1Die Wüste und das dürre Land werden sich freuen, und die Steppe wird frohlocken und aufblühen wie eine Narzisse. 2Sie wird in voller Blüte stehen und frohlocken, ja, frohlockend und jubelnd; die Herrlichkeit des Libanon ist ihr gegeben, die Pracht des Karmel und Sarons: sehen werden sie die Herrlichkeit Jehovas, die Pracht unseres Gottes. 3Stärket die schlaffen Hände und befestiget die wankenden Kniee! 4Saget zu denen, welche zaghaften Herzens sind: Seid stark, fürchtet euch nicht! siehe, euer Gott kommt, Rache kommt, die Vergeltung Gottes! er selbst kommt und wird euch retten. 5Dann werden die Augen der Blinden aufgetan und die Ohren der Tauben geöffnet werden; 6dann wird der Lahme springen wie ein Hirsch, und aufjauchzen wird die Zunge des Stummen. Denn es brechen Wasser hervor in der Wüste, und Bäche in der Steppe; 7und die Kimmung wird zum Teiche, und das dürre Land zu Wasserquellen; an der Wohnstätte der Schakale, wo sie lagern, wird Gras nebst Rohr und Binse sein. 8Und daselbst wird eine Straße sein und ein Weg, und er wird der heilige Weg genannt werden; kein Unreiner wird darüber hinziehen, sondern er wird für sie sein. Wer auf dem Wege wandelt - selbst Einfältige werden nicht irregehen. 9Daselbst wird kein Löwe sein, und kein reißendes Tier wird ihn ersteigen noch daselbst gefunden werden; und die Erlösten werden darauf wandeln. 10Und die Befreiten Jehovas werden zurückkehren und nach Zion kommen mit Jubel, und ewige Freude wird über ihrem Haupte sein; sie werden Wonne und Freude erlangen, und Kummer und Seufzen werden entfliehen.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 CONTINUATION OF THE PROPHECY IN THE THIRTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. (
Isa 35:1-
Isa 35:10)
solitary place--literally, "a dry place," without springs of water. A moral wilderness is meant.
for them--namely, on account of the punishment inflicted according to the preceding prophecy on the enemy; probably the blessings set forth in this chapter are included in the causes for joy (
Isa 55:12).
rose--rather, "the meadow-saffron," an autumnal flower with bulbous roots; so Syriac translation.
2 glory of Lebanon--its ornament, namely, its cedars (
Isa 10:34).
excellency of Carmel--namely, its beauty.
Sharon--famed for its fertility.
see . . . glory of the Lord . . . excellency-- (
Isa 40:5,
Isa 40:9). While the wilderness which had neither "glory" nor "excellency" shall have both "given to it," the Lord shall have all the "glory" and "excellency" ascribed to Him, not to the transformed wilderness (
Matt 5:16).
3 Strengthen . . . hands . . . confirm . . . knees--The Hebrew for "strengthen" refers to the strength residing in the hand for grasping and holding a thing manfully; "confirm," to the firmness with which one keeps his ground, so as not to be dislodged by any other [MAURER]. Encourage the Jews, now desponding, by the assurance of the blessings promised.
4 fearful--"hasty," Margin; that is, with a heart fluttered with agitation.
with--the Hebrew is more forcible than the English Version: "God will come, vengeance! even God, a recompense!" The sense is the same.
5 Language figuratively, descriptive of the joy felt at the deliverance from Assyria and Babylon; literally, true of the antitypical times of Messiah and His miracles (see Margin references,
Matt 11:5;
Luke 7:2;
2John 1:5,
2John 1:8;
Acts 3:2).
6 leap--literally, "fulfilled" (
Acts 3:8;
Acts 14:10).
sing--joyful thanksgiving.
in . . . wilderness . . . waters-- (
Isa 41:18).
7 parched ground--rather, "the mirage (Hebrew, Sharab, 'the sun's heat') shall become a (real) lake." The sun's rays refracted on the glowing sands at midday give the appearance of a lake of water and often deceive the thirsty traveller (compare
Jer 2:13;
Isa 41:18).
dragons--rather, "jackals."
each--namely, jackal.
grass--rather, "a dwelling or receptacle (answering to the previous habitation) for reeds," &c. (which only grow where there is water,
Job 8:11). Where once there was no water, water shall abound.
