Isaiah 7:25

And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle. AND (ON) ALL HILLS THAT SHALL BE - rather, that were once. DIGGED - in order to plant and rear vines (). THERE SHALL NOT COME THERE THE FEAR OF (NAMELY, THOSE WHO FEAR) BRIERS AND THORNS - i:e., none shall come who fear thorns, seeing that thorns shall abound on all sides (Maurer). Otherwise, 'thou shalt not come for fear of briers and thorns. BUT IT SHALL BE FOR THE SENDING FORTH OF OXEN, AND FOR THE TREADING OF LESSER CATTLE - only cattle shall be able to penetrate the briers ground. LESSER CATTLE - sheep and goats. However, the English version of the whole vers...

25._And on all the hills that are dug with the hoe. _Here the Prophet appears to contradict himself; for, having hitherto spoken of the desolation of the land, he now describes what may be called a new condition, when he says that, where _thorns and briers _were, there oxen will feed. The consequence has been, that some have applied these words to the consolation of the people. But the intention of the Prophet is totally different; for he means that _hills_, which were at a great distance from a crowded population, and which could not be approached without much difficulty, will be fit for pasturage, on account of the great number of men who go thither; that is, because men will betake themselves to desert mountains, which formerly were inaccessible, there will be no need to be afraid of _briers_, (116) for there will be abundance of inhabitants. Now, this is a most wretched state of thin...

17-25 Let those who will not believe the promises of God, expect to hear the alarms of his threatenings; for who can resist or escape his judgments? The Lord shall sweep all away; and whomsoever he employs in any service for him, he will pay. All speaks a sad change of the face of that pleasant land. But what melancholy change is there, which sin will not make with a people? Agriculture would cease. Sorrows of every kind will come upon all who neglect the great salvation. If we remain unfruitful under the means of grace, the Lord will say, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth for ever....

AND ON ALL HILLS ... - All the fertile places in the mountains that used to be cultivated with the spade. Vineyards were often planted on the sides of hills; and those places were among the most productive and fertile in the land; see Isaiah 5:1. THE MATTOCK - The spade; the garden hoe; or the weeding-hook. An instrument chiefly used, probably, in vineyards. THERE SHALL NOT COME THITHER - There shall not be. THE FEAR OF BRIERS AND THORNS - This does not make sense; or if it does, it is not a sense consistent with the connection. The idea of the whole passage is, that the land, even the most fertile parts of it, should be given up to briers and thorns; that is, to desolation. The Hebrew here, is ambiguous. It may mean, ‘thou shalt not come

SECTION IV. PROPHECIES CONNECTED WITH THE SYRO-ISRAELITE WAR (Isaiah 7-10:4). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 7:1 THE PROPHECY GIVEN TO AHAZ AT THE TIME OF THE SYRO-ISRAELITISH WAR. The Syro-Israelitish war is touched on both in Kings and Chronicles. In Kings the alliance between Rezin and Pekah is distinctly declared, as also the fact that they conjointly besieged Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:5). From Chronicles we lear

AND [ON] ALL HILLS THAT SHALL BE DIGGED WITH THE MATTOCK,.... Which could not be ploughed with a plough, but used to be dug with a mattock or spade, and then sowed with corn: THERE SHALL NOT COME THITHER THE FEAR OF BRIERS AND THORNS; where thorns and briers used not to grow, and where there was no fear or danger of being overrun with them, as the vineyards in the valleys and champaign country; yet those places should become desolate in another way; or rather, there shall be now no fences made of briers and thorns, which deter cattle from entering into fields and vineyards thus fenced: BUT IT SHALL BE FOR THE SETTING FORTH OF OXEN, AND FOR THE TREADING OF LESSER CATTLE; there being no fence of briers and thorns to keep them out, cattle both of the greater and lesser sort should get into the corn, and feed upon it, and make such places desolate, where much pains were taken to cultivate...

CHAPTER 7 The Prophet before King Ahaz 1. _The king in trouble (Isaiah 7:1)_ 2. _Isaiah sent and his message (Isaiah 7:3)_ 3. _A sign offered and refused (Isaiah 7:10)_ 4. _The sign: The virgin birth (Isaiah 7:13)_ 5. _The advent of the Assyrian (Isaiah 7:17)_ Study carefully the historic setting of this chapter and2 Chronicles 28:1-27 7. See lecture on “Messianic Predictions.” In verse 14 the virgin birth of Christ is announced. Much of the controversy is around the word “virgin” (almah), which the critics declare does not m

THE DEVASTATION OF JUDAH. Probably an independent prophecy rather than a continuation of Isaiah 7:2; it strikes a very different note. It may belong to the same date, but may quite well be later. Disaster unparalleled since the revolt of the ten tribes (note the Southern point of view) is coming on Judah, an Assyrian invasion. Yahweh will whistle for the enemy, who will penetrate the most inaccessible retreats of the land, and humiliate and spoil the people. The population that will remain will be so scanty that very few cattle will yield an abundance of milk. The land will not be cultivated; the vineyards, where the most valuable vines grew, those worth a shekel apiece, will be overrun with briers. The thorn thickets will be the lurking-place of wild beasts, and cannot therefore be safely approached without weapons....

SHALL BE DIGGED. should be digged (but were to go out of cultivation). SHALL NOT COME THITHER. thou wilt not come thither: i.e. venture to walk (without weapons, Isaiah 7:24) where thou wast wont to plough in peace. THE FEAR OF. for fear of. SENDING FORTH. letting loose, or driving forth. TREADING. trampling down....

Further announcements (not addressed to Ahaz, but probably compiled from fragments of several of Isaiah's prophecies) of the Assyrian invasion (18 20) and its consequences (21 25)....