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Bible Commentary for Isaiah 13 thru Isaiah 38

Isaiah Chapter 13

Isaiah pronounces Jehovah’s oracle or weighty message against Babylon, a nation that had not at that time come into prominence. When they rose to prominence as a world power, Jehovah would use them to discipline His people by allowing them to be taken into captivity. But because of their cruelty to His people, He would bring destruction upon them.

Jehovah will summon His army to enter the gates of Babylon to carry out His wrath against them. This army He calls His “Holy ones” as they have been specifically chosen by Him to carry out this special assignment. They are a very numerous people who come from a faraway land described as being the ends of the heavens. There will be much distress among the Babylonians such that they are said to be in agony like women in labor. This is the day of Jehovah, a day that brings His wrath and fierce anger. Isaiah describes the effect Jehovah’s day will have on the leadership of Babylon by saying that the moon and the stars will not give their light and the sun will be darkened. (Revelation 8:12) He will humble all those that are arrogant, ruthless and insolent. Their population will be decimated and the entire political structure will change drastically.

Like sheep without a shepherd, the people of Babylon will be totally defenseless with no one coming to their aid. Some will attempt to escape this destruction but they will be caught and killed immediately. They will see their children killed before their eyes and their houses plundered and their wives raped. Isaiah identifies this invading army as the Medes and the Persian who will have no pity on anyone. Babylon will become like Sodom and Gomorrah, a wasteland without inhabitants. Shepherds will not pasture their flocks there, only wild animal will lie down there. This destruction decreed by Jehovah is very near.

Isaiah Chapter 14

Jehovah promises to deliver Jacob and bring them back to their own land and others will join themselves to Jacob. Israel’s role will now be reversed. They would become the captors of those who had held them captive and these would become their servants. Israel would be given rest from the cruel service they had been made to perform under their oppressors. They will then say against the king of Babylon that his oppression and insolence has come to an end because Jehovah had broken his strength. He would be struck down in wrath just as he had done to many nations and had subjected them to continuous persecution. Since his fall, the earth would experience rest and it would be joyous. Those who joined themselves to Israel would join her in rejoicing because they too have been freed from the threat of Babylon’s oppression.

Sheol is spoken of as becoming stirred up because all the former leaders who are already there are surprised to see this proud and strong king now in the same lowly position as they. All of his pomp and ceremony have come to an end and the only thing that he has to look forward to is worms eating his flesh.

This tyrannical king is described as a ‘morning star’ whose desire was to elevate himself to the heavens such that he would be like the Most High. But he has now been brought to the lowest place, the grave. Those who see this will wonder how someone so powerful could come to such an ignominious end. He will not receive even a decent burial but will be trampled as any common soldier who is killed by the sword. Since he caused the destruction of his own people, there is no one to bury him. All of Babylon’s posterity will be cut off and there will not be left even a remnant to them. Their land will become the possession of owls. Babylon will be a place that will be completely forgotten.

Jehovah has sworn that whatever He purposes will take place just as He has decreed. He will crush the Assyrian in the land of Israel and he will break their yoke from off His people’s neck and will remove the burden that has been put upon their shoulders. This is what He has purposed and there is no one who can change it or stay his hand.

Isaiah now prophesies against Philistia. This oracle came in the year that King Ahaz died. (2 Kings 16:20) The Philistines are not to rejoice because of the destruction of Babylon because Jehovah is bringing an even mightier and fiercer nation against them. His people could feel safe but the Philistines could not as it was His purpose to completely wipe them out. (Amos 1:6-8) But those who live in Zion need not fear nor do they need to form alliances with any nation against the coming armies because Jehovah is their refuge.

This destruction of the Philistines mentioned by Isaiah came at the hands of Alexander the Great. According to Zechariah 9:5, 6, four of the five Philistine cities were still in existence after Israel returned from captivity to Babylon. The NIV Bible Commentary, Volume I, page 1530, has this to say: “As history shows, the agent of the Lord’s judgment was Alexander the Great. After defeating the Persians (333 B.C.) Alexander moved swiftly toward Egypt. On his march he toppled the cities in the Aramean (Syrian) interior, as well as those of the Mediterranean coast. Yet, on coming to Jerusalem, he refused to destroy it.” According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, page 1562, “The Macedonian armies of Alexander passed and repassed the city of Jerusalem without laying siege to it. The ultimate cause of this was the divine protection of the city.”

Isaiah Chapter 15

Moab is now the focus of Isaiah’s attention. Moab has been an enemy of Israel for many years so when destruction comes upon it, there will be no help for them. All of their cities will be brought to ruin and the Moabites will in mourning. They will shave their heads and beards and all will put on sackcloth. They will gather in the squares and on the housetops to wail. Many will become fugitives fleeing to cities in other countries. As they travel through their cities, they will see nothing but destruction. Areas around water that should be thriving are now withered and all the wealth that they had amassed has been carried away. As they reach Dibon, they will find that its water is full of blood indicating that a great deal of destruction had been done there. But it is not over yet for Jehovah had decreed that even this remnant would be pursued continually.


