Isaiah 29:9-14 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-12

Concerning Ariel. I. VICISSITUDES OF ARIEL . The name is symbolic, perhaps signifying " God ' s lion." It was the city where David dwelt. The prophet bids the city enter upon the new year, and run the round of the feasts. The distress will come, and the city, true to her name, will be mourning like a wounded lioness; and yet her prowess will be seen. She will be beleaguered, the mound for the battering-ram will be set up; she will be abased, and her low voice will be like the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9

Stay yourselves, and wonder ; rather, stand stupefied and be astonished . The prophet bids them act as he knows that they will act. They will simply "stare with astonishment" at a prophecy which will seem to them "out of all relation to facts" (Cheyne). They will not yield it the slightest credence. They will only marvel how a sane man could have uttered such egregious folly. Cry ye out, and cry . Delitzsch and Mr. Cheyne translate, "Blind yourselves, and be blind," which certainly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9-10

Two kinds of spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness is not the natural condition of man. God has given to all men a certain power of spiritual discernment. He is "the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world " ( John 1:9 ). Children are invariably found to be teachable at an early age—to have a power of receiving and appreciating spiritual verities. The spiritually blind have become such, and in their condition we may trace two stages. I. THE INITIAL STAGE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9-12

NEITHER WARNING NOR PROMISE COMPREHENDED BY THOSE TO WHOM THEY HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED , "Who hath believed our report?" says the prophet in another place ( Isaiah 53:1 ), "and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" It was among the most painful circumstances attaching to the prophetical office, that scarcely ever was the prophet held in any esteem among his own people, or in his own lifetime. Isaiah knows that his warning will fall dead—that the people and their... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9-12

Spiritual incapacity. Our powers, as men and women, are limited enough; and it may well be that those of God's children who move in wider spheres and are endowed with greater capacities look down in wonder, if not with amusement, on our large pretensions. Yet we talk freely of the incapable, the feeble, the helpless, as if we ourselves were strong. There are various degrees of power and weakness among us, but the most important belong to that kind of incapacity to which the text refers. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:10

The Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. "Sleep," in Scripture, is sometimes "rest," "repose from trouble" ("So he giveth his beloved sleep," Psalms 128:2 ). But here it is "spiritual deadness and impassiveness"—an inability to appreciate, or even to understand, spiritual warnings. The Jews of Isaiah's time were sunk in a spiritual lethargy, from which he vainly endeavored to arouse them. This spiritual lethargy is here said to have been "poured out upon them by... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:11

The vision of all ; i.e. "the entire vision"—all that Isaiah has put before them in verses 1-8. As the words of a book that is sealed ; rather, the words of a letter (marginal rendering) or writing . Written documents were often sealed up to secure secrecy, the sealing being done in various ways. When the writing was on a clay tablet, it was often enclosed in a clay envelope, so that the document could not be read till the outer clay covering was broken. Rolls of papyrus or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:11

God's Word a sealed Book. Reference is to the prophecies of Isaiah, which were evidently circulated in writing among the people; but, by reason of prevailing hypocrisy, pride, and obstinacy, they were not understood—they were like a sealed book (compare the figure in Revelation 5:2 ). The connection of the text may be stated thus: "The hearers stare in astonishment at a prophecy seemingly so out of relation to facts. The prophet warns them that, if they willfully deaden their spiritual... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:12

Him that is not learned ; i.e. "that cannot read writing." Even in our Lord's day the ordinary Jew was not taught to read and write. Hence the surprise of the rulers at his teaching the people out of the Law ( John 7:15 , "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?"). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:13

Wherefore the Lord said ; rather, moreover the Lord said . This people draw near me with their mouth. Samaria had been punished for open idolatry and flagrant neglect of Jehovah ( 2 Kings 17:7-17 ). Jerusalem had not gone these lengths. She still, in profession, clung to the worship of Jehovah, and had even recently accepted a purification of religion at the hand of Hezekiah, who had "removed the high places," and cut down the groves, and broken in pieces the brazen serpent," because... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9-10

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:9-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:11

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:11

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:13

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