King James Version
Isaiah 8
22 verses with commentary
The Coming Assyrian Invasion
Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz. Mahershalalhashbaz: Heb. In making speed to the spoil he hasteneth the prey, or, Make speed, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
God commands Isaiah to create a public legal document as a prophetic witness. The 'great roll' (large tablet or scroll) and 'man's pen' (ordinary writing) emphasize public accessibility—this prophecy would be clearly visible to all. The name 'Mahershalalhashbaz' means 'speed the spoil, hasten the prey,' prophesying Syria and Israel's imminent defeat by Assyria. This demonstrates God's sovereignty ...
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VIII.
(1) **Moreover the Lord said unto me . . .**—The prophecy that follows was clearly separated by an interval of some kind, probably about a year, from that in Isaiah 7. In the meantime much that had happened seemed to cast discredit on the prophet’s words. The child that was the type of the greater Immanuel had been born, but there were no signs as yet of the downfall of the northern kingdom....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20. Not only is the incongruity of songs (that is, joyful) and sadness meant, but an accession of sadness, by want of sympathy, is implied.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Commendations of wisdom. (Eccl. 8:1-5) To prepare for sudden evils and death. (Eccl. 8:6-8) It shall be well with the righteous, and ill with the wicked. (Eccl. 8:9-13) Mysteries of Providence. (Eccl. 8:14-17)
**Verses 1-5** None of the rich, the powerful, the honourable, or the accomplished of the sons of men, are so excellent, useful, or happy, as the wise man. Who else can inter...
Read full commentary →And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
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KJV Study Commentary
God provides faithful witnesses to authenticate the prophecy, following Deuteronomic law requiring two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). Uriah the priest represents religious authority, while Zechariah son of Jeberechiah represents civil authority. This legal framework demonstrates that God's prophetic word operates within covenantal and legal structures. The witnesses would verify when the ...
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(2) **And I took unto me faithful witnesses.**—That the prophet’s challenge to his gainsayers might be made more emphatic, the setting-up of the tablet is to be formally attested. And the witnesses whom the prophet calls were probably men of high position, among those who had been foremost in advising the alliance with Assyria. Of Uriah or Urijah, the priest, we know that he complied with the king...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21-22. (Compare Mt 5:44; Ro 12:20). As metals are melted by heaping coals upon them, so is the heart softened by kindness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Commendations of wisdom. (Eccl. 8:1-5) To prepare for sudden evils and death. (Eccl. 8:6-8) It shall be well with the righteous, and ill with the wicked. (Eccl. 8:9-13) Mysteries of Providence. (Eccl. 8:14-17)
**Verses 1-5** None of the rich, the powerful, the honourable, or the accomplished of the sons of men, are so excellent, useful, or happy, as the wise man. Who else can inter...
Read full commentary →And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz. went: Heb. approached
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KJV Study Commentary
Isaiah's union with 'the prophetess' (likely his wife, possibly a prophet in her own right) produces a sign-child. The conception and birth follow natural processes, yet the child becomes a prophetic symbol. This illustrates how God uses ordinary life events for extraordinary purposes. The Reformed understanding of providence recognizes God's sovereign orchestration of natural events to accomplish...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **I . . . the prophetess . . .**—The word may have been given by courtesy to a prophet’s wife as such. Elsewhere, however, as in the case of Deborah (Judges 4:4) and Huldah (2Chronicles 34:22), it implies prophetic gifts. Possibly, therefore, we may think of the prophet and his wife as having been drawn together by united thoughts and counsels, in contrast with the celibate life of Jeremiah (J...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21-22. (Compare Mt 5:44; Ro 12:20). As metals are melted by heaping coals upon them, so is the heart softened by kindness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Commendations of wisdom. (Eccl. 8:1-5) To prepare for sudden evils and death. (Eccl. 8:6-8) It shall be well with the righteous, and ill with the wicked. (Eccl. 8:9-13) Mysteries of Providence. (Eccl. 8:14-17)
**Verses 1-5** None of the rich, the powerful, the honourable, or the accomplished of the sons of men, are so excellent, useful, or happy, as the wise man. Who else can inter...
