Isa 10:18-19, 33-34, Zec 11:2 | JFB | e4.org | 18. glory of his forest —The common soldiers, the princes, officers, &c., all alike together, shall be consumed (see on ). in one day — ( ). fruitful field —literally, "Carmel," a rich mountain in the tribe of Asher. Figurative for Sennacherib's mighty army. Perhaps alluding to his own boasting words about to be uttered ( ), "I will enter the forest of his Carmel." soul and body —proverbial for utterly; the entire man is made up of soul and body. as when a standard bearer fainteth —rather, "they shall be as when a sick man " (from a Syriac root) wastes away." Compare "leanness," that is, wasting destruction ( ) [MAURER ]. Or, "there shall be an entire dissipation, like a perfect melting " (namely, of the Assyrian army) [HORSLEY ].

‏ Isaiah 10:18-19

18. glory of his forest—The common soldiers, the princes, officers, &c., all alike together, shall be consumed (see on Isa 9:18).

in one day— (Isa 37:36).

fruitful field—literally, "Carmel," a rich mountain in the tribe of Asher. Figurative for Sennacherib's mighty army. Perhaps alluding to his own boasting words about to be uttered (Isa 37:24), "I will enter the forest of his Carmel."

soul and body—proverbial for utterly; the entire man is made up of soul and body.

as when a standard bearer fainteth—rather, "they shall be as when a sick man" (from a Syriac root) wastes away." Compare "leanness," that is, wasting destruction (Isa 10:16) [MAURER]. Or, "there shall be an entire dissipation, like a perfect melting" (namely, of the Assyrian army) [HORSLEY].

19. rest—those who shall survive the destruction of the host.

his forest—same image as in Isa 10:18, for the once dense army.

child . . . write—so few that a child might count them.

‏ Isaiah 10:33-34

33. bough—literally, the "beauty" of the tree; "the beautiful branch."

high ones of stature—"the upright stem," as distinguished from the previous "boughs" [HORSLEY].

34. This verse and Isa 10:33 describe the sudden arrest and overthrow of Sennacherib in the height of his success; Isa 10:18, 19; Eze 31:3, 14, &c., contain the same image; "Lebanon" and its forest are the Assyrian army; the "iron" axe that fells the forest refers to the stroke which destroyed the one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians (2Ki 19:35). The "Mighty One" is Jehovah (Isa 10:21; Isa 9:6).

‏ Zechariah 11:2

2. fir tree . . . cedar—if even the cedars (the highest in the state) are not spared, how much less the fir trees (the lowest)!

forest of . . . vintage—As the vines are stripped of their grapes in the vintage (compare Joe 3:13), so the forest of Lebanon "is come down," stripped of all its beauty. Rather, "the fortified" or "inaccessible forest" [MAURER]; that is, Jerusalem dense with houses as a thick forest is with trees, and "fortified" with a wall around. Compare Mic 3:12, where its desolate state is described as a forest.