Isaiah Chapter 16

As a result of the continuing oppression, the Moabites will pass through the land of Edom to the borders of Israel. They are advised to petition Israel for protection by sending lambs as a tribute to the ruler of Israel, sending them from Sela, a fortified city in Edom, through the desert all the way to Zion. When Moab was under subjection to Israel, each year the king of Moab would send 100,000 lambs as tribute to the king of Israel. (2 Kings 3:4, 5) The Moabite women are described as nestling birds that are scattered from the nest as they stand at the Arnon begging for protection from Israel. They asked Israel to allow them to find shelter from the destroyer in their land and also that they would not betray them to the oppressor. This oppressor will soon come to his end and Jehovah will put a man from the house of David on the throne and he will seek justice and be quick to uphold righteousness.

The Moabites were very arrogant and full of pride but her boasting proved to be empty and void. They will wail over the loss of their fields and vines that have been trampled by the invading army. Her grapevines were lush and produced plentifully. But these were trampled down. There would be no shouts over the fruitful harvests anymore and no one would tread the grapes to produce wine because Jehovah will have brought this to an end. Her petitions to her gods would go unanswered. Jehovah had even more in store for Moab. She could count the days she had left the way a servant under contract would count the remaining day of his servitude, a three-year period. At that time all her splendor and her people would vanish and there would be few survivors left to her.

Isaiah chapter 17

Isaiah now pronounces Jehovah’s judgments against Damascus, the capital city of Aram. The king of Aram and the king of Israel had allied themselves together against Judah intent on defeating it and putting a king of their choice upon the throne. Jehovah told Ahaz, king of Judah, that this would not happen. (7:7-9) Isaiah now prophesies that Damascus would no longer exist as a city but would become a heap of ruins where shepherds would pasture their flocks. Aram would no longer be viewed as a fortress of protection for Ephraim against the Assyrians. They will no longer be a kingdom and their numbers will be few just as Samaria, the glory of Israel, will also become.

Jehovah will bring Ephraim down by causing her means of support to be taken away. It will be as when reapers gather grain and they take everything leaving nothing for the poor to glean; or as when an olive tree is reaped with only a few olives left on the topmost branches of the tree. Israel will be left with a very few people after the Assyrian invasion. At that time, Israel will give consideration to Jehovah. They will not look to the altars that they have made with their hands nor to their sacred poles or altars of incense. They will recognize that their only means of help will come from their Maker.

Since Ephraim has forgotten God her Savior, nothing that she does will prosper. Even thought she plants the choicest of vines and they take root and begin showing immediate growth, at harvest time there will be nothing there to reap as disease and blight will have killed them.

Though nations rage and roar against Israel, when Jehovah rebukes them they are driven away just as chaff is when the wind blows on it. Though they may experience sudden terror in the evening, when morning comes, it is gone. This is Jehovah’s promise to His people when they are plundered and looted. This may have reference to the attack of the Assyrian army against Judah and Jehovah brought it to a halt by destroying their mighty warriors in one night.

Isaiah Chapter 18

The nation against whom Jehovah’s judgement message is given in this chapter is difficult to determine. Many believe that it is the land of Cush or Ethiopia or even Egypt. The use of the term ‘the land of whirring wings’ may refer to the hoards of insects that inhabit the Nile Valley. Messengers were being sent down the Nile River in boats made of papyrus, a material that made them light enough to navigate the many obstacles found in the river. They were being sent to a people who were tall and clean-shaven and who were feared because they were mighty and whose land is divided by rivers. The messengers may have been urging an alliance of the two nations against the Assyrian threat.

Jehovah is watching this diplomatic activity and He sends Isaiah to warn these nations to wait for Him to act. A signal would be given on the mountain and a trumpet would be sounded, which they would both see and hear. Jehovah may appear to be inactive but He is quietly waiting for the appropriate time to act. This particular time He describes as being one when the blossoming flower has began to turn into a ripening grape but before it is ready to be harvested. It is then that he will cut off the shoots and the branches and they will be left for the animals to use. Gifts will then be brought to Jehovah from the people who are described as tall and clean-shaven and aggressive and whose land is divided by rivers.

Isaiah Chapter 19

Isaiah now delivers an oracle against Egypt. Jehovah is pictured as coming to Egypt riding on a swift cloud and the gods of Egypt trembling because of His presence and the Egyptians becoming frightened. He will cause internal strife among them and all of their plans will come to nothing. Although they will appeal to their gods and the mediums, these will offer them no help. Jehovah will deliver them up to a harsh master who will rule over them. Their economy will experience a downturn, as the Nile River, upon which all of their industries depend, will be dried up. The fishermen and those who work in flax will mourn the loss of their water source. Those who weave linen and those who work with the cloth will be dejected because their wages have ceased.

The counselors give foolish advice to Pharaoh because they do not know what Jehovah has planned for them. Those who are leading the Egyptians are in fact leading them astray. Jehovah has given them a spirit of confusion that will cause the nation to stagger like a drunken man. Neither the leadership nor the populace can stave off the destruction that they are headed for. The Egyptians will, in that day, be as fearful as women because of Jehovah’s uplifted hand against them. They will be terrified when they hear what Jehovah has done for Judah and it will cause them to reel.

