Isaiah 32:1-8

3. THE FALSE AND THE TRUE NOBILITY

Isaiah 32:1-8

1          Behold, a king shall reign 1 in righteousness.

And princes shall rule a in judgment.

2     And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind,

And a covert from the tempest;As rivers of water in a dry place,As the shadow of a 2 great rock in a weary land.

3     And the eyes of them that see shall not be 3 dim,

And the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

4     The heart also of the 4 rash shall understand knowledge,

And the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak 5 plainly.

5     The 6 vile person shall no more be called 7 liberal,

Nor 8 the churl said to be bountiful.

6     For the c vile person will speak 9 villany,

And his heart will work iniquity,To practise 10 hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord,

To make empty the soul of the hungry,And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

7     The instruments also of the 11 churl are evil:

He deviseth wicked devicesTo destroy the poor with lying words,Even 12 when the needy speaketh right.

8     But the d liberal deviseth d liberal things;

And by d liberal things shall he 13 stand.

TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL

Isaiah 32:1. לצדק is found only here. לְ here signifies the norm, as in למשׁפט. It is thus=secundum, comp. &לְמִשְׁמַע אָזְנַיִם לְמַרְאֶה Isaiah 11:3. [“The use of לְ here may have been intended to suggest, that he would reign not only justly, but for the very purpose of doing justice.” J. A. A.].—לְ before שׂרים=quod attinet ad, comp. Ecclesiastes 9:4. Manifestly this unusual construction is for the sake of having the L—sound maintained, which thus occurs consecutively in five words.—–שׂרר, from which the imperfect ישׂרו, Proverbs 8:16, occurs only here in Isaiah.

Isaiah 32:2. מַחֲבֵא, “hiding corner, place of hiding,” ἅπ. λεγ., comp. 1 Samuel 23:23.—סתר comp. Isaiah 16:4; Isaiah 28:17.—פלגי מ׳ comp. Isaiah 30:25.—צָיוֹן comp. Isaiah 25:5.—צל comp. Isaiah 4:6; Isaiah 25:4-5.—ארץ עיפה again only Psalms 143:6.

Isaiah 32:3. תִּשְׁעֶינָה can hardly be derived from שָׁעָה. It comes nearer to take it in the sense of שׁעע “oblinere, to close up; plaster up,” in which sense this latter verb often occurs in Isaiah 6:10; Isaiah 29:9.—קָשַׁב, probably kindred to קָצַב “to point, to prick” (the ears), occurs only here in Kal.

Isaiah 32:4. עִלֵּג, “balbus,” ἅπ. λεγ.—צֲחוֹת (comp. Isaiah 18:4) are nitentia, clara, clear, plain words.

Isaiah 32:5. Isaiah uses נבל only here; נבלה again Isaiah 9:16. כִּילַי written כֵּלַי in Isaiah 32:7 for the sake of similarity in sound with כֵּלָיו, is to be derived from נָכַל fraudulenter egit (Raschi, Kimchi, Gesen., and others), Genesis 37:18; Numbers 25:18; Psalms 105:25; Malachi 1:14, so that from נְכִיל, by rejecting the נ, as in שֹׂא שֵׂאת תֵּת, etc., there results כִּיל with the rare ending ־י- (comp. שַׁדַּי גֹבַי חֹרַי). See Green, § 194, 2, b.—שׁוֹעַ (from שׁוּעַ “amplus, dives fuit,” kindred to יָשַׁע) is the rich man, independent on account of his means.

Isaiah 32:6. עָשָׂה אָוֶן occurs only here (comp. Isaiah 59:6); the idea is always expressed elsewhere by פעל און.—לעשׂות gerundive.——חֹנֶף, ἅπ. λεγ.; comp. הֲנֻפָה Jeremiah 23:15; substantive from חָנֵף Isaiah 9:16; Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 33:14.—תּועָה “error,” comp. Isaiah 29:24; again only Nehemiah 4:2.—Hiph. החסיר again only Exodus 16:18.—The construction וְ־יַחְסִיר—לְהָרִיק is to be explained as a return of the subordinate form into the principal form.

