1 Woe to Ariel! Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts come around; 2 then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and lamentation. She shall be to me as an altar hearth. 3 I will encamp against you all around you, and will lay siege against you with posted troops. I will raise siege works against you. 4 You will be brought down, and will speak out of the ground. Your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will be as of one who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and your speech will whisper out of the dust. 5 But the multitude of your foes will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will be in an instant, suddenly. 6 She will be visited by Yahweh of Armies with thunder, with earthquake, with great noise, with whirlwind and storm, and with the flame of a devouring fire. 7 The multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all who fight against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be like a dream, a vision of the night. 8 It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn't satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and behold, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that. 9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10 For Yahweh has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and he has covered your heads, the seers. 11 All vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is educated, saying, "Read this, please;" and he says, "I can't, for it is sealed:" 12 and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, "Read this, please;" and he says, "I can't read." 13 The Lord said, "Because this people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught; 14 therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will be hidden." 15 Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose works are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us?" and "Who knows us?" 16 You turn things upside down! Should the potter be thought to be like clay; that the thing made should say about him who made it, "He didn't make me;" or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?" 17 Isn't it yet a very little while, and Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be regarded as a forest? 18 In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness. 19 The humble also will increase their joy in Yahweh, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the ruthless is brought to nothing, and the scoffer ceases, and all those who are alert to do evil are cut off - 21 who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for the arbiter in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony. 22 Therefore thus says Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob shall no longer be ashamed, neither shall his face grow pale. 23 But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they will sanctify my name. Yes, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 They also who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will receive instruction."
This chapter relates solely to Jerusalem - here called Ariel (see the note at Isaiah 29:1). It is not immediately connected with the preceding or the following chapters, though it is not improbable they were delivered about the same time. At what time this was delivered is not known, though it is evident that it was before the invasion by Sennacherib, and probably before the time of Hezekiah. The prophecy in the chapter consists of two parts: (I) The invasion of Judea by Sennacherib, and its sudden deliverance Isaiah 29:1-8. (II) A reproof of the Jews for their infidelity and impiety.
I. The invasion of Judea, and the distress that would be brought upon Jerusalem, and its sudden deliverance Isaiah 29:1-8.
1. Ariel would be filled with grief and distress Isaiah 29:1-2.
2. Yahweh would encamp against it and besiege it, and it would be greatly straitened and humbled Isaiah 29:3-4.
3. Yet the besieging army would be visited with sudden calamity and destruction - represented here by thunder, and tempest, and flame Isaiah 29:5-6.
4. The enemy would vanish as a dream, and all his hopes would be disappointed, as the hopes of a hungry and thirsty man are disappointed who dreams of having satisfied his hunger and thirst Isaiah 29:7-8.
There can be no doubt, I think, that this portion of the prophecy refers to the sudden and dreadful overthrow of Sennacherib; and the design of this portion of the prophecy is to give the assurance, that though Jerusalem would be in imminent danger, yet it would be suddenly delivered.
II. The second part consists of reproofs of the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their infidelity and impiety.
1. They were full of error, and all classes of people were wandering from God - reeling under error like a drunken man Isaiah 29:9.
2. A spirit of blindness and stupidity everywhere prevailed among the people Isaiah 29:10-12.
3. Formality and external regard for the institutions of religion prevailed, but without its life and power Isaiah 29:13.
4. They attempted to lay deep and skillful plans to hide their wickedness from Yahweh Isaiah 29:15.
5. They were unjust in their judgments, making a man an offender for a word, and perverting just judgment Isaiah 29:21.
6. For all this they should be punished.
(a) The wisdom of their wise men should fail Isaiah 29:14.
(b) The scorner would be consumed Isaiah 29:20.
7. There would be an overturning, and the people would be made acquainted with the law of God, and the truly pious would be comforted Isaiah 29:16-19. Those who had erred would be reformed, and would come to the true knowledge of God Isaiah 29:22-24.
Distress of Ariel, or Jerusalem, on Sennacherib's invasion, with manifest allusion, however, to the still greater distress which it suffered from the Romans, Isaiah 29:1-4. Disappointment and fall of Sennacherib described in terms, like the event, the most awful and terrible, Isaiah 29:5-8. Stupidity and hypocrisy of the Jews, Isaiah 29:9-16. Rejection of the Jews, and calling of the Gentiles, Isaiah 29:17. The chapter concludes by a recurrence to the favourite topics of the prophet, viz., the great extension of the Messiah's kingdom in the latter days, and the future restoration of Israel, Isaiah 29:18-24.
The subject of this and the four following chapters is the invasion of Sennacherib; the great distress of the Jews while it continued; their sudden and unexpected deliverance by God's immediate interposition in their favor; the subsequent prosperous state of the kingdom under Hezekiah; interspersed with severe reproofs, and threats of punishment, for their hypocrisy, stupidity, infidelity, their want of trust in God, and their vain reliance on the assistance of Egypt; and with promises of better times, both immediately to succeed, and to be expected in the future age. The whole making, not one continued discourse, but rather a collection of different discourses upon the same subject; which is treated with great elegance and variety. Though the matter is various, and the transitions sudden, yet the prophet seldom goes far from his subject. It is properly enough divided by the chapters in the common translation. - L.
INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 29
This chapter contains a prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem by the Romans; the character and condition of the people of the Jews, previous to it; the calling of the Gentiles, by the preaching of the Gospel; the ruin of antichrist, and the conversion of the Jews, in the latter day. The siege and destruction of Jerusalem are described in Isaiah 29:1 the disappointment of their enemies, notwithstanding their taking and destroying it, Isaiah 29:7 the stupidity, judicial blindness, and hardness of the Jews, which brought on their ruin, are predicted, Isaiah 29:9 the ignorance of their learned, as well as of their unlearned men, with respect to the Scripture, and the prophecies of it, Isaiah 29:11 their hypocrisy and formality in worship, Isaiah 29:13 a blast upon all their wisdom and prudence, who thought to be wiser than the Lord, and too many for him, whose folly and atheism are exposed, Isaiah 29:14, and a great change both in Judea and the Gentile world, by the removal of the Gospel from the one to the other, Isaiah 29:17 the effects of which are, deaf sinners hear the word, dark minds are enlightened, and joy increased among the meek and poor, Isaiah 29:18 the fall of the Jews, or else of antichrist, is foretold, Isaiah 29:20 and the chapter is closed with a promise and prophecy of the conversion of the seed of Abraham and Jacob, Isaiah 29:22.
(Isaiah 29:1-8) Judgements on Jerusalem and on its enemies.
(Isaiah 29:9-16) The senselessness and hypocrisy of the Jews.
(Isaiah 29:17-24) The conversion of the Gentiles, and future blessings for the Jews.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.