1Behold, a kingH4428 shall reignH4427 in righteousnessH6664, and princesH8269 shall ruleH8323 in judgmentH4941. 2And a manH376 shall be as an hiding placeH4224 from the windH7307, and a covertH5643 from the tempestH2230; as riversH6388 of waterH4325 in a dry placeH6724, as the shadowH6738 of a greatH3515 rockH5553 in a wearyH5889 landH776. 3And the eyesH5869 of them that seeH7200 shall not be dimH8159, and the earsH241 of them that hearH8085 shall hearkenH7181 . 4The heartH3824 also of the rashH4116 shall understandH995 knowledgeH1847, and the tongueH3956 of the stammerersH5926 shall be readyH4116 to speakH1696 plainlyH6703. 5The vile personH5036 shall be no more calledH7121 liberalH5081, nor the churlH3596 saidH559 to be bountifulH7771. 6For the vile personH5036 will speakH1696 villanyH5039, and his heartH3820 will workH6213 iniquityH205, to practiseH6213 hypocrisyH2612, and to utterH1696 errorH8442 against the LORDH3068, to make emptyH7324 the soulH5315 of the hungryH7457, and he will cause the drinkH4945 of the thirstyH6771 to failH2637 . 7The instrumentsH3627 also of the churlH3596 are evilH7451: he devisethH3289 wicked devicesH2154 to destroyH2254 the poorH6041 H6035 with lyingH8267 wordsH561, even when the needyH34 speakethH1696 rightH4941. 8But the liberalH5081 devisethH3289 liberal thingsH5081; and by liberal thingsH5081 shall he standH6965 . 9Rise upH6965, ye womenH802 that are at easeH7600; hearH8085 my voiceH6963, ye carelessH982 daughtersH1323; give earH238 unto my speechH565. 10Many daysH3117 and yearsH8141 shall ye be troubledH7264, ye careless womenH982 : for the vintageH1210 shall failH3615, the gatheringH625 shall not comeH935 . 11TrembleH2729, ye women that are at easeH7600; be troubledH7264, ye careless onesH982 : stripH6584 you, and make you bareH6209, and girdH2290 sackcloth upon your loinsH2504. 12They shall lamentH5594 for the teatsH7699, for the pleasantH2531 fieldsH7704, for the fruitfulH6509 vineH1612. 13Upon the landH127 of my peopleH5971 shall come upH5927 thornsH6975 and briersH8068; yea, upon all the housesH1004 of joyH4885 in the joyousH5947 cityH7151: 14Because the palacesH759 shall be forsakenH5203 ; the multitudeH1995 of the cityH5892 shall be leftH5800 ; the fortsH6076 and towersH975 shall be for densH4631 forH5704 everH5769, a joyH4885 of wild assesH6501, a pastureH4829 of flocksH5739; 15Until the spiritH7307 be pouredH6168 upon us from on highH4791, and the wildernessH4057 be a fruitful fieldH3759, and the fruitful fieldH3759 be countedH2803 for a forestH3293. 16Then judgmentH4941 shall dwellH7931 in the wildernessH4057, and righteousnessH6666 remainH3427 in the fruitful fieldH3759. 17And the workH4639 of righteousnessH6666 shall be peaceH7965; and the effectH5656 of righteousnessH6666 quietnessH8252 and assuranceH983 forH5704 everH5769. 18And my peopleH5971 shall dwellH3427 in a peaceableH7965 habitationH5116, and in sureH4009 dwellingsH4908, and in quietH7600 resting placesH4496; 19When it shall hailH1258, coming downH3381 on the forestH3293; and the cityH5892 shall be lowH8213 in a low placeH8218. 20BlessedH835 are ye that sowH2232 beside all watersH4325, that send forthH7971 thither the feetH7272 of the oxH7794 and the assH2543.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 MESSIAH'S KINGDOM; DESOLATIONS, TO BE SUCCEEDED BY LASTING PEACE, THE SPIRIT HAVING BEEN POURED OUT. (Isa. 32:1-20)
king--not Hezekiah, who was already on the throne, whereas a future time is contemplated. If he be meant at all, it can only be as a type of Messiah the King, to whom alone the language is fully applicable (
Hos 3:5;
Zech 9:9; see on
Isa 11:3-
Isa 11:5). The kingdom shall be transferred from the world kings, who have exercised their power against God, instead of for God, to the rightful King of kings (
Ezek 21:27;
Dan 7:13-
Dan 7:14).
