Isaiah 9:4

For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. FOR THOU HAST BROKEN THE YOKE OF HIS BURDEN - The occasion of the "joy," the deliverance not only of Ahaz and Judah from the Assyrian tribute (), and of Israel's Ten tribes from the Assyrian oppressor (), but of the Jewish Christian Church from its last great enemy. HAST - the past time for the future: in prophetic vision, it expresses the certainty of the event. THE YOKE OF HIS BURDEN - the yoke with which he was burdened. AND THE STAFF OF HIS SHOULDER - the staff which strikes his (Israel's) shoulder (Maurer); or the wood, like a yoke, on the neck of slaves, the badge of servitu...

1-7 The Syrians and Assyrians first ravaged the countries here mentioned, and that region was first favoured by the preaching of Christ. Those that want the gospel, walk in darkness, and in the utmost danger. But when the gospel comes to any place, to any soul, light comes. Let us earnestly pray that it may shine into our hearts, and make us wise unto salvation. The gospel brings joy with it. Those who would have joy, must expect to go through hard work, as the husbandman, before he has the joy of harvest; and hard conflict, as the soldier, before he divides the spoil. The Jews were delivered from the yoke of many oppressors; this was a shadow of the believer's deliverance from the yoke of Satan. The cleansing the souls of believers from the power and pollution of sin, would be by the influence of the Holy Spirit, as purifying fire. These great things for the church, shall be done by th...

FOR THOU HAST BROKEN - This verse, and the following, show the way in which the occasion of the joy had been furnished. The expression ‘thou hast’ does not necessarily refer to the past, but is a form of expression derived from the nature of the prophetic visions, where that is described as past which is seen to pass before the eyes of the prophet; see the Introduction, section 7. THE YOKE - This word is often used to denote oppression, or tyranny; Leviticus 26:13; Deuteronomy 28:48 - where oppression is described as ‘an iron yoke;’ compare 1 Kings 12:4; Isaia

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 9:1 THE TROUBLES OF ISRAEL SHALL END THROUGH THE BIRTH OF A MARVELOUS CHILD. The section of the prophecy commencing with Isaiah 7:1 terminates in this glorious burst of glad and gracious promise. The gist of the whole section is: "Israel shall not suffer from Pekah and Rezin; her oppressors shall be Assyria and Egypt, more especially the former; Assyria shall overwhelm her, crush her, lay her low; she shall remain awhile in gloom and darkness; but at length the darkness shall be dispelled; a 'great light' shall shine forth, first in the north, then over all th

FOR THOU HAST BROKEN THE YOKE OF HIS BURDEN,.... Of Galilee, of the nation multiplied, of the spiritual inhabitants of it, whose joy was increased; and this is one reason of it, because they were delivered by the Lord from the burdensome yoke of the ceremonial law, which was broken off and abolished by Christ; and from the tyranny of Satan, the god of this world, out of whose hands they were ransomed and delivered; and from the dominion of sin, under the power of which they had been in bondage. AND THE STAFF OF HIS SHOULDER, THE ROD OF HIS OPPRESSOR; different phrases, expressive of the same thing; the bondage and slavery of the law, sin, and Satan: AS IN THE DAY OF MIDIAN; when Gideon got an entire victory over the Midianites, with a few unarmed men, by the sound of trumpets, and breaking of pitchers, Judges 7:16 and may denote the easy manner in which Ch

The last verses of the eighth chapter picture a horrible state of wretchedness and despair: «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. And they shall look unto the earth, and behold trouble and darkness dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness. But see what a change awaits them! Isaiah 9:1. _Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vacation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations._ Read the fine translation of the Revised Version: «But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish.» What a marvelous light from the midst of a dread

CHAPTER 9 The Message of Hope Concerning Israel's Future and the Impending Judgments 1. _The Messiah, His Name, His rule, His kingdom (Isaiah 9:1)_ 2. _Judgment upon Israel (Isaiah 9:8)_ 3. _The impenitent nation (Isaiah 9:13)_ 4. _The wrath of Jehovah (Isaiah 9:18)_ 5. _Unrighteous judges and three questions (Isaiah 10:1_ Matthew 4:12 quotes the opening verses of this chapter. This applies to His double advent. The first and second coming

ISRAEL'S DELIVERER. This famous passage on the Messianic King is now by several regarded as late. The question is too large to be discussed, but it seems more difficult to explain its origin in the post-exilic period than under the monarchy. This was present as a starting-point, and Isaiah would not expect it to be eliminated. The bursting of the enemy's yoke and the establishment of a righteous rule were quite in line with his aspirations. In the later period other themes would have been added such as the bringing back of the dispersed exiles. The passage does not describe a state of things which has already come into existence. The tenses are prophetic; they are written while the people still dwell in the land of deep darkness (_mg.)._ But the poet's vision has already seen the glorious dawn. Yahweh has multiplied their exultation; it is like the joy of harvest home or division of the...

Change the order as in R.V. FOR THE YOKE OF HIS BURDEN, &c.… THOU HAST BROKEN. _the staff of his shoulder_ (better BACK) means the staff with which his back was beaten; the pronouns refer to Israel. _rod of his oppressor_ TASK-MASTER, as in Exodus 5:6. _in the day of Midian_ when the dominion of the Midianites was for ever broken (Judges 7; cf. Isaiah 10:26). "Day" here means "day of battle," as often in Arabic. The Arabs speak of the hero of many fights as _dhu-l" ayyâmîn_, "master of days....

DISCOURSE: 871 BLESSINGS IMPARTED BY THE GOSPEL Isaiah 9:2. _The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian_. THE dispensations of God in this world are never so afflictive, but there are some alleviating and consolatory circumstances to cheer us under them. The judgments with which he threatened to punish his apostate people were very tremendous [Note: Isaiah 8:19.]: yet he comforted them in the mean time with pr