King James Version
Isaiah 32
20 verses with commentary
The Kingdom of Righteousness
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
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<strong>Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness</strong> (הֵן־לְצֶדֶק יִמְלָךְ־מֶלֶךְ, <em>hen-letsedeq yimlokh-melekh</em>)—a מֶלֶךְ (<em>melekh</em>, king) will מָלַךְ (<em>malakh</em>, reign) in צֶדֶק (<em>tsedeq</em>, righteousness). <strong>And princes shall rule in judgment</strong> (וּלְשָׂרִים לְמִשְׁפָּט יָשֹׂרוּ, <em>ulesarim lemishpat yasoru</em>)—שָׂרִים (<em>sarim</em>, princes) w...
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XXXII.
(1) **Behold, a king shall reign . . .**—More accurately, *the king. *Isaiah 32:1-8 form a separate section, standing in the same relation to the foregoing chapter that the picture of the ideal king in Isaiah 11 does to the anti-Assyrian prophecy of Isaiah 10 “The king” is accordingly the true Anointed one of the future, not, of course without a reference to the character of Hezekiah as the...
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**9. he standeth--**after having bounded over the intervening space like a roe. He often stands near when our unbelief hides Him from us (Ge 28:16; Re 3:14-20). His usual way; long promised and expected; sudden at last: so, in visiting the second temple (Mal 3:1); so at Pentecost (Ac 2:1, 2); so in visiting an individual soul, Zaccheus (Lu 19:5, 6; Joh 3:8); and so, at the second coming (Mt 24:48,...
Read full commentary →And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. great: Heb. heavy
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<strong>And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind</strong> (וְהָיָה־אִישׁ כְּמַחֲבֵא־רוּחַ, <em>vehayah-ish kemachave-ruach</em>)—a אִישׁ (<em>ish</em>, man) will be like a מַחֲבֵא (<em>machave</em>, hiding place, shelter) from רוּחַ (<em>ruach</em>, wind, spirit). <strong>And a covert from the tempest</strong> (וְסֵתֶר זָרֶם, <em>veseter zarem</em>)—a סֵתֶר (<em>seter</em>, covering, hi...
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(2) **A man shall be . . .**—The word is that used in Isaiah 31:8 for “mighty man,” in Isaiah 2:9 for “great man,” and probably retains that meaning here. The nobles of Judah, who had been tyrannous and oppressive (Isaiah 1:23), should become a true aristocracy, beneficent and protecting. Of both the “king” and the “man” it is true that they find their fulfilment in the true servant of the Lord, w...
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10-11. Loving reassurance given by Jesus Christ to the bride, lest she should think that He had ceased to love her, on account of her unfaithfulness, which had occasioned His temporary withdrawal. He allures her to brighter than worldly joys (Mi 2:10). Not only does the saint wish to depart to be with Him, but He still more desires to have the saint with Him above (Joh 17:24). Historically, the vi...
Read full commentary →And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
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<strong>And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim</strong> (וְלֹא תִשְׁעֶינָה עֵינֵי רֹאִים, <em>velo tish'eynah eyney ro'im</em>)—the עֵינַיִם (<em>eynayim</em>, eyes) of רֹאִים (<em>ro'im</em>, those who see) won't be שָׁעָה (<em>sha'ah</em>, dim, blinded). <strong>And the ears of them that hear shall hearken</strong> (וְאָזְנֵי שֹׁמְעִים תִּקְשַׁבְנָה, <em>ve'ozney shome'im tiqshavenah</em...
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(3) **The eyes of them that see . . .**—Another reversal, like that of Isaiah 29:18, of the sentence of judicial blindness with which Isaiah’s work as a prophet had begun (Isaiah 6:10).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10-11. Loving reassurance given by Jesus Christ to the bride, lest she should think that He had ceased to love her, on account of her unfaithfulness, which had occasioned His temporary withdrawal. He allures her to brighter than worldly joys (Mi 2:10). Not only does the saint wish to depart to be with Him, but He still more desires to have the saint with Him above (Joh 17:24). Historically, the vi...