At a future time, five cities of Egypt will learn the language of Canaan, that is, they will learn divine truth and they will swear allegiance to Jehovah. There will be an altar in the center of Egypt that will be dedicated to Jehovah and a pillar on its border. (Joshua 22:26-28) It will be a sign and a witness that Jehovah will come to the aid of the Egyptians to defend them and to deliver them. The Egyptians will worship Jehovah and offer sacrifices to him. He will strike them but He will also heal them. They will return to Jehovah and He will listen to their supplications and heal them.

There will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria and these nations will worship Jehovah together. Israel will be a third party along with Egypt and Assyria and they will have Jehovah’s blessing. Egypt will be called ‘Jehovah’s people,’ Assyria will be called ‘the work of Jehovah’s hand,’ and Israel will be called ‘His inheritance.’

Isaiah Chapter 20

Sargon, king of Assyria, sent his commander-in-chief to fight against Ashdod, a Philistine city, and he captured it. In that year, Jehovah told Isaiah to remove the sackcloth covering that he wore and the sandals from his feet and he was to go about naked and barefoot for three years. This was to be a sign against Egypt and Ethiopia as the Assyrians would lead them into exile naked and barefoot. Those who had trusted in Egypt and Ethiopia to deliver them from the Assyrians would become ashamed and afraid. They would have to admit that putting their trust in these two nations was the wrong thing to do and that they too would not escape the Assyrian army.

Isaiah Chapter 21

Isaiah now sees an invading army coming through the desert by the sea that he identifies as coming from Media and Persia. They are about to lay siege and bring to an end all the suffering caused by the Babylonians. Isaiah becomes very frightened by the vision that he sees and it also causes him much pain. What he sees and hears has caused him much trembling and he needs to warn the people of what is coming, as they are unaware of it. Their commanders need to prepare for the battle rather than enjoying themselves.

Jehovah told Isaiah to post a lookout that would keep him abreast of what was happening. If he sees chariots with teams of horses and many riders on donkeys and camels, he should pay very close attention. The watchman calls out that he is at his post continually day and night. Finally, he sees a chariot coming and the rider brings him a message. He then announces that Babylon has fallen and all of her images have been shattered. Isaiah then announced to Israel what Jehovah had told him.

There was an inquiry from Seir a city in Edom asking the watchman if the night would come to an end. The watchman told him that morning was coming but that another night would follow it. But he could return at another time and continue his inquiries. Edom was concerned about their political situation as to whether there would be any changes.

Isaiah now prophesies concerning the inhabitants of Arabia. The traveling caravans of Dedan are told to prepare to help the people who will be fleeing from the Assyrian army. Jehovah told Isaiah that within a year, Kedar would be destroyed and the majority of her warriors would be killed and her people would become fugitives. Kedar was famous for the lustrous black tents that she made. (Song of Solomon 1:5)

Isaiah Chapter 22

This oracle concerns the city of Jerusalem. There are many people in the city that had fled there trying to evade the Assyrian army. But many of those fleeing had been captured and taken prisoner without the use of a sword or a bow. Isaiah does not want to be comforted because so many of his people will be destroyed. He describes Jehovah’s day as a day of tumult, trampling and terror. Jerusalem’s walls will be broken down and the people will be looking to the mountains for help. The valley around the city would be filled with chariots and horsemen will stand at her gates. Judah was now defenseless.

Judah took the weapons that were stored in the Palace of the Forest, attempted to shore up the breaches in the walls and to divert the water into Jerusalem by digging a tunnel through rock. Houses that were on the wall were torn down and the lumber was used to strengthen the walls. (2 Chronicles 32:2-5) But they did not turn to Jehovah who was the One who had brought this about. He had encouraged them to take this time to put on sackcloth and mourn in repentance for their sins against Him. Instead they chose to be joyful and engage in revelry, eating and drinking, and saying that they had better enjoy themselves today because they might not be alive to see another day. Jehovah said that He would not forgive them for this callous attitude.

Jehovah now speaks to Shebna, who was in charge of the palace. He had built for himself an elaborate burial site and Jehovah asked him who gave him permission to do this. His aim in doing this was probably the desire to be remembered as a prominent man. But Jehovah had something else in mind for him. Jehovah would hurl him into another country where he would die in obscurity. He would also be removed from his position as steward. Eliakim, son of Hilkiah would be given Shebna’s robe, his sash and all of his authority. He would be a leader to the people of Jerusalem and Judah and he would be given much authority by the king that he would faithfully carry out. He would be like a peg that was fastened in a secure place and the honor of his family would hang on him. But Isaiah warned that this peg would one day be removed and all that was hanging upon it would fall.

Isaiah Chapter 23

Isaiah prophesied concerning Tyre, an important port city in the seafaring trade market. Tyre is located in Phoenicia and Phoenicia had become very wealthy because ships from all over the world dock at Tyre bringing all sorts of goods. When Tyre is destroyed nations will mourn her because of the economic losses they would suffer. Even the sea admits its part in making Tyre wealthy. Even Egypt will mourn for Tyre because of the grain she traded there. It is Jehovah who has planned this against Tyre to bring down their pride and to humble them. Ships of Tarshish will no longer sail to Tyre because it no longer has a harbor. Jehovah has stretched His hand out against them and decreed that her reveling would stop and that she would be crushed.

Although Tyre escaped the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, she would fall to Alexander the Great who would build a causeway, using the dirt from the city, out to their island city.