Read full commentary →For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria. the riches: or, he that is before the king of Assyria shall take away the riches, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
The prophecy's time marker is precise: before the child reaches early speech (12-24 months), Assyria would plunder Damascus and Samaria. This specificity demonstrates God's absolute sovereignty over historical events and timelines. The 'riches of Damascus and spoil of Samaria' represents total defeat—religious, economic, and political subjugation. Assyria served as God's instrument of judgment aga...
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(4) **For before the child shall have knowledge to cry . . .**—Here then was another sign like that of Isaiah 7:14-16. The two witnesses of Isaiah 8:2 were probably summoned to the circumcision and naming of the child, and the mysterious name at which all Jerusalem had gazed with wonder was given to the new-born infant. The prediction is even more definite than before. Before the first cries of ch...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
23. Better, "As the north wind bringeth forth (Psa 90:2) or produces rain, so does a concealed or slandering tongue produce anger."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 8
Commendations of wisdom. (Eccl. 8:1-5) To prepare for sudden evils and death. (Eccl. 8:6-8) It shall be well with the righteous, and ill with the wicked. (Eccl. 8:9-13) Mysteries of Providence. (Eccl. 8:14-17)
**Verses 1-5** None of the rich, the powerful, the honourable, or the accomplished of the sons of men, are so excellent, useful, or happy, as the wise man. Who else can inter...
Read full commentary →The LORD spake also unto me again, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
The Lord's continued revelation to Isaiah indicates ongoing prophetic instruction during the crisis. The repetition 'spake also unto me again' emphasizes that God doesn't give one word and remain silent—He continues to speak, guide, and warn. This reflects the sufficiency and progressive nature of divine revelation. God addresses His people's fears and misplaced trust, calling them to faithful con...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24. (Compare Pr 21:9, 19).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-7** The Jewish church came up from the wilderness, supported by Divine power and favour. The Christian church was raised from a low, desolate condition, by the grace of Christ relied on. Believers, by the power of grace, are brought up from the wilderness. A sinful state is a wilderness in which there is no true comfort; it is a wandering, wanting state: There is no coming out of this w...
Read full commentary →Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;
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KJV Study Commentary
The people's refusal of 'the waters of Shiloah that go softly' represents rejection of God's gentle, quiet provision in favor of worldly power. Shiloah (Siloam) was Jerusalem's gentle, steady water source—a metaphor for God's faithful, peaceful governance through the Davidic line. Their 'rejoicing in Rezin and Remaliah's son' shows misplaced confidence in God's enemies. This illustrates the Reform...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah . . .**—Grammatically, the words “this people” might seem to refer to Judah, and suggest the thought that the tyranny of Ahaz had made him so unpopular that his subjects welcomed the invaders. On this view Ahaz sought the alliance with Tiglath-pilneser as against his own subjects no less than against Syria or Ephraim. He was as a Ferdin...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
25. (Compare Pr 25:13).
**good news--**that is, of some loved interest or absent friend, the more grateful as coming from afar.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-7** The Jewish church came up from the wilderness, supported by Divine power and favour. The Christian church was raised from a low, desolate condition, by the grace of Christ relied on. Believers, by the power of grace, are brought up from the wilderness. A sinful state is a wilderness in which there is no true comfort; it is a wandering, wanting state: There is no coming out of this w...
Read full commentary →Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery shifts dramatically: rejecting gentle waters brings overwhelming flood. The 'king of Assyria' represents God's judgment instrument—violent, unstoppable, comprehensive. The flood metaphor suggests totality: waters reaching 'to the neck' indicate near-total destruction, yet not quite complete (the head remains above water, suggesting survival of a remnant). This demonstrates the Reformed...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **The waters of the river . . .**—“The river” is, as elsewhere (Joshua 24:2; Joshua 24:14), the Euphrates; here used (1) as the symbol of the Assyrian monarchy, as Shiloah had been of that of Judah, and (2) of the Assyrian armies that were to pour down like that river in the time of its inundations. The “channels” and “banks*” *describe the intended course of that army as invading Syria and Is...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26. From troubled fountains and corrupt springs no healthy water is to be had, so when the righteous are oppressed by the wicked, their power for good is lessened or destroyed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-7** The Jewish church came up from the wilderness, supported by Divine power and favour. The Christian church was raised from a low, desolate condition, by the grace of Christ relied on. Believers, by the power of grace, are brought up from the wilderness. A sinful state is a wilderness in which there is no true comfort; it is a wandering, wanting state: There is no coming out of this w...
