1Jehova, du bist mein Gott; ich will dich erheben, preisen will ich deinen Namen; denn du hast Wunder gewirkt, Ratschlüsse von fernher, Treue und Wahrheit. 2Denn du hast aus einer Stadt einen Steinhaufen gemacht, die feste Stadt zu einem Trümmerhaufen, den Palast der Fremden, daß er keine Stadt mehr sei: er wird in Ewigkeit nicht aufgebaut werden. 3Darum wird dich ehren ein trotziges Volk, Städte gewalttätiger Nationen werden dich fürchten. 4Denn du bist eine Feste gewesen dem Armen, eine Feste dem Dürftigen in seiner Bedrängnis, eine Zuflucht vor dem Regensturm, ein Schatten vor der Glut; denn das Schnauben der Gewalttätigen war wie ein Regensturm gegen eine Mauer. 5Wie die Glut in einem dürren Lande, beugtest du der Fremden Ungestüm; wie die Glut durch einer Wolke Schatten, wurde gedämpft der Gewalttätigen Siegesgesang. 6Und Jehova der Heerscharen wird auf diesem Berge allen Völkern ein Mahl von Fettspeisen bereiten, ein Mahl von Hefenweinen, von markigen Fettspeisen, geläuterten Hefenweinen. 7Und er wird auf diesem Berge den Schleier vernichten, der alle Völker verschleiert, und die Decke, die über alle Nationen gedeckt ist. 8Den Tod verschlingt er auf ewig; und der Herr, Jehova, wird die Tränen abwischen von jedem Angesicht, und die Schmach seines Volkes wird er hinwegtun von der ganzen Erde. Denn Jehova hat geredet. 9Und an jenem Tage wird man sprechen: Siehe da, unser Gott, auf den wir harrten, daß er uns retten würde; da ist Jehova, auf den wir harrten! Laßt uns frohlocken und uns freuen in seiner Rettung! 10Denn die Hand Jehovas wird ruhen auf diesem Berge; und Moab wird unter ihm zertreten werden, wie Stroh zertreten wird in einer Mistlache. 11Und er wird seine Hände darin ausbreiten, wie der Schwimmer sie ausbreitet, um zu schwimmen; und er wird seinen Hochmut niederzwingen samt den Ränken seiner Hände. 12Und deine festen, hochragenden Mauern wird er niederwerfen, niederstürzen, zu Boden strecken bis in den Staub.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 CONTINUATION OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH CHAPTER. THANKSGIVING FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE APOSTATE FACTION, AND THE SETTING UP OF JEHOVAH'S THRONE ON ZION. (
Isa 25:1-
Isa 25:12)
wonderful-- (
Isa 9:6).
counsels of old-- (
Isa 42:9;
Isa 46:10). Purposes planned long ago; here, as to the deliverance of His people.
truth--Hebrew, Amen; covenant-keeping, faithful to promises; the peculiar characteristic of Jesus (
Rev 3:14).
2 a city . . . heap--Babylon, type of the seat of Antichrist, to be destroyed in the last days (compare
Jer 51:37, with Rev. 18:1-24, followed, as here, by the song of the saints' thanksgiving in Rev. 19:1-21). "Heaps" is a graphic picture of Babylon and Nineveh as they now are.
palace--Babylon regarded, on account of its splendor, as a vast palace. But MAURER translates, "a citadel."
of strangers--foreigners, whose capital pre-eminently Babylon was, the metropolis of the pagan world. "Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise" (
Isa 29:5;
Eph 2:12; see in contrast,
Joel 3:17).
never be built-- (
Isa 13:19-
Isa 13:20, &c.).
3 strong people--This cannot apply to the Jews; but other nations on which Babylon had exercised its cruelty (
Isa 14:12) shall worship Jehovah, awed by the judgment inflicted on Babylon (
Isa 23:18).
city--not Babylon, which shall then be destroyed, but collectively for the cities of the surrounding nations.
4 the poor . . . needy--the Jews, exiles from their country (
Isa 26:6;
Isa 41:17).
heat--calamity (
Isa 4:6;
Isa 32:2).
blast--that is, wrath.
storm--a tempest of rain, a winter flood, rushing against and overthrowing the wall of a house.