In a future prophecy, Jehovah decreed that Tyre would be forgotten for seventy years and afterwards she would again take up her prostitution before all the nations. But the wages from this prostitution will be dedicated to Jehovah, they will not be hoarded but will supply food and clothing for those Jehovah approves.

Isaiah Chapter 24

Jehovah is near to making the earth desolate and ruined and scattering its inhabitants. The earth in this chapter refers to the people of Jerusalem who are in apostasy. Everyone, no matter his station in life, will suffer the same punishment. The earth will dry up and the exalted of the earth will pine away. The earth has become polluted because the people have sinned against Jehovah’s law; they have not kept his statutes and have broken the everlasting covenant. There is therefore a curse upon the land and the inhabitants suffer because of their guilt and only a few of them will be left.

All merriment has ceased from the land; there is no drinking of wine with singing. All houses are boarded up so that no one may enter. The city is desolated, the gates are in ruins and not much is left as the city has been gleaned.

One day there will be those who will sing for joy and shout because of the majesty of Jehovah, the God of Israel. They will give glory to Jehovah and will exalt His name in the islands of the sea. From one end of the earth to the other they can be heard singing “Glory to the Righteous one.”

But, at this time, Isaiah bemoans the fact that the people are still acting in a treacherous manner with each other. There is only terror, the pit and a snare awaiting them. Whoever escaped the terror would be caught in the pit and whoever climbed out of the pit would be caught in a snare. (Jeremiah 48:43, 44) Jehovah’s judgments will be like opening the floodgates of heaven that would cause the earth to tremble. They are also like an earthquake that shakes the earth and splits it asunder. The transgressions of the people are so heavy that they cause the earth to stagger like a drunken person and to sway like a lone hut in a field. When it falls it will never rise again.

On that day Jehovah will punish the powers in the heavens as well as those who rule on the earth. They will be gather together and shut up in a prison awaiting their punishment. Those who claimed to be light bearers will be put to shame and Jehovah will reign on Mount Zion in a glorious manner.

Isaiah Chapter 25

Isaiah again looks to the future. He praises Jehovah because He has done wonderful things. He has made unfaithful Jerusalem a heap and a ruin and so it is no longer a city and will never be rebuilt. Peoples who have never worshipped Him will do so, strong people will glorify Him and people from ruthless nations will fear him. He has been a refuge for the poor and needy in their distress and a shelter from the rainstorm, the wicked and ruthless, and a shade from the heat caused by oppression.

Jehovah will supply His people with an abundance of spiritual food and drink and He will remove the things that have clouded their vision because of a lack of understanding of what was happening. He will also remove everything that causes tears and the threat of death. He will take away the disgrace of His people brought on by the punishment He brought on them. The people will reaffirm that because they have trusted in Jehovah He has saved them and they will rejoice in His salvation.

Jehovah will protect His people but those who are proud and haughty He will trample underfoot as straw is trampled. He will humble them in spite of how clever they believe themselves to be. Their fortified walls will fall into the dust.

Isaiah Chapter 26

Jehovah’s people will sing this song to Jehovah when He redeems them from their enemies. Jerusalem is a strong city with walls that are salvation. Its gates are to be opened to the righteous nation that puts its trust in Jehovah, their rock. The haughty city Jehovah humbles and brings it down to the dust and it will be trampled underfoot by the oppressed and the poor. Jehovah has made the path of the upright ones level and smooth. They have walked in the way prescribed in His laws and they look forward to His name being elevated. They wait for His judgments to be made known on the earth so that the world will learn what true justice is.

Even though the wicked are given every opportunity to learn righteousness, they will refuse to do so even while in the land of uprightness. They are unaware that Jehovah’s hand is ready to strike them down in order to protect His people. Jehovah has established peace for His people. Although others have ruled over His people they recognize Him alone as their true ruler. These rulers have been brought to ruin, all memory of them has been forgotten. Jehovah has increased the population of His nation and extended its borders thereby gaining glory for Himself.

When Jehovah disciplined His people they turned to Him barely able to whisper a prayer to Him. They were like a woman who is about to give birth to a child and who cries out in her agony but does not deliver. In a similar manner, when Israel gave birth, it was for nothing as they were not able to bring anyone to salvation nor did they produce a righteous nation. Jehovah will restore to life those who are in the grave and they will awaken and shout for joy. (Daniel 12:2) The invitation is issued to Jehovah’s people to hide themselves for a little while until His wrath has passed because it is time to punish the wicked for their sins.

Isaiah Chapter 27

In that day Jehovah will punish Leviathan, the sea dragon, with His mighty sword. In that day, He will speak about His fruitful vineyard that He watches over, constantly watering it and keeping it from harm. There are not even briars and thorns there for Him to war against. But if there were, He would first offer them peace with Himself before He takes any action against them. Jacob will take root, sprout and blossom and they will fill the earth with fruit.

Isaiah now describes Jehovah’s dealing with Israel before He pardoned them. The question that is asked is this: ‘Did Jehovah have to deal with Israel as He dealt with her enemies?’ Yes, He did, even driving them away by allowing them to go into exile. His full forgiveness of their sins will come when all of their idols have been crushed into powder and the Asherah poles and incense altars have been removed and burned in the fire. The fortified city, apostate Jerusalem, will have been abandoned and left desolated. It will become a place for flocks to graze and where women will come to strip bare the dried branches in order to make fires. The people who lived in this fortified city did not have any understanding so Jehovah could not be compassionate towards them nor show them any favor.