Read full commentary →And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel . stretching: Heb. fulness of the breadth of thy land shall be the stretchings out of his wings
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KJV Study Commentary
The pronouncement 'O Immanuel' in the midst of judgment is striking. Though waters fill Immanuel's land, His presence guarantees ultimate deliverance. The spreading of Assyria's wings 'shall fill the breadth of thy land' pictures a bird of prey covering the entire territory—comprehensive occupation. Yet addressing the land as 'thy land, O Immanuel' affirms God's ultimate ownership and the certaint...
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(8) **The stretching out of his wings.**—The metaphor within a metaphor is quite after the manner of Isaiah. The armies of Assyria are like a river in flood; the outspread waters on either side of the main stream are like the expanded wings of a great bird sweeping down on its prey.
**Shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.**—The prophet has not forgotten, however, the *nomen et omen *of t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
27. Satiety surfeits (Pr 25:16); so men who are self-glorious find shame.
**is not glory--**"not" is supplied from the first clause, or "is grievous," in which sense a similar word is used (Pr 27:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12** The church pleads for the Gentiles, who then had not the word of God, nor the means of grace. Those who are brought to Christ themselves, should contrive what they may do to help others to him. Babes in Christ are always seen among Christians, and the welfare of their weak brethren is an object of continual prayer with the stronger believers. If the beginning of this work were like...
Read full commentary →Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. people and: or, people, yet
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse shifts from judgment to defiant faith. Isaiah calls enemies to band together, yet prophesies their defeat. The repetition 'ye shall be broken in pieces' emphasizes certainty and completeness. The phrase 'give ear, all ye of far countries' universalizes the message—all nations who oppose God's purposes will fail. This reflects Reformed confidence in God's absolute sovereignty over all na...
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(9) **Associate yourselves, O ye people . . .**—Better, *O ye peoples. *The words are not limited to the confederacy of Syria and Ephraim, but are, as it were, a challenge to all the peoples of the earth, far and near. No plan against the Divine kingdom, of which the earthly kingdom of the house of David was, for the time, the representative, shall prosper. The prophet falls back once more on the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
28. Such are exposed to the incursions of evil thoughts and successful temptations.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
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KJV Study Commentary
The threefold repetition (verse 9-10) hammers home the futility of opposing God's purposes. 'Take counsel together' represents human wisdom and planning; 'it shall come to nought' declares its certain failure. 'Speak the word' suggests confident decree-making; 'it shall not stand' pronounces its impotence. The climactic reason: 'for God is with us' (Immanuel). This encapsulates the Reformed doctri...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, with: Heb. in strength of hand
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'with a strong hand' indicates powerful, irresistible divine instruction. God doesn't merely suggest but compels Isaiah not to walk in the people's way. This represents the effectual call and sanctifying work of the Spirit, setting believers apart from worldly conformity. The 'way of this people' refers to their fearful unbelief and political maneuvering. God's 'strong hand' illustrates...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **For the Lord spake thus to me.**—We enter on a new section, separated, probably, by a short interval of time, but dealing with the same subject. In the “strong hand” we have an anthropomorphic phrase, implying a specially high degree of the intensity of inspiration (1Kings 18:46; 2Kings 3:15; Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 3:14; Ezekiel 3:22; Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 37:1). Something had occurred which b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 26
Pr 26:1-28.