Read full commentary →The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. rash: Heb. hasty plainly: or, elegantly
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<strong>The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge</strong> (וּלְבַב נִמְהָרִים יָבִין לָדַעַת, <em>ulevav nimharim yavin lada'at</em>)—the לֵב (<em>lev</em>, heart) of the נִמְהָרִים (<em>nimharim</em>, rash, hasty) will בִּין (<em>bin</em>, understand, discern) דַּעַת (<em>da'at</em>, knowledge). <strong>And the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly</strong> (וּלְשׁ...
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(4) **The heart also of the rash . . .**—“Heart,” as in Proverbs 4:23 and elsewhere, for the intellect rather than the emotions. The “rash” are those that are “hurried,” precipitate, reckless; the “stammerers,” those who have no power to speak clearly of the things of God, who hesitate and are undecided.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. flowers--**tokens of anger past, and of grace come. "The summoned bride is welcome," say some fathers, "to weave from them garlands of beauty, wherewith she may adorn herself to meet the King." Historically, the flowers, &c., only give promise; the fruit is not ripe yet; suitable to the preaching of John the Baptist, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand"; not yet fully come.
**the time of...
Read full commentary →The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.
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<strong>The vile person shall be no more called liberal</strong> (לֹא־יִקָּרֵא עוֹד לְנָבָל נָדִיב, <em>lo-yiqare od lenaval nadiv</em>)—the נָבָל (<em>naval</em>, fool, vile person, scoundrel) won't be called נָדִיב (<em>nadiv</em>, noble, generous, liberal). <strong>Nor the churl said to be bountiful</strong> (וּלְכִילַי לֹא יֵאָמֵר שׁוֹעַ, <em>ulekhilay lo ye'amer shoa</em>)—the כִּילַי (<em>ki...
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(5) **The vile person** **shall be no more called liberal.**—Better, *noble, *the καλοκάγαθος of the Greeks, the *ingenuus *of the Latin. So for “bountiful,” read *gentle. *Here, again, we have a picture, the exact contrast of that which met us at the beginning of Isaiah’s work, when men “called good evil, and evil good” (chap 5:20).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. putteth forth--**rather, "ripens," literally, "makes red" [Maurer]. The unripe figs, which grow in winter, begin to ripen in early spring, and in June are fully matured [Weiss].
**vines with the tender grape--**rather, "the vines in flower," literally, "a flower," in apposition with "vines" [Maurer]. The vine flowers were so sweet that they were often put, when dried, into new wine to give...
Read full commentary →For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
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<strong>For the vile person will speak villany</strong> (כִּי נָבָל נְבָלָה יְדַבֵּר, <em>ki naval nevalah yedaber</em>)—the נָבָל (<em>naval</em>) speaks נְבָלָה (<em>nevalah</em>, foolishness, vileness, disgrace). <strong>And his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy</strong> (וְלִבּוֹ יַעֲשֶׂה־אָוֶן לַעֲשׂוֹת חֹנֶף, <em>velibo ya'aseh-aven la'asot chonef</em>)—his לֵב (<em>lev</em>, h...
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(6) **The vile person will speak villany.**—Another echo, like that of Isaiah 28:23-29, of the teaching of the Book of Proverbs. In that better day men would learn to see men as they are, and not as they pretend to be. “By their fruits ye shall know them” was to be one of the blessings of the reign of the true king (Matthew 7:20).
**To utter error against the Lord.**—The “error” is either that of ...
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**14. dove--**here expressing endearment (Psa 74:19). Doves are noted for constant attachment; emblems, also, in their soft, plaintive note, of softened penitents (Is 59:11; Eze 7:16); other points of likeness are their beauty; "their wings covered with silver and gold" (Psa 68:13), typifying the change in the converted; the dove-like spirit, breathed into the saint by the Holy Ghost, whose emblem...
Read full commentary →The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. the needy: or, he speaketh against the poor in judgment
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<strong>The instruments also of the churl are evil</strong> (וְכֵלַי כֵּלָיו רָעִים, <em>vekhelay kelayv ra'im</em>)—the כֵּלִי (<em>keli</em>, instruments, tools, weapons) of the כִּילַי (<em>kilay</em>, churl, miser) are רַע (<em>ra</em>, evil). <strong>He deviseth wicked devices</strong> (הוּא זִמּוֹת יָעָץ, <em>hu zimmot ya'ats</em>)—he plans זִמָּה (<em>zimmah</em>, wicked schemes, evil plots...
