Isaiah 9:8-11
8. Heading of the prophecy; (Isa 9:8-12), the first strophe.
unto Jacob—against the ten tribes [LOWTH]. lighted upon—fallen from heaven by divine revelation (Da 4:31).9. know—to their cost: experimentally (Ho 9:7).
Samaria—the capital of Ephraim (compare as to phrase, Isa 1:1).10. bricks—in the East generally sun-dried, and therefore soon dissolved by rain. Granting, say the Ephraimites to the prophet's threat, that our affairs are in a ruinous state, we will restore them to more than their former magnificence. Self-confident unwillingness to see the judgments of God (Isa 26:11).
hewn stones— (1Ki 5:17). sycamores—growing abundantly on the low lands of Judea, and though useful for building on account of their antiseptic property (which induced the Egyptians to use them for the cases of their mummies), not very valuable. The cedar, on the other hand, was odorous, free from knots, durable, and precious (1Ki 10:27). "We will replace cottages with palaces."11. adversaries of Rezin—the Assyrians, who shall first attack Damascus, shall next advance "against him" (Ephraim). This is the punishment of Ephraim's pride in making light (Isa 9:10) of the judgment already inflicted by God through Tiglath-pileser (2Ki 15:29). A second Assyrian invasion (see on Isa 7:1) shall follow. The reading "princes" for "adversaries" in uncalled for.
join—rather, "arm"; cover with armor [MAURER]. his—Rezin's. Isaiah 9:17-20
17. no joy—the parallelism, "neither . . . mercy," shows that this means, He shall have no such delight in their youthful warriors, however much they be the nation's delight and reliance, as to save them from the enemy's sword (Isa 31:8; compare Jer 18:21).
fatherless, &c.—not even the usual objects of His pity (Ps 10:14, 18; 68:5; Jer 49:11; Ho 14:3) shall be spared. hypocrite—rather, a libertine, polluted [HORSLEY]. folly—wickedness (Ps 14:1). still—Notwithstanding all these judgments, more remain.18-21. Third strophe.
burneth—maketh consumption, not only spreading rapidly, but also consuming like fire: sin is its own punishment.
briers . . . thorns—emblem of the wicked; especially those of low rank (Isa 27:4; 2Sa 23:6). forest—from the humble shrubbery the flame spreads to the vast forest; it reaches the high, as well as the low. mount up like . . . smoke—rather. "They (the thickets of the forest) shall lift themselves proudly aloft [the Hebrew is from a Syriac root, a cock, expressing stateliness of motion, from his strutting gait, HORSLEY], in (in passing into) volumes of ascending smoke" [MAURER].19. darkened—namely, with smoke (Isa 9:18). The Septuagint and Chaldee render it, "is burnt up," so MAURER, from an Arabic root meaning "suffocating heat."
no man . . . spare . . . brother—intestine discord snapping asunder the dearest ties of nature.20. hungry—not literally. Image from unappeasable hunger, to picture internal factions, reckless of the most tender ties (Isa 9:19), and insatiably spreading misery and death on every side (Jer 19:9).
eat—not literally, but destroy (Ps 27:2; Job 19:22). flesh of . . . arm—those nearest akin: their former support (helper) (Isa 32:2) [MAURER].