Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
and it shall return, and . . . be eaten--Rather, "but it shall be again given over to be consumed": if even a tenth survive the first destruction, it shall be destroyed by a second (Isaiah 5:25; Ezekiel 5:1-5, Ezekiel 5:12), [MAURER and HORSLEY]. In English Version, "return" refers to the poor remnant left in the land at the Babylonish captivity (2 Kings 24:14; 2 Kings 25:12), which afterwards fled to Egypt in fear (2 Kings 25:26), and subsequently returned thence along with others who had fled to Moab and Edom (Jeremiah 40:11-12), and suffered under further divine judgments.
tell--rather, "terebinth" or "turpentine tree" (Isaiah 1:29).
substance . . . when . . . cast . . . leaves--rather, "As a terebinth or oak in which, when they are cast down (not 'cast their leaves,' Job 14:7), the trunk or stock remains, so the holy seed (Ezra 9:2) shall be the stock of that land." The seeds of vitality still exist in both the land and the scattered people of Judea, waiting for the returning spring of God's favor (Romans 11:5, Romans 11:23-29). According to Isaiah, not all Israel, but the elect remnant alone, is destined to salvation. God shows unchangeable severity towards sin, but covenant faithfulness in preserving a remnant, and to it Isaiah bequeaths the prophetic legacy of the second part of his book (the fortieth through sixty-sixth chapters).
In the Assyrian inscriptions the name of Rezin, king of Damascus, is found among the tributaries of Tiglath-pileser, of whose reign the annals of seventeen years have been deciphered. For the historical facts in this chapter, compare 2Ki. 15:37-16:9. Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel, as confederates, advanced against Jerusalem. In the first campaign they "smote Ahaz with a great slaughter" ( 0:0-1:1, "Egypt"; and 2 Kings 17:4, Hoshea's league with Egypt). Rezin and Pekah may have perceived Ahaz' inclination towards Assyria rather than towards their own confederacy; this and the old feud between Israel and Judah (1 Kings 12:16) occasioned their invasion of Judah. Ahaz, at the second inroad of his enemies (compare 2Ch. 28:1-26 and 2 Kings 15:37, with Isaiah 16:5), smarting under his former defeat, applied to Tiglath-pileser, in spite of Isaiah's warning in this chapter, that he should rather rely on God; that king accordingly attacked Damascus, and slew Rezin (2 Kings 16:9); and probably it was at the same time that he carried away part of Israel captive (2 Kings 15:29), unless there were two assaults on Pekah}--that in 2 Kings 15:29, the earlier, and that in which Tiglath helped Ahaz subsequently [G. V. SMITH]. Ahaz was saved at the sacrifice of Judah's independence and the payment of a large tribute, which continued till the overthrow of Sennacherib under Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:37; 2 Kings 16:8, 2 Kings 16:17-18; 2 Chronicles 28:20). Ahaz' reign began about 741 B.C., and Pekah was slain in 738 [WINER].
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Isaiah 1:1
Isaiah 1:4
Isaiah 6:1
Isaiah 7:3
Isaiah 10:20-22
Isaiah 17:11
Isaiah 65:8
Isaiah 65:9
Amos 9:1
Micah 2:12
Matthew 23:39
John 12:41
Romans 9:29
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