Isaiah 9
9
1Even so, there will be no more darkness for those who suffered. In the past he humiliated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will bring honor to Galilee of the foreigners that is on the route that leads from Jordan to the sea.
2People walking in the dark will see a bright light; a light will shine on those living in a land of total darkness. 3You will make the nation grow enormously, and will make it extremely happy.#9:3. The verbs in this section (9:2-7) are in the past tense, but are translated here in the future tense, since this is an example of the “prophetic perfect” tense in which future actions are considered so definite they are stated as if they had already happened. The people will celebrate before you as people celebrate at harvest-time, as soldiers celebrate when dividing up what has been looted. 4For you will smash the yoke that burdens them down, the bar across their shoulders, and the oppressors' rod used to beat them just as you did when you defeated the Midianite army. 5For every army boot that noisily trampled people down, and every uniform soaked in blood—they are going to be burned, fuel for the fire.
6For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us. He will bear the responsibility to rule. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7His rule and the peace he brings know no limits and will never come to an end. He will sit on David's throne and rule his kingdom, making it secure. He will operate from principles of justice and goodness, from the time he begins his rule and for all eternity. The Lord Almighty is determined to make this happen.
8The Lord has sent a message directed against Jacob, and its consequences will fall upon Israel. 9All the people will soon realize it—Ephraim and the people who live in Samaria. Proudly and arrogantly they say, 10“The brick buildings have collapsed, but we will rebuild them with dressed stone; the sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
11But the Lord has strengthened Rezin's enemies#9:11. Rezin's enemies would be the Assyrians. against Israel#9:11. “Israel”: supplied for clarity. and has encouraged them. 12Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have greedily swallowed Israel up. In all of this he is still angry and his hand is still raised.#9:12. Meaning that in these events God is still displaying his anger and it is not over yet. Also in verses 17 and 21.
13But the people didn't return to the one who punished them; they didn't come to worship the Lord Almighty. 14So in just a single day the Lord will chop off Israel's head and tail, palm branch and reed. 15Elders and honorable people are the head, and prophets who teach lies are the tail. 16The people's leaders have misled them; those who were guided by them are confused. 17As a result the Lord isn't pleased with their young men, he has no compassion for their orphans and widows, because all of them are hypocrites and do what's evil—they all talk stupidly. In all of this he is still angry and his hand is still raised.
18For wickedness blazes like a fire, burning up brambles and thorns, setting the forest on fire, sending a column of smoke swirling upwards. 19The anger of the Lord Almighty burns the land. People are like fuel for the fire, and nobody tries to help anyone else.
20People destroy#9:20. “Destroy”: literally, “devour.” others on the right, yet they're still hungry for more; people destroy others on the left, but they're still not satisfied. In the end they even destroy themselves!#9:20. “Destroy themselves”: literally, “devour the flesh of their own arm.” 21Manasseh destroys Ephraim, and Ephraim destroys Manasseh. Together they turn to destroy Judah. In all of this he is still angry and his hand is still raised.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 9
9
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
1But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish [for with judgment comes the promise of salvation]. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make them honored [by the presence of the Messiah], by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
2The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness
# Or have seen, Hebrew perfect tense. The perfect tense is used frequently in this passage and should probably be interpreted as the prophetic future, that is, the use of the perfect (past) tense to describe a future event as a certainty. Will see a great Light;
Those who live in the dark land,
The Light will shine on them.
3You [O God] will increase the nation,
You will multiply their joy;
They will rejoice before You
Like the joy and jubilation of the harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of victory].
4For You will break the yoke of Israel’s burden and the staff (goad) on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the #A reference to Gideon’s great victory over the Midianites (Judg 7:22-25).battle of Midian.
5For every boot of the marching warrior in the battle tumult,
And [every soldier’s] garment rolled in blood, will be used for burning, fuel for the fire.
6For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace,
[He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From that time forward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
8The Lord sends a word (message) against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel [the ten northern tribes, the kingdom of Ephraim].
9And all the people know it,
That is, #The names “Israel” and “Ephraim” are used interchangeably to refer to the ten tribes of the northern kingdom.Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria [its capital],
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild [all the better] with ashlar (hewed stones);
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with [expensive] cedars.”
11Therefore the Lord raises against Ephraim adversaries from Rezin [king of Aram]
And spurs their enemies on,
12The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west;
And they devour Israel with gaping jaws.
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
13Yet the people do not turn back [in repentance] to Him who struck them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts [as their most essential need].
14Therefore the Lord cuts off head and tail [the highest and the lowest] from Israel,
Both [the high] palm branch and [the low] bulrush in one day.
15The elderly and honorable man, he is the head;
And the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16For those who lead this people are causing them to go astray;
And those who are led [astray] by them are swallowed up.
17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
Nor does He have compassion on their fatherless or their widows;
For every one of them is godless and an evildoer,
And every mouth is speaking foolishness.
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
18For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns,
It even sets the forest thickets ablaze;
And it swirls upward in a column of smoke.
19By the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is burned up,
And the people are like fuel for the fire;
No man spares his brother.
20They slice off [in discord] what is on the right hand but are still hungry,
And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;
Each eats the flesh of his own arm.
21[The tribe of] Manasseh devours [the tribe of his brother] Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
And together they are against Judah (the southern kingdom, the house of David).
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
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