1Ausspruch über Damaskus. Siehe, Damaskus hört auf, eine Stadt zu sein, und wird ein Trümmerhaufen. 2Verlassen sind die Städte Aroer, sie werden den Herden preisgegeben; und diese lagern, und niemand schreckt sie auf. 3Und die Festung nimmt ein Ende in Ephraim und das Königtum in Damaskus, sowie der Überrest von Syrien: er wird sein wie die Herrlichkeit der Kinder Israel, spricht Jehova der Heerscharen. 4Und es wird geschehen an jenem Tage, da wird die Herrlichkeit Jakobs verkümmert sein und das Fett seines Fleisches mager werden. 5Und es wird sein, wie wenn ein Schnitter Getreidehalme zusammenfaßt und sein Arm Ähren abmäht; und es wird sein, wie wenn einer Ähren sammelt in der Talebene Rephaim. 6Doch wird eine Nachlese davon übrigbleiben wie beim Abschlagen der Oliven: zwei, drei Beeren oben im Wipfel, vier, fünf an seinen, des Fruchtbaumes, Zweigen, spricht Jehova, der Gott Israels. - 7An jenem Tage wird der Mensch auf den hinschauen, der ihn gemacht hat, und seine Augen werden auf den Heiligen Israels blicken. 8Und er wird nicht schauen auf die Altäre, das Werk seiner Hände; und was seine Finger gemacht haben, wird er nicht ansehen, noch die Ascherim, noch die Sonnensäulen. - 9An jenem Tage werden seine Festungsstädte sein wie die verlassenen Orte des Waldes und des Berggipfels, welche man vor den Kindern Israel verließ; und es wird eine Wüste sein. - 10Denn du hast vergessen den Gott deines Heils und nicht gedacht des Felsen deiner Stärke. Darum pflanzest du liebliche Pflanzungen und besetzest sie mit ausländischen Reben. 11Am Tage deiner Pflanzung hegst du sie ein, und am Morgen bringst du deine Pflanzen zur Blüte: ein Haufen Reisig am Tage gefährlicher Wunde und tödlichen Schmerzes. 12Wehe dem Getümmel vieler Völker: wie das Brausen der Meere brausen sie; und dem Rauschen von Völkerschaften: wie das Rauschen gewaltiger Wasser rauschen sie! 13Völkerschaften rauschen wie das Rauschen vieler Wasser. Und er schilt sie, und sie fliehen weithin; und sie werden gejagt wie Spreu der Berge vor dem Winde und wie Stoppeln vor dem Sturme. 14Zur Abendzeit, siehe da, Bestürzung! ehe es Morgen wird, sind sie nicht mehr. Das ist das Teil derer, die uns plündern, und das Los derer, die uns berauben.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 PROPHECY CONCERNING DAMASCUS AND ITS ALLY SAMARIA, that is, Syria and Israel, which had leagued together (seventh and eighth chapters). (
Isa 17:1-
Isa 17:11)
Damascus--put before Israel (Ephraim,
Isa 17:3), which is chiefly referred to in what follows, because it was the prevailing power in the league; with it Ephraim either stood or fell (Isa. 7:1-25).
2 cities of Aroer--that is, the cities round Aroer, and under its jurisdiction [GESENIUS]. So "cities with their villages" (
Josh 15:44); "Heshbon and all her cities" (
Josh 13:17). Aroer was near Rabbahammon, at the river of Gad, an arm of the Jabbok (
2Sam 24:5), founded by the Gadites (
Num 32:34).
for flocks-- (
Isa 5:17).
3 fortress . . . cease--The strongholds shall be pulled down (Samaria especially:
Hos 10:14;
Mic 1:6;
Hab 1:10).
remnant of Syria--all that was left after the overthrow by Tiglath-pileser (
2Kgs 16:9).
as the glory of . . . Israel--They shall meet with the same fate as Israel, their ally.
4 glory of Jacob--the kingdom of Ephraim and all that they rely on (
Hos 12:2;
Mic 1:5).
fatness . . . lean--(See on
Isa 10:16).
5 harvestman, &c.--The inhabitants and wealth of Israel shall be swept away, and but few left behind just as the husbandman gathers the corn and the fruit, and leaves only a few gleaning ears and grapes (
2Kgs 18:9-11).
with his arm--He collects the standing grain with one arm, so that he can cut it with the sickle in the other hand.