1. The incongruities of nature illustrate also those of the moral world. The fool's unworthiness is also implied (Pr 17:7; 19:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
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KJV Study Commentary
God forbids conspiracy accusations and commands freedom from fear. The 'confederacy' likely refers to the Syro-Ephraimite alliance, which some Judahites supported while others viewed them as conspirators. God calls His people to transcend political paranoia and fear-driven reactions. 'Fear ye not their fear' means refusing to adopt the world's anxieties. This reflects the Reformed emphasis on God'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Say ye not, A confederacy . . .**—The words have been very differently interpreted. (1) The confederacy has been thought to be that between Syria or Ephraim, which had at first filled the people with terror, and then had seemed so powerful that men had been willing to join it (Isaiah 7:2; Isaiah 8:6). (2) Translating the word as *conspiracy *as in 2Kings 17:4—it was the word used by Athalia...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. Though not obvious to us,
**the bird--**literally, "sparrow"--and
**swallow--**have an object in their motions, so penal evil falls on none without a reason.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command to sanctify and fear the Lord of hosts provides the alternative to worldly fear. 'Sanctify' means to set apart as holy, recognize as utterly unique and transcendent. Fear of God displaces fear of man—when we properly revere God's majesty and power, human threats diminish to proper scale. 'Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread' transforms fear from paralyzing anxiety into reve...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself . . .**—The words contain an implicit appeal to the revelation of the Divine Name in Isaiah 6:3. Had the prophet’s disciples entered into the meaning of that “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts?” Had they learnt to sanctify Jehovah Sabaoth, to recognise the power of that infinite holiness?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. The rod is as much needed by fools and as well suited to them, as whips and bridles are for beasts.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse presents a stark paradox: God becomes both sanctuary and stumbling stone. For believers, He is a sanctuary (refuge, protection); for unbelievers, a stone of stumbling. This demonstrates the Reformed doctrine of particular redemption—God's saving purpose is particular, not universal. The 'gin and snare' imagery suggests judgment that traps the unwary. 'Both the houses of Israel' indicate...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **And he shall be for a sanctuary** **. . .**—Literally, *he shall become a hallowed thing, *with the implied thought as in Ezekiel 11:16, that the sanctuary is also an asylum (1Kings 1:50; 1Kings 2:28). In that sanctuary, in the presence of Jehovah, there was a refuge from all terror, the answer to all misgivings (Psalm 73:17).**
But for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence . . .**...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-5. Answer not--**that is, approvingly by like folly.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
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KJV Study Commentary
The prophecy of widespread stumbling, breaking, snaring, and capture emphasizes the comprehensive nature of judgment. 'Many' suggests not all but a significant portion—the majority who reject God's word. The progression intensifies: stumble (initial error), fall (complete failure), broken (shattered beyond self-repair), snared and taken (captured in judgment). This illustrates the downward spiral ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **And many among them shall stumble, and fall . . .**—The accumulation of words more or less synonymous has obviously, as before, the emphasis of iteration. Possibly for the prophet and his disciples, each word had a distinct ethical significance, which we can only partially recover. Looking to the figure implied in Isaiah 8:14, they seem to describe the several stages of the capture of the a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-5. Answer not--**that is, approvingly by like folly.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
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KJV Study Commentary
Isaiah is commanded to preserve the testimony and seal the law among his disciples. 'Bind up' and 'seal' suggest protecting from alteration and authenticating its divine origin. During times of public rejection, God's word is preserved in the remnant community. The 'disciples' (literally 'those taught') represent the faithful few who receive and preserve divine revelation. This illustrates the Ref...
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(16) **Bind up the testimony . . .**—The intensity of feeling in which the prophetic utterance of Isaiah 8:11-15 had its birth, is followed by a corresponding solemnity at its close. The words which had been so full of meaning for the prophet himself are to be impressed on the disciples of Jehovah (for it is He who speaks), *i.e., *on those who looked to Isaiah as their guide and counsellor. They ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. A fool fails by folly as surely as if he were maimed.
**drinketh damage--**that is, gets it abundantly (Job 15:16; 34:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16** The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the p...
Read full commentary →And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Isaiah's personal resolution to wait on the Lord demonstrates faith amid divine hiddenness. 'Hideth his face' indicates God's temporary withdrawal of blessing and protection from Israel due to sin. Yet this doesn't produce despair but patient expectation: 'I will wait upon him.' The parallel 'I will look for him' emphasizes active, hopeful anticipation. This models the Reformed virtue of persevera...
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(17) **And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face . . .**—The words come in somewhat abruptly, but not to the extent that justifies the assumption of some critics that a verse has been lost. The prophet enforces precept by example. He has learnt to conquer the feverish desire to know the future, which led men to trust in soothsayers and diviners, and from which even his own disciples were...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. legs ... equal--**or, "take away the legs," or "the legs ... are weak." In any case the idea is that they are the occasion of an awkwardness, such as the fool shows in using a parable or proverb (see Introduction; Pr 17:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-22** The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we ...
