Without me - That is, without my aid: they shall be taken captive even by the captives, and shall be subdued even by the vanquished. "The י yod in בלתי bilti is a pronoun, as in Hosea 13:4 ." - Kimchi on the place. One MS. has לבלתי lebilti . As the people had hitherto lived without God in worship and obedience; so they should now be without his help, and should perish in their transgressions. read more
O Assyrian "Ho to the Assyrian" - Here begins a new and distinct prophecy, continued to the end of the twelfth chapter: and it appears from Isaiah 10:9-11 ; of this chapter, that this prophecy was delivered after the taking of Samaria by Shalmaneser; which was in the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah: and as the former part of it foretells the invasion of Sennacherib, and the destruction of his army, which makes the whole subject of this chapter it must have been delivered before the... read more
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees (comp. Isaiah 1:17 , Isaiah 1:20 , Isaiah 1:26 ; Isaiah 5:23 , etc.). The perversion of judgment from the judgment-seat is the sin rebuked. It was certainly prevalent in Judah, it may also have been practiced in Israel. And that write grievousness , etc. Translate, and unto the writers that enregister oppression . The decrees of courts were, it is clear, carefully engrossed by the officials, probably upon parchment, every outward... read more
The prophecy begun in Isaiah 9:8 terminates with this stanza, which contains a warning against injustice and oppression, addressed to Israel and Judah equally, and accompanied by the threat of a "day of desolation," when those who have refused to make God their Refuge will have no resource, but to go into captivity with the "prisoners," or to perish with the "slain." A foreign conquest, accompanied by slaughter, and the deportation of captives, is not obscurely intimated. read more
The helplessness of man under the wrath of God. The anger of the Lord is here expressly declared against the oppressor. We are again reminded: 1. That God judges those who are in authority over men; that however these may be placed above the reach of human justice, they will not escape Divine retribution. 2. That God especially requires an account of our treatment of the suffering and the dependent. Whoso wrongs the widow or the orphan must expect a fearful reckoning with the pitiful... read more
The poor … the widow … the fatherless . These were the classes who were the chief sufferers by the perversion of justice (comp. Isaiah 1:17 , Isaiah 1:23 ). They were exactly the classes for whom God had most compassion, and whom he had commended in the Law to the tender care of his people (see note on Isaiah 9:17 ). read more
The Divine avenger of the poor. The idea of a goel , or avenger, belongs to the primitive conditions of society. When there was no settled government, no police, and no magistracy, each individual had to guard his life, liberty, and property as best he could. The first and simplest form that mutual protection took was "the family," and the principle was established that the nearest of kin to an injured or murdered person should avenge the injury or death. As this led to feuds among... read more
What will ye do in the day of visitation ? "The day of visitation" is the day when God reckons with his servants, and demands an account from each of the work done in his vineyard, being prepared to recompense the good and punish the bad (comp. Hosea 9:7 ). It is oftenest used in a bad sense because, unhappily, so many more are found to deserve punishment than reward . The desolation which shall come from far ; rather, the crashing ruin (Cheyne). It is sudden, and complete destruction,... read more
God is man's only sure Refuge in the day of calamity. "God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof" ( Psalms 46:1-3 ). So sang the psalmist, and so Israel and Judah felt, so long as they clung to the worship of Jehovah, and served him, and strove to... read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 10:2
My people - Instead of עמי ammi , my people, many MSS., and one of my own, ancient, read עמו ammo , his people. But this is manifestly a corruption. read more