Isaiah 17:4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 17:1-5

We have here the burden of Damascus; the Chaldee paraphrase reads it, The burden of the cup of the curse to drink to Damascus in; and, the ten tribes being in alliance, they must expect to pledge Damascus in this cup of trembling that is to go round. 1. Damascus itself, the head city of Syria, must be destroyed; the houses, it is likely, will be burnt, as least the walls, and gates, and fortifications demolished, and the inhabitants carried away captive, so that for the present it is taken... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 17:4

And in that day it shall come to pass ,.... It being much about the same time that both kingdoms were destroyed by the Assyrians: that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin ; the same with Ephraim and Israel, the ten tribes, whose glory lay in the superior number of their tribes to Judah; in the multitude of their cities, and the inhabitants of them; but now would be thinned, by the vast numbers that should be carried captive: and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean : like a... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 17:4

In that day - That is, says Kimchi, the time when the ten tribes of Israel, which were the glory of Jacob, should be carried into captivity. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 17:1-6

Reduction. In the spoliation and consequent decrepitude of Damascus and Samaria we have a picture of— I. A NATION DENUDED OF ITS POWER . Under the judgments of Jehovah the proud city of Damascus becomes a "ruinous heap" ( Isaiah 17:1 ), the populous towns are pasturage of herds and flocks ( Isaiah 17:2 ), the strong places are reduced to utter weakness like the departed glory of Israel ( Isaiah 17:3 ); under his judgment Ephraim also shall waste away, shall be as barren... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 17:1-8

Damascus and Israel. The present oracle bids us turn to a different scene—to the famed city and territory of Damascus. It lies in the vast rich plain east of Mount Antilibanus, on the border of the desert. Through the plain flows the river Barada, probably the Abaca in which Naaman delighted. "In the midst of the plain lies at your feet the vast lake or island of deep verdure—walnuts and apricots waving above, corn and grass below; and in the midst of the mass of foliage rises, striking... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 17:4

The glory of Jacob shall be made thin . There is reason to believe that the deportation of the Israelites was gradual. Sargon, on taking Samaria for the first time, in B.C. 722, carried off no more than 27, 290 of the inhabitants. Over the remainder he appointed governors, and required them to pay the same taxation as before. About B.C. 715 he placed a number of Arabs in Samaria, probably deporting natives to make room for them. The continuant of a remnant of Israelites in the land down to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 17:4-11

A DENUNCIATION OF WOE ON ISRAEL , COMBINED WITH THE PROMISE OF A REMNANT . Israel, having united herself with Syria to resist the Assyrians, will incur a similar fate. Her glory will decay, her population dwindle and almost disappear. Still there will be a few left, who, under the circumstances, will turn to God ( Isaiah 17:7 ). But it will be too late for anything like a national recovery; the laud will remain "a desolation" on account of the past sins of its... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 17:4

The glory of Jacob - “Jacob” is used here to denote the kingdom of Israel, or Samaria. The word ‘glory’ here denotes dignity, power; that on which they relied, and of which they boasted.Shall be made thin - Shall be diminished, as a body wastes away by disease, and becomes feeble. The prophet sets forth the calamities of Ephraim by two figures; the first is that of a “body” that becomes emaciated by sickness, the other that of the harvest when all the fruits are gathered except a few in the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 17:3-6

Isaiah 17:3-6. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim The meaning may be, that Damascus being destroyed, that fortress or protection, in which the Ephraimites had placed their confidence, should be taken; or, that at what time Damascus should be overthrown, and deprived of all government and power, the Ephraimites also should be weakened, and deprived of their chief fortresses by the Assyrians; which latter seems to be the true sense: see Hosea 10:14; Micah 1:6. The reader will observe,... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 17:1-14

Syria and Israel condemned (17:1-14)This message belongs to the time of Ahaz, when Israel and Syria joined forces to attack Judah. The two attackers will themselves be destroyed (17:1-3). Israel in particular will suffer, because the nation has turned away from God. Throughout the nation, however, the scattered few remain faithful to God and these will be spared. They are likened to the odd pieces of fruit that remain on the trees after the harvest has been gathered (4-6).The judgments will be... read more

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