Read full commentary →Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
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KJV Study Commentary
Isaiah's family becomes living prophetic signs to Israel. 'The children whom the Lord hath given me' indicates divine gift and purpose. As 'signs and wonders,' they embody God's message: Shear-jashub ('a remnant shall return') and Maher-shalal-hash-baz ('speed the spoil') proclaim judgment and hope. The phrase 'from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion' grounds these signs in God's cove...
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(18) **Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me . . .**—In the mystic significance of his own name (Isaiah—*Salvation of Jehovah*) and of the names of his sons: *Remnant shall return. *and *Speed-plunder, Haste-spoil, *possibly also in that of Immanuel, the prophet finds a sufficient revelation of the future. Each was a *nomen et omen *for those who had ears to hear. Could the discip...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. A stone, bound in a sling, is useless; so honor, conferred on a fool, is thrown away.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-22** The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we ...
Read full commentary →And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse exposes the temptation to seek spiritist guidance rather than God's word. 'Familiar spirits' (mediums) and 'wizards' (spiritists) were common in pagan religions but forbidden in Israel (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Their 'peeping and muttering' describes the eerie whispers and incantations of occult practices. The rhetorical question exposes the absurdity: why consult the dea...
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(19) **And when they shall say unto you . . .**—This then was the temptation to which the disciples of Isaiah were exposed, and to which they were all but yielding. Why should not they do as others did, and consult the soothsayers, who were in such great demand (Isaiah 2:6), as to the anxious secrets of the coming years. The words point to some of the many forms of such soothsaying (Deuteronomy 18...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. As vexatious and unmanageable as a thorn in a drunkard's hand is a parable to a fool. He will be as apt to misuse is as to use it rightly.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-22** The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we ...
Read full commentary →To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. no: Heb. no morning
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KJV Study Commentary
The command to consult 'the law and the testimony' provides the proper alternative to occultism. 'Law' (Torah) and 'testimony' (prophetic witness) together constitute divine revelation—God's written word. The conditional 'if they speak not according to this word' establishes Scripture as the standard for testing all teaching. The verdict 'there is no light in them' pronounces darkness and deceptio...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **To the law and to the testimony**.—The words are only remotely and by analogy an exhortation to the study of Scripture in general, or even to that of the Law of Moses in particular. “The law and the testimony” are obviously here, as in Isaiah 8:16, the “word of Jehovah,” spoken to the prophet himself, the revelation which had come to him with such an intensity of power.
**If they speak not ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. Various versions of this are proposed (compare Margin). Better perhaps--**"Much He injures (or literally, "wounds") all who reward," &c., that is, society is injured by encouraging evil men.
**transgressors--**may be rendered "vagrants." The word "God" is improperly supplied.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-22** The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we ...
Read full commentary →And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse describes the despair of those who reject God's word and pursue forbidden knowledge. 'Hardly bestead' means severely pressed or distressed; 'hunger' suggests spiritual emptiness and dissatisfaction. When hungry and oppressed, they become enraged, cursing both their earthly king and God. The phrase 'look upward' might suggest a last desperate prayer, but it's not genuine worship—it's rag...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **And they shall pass through it . . .**—*i.e., *through the land over which hangs the sunless gloom. The abruptness with which the verse opens, the absence of any noun to which the pronoun “it” may refer, has led some critics (Cheyne) to transpose the two verses. So arranged, the thought of the people for whom there is no dawning passes naturally into the picture of their groping in that thi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. returneth ... folly--**Though disgusting to others, the fool delights in his folly.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-22** The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we ...
Read full commentary →And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
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KJV Study Commentary
The final verse of chapter 8 depicts total spiritual darkness. Looking downward (earth) or upward (heaven) reveals only trouble, darkness, and dimness. 'Anguish' suggests intense distress; 'driven to darkness' indicates being forced into deeper spiritual blindness. This complete absence of light represents the condition of souls apart from divine revelation. The chapter that began with prophetic l...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. The self-conceited are taught with more difficulty than the stupid.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-22** The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we ...
Read full commentary →