K² v 1-8. Woe. Jerusalem. w 9-12. Stupefaction. x 13,14. Reason. v 15-17. Woe. Lebanon. w 18,19. Illumination. x 20,21. Reason.
29)
649-588 B.C.
1 Woe (2nd of 6 woes) to Ariel, to Ariel (either a lion of El [God. 2 Sam.23:20]; or the altar-hearth of God [Ezek.43:15,16; and the Moabite Stone, line 12]. Jerusalem is called Har-el on old Egyptian monuments), the city (fig., put for Jerusalem. "City" is in the construct state: = city of this spot where David camped) where David encamped! add you all year to year (fig., put for festival); let them kill sacrifices (or, let the feasts go round. This is written to those who wouldn't understand prophecy. God's not happy with false religion!).
2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be to Me as a veritable hearth of EL (Eng. God).
3 And I will camp against you round about, and will lay siege against you with a mount, and I will raise forts against you. (i.e. war material, powers)
4 And you shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the earth, and your speech shall be low out of the dust, and your voice shall be, as of one that has a familiar spirit (= an Ob. Evil consumption. Symbolic of Satan. See Lev.19:31), out of the earth, and your speech shall mutter out of the dust. (or, peep, chirp)
5 Moreover the multitude of your strangers (i.e. adversaries, peoples of the "world") shall be like small dust (i.e. blowing dust), and the multitude of the tyrants shall be as chaff that passes away: yes, it shall be at an instant suddenly. (this is the woe!)
6 You shall be visited of Yehovah Sabaioth (these judgments refer to the deliverance of Yehovah's enemies. 2nd Tribulation. Return of Christ) with thunder (indicates the event [at that] has already has happened. You hear the thunder AFTER the lightning has struck!), and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. (God is a consuming fire. See Heb.12:29)
7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel (Here it is clearly Jerusalem), even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. (i.e. a nightmare. They will be severely punished)
8 It shall even be according as when an hungry man dreams, and, behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreams, and, behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul has appetite (all the world will wonder after that religious system): so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion (true Throne of God, Ariel).
9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry you all out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. (= stupify yoursef to be stupid. They are in a stupor)
10 For Yehovah has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep (i.e. the spirit of slumber. Quoted in Rom.11:8), and has closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers (i.e. revolving "revs" [only One is to be revered and that is God!), the seers has He covered.
11 And the vision of the whole is become to you as the words of a scroll (or document, in writing) that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned (i.e. in the ways of the "world" not God's Word), saying, “Read this, I pray you:” and he says, “I cannot; for it is sealed:”
12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, “Read this, I pray thee:” and he says, “I am not learned.” (here we have an impasse)
13 Wherefore Yehovah said (Quoted in Matt.15:7-9. Mark 7:6), “Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me (claim to be "Christians"), though have removed their mind far from Me, and their fear toward Me is a commandment of mortals in which they have been schooled: (i.e. taught by rote. Traditions of men - "rapture", "Easter", denominationalism. See Ezek.13:18-23)
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for (quoted in 1 Cor.1:19) the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. (see Prov.1:2. They will be fooled)
15 Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel from Yehovah, and their works are in the dark, and they say, “Who sees us? and who knows us?” (look around and see what socialism does. Beggers. Political heads)
16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, “He made me not?” or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, “He had no understanding?” (they say "There is no God and God didn't know what He was doing. Did you know that our U.S. Constitution was taken from God's Word? People are workiing overime to try to change it)
17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
18 And in that day (i.e. the Day of the Lord) shall the deaf hear the words of the scroll, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. (the Truth will come forward)
19 The oppressed also shall increase their joy in Yehovah, and the oppressed among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the tyrant is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity (look for emptyness) are cut off:
21 That who bring a man into condemnation (i.e. by false witnesses to the true teachers of God's Word), and lay a snare for him that decides in the gate (i.e. in judgment), and turn aside the righteous for a thing of nothing. (they turn away truth for confusion. See 24:10)
L² y 22. The Word of Yehovah. Spoken. z 23-. The work of Yehovah. Seen. z -23. The work of Yehovah. Effect. y 24. The Word of Yehovah. Understood.
22 Therefore thus says Yehovah, who redeemed Abraham (ref. to Pentateuch as well known), concerning the house of Jacob (see 2:5), “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. (We have the victory)
23 But when he sees his young children, the work of My hands, in the midst of him, (God i saying, When I look upon My children I ill be proud of them)
they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall revere (or love) the Elohim (= God the Creator) of Israel. (no longer falsely worshiping the Anti-Christ)
24 They also that erred in spirit (see v.4) shall know discernment, and they that murmured shall accept instruction. (They will accept the Truth on the Lord Day - i.e. the Millennium)
K³ O 1,2. Rebellion against Yehovah. P 3-5. Egypt. Disappointment from. Q a 6. Property. Removal. b 7. Reason. Egypt's help, vain. O 8-11. Rebellion against Yehovah. P 12-14. Egypt. Destruction of. Q b 15. Egypt's help, vain. a 16,17. Persons. Flight.
