9 1 The vocation of the Gentiles. 6 A prophecy of Christ. 14 The destruction of the ten tribes for their pride and contempt of God.
1 Yet [a]the darkness shall not be according to the affliction, [b]that it had when at the first he touched lightly the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, nor afterward when he was more grievous by the way of the sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of [c]the Gentiles.
2 The people that [d]walked in darkness, have seen a great [e]light: they that dwelled in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the [f]light shined.
3 Thou hast [g]multiplied the nation, and not increased their joy: they have rejoiced before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide a spoil.
4 For the [h]yoke of their burden, and the staff of their shoulder, and the rod of their oppressor hast thou broken, as in the day of Midian.
5 Surely every battle of the warrior is with noise, and with tumbling of garments in blood: but this shall be [i]with burning, and devouring of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, and unto us a Son is given: and the government is upon his shoulder, and he shall call his name, Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting [j]Father, The prince of peace.
7 The increase of his government and peace shall have none end: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to stablish it with judgment, and with justice, from henceforth, even forever: [k]the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
8 ¶ The Lord hath sent a word into Jacob, and it lighted upon [l]Israel.
9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim, and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and presumption of their heart,
10 The [m]bricks are fallen, but we will build it with hewn stones: the wild fig trees are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
11 Nevertheless, the Lord will raise up the adversaries of [n]Rezin against him, and join his enemies together.
12 Aram before and the Philistines behind, and they shall devour Israel with open mouth: yet for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush in one day.
15 The ancient and the honorable man, he is the head: and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of the people cause them to err: and they that are led by them are devoured.
17 Therefore shall the Lord have no pleasure in their young men, neither will he have compassion of their fatherless and of their widows: for everyone is an hypocrite and wicked, and every mouth speaketh folly: yet for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness [o]burneth as a fire: it devoureth the briers and the thorns, and will kindle in the thick places of the forest: and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the Lord of hosts shall the land be darkened, and the people shall be as the meat of the fire: no man shall [p]spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch at the right hand, and be hungry: and he shall eat on the left hand, and shall not be satisfied: everyone shall eat the [q]flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh Ephraim: and Ephraim Manasseh, and they both shall be against Judah: yet for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 He comforteth the Church again after these great threatenings, promising to restore them to great glory in Messiah.
- Isaiah 9:1 Wherewith Israel was punished, first by Tiglath-pilesar, which was a light scourge in respect of that which they suffered afterward by Shalmaneser, who carried the Israelites away captives.
- Isaiah 9:1 Whereas the Jews and Gentiles dwelt together by reason of those twenty cites, which Solomon gave to Hiram.
- Isaiah 9:2 Which were captivity in Babylon: and the Prophet speaketh of that thing which should come to pass threescore years after, as though it were now done.
- Isaiah 9:2 Meaning, the comfort of their deliverance.
- Isaiah 9:2 This captivity and deliverance were figures of our captivity by sin, and of our deliverance by Christ through the preaching of the Gospel, Matt. 4:15, 16.
- Isaiah 9:3 Their number was greater when they went into captivity, than when they returned, but their joy was greater at their return, Hag. 2:9.
- Isaiah 9:4 Thou gavest them perfect joy by delivering them, and by destroying the tyrants, that had kept them in cruel bondage, as thou didst deliver them by Gideon from the Midianites, Judg. 7:21.
- Isaiah 9:5 He speaketh of the deliverance of his Church, which he hath delivered miraculously from his enemies, but especially by the coming of Christ, of whom he prophesieth in the next verse.
- Isaiah 9:6 The author of eternity, and by whom the Church and every member thereof shall be preserved forever, and have immortal life.
- Isaiah 9:7 His singular love and care for his elect.
- Isaiah 9:8 This is another prophecy against them of Samaria, which were mockers and contemners of God’s promises and menaces.
- Isaiah 9:10 We were but weak, when the enemy overcame us, but we will make ourselves so strong, that we will neither care for our enemies, nor fear God’s threatenings.
- Isaiah 9:11 Rezin king of Syria, who was in league with Israel, was slain by the Assyrians, after whose death Aram, that is, the Syrians were against Israel, which on the other side were assailed by the Philistines.
- Isaiah 9:18 Wickedness as a bellows kindleth the fire of God’s wrath, which consumeth all his obstinate enemies.
- Isaiah 9:19 Though there were no foreign enemy, yet they shall destroy one another.
- Isaiah 9:20 Their greediness shall be insatiable, so that one brother shall eat up another, as though he should eat his own flesh.