Isaiah 22:16 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-25

We have here a prophecy concerning the displacing of Shebna, a great officer at court, and the preferring of Eliakim to the post of honour and trust that he was in. Such changes are common in the courts of princes; it is therefore strange that so much notice should be taken of it by the prophet here; but by the accomplishment of what was foretold concerning these particular persons God designed to confirm his word in the mouth of Isaiah concerning other and greater events; and it is likewise... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 22:16

What hast thou here ?.... In the king's house, or in Jerusalem; what business hast thou here? thou art unworthy of such an office, nor shalt thou long continue in it; what inheritance hast thou here? thou art an alien from the commonwealth of Israel and hast no estate or possession in the land: and whom hast thou here ? of thy family and kindred; what ancestors hast thou? where did they live or die, and were buried? what children hast thou to succeed thee in honour and estate? or what... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 22:16

A sepulcher on high - in a rock - It has been observed before, on Isaiah 14, that persons of high rank in Judea, and in most parts of the east, were generally buried in large sepulchral vaults, hewn out in the rock for the use of themselves and their families. The vanity of Shebna is set forth by his being so studious and careful to have his sepulcher on high - in a lofty vault; and that probably in a high situation, that it might be more conspicuous. Hezekiah was buried, למעלה lemalah ,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-19

Denunciation of Shebna. I. SHEBNA THE HOUSE STEWARD . He was the steward of the household—a high office, as we may see from the allusion in Isaiah 36:3 ; Isaiah 37:2 . Once it was held by a king's son ( 2 Chronicles 26:21 ; cf. 1 Kings 4:6 ; 1 Kings 18:3 ). This officer stood nearest the king, and had the domestic affairs of the palace under his superintendence. The office of the mayor of the palace under the Merovingian kings of France has been compared with it. It is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-24

PROPHECY ON THE DEPOSITION OF SHEBNA AND THE ELEVATION OF ELIAKIM . In its first and simplest application, this section predicts the fall of one state official and the advancement of an-other—matters, no doubt, of some importance in the court history of the time, but scarcely (with reverence be it said) of such moment as to be worthy either of prophetic announcement or of divinely inspired record. It has, therefore, been generally felt that there must be a secondary... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-24

Shebna and Eliakim: a moral lesson. It is a remark of Bishop Butler's, that the moral government of God, though it may be very imperfectly carried out, is at any rate begun, in this world. Many virtues have natural rewards, and many vices natural punishments, attached to them. Again, though undoubtedly the righteous do suffer a large share of affliction, and the ungodly are often seen in great prosperity, yet, on the other hand, very signal instances from time to time manifest themselves, of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-24

Shebna and Eliakim: an allegory. Shebna, set over the house of the king by the king himself, but unfaithful in his office, worldly, carnal, fond of grandeur and display, typifies the old covenant, and the priesthood to which it was committed—a priesthood which looked more to the enrichment of the treasury than to the pure service of God ( Mark 7:11 ), and which was not above the weakness of raising up grand sepulchers for its members in a conspicuous place (1 Macc. 13:27-30). This... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-25

Human reckoning and Divine interruption. We have one instance, if not two—according to the application we give to the "nail" of the twenty-fifth verse—of ill-founded security. It is a lesson very necessary to teach, for it seems to be one very hard to learn. I. HUMAN RECKONING . Shebna had carefully and successfully built up his position in the state, and he made sure that he should keep it; he had not only "feathered his nest," but he had made up his mind that he should "die in his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:16

What hast thou here ? i.e. what business , or what right? It seems, certainly, to be implied that Shebna was wholly unconnected with Jerusalem. Whom hast thou here ? i.e. what relations? what family? To be justified in hewing out a large tomb, Shebna should have had a numerous family for whom graves would be needed. Otherwise, his excavation of a grand sepulcher was merely selfish and ostentatious. As he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high. Jewish tombs of any pretension were... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:16-17

Man's plans for himself frustrated by God's plan for him. The answering New Testament case to this is our Lord's account of the prosperous farmer, who had no room to bestow his fruits and his goods. He said to himself, "I will pull down my barns and build greater." But God said, "Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee." In the passage before us, Shebna, in the full 'assurance that he will die quietly, and be buried honorably in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, proposes to... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-25

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 22:16

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 22:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-19

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:15-25

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 22:16-17

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