Isaiah 29:4 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-8

That it is Jerusalem which is here called Ariel is agreed, for that was the city where David dwelt; that part of it which was called Zion was in a particular manner the city of David, in which both the temple and the palace were. But why it is so called is very uncertain: probably the name and the reason were then well known. Cities, as well as persons, get surnames and nicknames. Ariel signifies the lion of God, or the strong lion: as the lion is king among beasts, so was Jerusalem among the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 29:4

And thou shalt be brought down ,.... To the ground, and laid level with it, even the city of Jerusalem, as it was by the Romans; and as it was predicted by Christ it would, Luke 19:44 though some understand this of the humbling of the inhabitants of it, by the appearance of Sennacherib's army before it, and of which they interpret the following clauses: and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust ; which some explain of the submissive language of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 29:4

And thy speech shall be low out of the dust "And from out of the dust thou shalt utter a feeble speech" - That the souls of the dead uttered a feeble stridulous sound, very different from the natural human voice, was a popular notion among the heathens as well as among the Jews. This appears from several passages of their poets; Homer, Virgil, Horace. The pretenders to the art of necromancy, who were chiefly women, had an art of speaking with a feigned voice, so as to deceive those who... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-4

A WARNING TO JERUSALEM . Expostulation is followed by threats. The prophet is aware that all his preaching to the authorities in Jerusalem ( Isaiah 28:14-22 ) will be of no avail, and that their adoption of measures directly antagonistic to the commands of God will bring on the very evil which they are seeking to avert, and cause Jerusalem to be actually besieged by her enemies. In the present passage he distinctly announces the siege, and declares that it will commence within a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-4

Woe to Ariel! The lesson of this section seems to be that even those nearest and dearest to God, who bear his name, who are in a certain sense his, are not exempt from suffering at his hands. Even Jerusalem, "the city where David dwelt" "God's lion," his champion, his "mighty one"—was shortly to experience all the horrors of a prolonged siege, to be brought down to the dust—to be distressed, weakened, humiliated. The memory of David would not save her; her name of "Ariel" would not exempt... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-8

The city of God. "The city where David dwelt" was undoubtedly Jerusalem, the "city of God." It is here called Ariel ; i.e; according to some, the hearth or altar of God. This fact, taken with the prophecy itself, may remind us— I. THAT THE CITY OF GOD IS THE PLACE WHERE GOD DWELLS . It is where his hearth is —the "place of his abode" where he is at home with his people, where they are "at home" with him. The true Church of Christ, the ideal Christian family or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

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 29:4

Thy speech shall be low . The feeble cries of a people wasted and worn out by a long siege are intended. These cries would resemble those which seemed to come out of the ground when a necromancer professed to raise a ghost. The Hebrew 'ohv is used both of the necromancers (Le 19:31; Isaiah 20:6 , etc.) and of the ghosts which they professed to raise ( 1 Samuel 28:7 , 1 Samuel 28:8 ; 2 Kings 20:6 , etc.). Here the "ghost" is spoken of. Thy speech shall whisper ; literally, chirp ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 29:4

And shalt speak out of the ground - (see the note at Isaiah 8:19). The sense here is, that Jerusalem, that had been accustomed to pride itself on its strength I would be greatly humbled and subdued. Its loud and lofty tone would be changed. It would use the suppressed language of fear and alarm as if it spoke from the dust, or in a shrill small voice, like the pretended conversers with the dead.And thy speech shall whisper out of the dust - Margin, ‘Peep,’ or ‘Chirp,’ (see the note at Isaiah... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 29:3-4

Isaiah 29:3-4. And I will camp against thee, &c. That is, by those enemies whom I will assist and enable to take and destroy thee. The prophet may here refer to different sieges of Jerusalem, that of Sennacherib, that of the Chaldeans, or even to that of the Romans. Thou shalt be brought down thy speech shall be low Thou, who now speakest so loftily, shalt be humbled, and in a submissive manner, and with a low voice, shalt beg the favour of thine enemies. As of one that hath a... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 29:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 29:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 29:4

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 29:4

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 29:3-4

Group of Brands