30)
1 “Woe (the 3rd of 6) to the stubborn (or backsliding) sons,” says Yehovah, “that carry out a purpose, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering (or, pour out a libation; and so, make an alliance), but not of Me (Heb. ruach), that they may add sin to sin:
2 That are setting out to go down into Egypt (this prophecy had been given in the days of Hezekiah [617-588], and was then being fulfilled in Israel), and have not asked at My mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh (cp. v.7, where it is shown to be a vain help. In vv.2,3, "strength" is literal. In v.7 it is a Figure), and to flee for refuge to the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and fleeing for refuge to the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
4 For his (i.e. Pharaoh's) princes were at Zoan (in the time of Moses it was the capital or court of Pharaoh, and the scene of his [by God] miracles [Ps.78:12,43], and the seat of wisdom [19:11,13]. At Zoan begins the exodus), and his ambassadors came to Hanes. (called Tahapanes [Jer.2:16]. Now Tel Defenneh, about 70 miles from Cairo, the capital of a minor district. Succeeded Memphis as the capital before Abraham's time. Known to the Greeks as Hiracleopolis Magna. The name only occurs here in Scripture)
5 They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.”
6 The burden of the beasts (refers to the lading of the animals of the ambassadors who were going down to Egypt with rich gifts to secure an alliance, and thus reversing the steps of their national deliverance. It is not a fresh "burden", "the beginning of which has been lost") of the Negev (which must be passed through to get to Egypt. See Gen.13:1, and Ps.126:4): into the land of trouble and anguish, from which place come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent (see Deut.8:15), they will carry their strength upon the shoulders of young asses (fig., put for the riches or treasures carried by it), and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, [relying] upon a people (i.e. the Egyptians, as stated in preceding clause) that shall not profit them.
7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I called (or named) her, “Their strength is to sit still.” (Heb. Egypt - sitting still [and thus not giving help that was being sought]. Rahab = pride, or strength, is put by fig., for Egypt, the proud or strong one. Note the wrong but common use of this verse, through not heeding the context)
8 Now go, write it before them in a tablet, and inscribe it in a book (see Ex.17:14; 24:4; 34:27,28. Num.33:2. Deut.31:9,24), that it may be for the latter day for ever and ever:
9 That this is a rebellious People, lying sons, sons that will not hear the law (or, instruction contained in the law of Moses) of Yehovah:
10 Which say to the seers, “See not;” and to the prophets, “Prophesy not to us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path (see 2:3), cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
12 Wherefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you all despise this word, and confide in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
14 And He shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces(the reference is to the manufacture of homrah, by breakig up pottery to powder in order to make cement of it. Carried on in the valley of Hinnom. See Jer.19:1,2); He shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take that which is kindled, or to take water withal out of the cistern.”
15 For thus says Adonai Yehovah, the Holy One of Israel; “In returning and rest shall you all be saved; in quietness and in trust (i.e. trust in Yehovah) shall be your real power: and you all would not.
16 But you all said, ‘No; for we will flee upon horses;’ therefore shall you all flee: and, ‘We will ride upon the swift;’ therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one (see ev.26:8. Deut.28:25; 32:30); at the threat of five shall you all flee: till you all be left as a pole (or mast) upon the top of a mountain, and as a flagstaff on an hill.
L³ c¹ 18-21. Blessing for Israel. Spiritual. d¹ 22. Judgment on idols. c² 23-26. Blessing for Israel. Temporal. d² 27,28. Judgment on nations. c³ 29. Blessing for Israel. Spiritual. d³ 30-33. Judgment on Assyria.
18 And therefore will Yehovah wait, that He may show you favour (or grace), and therefore will He be exalted, that He may show you compassion: for Yehovah is an Elohim of judgment: O the happinesses of all they that look for Him. (the first of 3 in Isaiah [32:20;56:2])
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: you shall weep no more: He will be very gracious to you at the voice of your cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer you.
20 And Yehovah will give you affliction [as] bread and adversity [as] water, and your Teacher (i.e. Yehovah) shall not hide Himself any more, but your eyes shall be cleary seeing your great Teacher:
21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk you all in it,” when you all turn to the right hand, and when you all turn to the left.
22 You all shall defile also the covering of your graven images of silver (see Ex.38:17,19, and Num.16:38,39), and the ornament of you molten images of gold (rendered ephod. See Ex.28:8, and 39:5): you shall cast them away as a menstruous cloth; you shall say unto it, “Get you from this place.”
23 Then shall He give the rain of your seed (another reading is "your land"), that you shall sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the ground (or soil), and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall your cattle feed in large pastures.
24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that plough the ground (from Anglo-Saxon erian: and this from the Latin arare: the Aryan root AR entering into many words with a cognate reference. ARt [ploughing being the oldest art]: oAR [with which the water is ploughed]: ARtos [Greek forbread]: eARth; ARatrum [Latin, plough]; ARare [to plough].) shall eat clean provender, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and watercourses in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Yehovah binds up the breach of His People, and heals the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of Yehovah (see Ps.20:1) comes from far, burning with His anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire:
28 And His breath (= blast [Heb. ruach]. See 25:4), as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the peoples, causing them to err.
