 2:8. Isaiah 25:11_ a_. The LXX has no reference to swimming; the

SPREAD FORTH HIS HANDS. In the East all swimmers swim "hand over hand", and beat the water with loud noise. Parallel with the beating of straw in Isaiah 25:10. Compare Isaiah 63. AS=ACCORDING AS. spoils. devices, or artifices....