In that day, Jehovah will thresh Israel from one end of the land to the other and they will be gathered up one by one just as an olive tree is beaten and the fruit picked up piece by piece. A trumpet will also be sounded and those exiled in Assyria and Egypt will return to worship Jehovah on His holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Isaiah Chapter 28

Isaiah now turns his attention to the Ten Tribe Kingdom of Israel and its capital city, Samaria. Ephraim was the leading tribe and Samaria is described as the proud crown of this kingdom. Samaria was situated on a beautiful piece of land overlooking a fertile valley. Isaiah now describes this land as a fading flower and the spiritual leaders as drunkards of Ephraim upon whom Jehovah’s judgments have come. He will use the Assyrians that are described as being like a hailstorm, a destructive wind, a driving rain and a flooding downpour that will forcefully throw this city to the ground.

At a future time, Jehovah will become a glorious wreath or crown to the remnant of His people. To those who judged righteously, He will be a spirit of justice and to those who stand at the gate to fight, He will be a source of strength. But the leaders of Israel, their priests and prophets, will not listen to these ones. Their preference is to be continually drunk from wine and beer that make them reel and stagger so that they are unable to render just decisions. They will only spew forth vomit and filth. And to whom were their teachings designed to help? Wass it children who had just been weaned from their mother’s milk, those who are immature? No, it is to those who should be mature and able to understand but they were only given rules upon rules and commands upon commands, a little of this and a little of that, nothing that the people could use to help them worship Jehovah appropriately. These leaders may as well have been speaking a foreign language for all the help they provided.

Because of this situation, Jehovah will speak to them in a foreign language. He has offered them the opportunity to be at rest with Him and has given them a place of repose but they have rejected His offer. So now Jehovah would allow them to be taken captive by a nation whose language they will not understand. Even the leaders of God’s people in Jerusalem were not listening to Isaiah. They believed that they would be safe from any invasion because they had built up fortifications that could not be torn down.

Jehovah had put in place the only sure means of salvation, a tried and tested stone that would be the foundation cornerstone that people could put their trust in. Justice and righteousness would be the means by which he would straighten out matters. Anything else that these leaders had devised would be torn down because of an overwhelming scourge that would sweep by. It would regularly come through and sweep away all of their fortifications. When they understood this message it would bring terror to them. They will find themselves in a very uncomfortable position.

Jehovah has something in store for His people that they will consider strange and foreign. He gave them a clue when he mentions Mount Perazim and the Valley of Gibeon where He soundly defeated the Philistines when David was fighting them. (1 Chronicles 14:11-16) Isaiah warns them to stop making light of Jehovah’s words or their punishment would be even heavier. Jehovah had already told Isaiah that He had decreed that destruction was to come upon the land

Isaiah now shows the appropriateness of Jehovah’s discipline. He uses the illustration of a farmer who plows for a while, then breaks up the soil, then he plants his crop. He plants each crop in its appropriate plot because Jehovah has taught him the right way. When it is time to harvest the crop, each is harvested as is appropriate to the type of crop it is. This too comes from Jehovah who is mighty in counsel and wisdom. When He disciplines His people it will be appropriate to the sin and will last for an appropriate time.

Isaiah Chapter 29

Isaiah now focuses his attention on Jerusalem referred to in this chapter as Ariel. This name in Hebrew sounds like the word for 'Altar hearth.’ Jehovah would bring judgement upon Jerusalem and Judah. They continue to hold their annual feasts year in and year out but they are not aware of what Jehovah has in store for them. He will allow the enemy to encircle them and set up siegeworks and battle towers against the city. The city itself will become an altar hearth on which the people themselves would be the sacrifice. They will be brought so low that even their speech would sound like mumbling from the dust.

But Jehovah will intervene on behalf of His people. He will cause the enemies of Jerusalem to become like fine dust or like chaff that the wind blows away. Jehovah will suddenly come with thunder and an earthquake and with a windstorm and a devouring fire against those nations attacking Jerusalem. Their hopes of conquering this city will then seem like a dream, a vision in the night. All of their efforts will have come to nothing.

The people in Jerusalem have become spiritually insensitive because they deliberately close their eyes to Jehovah’s words. The words of the prophet Isaiah are like words written on a scroll that is sealed. There will be no one who understands or can explain the things that are happening. The people are really hypocritical in their worship. They render lip service but their hearts are not involved. They place their emphasis on rules and traditions taught by men. (Maatthew 15:8, 9) Jehovah will do something that will astonish His people. The wisdom and discernment of their wise men will vanish.

Woe to those who make plans and think that they can hide them from Jehovah because they don’t believe that He can see them. They look at things backwards because they say that the One who made them is not able to understand what they are doing. So they do not wait for Him to bring a solution to their problems, they take it upon themselves to solve them without His help.