Rephaim--a fertile plain at the southwest of Jerusalem toward Beth-lehem and the country of the Philistines (
2Sam 5:18-22).
6 in it--that is, in the land of Israel.
two or three . . . in the top--A few poor inhabitants shall be left in Israel, like the two or three olive berries left on the topmost boughs, which it is not worth while taking the trouble to try to reach.
7 look to his Maker--instead of trusting in their fortresses-- (
Isa 17:3;
Mic 7:7).
8 groves--A symbolical tree is often found in Assyrian inscriptions, representing the hosts of heaven ("Saba"), answering to Ashteroth or Astarte, the queen of heaven, as Baal or Bel is the king. Hence the expression, "image of the grove," is explained (
2Kgs 21:7).
images--literally, "images to the sun," that is, to Baal, who answers to the sun, as Astarte to the hosts of heaven (
2Kgs 23:5;
Job 31:26).
9 forsaken bough--rather "the leavings of woods," what the axeman leaves when he cuts down the grove (compare
Isa 17:6).
which they left because of--rather, "which (the enemies) shall leave for the children of Israel"; literally, "shall leave (in departing) from before the face of the children of Israel" [MAURER]. But a few cities out of many shall be left to Israel, by the purpose of God, executed by the Assyrian.
10 forgotten . . . God of . . . salvation . . . rock-- (
Deut 32:15,
Deut 32:18).
plants--rather, "nursery grounds," "pleasure-grounds" [MAURER].
set in--rather, "set them," the pleasure-grounds.
strange slips--cuttings of plants from far, and therefore valuable.
11 In the day . . . thy plant--rather, "In the day of thy planting" [HORSLEY].
shalt . . . make . . . grow--MAURER translates, "Thou didst fence it," namely, the pleasure-ground. The parallel clause, "Make . . . flourish," favors English Version. As soon as thou plantest, it grows.
in the morning--that is, immediately after; so in
Ps 90:14, the Hebrew, "in the morning," is translated "early."
but . . . shall be a heap--rather, "but (promising as was the prospect) the harvest is gone" [HORSLEY].
in . . . day of grief--rather, "in the day of (expected) possession" [MAURER]. "In the day of inundation" [HORSLEY].
of desperate sorrow--rather, "And the sorrow shall be desperate or irremediable." In English Version "heap" and "sorrow" may be taken together by hendiadys. "The heap of the harvest shall be desperate sorrow" [ROSENMULLER].
The connection of this fragment with what precedes is: notwithstanding the calamities coming on Israel, the people of God shall not be utterly destroyed (
Isa 6:12-
Isa 6:13); the Assyrian spoilers shall perish (
Isa 17:13-
Isa 17:14).
12 SUDDEN DESTRUCTION OF A GREAT ARMY IN JUDEA (namely that of the Assyrian Sennacherib), AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE EVENT TO THE ETHIOPIAN AMBASSADORS. (Isa. 17:12-18:7)
Woe . . . multitude--rather, "Ho (Hark)! a noise of," &c. The prophet in vision perceives the vast and mixed Assyrian hosts (Hebrew, "many peoples," see on
Isa 5:26): on the hills of Judah (so "mountains,"
Isa 17:13): but at the "rebuke" of God, they shall "flee as chaff."
to the rushing . . . that make--rather, "the roaring . . . roareth" (compare
Isa 8:7;
Jer 6:23).
13 shall . . . shall--rather, "God rebuketh (
Ps 9:5) them, and they flee--are chased"; the event is set before the eyes as actually present, not future.
chaff of . . . mountains--Threshing floors in the East are in the open air on elevated places, so as to catch the wind which separates the chaff from the wheat (
Ps 88:13;
Hos 13:3).
rolling thing--anything that rolls: stubble.
14 eventide . . . before morning--fulfilled to the letter in the destruction "before morning" of the vast host that "at eveningtide" was such a terror ("trouble") to Judah; on the phrase see
Ps 90:6;
Ps 30:5.
he is not--namely, the enemy.
us--the Jews. A general declaration of the doom that awaits the foes of God's people (
Isa 54:17).
Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacherib's hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors, now in Jerusalem, to bring word of it to their own nation; and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (
Isa 18:3). As
Isa 17:12-
Isa 17:14 announced the presence of the foe, so
Isa 18:1-
Isa 18:7 foretells his overthrow.