Isaiah 33

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:17

Visions of the King. The Targum reads, "Thine eyes shall see the Shechinah of the King of ages." The idea of the prophet probably is , that the good man shall see, with his soul-eyes, God himself delivering and rescuing the city from its threatening foes. The good man never can be content with agencies and instrumentalities and second causes, lie must recognize the living God, working his work of grace by means of them. He cannot be content unless he can " see the King in his beauty"—the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:17-24

The reign of Hezekiah. Amidst all the agitation caused by the invasion of Sennacherib, and his perfidy, "the voices of true prophets were raised with power, pointing to the imperishable elements in the true community, and proclaiming the approach of a great crisis, the crushing weight of which should alight only on the faithless, whether among the Assyrians or in Judah" (Ewald). Here we find a reflection of the excitement of the time. I. THE GLORY OF THE KING . His beauty is a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:18

Thine heart shall meditate terror ; i.e. "thou shalt look back upon the past time of terror, the dreadful period of the siege, and contrast it with thy present happiness." Mr. Cheyne quotes as an illustration, appositely enough, Virgil's "Et haec olim meminisse juvabit." Where is the scribe … the receiver? …. he that counted the towers ? Where now are the Assyrian officials—the scribe, who registered the amount of the tribute and booty; the receiver, who weighed the gold and silver... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:18-24

Happy times. A very pleasant picture is this of a nation or of a Church on which the full blessing of God is resting. There are several elements in its prosperity. I. A SENSE OF THE DIVINE MERCY . "The people … shall be forgiven their iniquity" ( Isaiah 33:24 ). A sense of pardoned sin and of reconciliation to God is at the foundation of all true peace, all sacred joy, and all holy usefulness. II. THE MAINTENANCE or DEVOTIONAL HABITS . Zion is to be always known... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:19

Thou shalt not see a fierce people , etc.; rather, thou shalt see no more that barbarous people— the Assyrians—a people gruff of speech that thou canst not hear them , stammering of tongue that thee caner not understand them (comp. Isaiah 28:11 ). The generation which witnessed the destruction of Sennacherib's army probably did not see the Assyrians again. It was not till about B.C. 670 that Manasseh was "taken with hooks by the captains of the King of Assyria, and carried to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:20

Look upon Zion , etc.; i.e. turn thy thoughts, O Judah, from the past to the present—from the time of the siege to the time after the siege terminated. The city of our solemnities ; or, of our festal meetings ; the city where we celebrate our Passovers, our Feasts of Weeks, our Feasts of Ingathering, and the like. A tent that shall not be taken down . There is, perhaps, a reference to Sennacherib's threat to remove the entire population from Jerusalem to a far country ( Isaiah... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:21

But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a Place of broad rivers ; rather, there in majesty the Lord is ours ; [ the Lord who is ] a Place of broad rivers , etc. Some critics think that "a place of broad rivers" may be exegetical of sham , "there," and so apply it to Jerusalem; but the majority regard the phrase as applied directly to Jehovah. As he is "a Place to hide in" ( Psalms 32:7 ; Psalms 119:114 ), so he may be "a Place of broad rivers," full, i.e. of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:22

The true theocracy. It is most difficult for us to realize that idea of Jehovah as the direct Ruler and Governor of a nation, which was the one characteristic thought of the Jews, and the great underlying idea of the Mosaic revelation. But this verse gives us most material help by setting out a threefold relation of God to men in the theocracy. I. GOD IS THE LAW - MAKER . "The Lord is our Lawgiver." This is true in two senses. 1. God gave the formal laws from Mount Sinai,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:23

Thy tacklings are loosed . The comparing of God to a river has led to the representation of Judah's enemies as warships ( Isaiah 33:21 ). This causes Judah herself to be viewed as a ship—a badly appointed ship, which has to contend with one whose equipment is perfect. The prophet's thoughts have traveled back to the existing state of things. They could not well strengthen their mast ; rather, they cannot hold firm the lower part of their mast . The mast had its lower extremity... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:24

And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick . There shall be no sickness in the restored Jerusalem at least, no "sickness unto death." The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity . Once more the prophet floats off into Messianic anticipations. read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:17-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:18-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:21

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:22

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:23

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 33:24

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