princes--subordinate; referring to all in authority under Christ in the coming kingdom on earth, for example, the apostles, &c. (
Luke 22:30;
1Cor 6:2;
2Tim 2:12;
Rev 2:26-
Rev 2:27;
Rev 3:21).
2 a man--rather, the man Christ [LOWTH]; it is as "the Son of man" He is to reign, as it was as Son of man He suffered (
Matt 26:64;
John 5:27;
John 19:5). Not as MAURER explains, "every one of the princes shall be," &c.
rivers--as refreshing as water and the cool shade are to the heated traveller (
Isa 35:6-
Isa 35:7;
Isa 41:18).
3 them that see--the seers or prophets.
them that hear--the people under instruction (
Isa 35:5-
Isa 35:6).
4 rash--rather, "the hasty"; contrast "shall not make haste" (
Isa 28:16); the reckless who will not take time to weigh religious truth aright. Or else, the well-instructed [HORSLEY].
stammers--those who speak confusedly on divine things (compare
Exod 4:10-
Exod 4:12;
Jer 1:6;
Matt 10:19-
Matt 10:20). Or, rather, those drunken scorners who in stammering style imitated Isaiah's warnings to mock them [MAURER] (
Isa 28:7-
Isa 28:11,
Isa 28:13-
Isa 28:14,
Isa 28:22;
Isa 29:20); in this view, translate, "speak uprightly" (agreeably to the divine law); not as English Version, referring to the distinctness of articulation, "plainly."
5 vile--rather, "fool" [LOWTH]; that is, ungodly (
Ps 14:1;
Ps 74:18).
liberal--rather, "noble-minded."
churl--rather, "fraudulent" [GESENIUS].
bountiful--religiously. The atheistic churl, who envies the believer his hope "full of immortality," shall no longer be held as a patriot struggling for the emancipation of mankind from superstition [HORSLEY].
6 vile . . . villainy--rather, "the (irreligious) fool . . . (his) folly."
will speak--rather, "present"; for (so far is the "fool" from deserving the epithet "noble-minded") the fool "speaketh" folly and "worketh," &c.
hypocrisy--rather, "profligacy" [HORSLEY].
error--impiety, perverse arguments.
hungry--spiritually (
Matt 5:6).
7 churl--"the fraudulent"; this verse refers to the last clause of
Isa 32:5; as
Isa 32:6 referred to its first clause.
speaketh right--pleadeth a just cause (
Isa 29:21); spiritually, "the poor man's cause" is the divine doctrine, his rule of faith and practice.
8 liberal--rather, "noble-minded."
stand--shall be approved under the government of the righteous King.
9 Address to the women of Jerusalem who troubled themselves little about the political signs of the times, but lived a life of self-indulgence (
Isa 3:16-
Isa 3:23); the failure of food through the devastations of the enemy is here foretold, being what was most likely to affect them as mothers of families, heretofore accustomed to every luxury. VITRINGA understands "women--daughters" as the cities and villages of Judea (Eze. 16:1-63). See
Amos 6:1.
10 Many days and years--rather, "In little more than a year" [MAURER]; literally, "days upon a year" (so
Isa 29:1).
vintage shall fail--through the arrival of the Assyrian invader. As the wheat harvest is omitted, Isaiah must look for the invasion in the summer or autumn of 714 B.C., when the wheat would have been secured already, and the later fruit "gathering," and vintage would be still in danger.