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(7) **To destroy the poor with lying words . . .**—The words, though perfectly generic in their form, are probably not without an implied reference to those who had thus acted towards Isaiah himself, making even him an “offender for a word” (Isaiah 29:21).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15. Transition to the vineyard, often formed in "stairs" (So 2:14), or terraces, in which, amidst the vine leaves, foxes hid.
**foxes--**generic term, including jackals. They eat only grapes, not the vine flowers; but they need to be driven out in time before the grape is ripe. She had failed in watchfulness before (So 1:6); now when converted, she is the more jealous of subtle sins (Psa 139:23)...
Read full commentary →But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand. stand: or, be established
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<strong>But the liberal deviseth liberal things</strong> (וְנָדִיב נְדִיבוֹת יָעָץ, <em>venadiv nedivot ya'ats</em>)—the נָדִיב (<em>nadiv</em>, noble, generous person) plans נְדִיבוֹת (<em>nedivot</em>, noble things, generous acts). <strong>And by liberal things shall he stand</strong> (וְהוּא עַל־נְדִיבוֹת יָקוּם, <em>vehu al-nedivot yaqum</em>)—by נְדִיבוֹת (<em>nedivot</em>, nobility, generosi...
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(8) **The liberal deviseth liberal things . . .**—Better, as before, *noble.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. mine ... his--**rather, "is for me ... for Him" (Ho 3:3), where, as here, there is the assurance of indissoluble union, in spite of temporary absence. So 2:17, entreating Him to return, shows that He has gone, perhaps through her want of guarding against the "little sins" (So 2:15). The order of the clauses is reversed in So 6:3, when she is riper in faith: there she rests more on her being ...
Read full commentary →Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech.
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<strong>Rise up, ye women that are at ease</strong> (נָשִׁים שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת קֹמְנָה, <em>nashim sha'ananot qomenah</em>)—the imperatives קוּמָה (<em>qumah</em>, rise up) addresses נָשִׁים (<em>nashim</em>, women) who are שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת (<em>sha'ananot</em>, at ease, complacent, secure). <strong>Hear my voice, ye careless daughters</strong> (בָּנוֹת בֹּטְחוֹת הַאְזֵנָּה אִמְרָתִי, <em>banot botech'ot h...
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(9) **Rise up, ye women that are at ease . . .**—The beginning of a new section, probably a distinct sermon, or, as it were, pamphlet, against the evils of which the prophet had spoken in Isaiah 2:16-22, and which continued, it would seem, unabated, in spite of Hezekiah’s reformation. It probably finds a place here as painting the *harem *influence, which then, as in the policy of modern Eastern m...
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**17. Night--**is the image of the present world (Ro 13:12). "Behold men as if dwelling in subterranean cavern" [Plato, Republic, 7.1].
**Until--**that is, "Before that," &c.
**break--**rather, "breathe"; referring to the refreshing breeze of dawn in the East; or to the air of life, which distinguishes morning from the death-like stillness of night. Maurer takes this verse of the approach ...
Read full commentary →Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. Many: Heb. Days above a year
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<strong>Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women</strong> (יָמִים עַל־שָׁנָה תִּרְגַּזְנָה בֹּטְחוֹת, <em>yamim al-shanah tirgaznah botechot</em>)—for days upon years you'll רָגַז (<em>ragaz</em>, tremble, be troubled, agitated). <strong>For the vintage shall fail</strong> (כִּי כָּלָה בָצִיר, <em>ki khalah batsir</em>)—the בָּצִיר (<em>batsir</em>, grape harvest, vintage) will ...
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(10) **Many days and years . . .**—Literally, *days to the year, *a phrase after the pattern of “add ye year to year” in Isaiah 29:1, but implying, not the long continuance of the trouble, but its quick arrival, as in “a year and a day.”
**The vintage shall fail . . .**—The words are commonly taken as predicting a literal failure of the vine-crop, and therefore of the supply of wine for the banque...
Read full commentary →Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.