5 Translate, "As the heat in a dry land (is brought down by the shadow of a cloud, so) thou shalt bring down the tumult (the shout of triumph over their enemies) of strangers (foreigners); and as the heat by the shadow of the cloud (is brought low), so the branch (the offspring) of the terrible ones shall be brought low." PARKHURST translates the Hebrew for "branch," the exulting song. JEROME translates the last clause, "And as when the heat burns under a cloud, thou shalt make the branch of the terrible ones to wither"; the branch withering even under the friendly shade of a cloud typifies the wicked brought to ruin, not for want of natural means of prosperity, but by the immediate act of God.
6 in this mountain--Zion: Messiah's kingdom was to begin, and is to have its central seat hereafter, at Jerusalem, as the common country of "all nations" (
Isa 2:2, &c.).
all people-- (
Isa 56:7;
Dan 7:14;
Luke 2:10).
feast--image of felicity (
Ps 22:26-
Ps 22:27;
Matt 8:11;
Luke 14:15;
Rev 19:9; compare
Ps 36:8;
Ps 87:1-
Ps 87:7).
fat things--delicacies; the rich mercies of God in Christ (
Isa 55:2;
Jer 31:14;
Job 36:16).
wines on the lees--wine which has been long kept on the lees; that is, the oldest and most generous wine (
Jer 48:11).
marrow--the choicest dainties (
Ps 63:5).
well refined--cleared of all dregs.
7 face of . . . covering--image from mourning, in which it was usual to cover the face with a veil (
2Sam 15:30). "Face of covering," that is, the covering itself; as in
Job 41:13, "the face of his garment," the garment itself. The covering or veil is the mist of ignorance as to a future state, and the way to eternal life, which enveloped the nations (
Eph 4:18) and the unbelieving Jew (
2Cor 3:15). The Jew, however, is first to be converted before the conversion of "all nations"; for it is "in this mountain," namely, Zion, that the latter are to have the veil taken off (
Ps 102:13,
Ps 102:15-
Ps 102:16,
Ps 102:21-
Ps 102:22;
Rom 11:12).
8 Quoted in
1Cor 15:54, in support of the resurrection.
swallow up . . . in victory--completely and permanently "abolish" (
2Tim 1:10;
Rev 20:14;
Rev 21:4; compare
Gen 2:17;
Gen 3:22).
rebuke--(Compare
Mark 8:38;
Heb 11:26).
9 And it shall be said in that day, &c.--"After death has been swallowed up for ever, the people of God, who had been delivered from the hand of death, shall say to the Lord, Lo, this is our God, whom unbelievers regarded as only a man" [JEROME]. "The words are so moulded as to point us specially to the person of the Son of God, who 'saves' us; as He vouchsafed to Israel temporal saving, so to His elect He appears for the purpose of conferring eternal salvation" [VITRINGA]. The Jews, however, have a special share in the words, This is our God (see on
Isa 25:6).
we have waited--"Waited" is characteristic of God's people in all ages (
Gen 49:18;
Titus 2:13).
we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation--compare
Ps 118:24, which refers to the second coming of Jesus (compare
Ps 118:26, with
Luke 13:35).
10 rest--as its permanent protector; on "hand" in this sense; compare
Ezra 7:6,
Ezra 7:28.
Moab--while Israel is being protected, the foe is destroyed; Moab is the representative of all the foes of God's people.
under him--Rather, "in his own place" or "country" (
Exod 10:23;
Exod 16:29).
for the dunghill--Rather, "in the water of the dung heap," in which straw was trodden to make it manure (
Ps 83:10). HORSLEY translates either, "in the waters of Madmenah," namely, for the making of bricks; or as the Septuagint, "as the threshing-floor is trampled by the corn-drag" (see Margin;
Mic 4:11-
Mic 4:13).
11 he--Jehovah shall spread His hands to strike the foe on this side and on that, with as little effort as a swimmer spreads forth his arms to cleave a passage through the water [CALVIN]. (
Zech 5:3). LOWTH takes "he" as Moab, who, in danger of sinking, shall strain every nerve to save himself; but Jehovah (and "he") shall cause him to sink ("bring down the pride" of Moab,
Isa 16:6).
with the spoils of . . . hands--literally, "the craftily acquired spoils" of his (Moab's) hands [BARNES]. Moab's pride, as well as the sudden gripe of his hands (namely, whereby he tries to save himself from drowning) [LOWTH]. "Together with the joints of his hands," that is, though Moab struggle against Jehovah hand and foot [MAURER].
12 fortress--the strongholds of Moab, the representative of the foes of God's people [BARNES]. Babylon [MAURER]. The society of infidels represented as a city (
Rev 11:8).
As the overthrow of the apostate faction is described in the twenty-fifth chapter, so the peace of the faithful is here described under the image of a well-fortified city.