8 highway--such a causeway (raised way, from a Hebrew root, "to cast up") as was used for the march of armies; valleys being filled up, hills and other obstructions removed (
Isa 62:10; compare
Isa 40:3-
Isa 40:4).
way of holiness--Hebraism for "the holy way." HORSLEY translates, "the way of the Holy One;" but the words that follow, and
Isa 35:10, show it is the way leading the redeemed back to Jerusalem, both the literal and the heavenly (
Isa 52:1;
Joel 3:17;
Rev 21:27); still Christ at His coming again shall be the Leader on the way, for which reason it is called, "The way of the Lord" (
Isa 40:3;
Mal 3:1).
it shall be for those: the wayfaring men--rather, "He (the Holy One) shall be with them, walking in the way" [HORSLEY].
though fools--rather, "And (even) fools," that is, the simple shall not go astray, namely, because "He shall be with them" (
Matt 11:25;
1Cor 1:26-28).
9 No lion--such as might be feared on the way through the wilderness which abounded in wild beasts, back to Judea. Every danger shall be warded off the returning people (
Isa 11:6-
Isa 11:9;
Ezek 34:25;
Hos 2:18). Compare spiritually,
Pro 3:17.
10 Language: literally, applying to the return from Babylon; figuratively and more fully to the completed redemption of both literal and spiritual Israel.
joy upon . . . heads-- (
Ps 126:2). Joy manifested in their countenances. Some fancy an allusion to the custom of pouring oil "upon the head," or wearing chaplets in times of public festivity (
Eccl 9:8).
This and the thirty-seventh through thirty-ninth chapters form the historical appendix closing the first division of Isaiah's prophecies, and were added to make the parts of these referring to Assyria more intelligible. So Jer. 52:1-34; compare 2Ki. 25:1-30. The section occurs almost word for word (
2Kgs 18:13,
2Kgs 18:17-20; 2Ki. 19:1-37);
2Kgs 18:14-16, however, is additional matter. Hezekiah's "writing" also is in Isaiah, not in Kings (
Isa 38:9-
Isa 38:20). We know from
2Chr 32:32 that Isaiah wrote the acts of Hezekiah. It is, therefore, probable, that his record here (Isa. 36:1-39:8) was incorporated into the Book of Kings by its compiler. Sennacherib lived, according to Assyrian inscriptions, more than twenty years after his invasion; but as Isaiah survived Hezekiah (
2Chr 32:32), who lived upwards of fifteen years after the invasion (
Isa 38:5), the record of Sennacherib's death (
Isa 37:38) is no objection to this section having come from Isaiah; 2Ch. 32:1-33 is probably an abstract drawn from Isaiah's account, as the chronicler himself implies (
2Chr 32:32). Pul was probably the last of the old dynasty, and Sargon, a powerful satrap, who contrived to possess himself of supreme power and found a new dynasty (see on
Isa 20:1). No attempt was made by Judah to throw off the Assyrian yoke during his vigorous reign. The accession of his son Sennacherib was thought by Hezekiah the opportune time to refuse the long-paid tribute; Egypt and Ethiopia, to secure an ally against Assyria on their Asiatic frontier, promised help; Isaiah, while opposed to submission to Assyria, advised reliance on Jehovah, and not on Egypt, but his advice was disregarded, and so Sennacherib invaded Judea, 712 B.C. He was the builder of the largest of the excavated palaces, that of Koyunjik. HINCKS has deciphered his name in the inscriptions. In the third year of his reign, these state that he overran Syria, took Sidon and other Phśnician cities, and then passed to southwest Palestine, where he defeated the Egyptians and Ethiopians (compare
2Kgs 18:21;
2Kgs 19:9). His subsequent retreat, after his host was destroyed by God, is of course suppressed in the inscriptions. But other particulars inscribed agree strikingly with the Bible; the capture of the "defensed cities of Judah," the devastation of the country and deportation of its inhabitants; the increased tribute imposed on Hezekiah--thirty talents of gold--this exact number being given in both; the silver is set down in the inscriptions at eight hundred talents, in the Bible three hundred; the latter may have been the actual amount carried off, the larger sum may include the silver from the temple doors, pillars, &c. (
2Kgs 18:16).