Isaiah 33:18

Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? THINE HEART SHALL MEDITATE TERROR - shall meditate on the "terror" caused by the enemy, but now past. WHERE (IS) THE SCRIBE? - the language of the Jews exulting over their escape from danger. SCRIBE - who enrolled the army (Maurer); or who prescribed the tribute to be paid (Rosenmuller); or who kept an account of the spoil. "The principal scribe of the host" (; ). The Assyrian records are free from the exaggerations of the Egyptian records. Two scribes are seen in every Assyrian bas-relief, writing down the various objects brought to them-the heads of the slain, prisoners, cattle, sheep, etc. The...

18._Thy heart shall meditate terror. _Believers are again informed what calamities are at hand, lest, by being suddenly overtaken with such heavy afflictions, they should sink under them. יהגה _(yehgeh) _is translated by some in the preterite, “meditated,” and by others in the future, “shall meditate;” because such an exchange of tenses is customary in the Hebrew language. For my own part, believing that he warns the people of approaching distresses, instead of relating those which had been formerly endured, I willingly retain the future tense, which is also the tense employed by the Prophet, “shall meditate.” _Where is the scribe? _He relates in a dramatic and lively manner ( μιμητικῶς) the speeches of those who, overcome by terror, break out into these exclamations: _Where is the scribe? Where is the weigher? _thus expressing the powerful impression mad

15-24 The true believer watches against all occasions of sin. The Divine power will keep him safe, and his faith in that power will keep him easy. He shall want nothing needful for him. Every blessing of salvation is freely bestowed on all that ask with humble, believing prayer; and the believer is safe in time and for ever. Those that walk uprightly shall not only have bread given, and their water sure, but they shall, by faith, see the King of kings in his beauty, the beauty of holiness. The remembrance of the terror they were in, shall add to the pleasure of their deliverance. It is desirable to be quiet in our own houses, but much more so to be quiet in God's house; and in every age Christ will have a seed to serve him. Jerusalem had no large river running by it, but the presence and power of God make up all wants. We have all in God, all we need, or can desire. By faith we take Chr...

Verse Isaiah 33:18. _WHERE IS THE SCRIBE?_] The person appointed by the king of Assyria to estimate their number and property in reference to their being heavily taxed. _WHERE IS THE RECEIVER?_] Or he who was to have collected this tribute. _WHERE_ IS _HE THAT COUNTED THE TOWERS?_] That is, the commander of the enemy's forces, who surveyed the fortifications of the city, and took an account of the height, strength, and situation of the walls and towers, that he might know where to make the assault with the greatest advantage; as Capaneus before Thebes is represented in a passage of the Phoenissae of Euripides, which _Grotius_ has applied as an illustration of this place: - Εκεινος ἑπτα προσβασεις τεκμαιρεται Πυργων, ανω τε

THINE HEART - The heart of the people of Jerusalem. SHALL MEDITATE TERROR - This is similar to the expression in Virgil: - _forsan et haec olim meminisse jurabit_. _AEn. ii. 203._ The sense here is, ‘You shall hereafter think over all this alarm and distress. When the enemy is destroyed, the city saved, and the king shall reign in magnificence over all the nation then enjoying peace and prosperity, you shall recall these days of terror and alarm, and shall then ask with gratitude and astonishment, Where are they who caused this alarm? Where are now they who so confidently calculated on taking the city? They are all gone - and gone in a manner suited to excite astonishment and adoring gratitude.’ ‘Sweet is the recollection,’ says Rosenmuller, ‘

SECTION X. A PROPHECY OF JUDGMENT ON ASSYRIA (Isaiah 33:1.). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 33:1 THE JUDGMENT ON ASSYRIA AND DELIVERANCE OF JERUSALEM, STATED GENERALLY. Events had progressed since the preceding prophecies were delivered. The negotiations carried on with Sennacherib had been futile (Isaiah 33:7), the heavy fine imposed and paid ...

THINE HEART SHALL MEDITATE TERROR,.... shall recollect, and think of with pleasure and thankfulness, the terror they were formerly seized with, when surrounded and oppressed by their enemies, particularly at the time of the slaying of the witnesses, which will be a terrible time to the church and people of God; but when that is over, they will call it to mind with gratitude, for deliverance from it e. This is commonly understood of the terror and consternation the Jews were in when besieged by the Assyrian army; and so the following words, WHERE [IS] THE SCRIBE? WHERE [IS] THE RECEIVER? WHERE [IS] HE THAT COUNTED THE TOWERS? are taken to be either the words of the Jews in their distress, calling for such and such officers to go to their respective posts, and do their duty; as the "scribe", or muster master, to see that he has his full quota of men; the "receiver" or treasurer, and payma...

CHAPTER 33 Sixth Woe Against the Assyrian and What Is to Follow 1. _The judgment announced (Isaiah 33:1)_ 2. _The prayer of the faithful remnant (Isaiah 33:2)_ 3. _The judgment executed (Isaiah 33:7)_ 4. _The judge in the midst of Zion (Isaiah 33:14)_ 5. _The King beheld in His beauty (Isaiah 33:17)_ 6. _Healing and forgiveness the result of the coming of the King (Isaiah 33:24) _ This is the last mention which is made of the

ISAIAH 33. DENUNCIATION OF THE TREACHEROUS FOE. ZION'S EXTREMITY, YAHWEH'S OPPORTUNITY. If Isaiah's, the date is apparently 701, and the situation presupposed is Sennacherib's demand for unconditional surrender of Jerusalem after he had received an enormous tribute from Hezekiah. This breach of faith would cause the weeping of the ambassadors (Isaiah 33:7). But the chapter is now usually regarded as post-exilic. The parallels in language are with late Psalms, and the list of non-Isaianic words and senses of words is considerable. Nor is it clear that the historical allusions suit the actual circumstances of Isaiah's time. But it would be very precarious in our almost complete ignorance of great stretches of the later history to argue that it must be Maccabean, even if we have reconciled ourselves to the belief that there are Maccabean elements in the Canon of the prophets (p. 425). We mu...

SCRIBE.. the counter. RECEIVER. the weigher. HE THAT COUNTED, &C. Referring to Sennacherib's besieging army....