Isaiah 32:7. A mutual attraction appears to have happened here: 1) כֵּלִים chosen for the sake of כִּילַי; 2) כִּילַי changed to כֵּלַי for the sake of כֵּלָיו—זִמָּה “consilium” (Job 17:11) then especially consilium pravum. scelus,” occurs only here in Isaiah.—הַבֵּל “to destroy,” comp. Isaiah 13:5; Isaiah 54:16.

Isaiah 32:8. נְדִיבָה occurs again only Job 30:15.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. This passage, which strongly reminds one of Isaiah 29:18-24, and somewhat also of Isaiah 30:20 sqq., must necessarily be joined to what precedes, as it can neither stand alone, nor be regarded as belonging to what follows. We see in these verses an amplification of Isaiah 31:6-7. For the latter passage only presents to view in a negative way the turning back and abandonment of idolatry. But in our passage is set forth what positive forces of blessing will become operative in the entire ethical life of the nation, and especially in the relation of the powerful and nobles to the lowly. It is manifest that the Prophet, in enumerating what shall no more be, has in mind the irregularities of his own time. It is very probable that he even alludes to particular, concrete facts, in a way that his

2. Behold——speak plainly.

Isaiah 32:1-4. The king that will rule righteously must be the Messiah. For the time when Israel will be cleansed and purified, and live and be ruled according to truth and righteousness, is the Messianic time (comp. Isaiah 1:24 sqq.; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:11 sqq.; Isaiah 16:5; Isaiah 28:16 sqq.). Nothing justifies us in assuming that such a condition as our Isaiah 32:1-8 describe, will intervene before that time. In that time only the Messiah can be king. Of an under-king prophecy knows nothing. One must only say, that, in distinction from passages like Isaiah 9:6 sq.; Isaiah 11:1 sqq., the person of the Messianic king appears more in the background, and the Prophet depicts the admirable surrounding of the expected Messiah, rather than His personality. One may suppose that the state of things under Hezekiah furnished the occasion. The king himself was good; but his surroundings did not correspond. Hence the Prophet emphasizes here, that in the Messianic time, the glorious central figure, whom he only briefly names Isaiah 32:1, will have also a suitable environment. Thus the point of this passage is directed against the magnates that surrounded the king. Instead of oppressing the nation as heretofore (Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 3:15; Isaiah 10:2; Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 29:20), each of them (the princes) will himself be a protector of the oppressed, like a sheltering, covering place of concealment protects from wind-storm and rain. Yea, they will even afford positive refreshment to the poor and wretched, as water-brooks and dense shade do to the traveller in the hot desert. The eyes of them that see, the ears of them that hear (Isaiah 32:3), are eyes and ears that can see and hear if they will. It is well-known that there are ways of plastering up such eyes, and of making such ears deaf (Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 5:23; Isaiah 33:15). The like of that shall not be with these princes.

Delitzsch well remarks that, according to Isaiah 32:4, Israel shall be delivered also from faults of infirmity.

I would only so modify this remark as to make Isaiah 32:4, like that which precedes and follows, refer, not to Israel in general, but to the princes. Thus the נמהרים “the rash, reckless,” are such judges as are naturally inclined to judge hastily, and superficially (comp. on Isaiah 35:4). These will apply a reflecting scrutiny (comp. on Isaiah 11:2) in order to know what is right. The stammering are such as do not trust themselves to speak openly, because they are afraid of blundering out the truth that is known to them, and so bringing themselves into disfavor. Thus all the conditions for the exercise of right and justice will be fulfilled. The judges will be what they ought to be in respect to eyes, ears, heart and mouth.

