33 Gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to cease from the wine presses: none shall tread with shouting; the shouting shall be no shouting.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
He pursues the same metaphor or comparison; for he says that all places would be laid waste and desolate, which before had been valuable and highly regarded on account of their fruitfulness. Cease then shall all rejoicing from the land of Moab, however fruitful it might have been. And then he adds, I will make the wine to cease from the presses; that is, no one shall press the grapes, that from them the wine may flow. And he adds, hydd hydd, eidad, eidad, shouting, shouting, for there will be no shouting Some render hydd, eidad, "signal," celeuma, (vel celeusma,) a Greek word, but used also in Latin: keleuma is said by the Greeks to be the shouting of sailors, especially when they drive to the shore; they then rouse one another in rowing, and also congratulate one another, because they are nigh to land; for to see the harbor is a cause of special joy to sailors, as though it were a restoration to life and safety. But this word keleuma is applied to other things, as it may be said that reapers sing a celeusma when they finish their work. The vine-dressers had also their songs; and they were sung by heathen nations, as Virgil says. "Now the worn-out vine-dresser sings at the extreme rows of vines." [1] By extreme rows or ranks he seems to mean the extreme parts of the vines; for extreme rows (antes) are properly prominences or overhanging stones. Now when they had come to the end, they sang and congratulated themselves as to the vintage. It was then a common custom among all nations. The Prophet, now alluding to this, says, "They who shall tread in the winepress shall not be as usual joyful, so as to have their shouting, shouting, hydd hydd, eidad, eidad." He repeats the word, because men greatly exult at the vintage, and are excessive in their rejoicings. This is the reason why the Prophet mentions the word twice. He then adds, there shall be no shouting, l' hydd, la eidad, because there would be no vineyards. Isaiah uses other expressions, but the meaning is the same. It now follows, --
1 - Jam canit extremos effoetus vinitor antes. -- Geor. 2:417.
Winepresses - Rather, "wine-vats," into which the wine runs from the presses.
Their shouting shall be no shouting - The vintage shout is - silence. For the vines have been destroyed, and desolation reigns where once was the joyful cry of those who tread the grapes.
And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field,.... Or, from Carmel (k); not Mount Carmel in the land of Israel; for the prophecy is of Moab; though that reached to Sibmah; but here it signifies any fruitful place, like Carmel, where were good pasturage, corn, and fruit bearing trees, which produced great plenty of good things, and caused joy to the owners of them: but now all being destroyed by the enemy, joy and gladness would cease:
and from the land of Moab; from all parts of it, where there had used to be plenty, and so joy:
and I have caused wine to fail from the wine presses: there being no grapes to put into them, or men to tread them, were there any; or, if put in and trodden, not the owners, but the enemy, should have the wine; so that it should fail from the Moabites; they should be never the better for it. These are the words of the Lord, who has the disposal of the fruits of the earth:
none shall tread with shouting; as treaders in the wine press used to do, to encourage one another, and make their labour more easy, and the time to pass on in it more pleasantly; but now there should neither be treading nor shouting; see Isaiah 16:10;
their shouting shall be no shouting; not a shouting of joy, as used to be when they trod out the wine; but a cry of mourning and lamentation, because of the sword of the enemy.
(k) "de Carmelo", V. L. "de Charmel", Montanus; "ex Carmelo", Schmidt.
the plentiful field--rather, "Carmel": as the parallel "land of Moab" requires, though in Isaiah 16:10, it is "the plentiful field." Joy is taken away as from the nearer regions (Canaan and Palestine), so from the farther "land of Moab"; what has happened to Judah shall befall Moab, too (Jeremiah 48:26-27) [MAURER]. However, Moab alone seems to be spoken of here; nor does the parallelism forbid "plentiful field" answering to "Moab." English Version is therefore better.
shouting--repeated; as at the conclusion of the vintage, men sing over and over again the same cry of joy. A shouting shall be heard, but not the joyous shouting of laborers treading the grapes, but the terrible battle cry of the foe.
*More commentary available at chapter level.