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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 9:8-21

Here are terrible threatenings, which are directed primarily against Israel, the kingdom of the ten tribes, Ephraim and Samaria, the ruin of which is here foretold, with all the woeful confusions that were the prefaces to that ruin, all which came to pass within a few years after; but they look further, to all the enemies of the throne and kingdom of Christ the Son of David, and read the doom of all the nations that forget God, and will not have Christ to reign over them. Observe, I. The... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 9:21

Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh ,.... That is, "Manasseh" shall eat or devour "Ephraim"; and "Ephraim" shall eat or devour "Manasseh"; as the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions render it; which is to be understood of their quarrels, contentions, and wars among themselves, whereby they bit, devoured, and consumed each other, though they were brethren; which explains and confirms what is before said, of no man sparing his brother, and everyone eating the flesh of his own arm. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 9:8-21

THE PROPHET RETURNS TO THREATS AND WARNINGS , ADDRESSED CHIEFLY TO THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL . The remainder of this chapter, together with the first four verses of the next, seems to have formed originally a distinct and separate prophecy. The passage is a poem in four stanzas, with the same refrain at the end of each: "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." A somewhat early date has been assigned to the prophecy, as; for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 9:8-21

Persistent impenitence brings repeated chastisements. One would naturally expect that so weak a creature as man, when chastised by the Divine anger, would readily and at once " humble himself under the almighty hand of God," accept the chastisement as deserved, and entreat for mercy and forgiveness. But, weak as he is, man is unwilling to acknowledge his weakness, and, faulty as he is, dislikes nothing so much as acknowledging his faults. God's judgments he will net allow to be judgments,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 9:18-21

Sin suicidal. From this declaration of judgment against a guilty nation we may gather some principles which are applicable to men as well as nations elsewhere, and indeed everywhere. We learn— I. THAT SIN IS A WASTING POWER . "Wickedness burneth as a fire" ( Isaiah 9:18 ):, Where sin abounds there desolation abounds. The longer a man (or nation) has lived under its dominion the more has power withered and possession decreased, the more has heritage been wasted and lost. 1.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 9:21

Manasseh, Ephraim. These two are mentioned as the two principal tribes of the northern kingdom. It is not to be supposed that civil discord was confined to them. Probably there was a general disorganization. Still, all the tribes would at any time willingly unite "together against Judah" (see 2 Kings 15:37 ; 2 Chronicles 28:6-8 ). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 9:21

Manasseh, Ephraim - This verse is a continuation of the statement in regard to the extent and fearfulness of the faction. Those who were hitherto most tenderly and intimately allied to each other, would now be engaged in furious strife. Manasseh and Ephraim were the two sons of Joseph Genesis 46:20, and their names are used as expressive of tender union and friendship; compare Genesis 48:20. The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were near each other, and they always were allied together. The... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 9:20-21

Isaiah 9:20-21. He shall snatch on the right hand They shall plunder and devour one another, without ever being satisfied, or ceasing. They shall eat every man the flesh, &c. They shall destroy one another by their intestine wars: see Isaiah 49:26. But it was literally fulfilled when they were reduced to that extremity that they ate the flesh of their own children, 2 Kings 6:28; Jeremiah 19:8-9; a judgment denounced for their sins by Moses, Deuteronomy 28:53, where see the note. They... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 9:8-21

The fall of Israel (9:8-10:4)Isaiah now describes the situation in the northern kingdom Israel, which becomes weakened by enemy attacks and finally is conquered by Assyria. The northerners refuse to acknowledge that God is the one who has brought this catastrophe upon them. They make a show of self-assurance by saying they will rebuild, bigger and better, whatever their enemies have destroyed (8-12).Because the people refuse to repent, God will punish them further. His purpose is to remove the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Isaiah 9:18-21

Isaiah 9:18-21. For wickedness, &c.— For wickedness burneth as a fire, (and it shall devour the briers and thorns) and it burns up the thickets of the forest, and they mount up curled, like, &c. We have here in the 18th verse the third fault, the power of reigning and barefaced impiety, which is said to burn as the fire; the punishment whereof is denounced in the subsequent verses, which, as usual, is assimilated to the vice; namely, destructive factions, which shall overthrow their... read more

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