Yet in a short time, Jehovah will bring about better conditions. The deaf will hear, the blind will see and the afflicted and needy will rejoice in Jehovah. The ruthless and the mocker will be gone. Those who hate justice by bringing a false accusation against a person, or those who try to bribe the judges, or who try to defraud another by thoughtless and meaningless arguments will all be cut off. Jehovah will also bring about increase for the nation so that Jacob would not be ashamed because the nation is so small in comparison to other nations. They will all stand in awe of Jehovah and will sanctify His name. These ones that Jehovah repurchases will have a different attitude towards truth and instruction coming from Jehovah.

Isaiah Chapter 30

Jehovah reprimands Judah because of their making an alliance with Egypt. He called them rebellious children who seek help from humans rather than from Him. Seeking help from Pharaoh would turn out to be a shameful and humiliating act because Egypt would be powerless to help them when they needed it. Judah sent ambassadors to Hanes and to Zoan to secure an alliance. The delegation traveled through the Negev, a desolate area where there were lions and vipers, carrying their treasures on the backs of donkeys and camels to Egypt, a people that, in the end, would not be able to help them. So the name given to Egypt by the prophet was ‘Rahab, The Do-Nothing,’ or ‘Their strength is to sit.’

Isaiah was told to write his message on a scroll so that it would serve as a witness against them. They could never say that they had not heard the message before when it comes true. They refused to listen to Jehovah’s instruction. They do not want their seers to tell them their visions nor their prophets to prophesy to them what is right, but only what sounds pleasant to them. They do not want to hear anything more from the Holy One of Israel.

Because of their rejection of Isaiah’s message, the punishment for their sin would come upon them suddenly as a wall with a bulge in it collapses suddenly without warning. They would escape this fate if they would repent and wait on Jehovah, quietly trusting in Him. But they did not want to do that. Instead they preferred to rely on swift horses if they had to flee, which Jehovah said that they would do. But the enemy that would pursue them would have even swifter horses. They would become so unnerved that they will flee at the threat of a few of the enemy. The few who were left would be like a banner on a hill to serve as a warning of what happens to those who do not listen to Jehovah.

In spite of their rebelliousness, Jehovah still desires to be gracious to Israel and to have compassion on them for He is a God of justice. Whenever they cry out to him He will answer them. Although He must exact punishment for their sins yet He would afterwards show them mercy and He would teach them the right way to go. They will then throw away their graven images viewing them as something impure. Jehovah will then richly bless His people with plenty as He promised them. (Deuteronomy 28:2-14) When apostate Jerusalem falls on the day of the slaughter, streams of water will flow on every mountain and hill. Jehovah will bind up the wounds He inflicted on them and He will give them an increased understanding of His word. (Isaiah 27:11)

Jehovah now decrees destruction for the Assyrian armies. He will shake them in a sieve and put a bridle in their mouths to lead them to destruction. At this His people will rejoice as they do when celebrating their festival with music and song. Jehovah will cause the Assyrians to hear His voice and they will become terrified as He strikes them with the rod of punishment. Topheth will be set aflame and made ready for the sacrifice that Jehovah would make of this army. Topheth was the place in the Valley of Hinnom, where disobedient Israelites offered their children in the fire to the god, Molech. (Jeremiah 7:31)

Isaiah Chapter 31

The condemnation against Judah for turning to Egypt continues in this chapter. Isaiah prophesied woe for them as they trusted in horses and many chariots and horseman but did not look to Jehovah. They challenged His wisdom but He alone is wise and He can bring destruction and will not retract His words. He will rise up against those who defy Him and against those who try to help Jerusalem. The Egyptians are only men and not God and their horses are flesh and not spirit. Both nations will fall and there will be no one to help them.

Jehovah will be like a lion that growls over his prey and no one can frighten him away from it when He comes to fight for Mount Zion to deliver it from the enemy. Israel has revolted against Jehovah so He urges them to return to Him and rid themselves of the idols that they have made. The Assyrian army will be destroyed by means of a sword but it would not be wielded by the hand of humans. They will come to know that Jehovah is with Judah and they will be terrified and will panic, knowing that they will be destroyed.

Isaiah Chapter 32

Isaiah now described the future spiritual condition of Israel. These conditions contrast with the condition of the people and their leadership that Isaiah observed during his day. (See Isaiah 28:7, 14, 15) They will have a king and princes who will rule in justice and righteousness. These will provide the appropriate protection from that which is harmful. The people will be receptive to the righteous counsel given them by their leaders. No longer will they give attention to those who speak foolishness, nor will they consider an unprincipled person to be generous. These person have no real interest in helping anyone as their main purpose is to devise wicked schemes that will destroy the afflicted and the needy who speak truth. (Zechariah 11:5)

The women of Judah are urged to pay attention to the words of the prophet because they too will be affected by events to come upon them shortly, within a year and a few days. The source of their security and wealth would be taken from them and they were going to see nothing but trouble. Their life of ease and complacency will end. They will have to take off their finery and put on sackcloth. They will mourn over the fact that the land will become unproductive and their houses and cities will be abandoned and will become a place to pasture flocks.

When Jehovah pours out his spirit upon repentant ones, then there will be growth among His people because justice and righteousness will dwell in the wilderness. Jehovah will bless His people to live in peace and security but apostate Jerusalem will be laid low.

Isaiah Chapter 33

Scholars believe that the one called the destroyer in verse one represents the Assyrian army and those designated as betrayers are those in Judah who pushed for an alliance with Egypt and other nations to help them against the Assyrians. Their actions are going to be brought back upon their own heads.

