This chapter contains a complaint of the Jews for their sins and transgressions; a prophecy of their destruction for them; a promise of grace and mercy, and of happy times, to the saints; and a threatening of utter and dreadful ruin to the wicked.

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord The Jews, who were, by national adoption, and by outward profession of religion, the “children” of God, but were apostates from him, had turned their backs upon him, deviated from his law, and departed from his worship and ordinances; and therefore a…

That walk to go down into Egypt That walk out of their own land to go thither; who sent messengers thither to form an alliance, and get help and assistance, or went in person, to secure themselves from present danger.

Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame They should be disappointed of the help and assistance they expected from him, and so be ashamed of their ally, and of confidence in him: and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion; they should be confounded, when they should find…

For his princes were at Zoan That is, the princes of the king of Judah, or of the people of Judah; though it can hardly be thought that princes should be sent ambassadors into Egypt, to enter into an alliance, or request help, without the knowledge, leave, and consent, and indeed order, of the…

They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them The princes, the ambassadors that were sent unto them, and the king or people, or both, that sent them, who hoped for and expected great things from them, but, being disappointed, were filled with shame; because either the Egyptians, who…

The burden of the beasts of the south Some think this begins a new prophecy, and this the name and inscription of it. The Septuagint version is, “the vision of the four footed beasts in the wilderness;” and Kimchi’s note is, “this prophecy, which he prophesied, that the beasts of the south should…

For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose Not sending help in time, or such as did no service; though they made a show of help, and attempted to help them, or seemed to do so, yet failed to do it: therefore have I cried; proclaimed or published, either the Lord by the prophet, or the…

Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book Meaning their sins, their rebellion against God, their trust in an arm of flesh, and contempt of the divine word; or the prophecy of their destruction, for these things; and both may be meant; which the Lord orders to be written before…

That this is a rebellious people This, with what follows, is what the Lord would have written and engrossed, and remain for ever; or this is a reason why he would have it, for so the words be rendered, “for”, or “because, this is a rebellious people [[10]]”; rebellious against God and his commands;…

Which say to the seers, See not The same with the prophets in the next clause, which explains this: and to the Prophets, prophesy not unto us right things; things agreeable to the mind and will of God, and which ought to be done; not that they, in so many words, said this, but this was the language…

Get ye out of the way: turn aside out of the path These two expressions mean one and the same thing; either that the prophets would go out of their usual way of threatening ruin and destruction; or that they would go out of the way of the people, and not stand in it to hinder them pursuing their…

Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel The prophet introduces his message with the phrase they objected to: ministers of the word must not seek to please men, nor should they be deterred from the use of phrases, because disliked by natural men: as, in our days, men do not love to hear the name…

Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall Or, “as a falling breach” [[11]]; contempt of the word of God, and trusting in wickedness, rejecting the counsel of God, and placing confidence in the creature, these would be the cause of ruin; which ruin is signified by the breach…

And he shall break it as the breaking of the potter’s vessel That is, their confidence in an arm of flesh, and they that place it there; and this either God shall do, or the enemy, and God by him; or rather it may he rendered impersonally, “it shall be broken”; and may refer to the wall to which…

For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel This is still repeated, though displeasing to the carnal Jews, who, notwithstanding their ill behaviour to the Lord, condescends to give them the best advice, as follows: in returning and rest shall ye be saved; or “may be saved” [[13]]; this is…

But ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses Hither and thither to get help and assistance; go down to Egypt for it on them, or thither for them, as some render it; and then face the enemy, and, if we can not conquer him, will flee from him, and so provide for our safety; this is man’s way of…

One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one A troop of horse, consisting of a thousand men, shall flee upon the attack and onset of a single person, so dispirited should they be, and so possessed of the fear of the enemy; what was promised to them with respect to their enemies is here turned…

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you Or “yet” [[15]], or “nevertheless” though such an utter destruction shall be made, there are a few that the Lord has a good will unto, and therefore waits till the set time comes to arise and have mercy on them; he has taken up…

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem Or, “for the people of Zion [[24]] shall dwell in Jerusalem”; those that belonged to the fort of Zion should dwell in Jerusalem, or “abide” there, both they and the inhabitants of it, at least many of them should quietly continue there, waiting the…

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction Either at this present time, when the city was besieged by Sennacherib; or when it should be besieged by the Chaldeans, when adversity was their bread, and affliction their water; or when they had only bread and water…

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee Which may be said in reference to the backsliding and declining state of the people, and is thought by some to be an allusion to schoolmasters, who stand behind their scholars, or at their backs, to guide, teach, and instruct them; and by others to…

Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver Images made of solid silver, covered with rich and costly garments; or images covered and decorated with plates of silver; see (Jer. 10:4, Jer.

Then shall he give thee rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal Or, “rain to thy seed” [[5]]; that is, when the seed is sown in the earth, the Lord will give the former rain, and cause it to take root, and spring up: and bread of the increase of the earth; the earth, being watered…

The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground, &c.] Or till it; for though these might not be joined together in a yoke, yet they were made use of separately in ploughing land, : shall eat clean provender; the word for “provender” signifies a mixture, such as cattle eat, especially…

And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill Which were round about Jerusalem, and in other parts of Judea: rivers and streams of water; such abundance of rain, that it should flow in streams like rivers, from the higher to the lower lands, and water them.

Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun An hyperbolical expression, used to set forth the exceeding great light of the Gospel under the dispensation of it, which would as far exceed the light of the former dispensation, comparable to the moon, as the light of the sun exceeds…

Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far From hence to the end of the chapter is a very full account, by way of prophecy, of the destruction of the Assyrian army by the Lord; and which is to be considered as a type of the destruction of antichrist, by and at the coming of the Lord Jesus.

And his breath as an overflowing stream Which comes with great swiftness and force, bearing all before it, breathing out nothing but the fire of divine wrath, before which there is no standing; nor could the Assyrian army stand before it, but suddenly, in a moment, was carried away with the force…

Ye shall have a song That is, the Jews should have a song, and sing it upon the ruin of the Assyrian army; as the Israelites had, when Pharaoh and his host were drowned in the Red Sea; and so will the Christian church have one, at the fall of Babylon, (Rev. 19:1, Rev.

And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, &c.] Or, “the glory of his voice” [[12]]; his majestic voice, the voice of his word, as the Targum, giving orders for the destruction of the Assyrian army; this was heard by the angel who obeyed it: and such a voice will be heard, ordering…

For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down As anything is by a storm of thunder, lightning, hail, and rain: or “fear”, or be “affrighted”, as the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions render it; Sennacherib, the Assyrian monarch, and that part of his army which escaped, though…

And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, &c.] The storm before mentioned, the wrath and righteous judgment of God, founded upon his unalterable purposes and decrees; and, wherever it came, would fall with great weight, sink deep, stick fast, and remain fixed and sure, like a rod or…

For Tophet is ordained of old The place long ago appointed for the ruin of the Assyrian army, which pitched here: this was a valley near Jerusalem, the valley of the son of Hinnom; so called, from the drums and tabrets beat upon here, to prevent parents hearing the cries of their infants offered to…