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<strong>Tremble, ye women that are at ease</strong> (חִרְדוּ שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, <em>chirdu sha'ananot</em>)—the command חָרַד (<em>charad</em>, tremble, be terrified) addresses the שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת (<em>sha'ananot</em>, complacent). <strong>Be troubled, ye careless ones</strong> (רְגָזָה בֹּטְחוֹת, <em>regazah botechot</em>)—רָגַז (<em>ragaz</em>, be agitated, troubled). <strong>Strip you, and make you bar...
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(11) **Tremble, ye women that are at ease . . .**—The words find at once a parallel and a contrast in those spoken to the daughters of Jerusalem in Luke (Luke 23:28-30). The call to repentance includes their stripping themselves of their costly finery, and putting on the “sackcloth” (the word is implied, though not expressed in the Hebrew), which was the outward symbol of repentance (Jonah 3:5-8)....
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CHAPTER 3
So 3:1-11.
**1. By night--**literally, "By nights." Continuation of the longing for the dawn of the Messiah (So 2:17; Psa 130:6; Mal 4:2). The spiritual desertion here (So 2:17; 3:5) is not due to indifference, as in So 5:2-8. "As nights and dews are better for flowers than a continual sun, so Christ's absence (at times) giveth sap to humility, and putteth an edge on hunger, and furn...
Read full commentary →They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. pleasant: Heb. fields of desire
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<strong>They shall lament for the teats</strong> (עַל־שָׁדַיִם סֹפְדִים, <em>al-shadayim sofdim</em>)—mourning over שָׁדַיִם (<em>shadayim</em>, breasts, teats), using the verb סָפַד (<em>safad</em>, lament, mourn, beat the breast). <strong>For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine</strong> (עַל־שְׂדֵי־חֶמֶד עַל־גֶּפֶן פֹּרִיָּה, <em>al-sedey-chemed al-gefen poriyah</em>)—for fields of חֶמֶד ...
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(12) **They shall lament for the teats . . .**—Better, *shall smite upon the breasts. *The Hebrew nouns for “teats” and “fields,” *Shâdaim *and *Sadè, *have an assonance which may be represented by the Latin *ubera *and *ubertas. *In the renewed, unabated luxury of the women of Jerusalem Isaiah sees the precursor of another time of desolation like that which he had foretold before in the reign of ...
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**2. Wholly awake for God (Lu 14:18-20; Ep 5:14). "An honest resolution is often to (the doing of) duty, like a needle that draws the thread after it" [Durham]. Not a mere wish, that counts not the cost--**to leave her easy bed, and wander in the dark night seeking Him (Pr 13:4; Mt 21:30; Lu 14:27-33).
**the city--**Jerusalem, literally (Mt 3:5; Joh 1:19), and spiritually the Church here (He 12:...
Read full commentary →Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: yea: or, burning upon
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<strong>Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers</strong> (עַל אַדְמַת עַמִּי קוֹץ שָׁמִיר תַּעֲלֶה, <em>al admat ami qots shamir ta'aleh</em>)—on the אֲדָמָה (<em>adamah</em>, ground, land) of my people, קוֹץ (<em>qots</em>, thorns) and שָׁמִיר (<em>shamir</em>, briers) will עָלָה (<em>alah</em>, come up, spring up). <strong>Yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city</st...
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**3. watchmen--**ministers (Is 62:6; Jr 6:17; Eze 3:17; He 13:17), fit persons to consult (Is 21:11; Mal 2:7).
**found me--**the general ministry of the Word "finds" individually souls in quest of Jesus Christ (Ge 24:27, end of verse Ac 16:14); whereas formalists remain unaffected.
Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; forts: or, clifts and watchtowers
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<strong>Because the palaces shall be forsaken</strong> (כִּי־אַרְמוֹן נֻטָּשׁ, <em>ki-armon nutash</em>)—the אַרְמוֹן (<em>armon</em>, palace, citadel) will be נָטַשׁ (<em>natash</em>, forsaken, abandoned). <strong>The multitude of the city shall be left</strong> (הֲמוֹן עִיר עֻזָּב, <em>hamon ir uzav</em>)—the הָמוֹן (<em>hamon</em>, multitude, throng) of the עִיר (<em>ir</em>, city) will be עָזַ...
