Isaiah 8:22

And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. More detailed description of the despair which they shall fall into who sought necromancy instead of God. (taking Maurer's translation) implies that too late they shall see how much better it would have been for them to have sought "to the law," etc. (). Now they are given over to despair. Therefore, while seeing the truth of God, they only "curse their King and ... God;" foreshadowing the future like conduct of those belonging to the "kingdom of the beast," when they shall be visited with divide plagues (, "They blasphemed t...

22._And when they shall look to the earth. _The meaning will then be, that the Jews will be converted to God, because they will be deprived of every assistance on _the earth_, and will see nothing but frightful calamities, to whatever side they turn their eyes. _Behold, trouble and darkness. _These words are partly figurative and partly literal; for by _dimness _and _darkness _he means nothing else than adversity, according to the custom of Scripture. But he adds, _driven to darkness_. This aggravates the calamity to an amazing degree; for if one who is in _darkness _be _driven _or _pushed forward_, he is far more in danger of stumbling than before. Thus he intimates, that to a heavy calamity another still heavier will be added, that they may be more completely ruined; for he means nothing else than that the judgments of God will be so dreadful, and the punishments so severe, that, wheth...

17-22 The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we know how we may seek to our God, and come to the knowledge of his mind? To the law and to the testimony; for there you will see what is good, and what the Lord requires. We must speak of the things of God in the words which the Holy Ghost teaches, and be ruled by them. To those that seek to familiar spirits, and regard not God's law and testimony, there shall be horror and misery. Those that go away from God, go out of the way of all good; for fretfulness is a sin that is its own punishment. They shall de...

AND THEY SHALL LOOK UNTO THE EARTH - They would look upward and find no relief, and then in despair cast their eyes to the earth to obtain help there. Yet equally in vain. The whole image is one of intense anguish brought on the nation for leaving the counselor the true God. AND BEHOLD ... - see the note at Isaiah 5:30. TROUBLE - Anguish, oppression, צרה _tsârâh_, from צור _tsûr_, to oppress, to straiten, to afflict. This is a remarkable instance of the prophet Isaiah’s manner - of a rapid, impetuous, and bold style of utterance. He accumulates images; piles words on each other; and deepens the anxiety by each additional word, until we almost feel that we are enveloped by the gloom, and see objects of terror

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 8:1 THE SIGN OF MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ. The sign of Immanuel was recondite. In its more spiritual sense it appealed to faith in an event far distant. Even in its literal import, it was not calculated to cheer and encourage more than a few, since neither the maiden nor the child was pointed out with any distinctness. A fresh sign was therefore given by God's goodness to reassure the mass of the people—a sign about which there was nothing obscure or difficult. Isaiah himself should have a son born to him almost immediately, to whom he should give a name indicating the rapid approach of the spoiler, and before this child should be able to utter the first words which childhood ordinarily pronounces, "Father," "Mother," Damascu

AND THEY SHALL LOOK UNTO THE EARTH,.... As persons in distress, upwards and downwards, backwards and forwards, on the right hand and on the left, particularly into the land of Judea; a land that used to flow with milk and honey, a land of light, plenty, and prosperity: AND BEHOLD TROUBLE AND DARKNESS; adversity, and miseries of all kinds, expressed by a variety of words; and even words fail to express the tribulation of these times, which were such as were not from the beginning of the world, Matthew 24:22: DIMNESS OF ANGUISH; or "fleeing from affliction" e, multitudes everywhere fleeing from one place to another, to avoid the calamities coming upon them, Matthew 24:16: AND [THEY SHALL BE] DRIVEN TO DARKNESS; when they endeavour to escape one c

CHAPTER 8 Jehovah's Word Through Isaiah and the Assyrian Announced 1. _The divine instruction and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 8:1)_ 2. _The Assyrian to come (Isaiah 8:5)_ 3. _The answer of faith (Isaiah 8:9)_ 4. _A word to the faithful remnant (Isaiah 8:11)_ 5. _The coming great distress (Isaiah 8:21)_ The names are significant. Isaiah heard the word “Maher-shalal-hash-baz,” and then is told to call his newborn son by this name. The name means “swift for spoil, hasty for prey.” Isaiah's other son was named “Shear-Jashub,” whic

ISAIAH 8:19 TO ISAIAH 9:1. SOME FRAGMENTARY UTTERANCES. These fragments are of uncertain date and authorship, corrupt in text and obscure in sense. The first, Isaiah 8:19 f., is a warning against necromancers. Probably the words of those who advocate consulting them continue to the end of Isaiah 8:19. We should render Isaiah 8:19_ b,_ should not a people seek unto their elohim? on behalf of the living should they not seek unto the dead? The elohim are the spirits of the dead, so described in...

THE EARTH. the land. DIMNESS OF ANGUISH. the gloom of anguish. DRIVEN TO. thrust out into....

Another scene, representing the utter desolation of the land, and the miseries of the survivors....