But there are those in Judah who have put their trust in Jehovah. They wait for him to bring them relief in times of distress. At the sound of His voice, peoples flee and nations disperse and the plunder from these nations will be quickly gathered up as if by a swarm of locusts. The faithful ones know that Jehovah is exalted and dwells on high and He will bring justice and righteousness to Zion and He will be its sure foundation, stabilizing it. Zion will have salvation, wisdom and knowledge because the fear of Jehovah is what she treasures.

Those who trusted in men are now bitterly disappointed because their help has been proven to be no help as the prophet Isaiah told them. The Egyptians were unable to stem the tide of the Assyrian army. (2 Kings 18:21) They failed to do what they had agreed to do. So people everywhere are frightened and probably go in hiding because they are afraid to travel on the roads because dangers abound. Jehovah would now arise and show His strength. He will show his wayward people that the plans that they conceived without approaching Him for help were nothing more than stubble that will be burned in the fire that comes from their mouths. Jehovah would receive the credit for destroying the enemy nation.

Jehovah invites the peoples of the world to give thought to what He did to the Assyrians and be willing to acknowledge that He is the Almighty One. Those disobedient ones among His people are terrified of Him and they know that they cannot stand in His presence and wonder if anyone can. But Isaiah describes to them the ones who will stand before Jehovah. They are the ones who walk in righteousness, speak what is right, reject unjust gain, does not take a bribe, refuses to spill innocent blood, and does not contemplate evil at any time. His place before Jehovah will be assured.

The ones who are redeemed of Jerusalem will see their king whose rulership will extend to the distant parts of the earth. Their thoughts will go back to the former days when they were subjected to harsh foreign rulers who exacted tribute from them and whose language was foreign to them. Those days are a thing of the past as they look at Zion and their eyes see Jerusalem. It is a city that will not be removed nor will it be disturbed by war. Jehovah will be their judge, lawgiver and their king who saves them. When He defeats their enemies, there will so much spoil to be divided that even the lame will have an opportunity to partake of it. No resident of Zion will say that he is sick because they will all have been pardoned of their sins.

Isaiah Chapter 34

Jehovah invites all the nations to listen and pay attention to Him because He is angry with them and has decreed that they should all be destroyed. Those killed will be so many that they will not be given a proper burial but will rot on the ground. The mountains will dissolve under the weight of the blood that will be spilled on them. The entire power structure will be changed.

He has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in Edom. Edom here pictures those who are mortal enemies of Israel who Jehovah is now protecting. This is His day of vengeance, His time to recompense these ones for what they did to His people. Edom’s troops are pictured as ‘wild oxen, bulls and bull calves’ and they all are going to fall. The land will be drenched with their blood and the dust will be saturated with their fat. Both blood and fat were a part of the sacrifices offered on the altar.

Edom’s land would be turned into a burning blaze that would never be put out. It will lie a desolate waste throughout all generations with no one passing through it. It will no longer be called a kingdom. Thorns and nettles will take over her former fortified towers and cities. The country will be taken over by the desert dwelling animals. It will be recorded in a scroll that Jehovah will have Himself given the order for these to make their home here. He will see that they are provided for and they will possess Edom forever.

Isaiah Chapter 35

Isaiah now describes the changes that the land that Jehovah will give to those redeemed by Him will undergo. It will go from a desert or wilderness like condition to one described as a land that is very fruitful and where there will be great rejoicing. The use of the names Carmel, Sharon and Lebanon bring to mind areas that were very fertile and productive. Evidences of Jehovah’s glory and majesty will be seen there.

Encouragement is given to any who may have let their hands hand down or whose knees have become weak or whose hearts are fearful. They are to be courageous and not fearful because Jehovah will come and He will do so with divine retribution in His hands to save them. Many of them will undergo miraculous changes as they drink the water provided in the wilderness. The wilderness will itself undergo changes, as it becomes a place of plentiful water.

There will be a highway provided for them to walk on as they travel to Zion. It will be called 'The way of Holiness,’ and no one unclean, or wicked, nor will any ferocious animals walk on it. Only those redeemed by Jehovah will walk there and as they enter Zion, they will do so with rejoicing. All sorrow and sighing will be gone and everlasting joy will replace these.

Isaiah Chapter 36

In the fourteenth year of the kingship of Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria took all of the fortified cities of Judah. He sent three top officials with a contingent of troops to put Jerusalem under siege. First though they would attempt to talk Hezekiah into surrendering peacefully. Hezekiah sent his three top officials to speak to the Assyrians. They stood outside the walls of Jerusalem and spoke in the hearing of the people. They said that Hezekiah was putting his trust in the wrong places. Egypt could not be trusted nor could Jehovah their god be trusted as he was the one who sent them and certainly their own army would be of no help. Eliakim, Shebna and Joah then asked them to speak in Aramaic so that the Judahites living on the walls would not understand what the Assyrians were saying, but they refused. It was their aim to demoralize the people and scare them into submission.