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(14) **The palaces shall be forsaken.**—With a bold pencil and rapid strokes the picture of desolation is sketched in outline. The forts are those of Ophel (so in Heb.), the fortified south-eastern slope of the Temple mountain; the towers, probably such as “the tower of the flock,” mentioned in conjunction with Ophel in Micah 4:8. These would serve as dens for the wild asses, which commonly roved ...
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4. Jesus Christ is generally "found" near the watchmen and means of grace; but they are not Himself; the star that points to Beth-lehem is not the Sun that has risen there; she hastens past the guideposts to the goal [Moody Stuart]. Not even angels could satisfy Mary, instead of Jesus Christ (Joh 20:11-16).
**found him--**(Is 45:19; Ho 6:1-3; Mt 13:44-46).
**held him, &c.--**willing to be ...
Read full commentary →Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
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<strong>Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high</strong> (עַד־יֵעָרֶה עָלֵינוּ רוּחַ מִמָּרוֹם, <em>ad-ye'areh aleynu ruach mimmarom</em>)—until רוּחַ (<em>ruach</em>, Spirit) is עָרָה (<em>arah</em>, poured out) from מָרוֹם (<em>marom</em>, on high, exalted place). <strong>And the wilderness be a fruitful field</strong> (וְהָיָה מִדְבָּר לַכַּרְמֶל, <em>vehayah midbar lakkarmel</em>)—מִדְ...
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(15) **Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high . . .**—There was, then, a fixed limit of the desolation then described. Isaiah dwelt, as Joel (Joel 2:28) had dwelt before him, on the outpouring of the Spirit which should sweep away the frivolities of a profligate luxury and lead to a nobler life. The effect of that outpouring is described in symbolic language which had been used before (se...
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5. So So 2:7; but there it was for the non-interruption of her own fellowship with Jesus Christ that she was anxious; here it is for the not grieving of the Holy Ghost, on the part of the daughters of Jerusalem. Jealously avoid levity, heedlessness, and offenses which would mar the gracious work begun in others (Mt 18:7; Ac 2:42, 43; Ep 4:30).
**Canticle III.--**(So 3:6-5:1)--The Bridegroom with...
Read full commentary →Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
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<strong>Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness</strong> (וְשָׁכַן בַּמִּדְבָּר מִשְׁפָּט, <em>veshakhan bamidbar mishpat</em>)—מִשְׁפָּט (<em>mishpat</em>, judgment, justice) will שָׁכַן (<em>shakhan</em>, dwell, abide) even in מִדְבָּר (<em>midbar</em>, wilderness). <strong>And righteousness remain in the fruitful field</strong> (וּצְדָקָה בַּכַּרְמֶל תֵּשֵׁב, <em>utsedaqah bakkarmel teshev<...
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(16) **Then judgment shall dwell . . .**—Outward blessings, themselves symbols of something beyond themselves, are followed by spiritual. Over the whole country, from the one extreme of cultivation to the other, the judgment and righteousness which had been so lacking should now find a home, and bring their blessed fruits of peace, and confidence, and calm. The whole picture is that of a smiling l...
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6. New scene (So 3:6-11). The friends of the Bridegroom see a cortege approach. His palanquin and guard.
**cometh out--**rather, "up from"; the wilderness was lower than Jerusalem [Maurer].
**pillars of smoke--**from the perfumes burned around Him and His bride. Image from Israel and the tabernacle (answering to "bed," So 3:7) marching through the desert with the pillar of smoke by day and fir...
Read full commentary →And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the work of righteousness shall be peace</strong> (וְהָיָה מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה שָׁלוֹם, <em>vehayah ma'aseh hatsedaqah shalom</em>)—the מַעֲשֶׂה (<em>ma'aseh</em>, work, product, result) of צְדָקָה (<em>tsedaqah</em>, righteousness) is שָׁלוֹם (<em>shalom</em>, peace). <strong>And the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever</strong> (וַעֲבֹדַת הַצְּדָקָה הַשְׁקֵט וָבֶט...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. In So 3:6 the wilderness character of the Church is portrayed; in So 3:7, 8, its militant aspect. In So 3:9, 10, Jesus Christ is seen dwelling in believers, who are His "chariot" and "body." In So 3:11, the consummation in glory.