29 You all shall have a song, as in the night when a set apart solemnity is kept (refers to the Pentateuch and the habitual keeping of the feasts there prescribed. See Lev.23:3, &c.); and gladness of heart, as when one goes with a pipe to come into the mountain of Yehovah (see 2:3 and Ezek.28:16), to the mighty Rock of Israel (Deut.32:4,15,18,30,31. Cp. Isa.26:).
30 And Yehovah shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
31 For through the voice of Yehovah shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.
32 And in every stroke of the staff of doom, which Yehovah shall lay upon him, it shall be with drums and harps: and in battles of tumult will He fight with it.
33 For Tophet is ordained of old (= the place of burning. In the valley of Hinnon, the place where continual fires consumed the refuge of Jerusalem. Cp. Rev.19:20; 20:10); yes, for Molech it is prepared (see 1 Kings 11:7); He has made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Yehovah (see 2:22), like a stream of brimstone, does kindle it.
K4 e¹ 1-. Trust in Egypt. Woe. f¹ -1,2. Yehovah. Rejection. e² 3-. Trust in Egypt. Vain. f² -3-6. Yehovah. Protection. e³ 7. Trust in Yehovah. Exhortation. f³ 8,9. Yehovah. Deliverance.
31)
1 Woe (the 4th of 6 woes) to them that go down to Egypt for help (it is always "down" to Egypt, geographically and morally); and stay on horses, and confide in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong;
but they look not to the Holy One of Israel (see 1:4. Ps.71:22), neither seek Yehovah! (cp. 30:2. See Deut.17:16)
2 Yet He also is wise, and will bring tumult, and will not call back His words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are human, and not El (fig. put for great emphasis - positive and negative); and their horses flesh, and not spirit (same fig. as above).
When Yehovah shall stretch out His hand, both he that helps shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
4 For thus has Yehovah spoken to me, “Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his live prey, when a crowd of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall Yehovah Sabaioth come down to fight for mount Zion, and for (or, over) the hill thereof.
5 As birds hovering [covering and protecting their nest with their wings] (see Deut.32:11), so will Yehovah Sabaioth shield Jerusalem; delivering also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it.” (= shielding. Only used of God. Only here, 2 Kings 19:34; 20:6. Lit. "then there will be a shielding, and He will rescue; a passing over as in Egypt at the Passover, and He will cause to escape". See Ex.12:13,23,27. This word, "passing over" is nowhere else used in this sense)
6 Reurn you all to Him from whom the sons of Israel have deeply revolted.
7 “For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols (= nothings) of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.
8 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a human, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become tributaries.
9 And he shall cross over (or, retreat) to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign,” says Yehovah, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.
L4 R 1. The king reigning in righteousness. S 2. The Land. Effect: Protection. T 3-8. The People. " U 9-14. Desolation. R 15-. The Spirit poured out. S -15-17. The Land. Effect: Security. T 18,19. The People. " U 20. Cultivation.
32)
1 Behold, a king shall reign for (in the interest of) righteousness (see Deut.17:14,15), and princes shall rule in judgment.
2 And (Polysyndeton in vv.2-5, emphasising every detail) a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind (Heb. ruach), and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water (channels for irrigaton in a garden. See Prov.21:1. Ps.1:3) in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall listen.
4 And the heart (or, better, mind) also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
5 And the fool shall be no more called noble (see Prov.1:7 and 1 Sam.25:3), nor the miser (or covetous) said to be bountiful.
6 For the fool will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against Yehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7 The instruments also of the churl (Eng. chattels of the churl) are evil: he counsels wicked plans to destroy the wretched with lying words, even when the helpless (weak in will and wealth) speaks right.
8 But the noble (freehearted, freehanded) counsels noble things; and by noble things shall he stand.
U i 9. Women at ease. Call to hear. k 10-. Trouble. l -10. Reason. i 11. Women at ease. Call to tremble. k 12,13. Trouble. l 14. Reason.
9 Rise up, all you women that are at ease (fig., "women" being put for the whole naton, now reduced by sin to utter weakness; or, a special message, as in 3:16-26); hear my voice (see Deut.4:33,36), all you confident daughters (used here of self-confidence, in IRONY); give ear to my speech.
10 Many days and years shall you all be troubled, all you condident women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.
11 Tremble, all you women that are at ease; be troubled, all you confident ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.
12 They shall lament for the teats, for the fields of desire, for the fruitful vine.
13 Upon the land of My people shall come up thorns and briers; yes, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:
14 Because the palaces shall be neglected; the multitude of the city shall be left (see "forsake", 1:4); the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever (fig., put for a prolonged peiod. Note the limitation by the word "until" in the next verse), a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;
15 Until the spirit (ruach. Cp. Joel 2:28. Ezek.36:25-27) be poured upon us from on high,
and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 And the tilage of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever. (not used in irony here)
18 And My People shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
19 When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.
20 O the happiness of you all (the 2nd of the 3 occ. in Isaiah. See 30:18. Cp. 56:2) that sow beside all waters, that send forth to that place the feet of the ox and the ass.