So they called out even louder in Hebrew to the people that they should not let Hezekiah deceive them that their god was going to deliver them. They should listen to the king of Assyria, as he was the one who would take them to a place of peace and security. The only other alternative they had was death. The commanders then spoke of all of the other nations whose god had not delivered them from Assyria so why would they think that their god could do any differently? Eliakim, Shebna and Joah then with torn garments reported what had been said to Hezekiah.

Isaiah Chapter 37

Hezekiah, when he heard the report, tore his robes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple. He also sent Eliakim, Shebna and Joah to Isaiah the prophet to learn what Jehovah’s word was in reference to the words spoken by the Assyrians ridiculing the living God. Isaiah sent word back to Hezekiah saying that Jehovah had heard those blasphemous words of the Assyrians and that He had the situation in complete control. Sennacherib would hear a report that would cause him great fear and he would return to his own country and there he would be killed.

Because of a threat from Egypt, Sennacherib withdrew from Judah but he continued his demoralizing efforts against Hezekiah. He sent a letter to Hezekiah where he again emphasized the uselessness of his waiting for his god to deliver him. Every other nation that had depended on their gods was now no longer in existence. After reading this letter, Hezekiah went to the temple and approached Jehovah in prayer. He acknowledged Jehovah as the only true God who sits enthroned between the Cherubim and who is ruler of all the kingdoms on earth. Hezekiah urged him to listen and see the words that Sennacherib had sent to insult Him. Yes, he had devastated these other kingdoms, but that occurred because their gods were not real but were of wood and stone made by the hands of men. He pleaded that Jehovah would deliver them so that all of the kingdoms on earth would know that He alone was God.

Jehovah sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him that He had he had heard his prayer and to tell him what Jehovah had decreed against the Assyrian king. Judah is spoken of here as a ‘Virgin Daughter’ because the Assyrians would not violate her. She would mock and toss her head as the Assyrians fled from her. Did he not know that in his pride he has insulted the Holy One of Israel sending his messengers to brag about his exploits? Has he not heard that Jehovah had long ago foretold what Sennacherib would do and now He was causing it to come to pass? Sennacherib was only an instrument being used by Jehovah. Jehovah knew all there was to know about him. He would treat him the same way He treated others people and He would lead them back to where they came from. (See Isaiah 10:5-14) The Bible History Commentaryof the Old Testament, page 577, tells us that “on some ancient monuments the Assyrian conquerors pictured themselves as leading their captives with a line that passed through rings that had been placed in the victims noses.”

Hezekiah was given a sign that these things would come to pass. Judah would eat from the ground the produce that grew of itself for two years and in the third year, they would plant vineyards and sow seed. Jehovah would pour out his blessings on the land. Jehovah also assured him of the survival of Judah in that “a remnant would take root below and bear fruit above.” (See Isaiah 10: 20-23) He then told Hezekiah that the Assyrians would not shoot an arrow into the city, come before it with a shield, or build a siege ramp against it. He would not enter the city because He, Jehovah, would defend it because of His name and because of David. That very night, an angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. (See Isaiah 10:16-19) After this Sennacherib withdrew and returned to his own land. Some twenty years later, two of his sons killed him with the sword and escaped to Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him as king.

Isaiah Chapter 38

Hezekiah became ill and Jehovah sent Isaiah to him to tell him that he would not recover. Hezekiah then turned to Jehovah in prayer and pleaded with Him with many tears to remember how he had walked faithfully before him and how he had done what was good in His eyes. Jehovah heard his prayer and sent the prophet Isaiah back to tell him that He would heal him and would add fifteen years to his lifespan. He also told him that He would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrians. Jehovah gave him a sign to show that He would do as He had stated. As a sign of this, he would cause the shadow cast by the sun on the stairway of Ahaz to retreat the tens steps that it had advanced.

After Jehovah had healed Hezekiah, he expressed his thanks to Jehovah for His goodness. In his writing, he noted that he had been told that he would die while he was in the prime of his life. He would never be able to commune with Jehovah at His temple nor enjoy friendships with other humans. His body would become like a tent that had been pulled down and taken away or like a piece of cloth that had been cut off the loom. He had hoped that he would get well but he had not.

It was as if Jehovah was a lion and had broken all of his bones. His cries of pain were as those of a bird’s shrill, doleful as the sounds of a dove and his eyes became weary looking to heaven for relief. He believed that Jehovah had brought this sickness upon him and all of the anguish that he was going through would teach him humility.

Then Jehovah told him that He would restore his health, something that Hezekiah considered a most gracious act on His part. Hezekiah knew that he was the one who would gain the greatest benefit from his sufferings. Because of Jehovah’s great love, he saved Hezekiah from going to the grave thereby putting all of his sins behind Him. As he continued to live, he would be able to offer songs of praise to Jehovah something that the dead cannot do. Fathers have the opportunity to tell their children of Jehovah’s faithfulness and mercy something that Hezekiah would not have had an opportunity to do had Jehovah not saved him at this time. Hezekiah would now be able to offer praise to Jehovah with song and with stringed instruments in His temple all of his remaining years.

Jehovah instructed Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to prepare a poultice of figs, apply it to the boil and he would recover. Hezekiah had asked Isaiah what sign would Jehovah give him that he would again go up to the temple to worship Jehovah.


NOTE: Translations used in this commentary were the New American Standard Bible (NAS), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New International Version (NIV)

***©2005 by YORWW Congregation