**bed--**palanquin. His body, literally, guarded by a definite number of angels, threescore, or sixty (Mt 26:53), from the wilderness (Mt 4:1, 11), and continually (...
Read full commentary →And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation</strong> (וְיָשַׁב עַמִּי בִּנְוֵה שָׁלוֹם, <em>veyashav ami binveh shalom</em>)—my people will יָשַׁב (<em>yashav</em>, dwell, settle) in נָוֶה (<em>naveh</em>, habitation, dwelling) of שָׁלוֹם (<em>shalom</em>, peace). <strong>And in sure dwellings</strong> (וּבְמִשְׁכְּנוֹת מִבְטַחִים, <em>uvemishkenot mivtachim</em>)—in מִשְׁכָּנוֹת (...
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**8. hold--**not actually grasping them, but having them girt on the thigh ready for use, like their Lord (Psa 45:3). So believers too are guarded by angels (Psa 91:11; He 1:14), and they themselves need "every man" (Ne 4:18) to be armed (Psa 144:1, 2; 2Co 10:4; Ep 6:12, 17; 1Ti 6:12), and "expert" (2Co 2:11).
**because of fear in the night--**Arab marauders often turn a wedding into mourning by...
Read full commentary →When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. low in: or, utterly abased
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When it shall hail, coming down on the forest</strong> (וּבָרַד בְּרֶדֶת הַיָּעַר, <em>uvarad beredet haya'ar</em>)—when בָּרָד (<em>barad</em>, hail) comes down (יָרַד, <em>yarad</em>) on the יַעַר (<em>ya'ar</em>, forest). <strong>And the city shall be low in a low place</strong> (וּבַשִּׁפְלָה תִשְׁפַּל הָעִיר, <em>uvashiflah tishpal ha'ir</em>)—the עִיר (<em>ir</em>, city) will be שָׁפ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **When it shall hail, coming down on the forest.**—Better, *But it shall hail. *A time of sharp judgment, “hailstones and coals of fire,” is to precede that of blessedness and peace. Of such a judgment “hail” was the natural symbol. (Comp. Isaiah 30:30; Ezekiel 13:13.) The “forest” stands in the symbolism of prophecy for the rulers and princes of any kingdom, as in Isaiah 10:34 for those of A...
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**9. chariot--**more elaborately made than the "bed" or travelling litter (So 3:7), from a Hebrew root, "to elaborate" [Ewald]. So the temple of "cedar of Lebanon," as compared with the temporary tabernacle of shittim wood (2Sa 7:2, 6, 7; 1Ki 5:14; 6:15-18), Jesus Christ's body is the antitype, "made" by the Father for Him (1Co 1:30; He 10:5), the wood answering to His human nature, the gold, His ...
Read full commentary →Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters</strong> (אַשְׁרֵיכֶם זֹרְעֵי עַל־כָּל־מָיִם, <em>ashreykem zor'ey al-kol-mayim</em>)—אַשְׁרֵי (<em>ashrey</em>, blessed, happy) are those who זָרַע (<em>zara</em>, sow) beside כָּל־מַיִם (<em>kol-mayim</em>, all waters). <strong>That send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass</strong> (מְשַׁלְּחֵי רֶגֶל הַשּׁוֹר וְהַחֲמוֹר, <em>meshaleychey...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters.**—The picture of a golden age of agriculture receives its final touch. The whole land should be irrigated by calmly flowing streams, and men should cast their seed broadcast, and the oxen and the asses should draw the plough over a rich and fertile land. The whole land should be under tillage, instead of being left to supply (as in Isaiah 7:21-22) ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. pillars--**supporting the canopy at the four corners; curtains at the side protect the person within from the sun. Pillars with silver sockets supported the veil that enclosed the holy of holies; emblem of Jesus Christ's strength (1Ki 7:21), Margin, "silver," emblem of His purity (Psa 12:6); so the saints hereafter (Re 3:12).
**bottom--**rather, "the back for resting or reclining on" (Vulg...
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