11 strip you--of your gay clothing. (See
Isa 2:19,
Isa 2:21).
12 lament for . . . teats--rather, shall smite on their breasts in lamentation "for thy pleasant fields" (
Nah 2:7) [MAURER]. "Teats" in English Version is used for fertile lands, which, like breasts, nourish life. The transition from "ye" to "they" (
Isa 32:11-
Isa 32:12) is frequent.
13 (
Isa 5:6;
Isa 7:23).
houses of joy--pleasure-houses outside of Jerusalem, not Jerusalem itself, but other cities destroyed by Sennacherib in his march (
Isa 7:20-
Isa 7:25). However, the prophecy, in its full accomplishment, refers to the utter desolation of Judea and its capital by Rome, and subsequently, previous to the second coming of the King (
Ps 118:26;
Luke 13:35;
Luke 19:38); "the joyous city" is in this view, Jerusalem (
Isa 22:2).
14 palaces--most applicable to Jerusalem (see on
Isa 32:13).
multitude . . . left--the noisy din of the city, that is, the city with its noisy multitude shall lie forsaken [MAURER].
forts--rather, "Ophel" (that is, the mound), the term applied specially to the declivity on the east of Zion, surrounded with its own wall (
2Chr 27:3;
2Chr 33:14;
2Kgs 5:24), and furnished with "towers" (or watchtowers), perhaps referred to here (
Neh 3:26-
Neh 3:27).
for ever--limited by thee, "until," &c.,
Isa 32:15, for a long time.
15 This can only partially apply to the spiritual revival in Hezekiah's time; its full accomplishment belongs to the Christian dispensation, first at Pentecost (
Joel 2:28;
Acts 2:17), perfectly in coming times (
Ps 104:30;
Ezek 36:26;
Ezek 39:29;
Zech 12:10), when the Spirit shall be poured on Israel, and through it on the Gentiles (
Mic 5:7).
wilderness . . . fruitful field . . . forest--when Judea, so long waste, shall be populous and fruitful, and the land of the enemies of God shall be desolate. Or, "the field, now fruitful, shall be but as a barren forest in comparison with what it shall be then" (
Isa 29:17). The barren shall become fruitful by regeneration; those already regenerate shall bring forth fruits in such abundance that their former life shall seem but as a wilderness where no fruits were.
16 judgment--justice.
wilderness--then reclaimed.
fruitful field--then become more fruitful (
Isa 32:15); thus "wilderness" and "fruitful field" include the whole land of Judea.
17 work--the effect (
Pro 14:34;
Jas 3:18).
peace--internal and external.
18 sure . . . quiet--free from fear of invasion.
19 Literally, "But it shall hail with coming down of the forest, and in lowness shall the city (Nineveh) be brought low; that is, humbled." The "hail" is Jehovah's wrathful visitation (
Isa 30:30;
Isa 28:2,
Isa 28:17). The "forest" is the Assyrian host, dense as the trees of a forest (
Isa 10:18-
Isa 10:19,
Isa 10:33-
Isa 10:34;
Zech 11:2).
20 While the enemy shall be brought "low," the Jews shall cultivate their land in undisturbed prosperity.
all waters--well-watered places (
Isa 30:25). The Hebrew translation, "beside," ought rather to be translated, "upon" (
Eccl 11:1), where the meaning is, "Cast thy seed upon the waters when the river overflows its banks; the seed will sink into the mud and will spring up when the waters subside, and you will find it after many days in a rich harvest." Before sowing, they send oxen, &c., into the water to tread the ground for sowing. CASTALIO thinks there is an allusion to the Mosaic precept, not to plough with an ox and ass together, mystically implying that the Jew was to have no intercourse with Gentiles; the Gospel abolishes this distinction (
Col 3:11); thus the sense here is, Blessed are ye that sow the gospel seed without distinction of race in the teachers or the taught. But there is no need of supposing that the ox and ass here are yoked together; they are probably "sent forth" separately, as in
Isa 30:24.