3. The vile person—shall he stand.

Isaiah 32:5-8. From those in office the Prophet passes to the noble apart from office. In this respect there often exists in the present conditions the most glaring contradiction between inward and outward nobility. This contradiction will cease in the Messianic time. For then a fool will no longer be called a noble. A fool, נָבָל, is, according to Old Testament language, not one intellectually deficient, but one that practises gross iniquity; for sin in its essence is perverseness, contradiction, nonsense. The wicked surrenders realities of immeasurable value for a seeming good that is transitory; whereas the pious surrenders the whole world in order to save his soul, and this is at the same time the highest wisdom (comp. Deuteronomy 32:6; Jeremiah 17:11; Judges 19:23 sq.; Isaiah 20:6; 1 Samuel 25:25; 2 Samuel 13:12).—נָדִיב [Eng. Bibl.: “liberal”] undoubtedly involves originally the notion of voluntariness (Exodus 25:2; Exodus 35:5; Exodus 35:21-22; Exodus 35:29, etc.). But he that does good from an inward, free impulse is a noble man. Thus gradually נדיב acquires the sense of noble, superior man, and indeed so much without regard to inward nobility, that the word is used with a bad side-meaning (Job 21:28). Isaiah uses it again only Isaiah 13:2. One will not call a swindler baron, the prophet proceeds to say, Isaiah 32:5 b.

By the following causal sentence, Isaiah 32:6, the Prophet proves the sentence “the fool will no more be called noble.” His argument may be represented by the following syllogism: In the Messianic time each will be called what he is. But in that time also there will be people that are fools. Therefore in that time these will also be called fools and not noblemen. [It is not the Prophet’s aim in Isaiah 32:6, to state what fools will do in that time, as if their doing then will be different from now, which obviously it will not be. He would say there will be fools, and they will be called fools, and nobles and they will be called nobles.—Tr.]. Of course for the Prophet the only important thought is that in the last time falsehood will no longer reign as in the present, and that accordingly a man’s being and name will no longer be in contrast, but in perfect harmony. One sees that it is a point with him to say to the cheats of his day and age how they ought to be called, if every man had his dues. The general thought of Isaiah 32:6 a, is particularized in what follows. One does and speaks folly when he practises unclean, shameful things (by which the land is defiled before God, Isaiah 24:5; Jeremiah 3:1), and utters error, (what misleads) against Jehovah. This doing and speaking is for the purpose of enriching one’s self by robbery of the poor and weak (Isaiah 1:23). This is figuratively expressed: to make empty the soul of the hungry (i. e., to take away what can satisfy the need of the hungry, comp. Isaiah 29:8) and to “cause the drink,” etc.כלים, Isaiah 32:7, are properly instrumenta. Not the physical implements are meant here, but the ways and means in general of which the swindler makes use. [“He deviseth plots to destroy the oppressed (or afflicted) with words of falsehood, and (i. e., even) in the poor (man’s) speaking right (i. e., even when the poor-man’s claim is just, or in a more general sense, when the poor-man pleads his cause).”—J. A. Alexander].

In Isaiah 32:8 we must remark the same in regard to וְנָדִיב that we did in regard to נבל and כילי Isaiah 32:6-7. The Prophet will not in general give a characteristic of the נדיב, but he would say in what regard the namesנדיב and נבל will be held in the Messianic time. Thus Isaiah 32:6-8 are proof of Isaiah 32:5. According to these verses none will be given a name that does not become him. He that is called נבל “fool,” will also speak נבלה, and he that is called נדיב will certainly confirm his claim to this name by having noble thoughts, generosa meditatur.—קום על נדיבות can hardly mean “to stand on noble ground” (Meier), for נדיבּות are generose facta, the exhibitions of generosity, not this generosity as a moral fundamental habit. Otherwise the second נדיבות would have a meaning different from the first. Therefore יקום וגו׳ must mean: and he perseveres in his noble thoughts, i. e., he not only conceives them, but he carries them out. In bestowing the name, men will not be influenced only by the thoughts that proclaim themselves; men will make the name depend on one’s steadily adhering to them his whole life. קום often has this sense of continuing, persevering. Comp. Isaiah 40:8; Leviticus 25:30; Leviticus 27:19.

Footnotes:

[1]according to.

[2]Heb. heavy.

[3]plastered up.

[4]Heb. hasty.

[5]Or, elegantly.

[6]fool.

[7]noble.

[8]the cheat be called baron.

[9]fully.

[10]uncleanness.

[11]cheat.

[12]Or, when he speaketh against the poor in judgment.

[13]Or, be established.