Isaiah 9

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:4

(4) For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden . . .—The text comes in the Hebrew with all the emphasis of position. The yoke of his burden . . . thou hast broken. The phrase suggests a bondage like that of Egypt, where the “task-masters” (the same word as that here rendered “oppressors”) drove the people to their labours with their rods.As in the day of Midian.—The historical allusion was probably suggested by the division of spoil that had been in the prophet’s thoughts. Of all victories in... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:5

(5) For every battle of the warrior . . .—Here again the whole verse requires re-translating: “Every boot of the warrior that tramps noisily, and the cloak rolled in blood, are (i.e., shall be) for burning, (as) fuel for fire. The picture of the conquerors collecting the spoil is continued from Isaiah 9:3. The victory is decisive, and the reign of peace begins, and the weapons of war, the garments red with blood (Isaiah 63:1-3), the heavy boot that makes the earth ring with the warrior’s tread,... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:6

(6) For unto us a child is born.—The picture of a kingdom of peace could not be complete without the manifestation of a king. In the description of that king Isaiah is led to use words which cannot find a complete fulfilment in any child of man. The loftiness of thought, rising here as to its highest point, is obviously connected with the words which told that Jehovah had spoken to the prophet “with a strong hand.” His condition was one more ecstatic and therefore more apocalyptic than before,... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:7

(7) Of the increase . . .—Better, “For the increase of the government, and for peace with no end . . . The “throne of David,” though in harmony with the whole body of prophetic tradition as to the Messiah, may be noted as the first appearance of that tradition in Isaiah.Henceforth even for ever.—The words admit, as in the parallels of Psalms 21:4; Psalms 61:6-7; 2 Samuel 7:12-16, of being interpreted of the perpetuity of the dynasty of which the anointed king is to be the founder; but the... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:8

(8).The Lord sent a word into Jacob . . .—For “hath lighted” read it lighteth. A new section, though still closely connected with the historical occasion of Isaiah 7:0, begins. The vision of the glory of the far-off king comes to an end, and the prophet returns to the more immediate surroundings of his time. The “word” which Jehovah sends is the prophetic message that follows. It is a question whether the terms “Jacob” and “Israel” stand in the parallelism of identity or contrast, but the use... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:10

(10) The bricks are fallen down . . .—Sun-dried bricks and the cheap timber of the sycamore (1 Kings 10:27) were the common materials used for the dwellings of the poor, hewn stones and cedar for the palaces of the rich. Whatever injury Samaria had sustained (the words are too proverbially figurative to make literal interpretation probable), through the intervention of Tiglath-pileser, was, its rulers thought, but as the prelude to a great and more lasting victory even than that of 2 Chronicles... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:11

(11) Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries . . .—The Hebrew tenses are in the past (has set up), but probably as representing the prophet’s visions of an accomplished future. The “adversaries” of the text can hardly be any other than the Assyrians; yet the context that follows clearly points to an attack on Ephraim in which the armies of Rezin were to be conspicuous. The natural explanation is that Syria, after the conquest by the Assyrian king (2 Kings 16:9), was compelled to take... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:12

(12) For all this his anger is not turned away . . .—The formula which in Isaiah 5:25 had been applied to Judah is here and in Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21 used of Israel at large, and specially of Ephraim. It embodied the law which governed God’s dealing with both. read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:13

(13) For the people turneth not . . .—What follows was the word that was meant for all Israel. They had not “turned” to the Lord, there were no proofs of that conversion which true prophets and preachers have at all times sought after. read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:14

(14) Head and tail, branch and rush . . .—The “branch” is strictly that of the palm-tree, which in its stately height answered to the nobles of the land, while the “rush,” the emblem of a real or affected lowliness (Isaiah 58:5) represented the “mean man” of Isaiah 2:9. The same proverbial formula meets us in Isaiah 19:15. read more

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:4

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:5

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:6

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:7

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:8

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:10

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:11

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:12

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:13

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 9:14

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