From: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Lamentation Over Rebellious Children (Continuation)
(Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:) [19] "Yea, O people in
Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely
be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when: he hears it, he
will answer you. [20] And though the Lord give you the bread of
adversity and the water of affliction yet your Teacher will not hide
himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. [21] And your
ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in
it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
[23] "And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the
ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and
plenteous. In that day your cattle will graze in large pastures; [24]
and the oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat salted
provender, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. [25] And upon
every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running
with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
[26] Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven
days, in the day when the Lord binds up the hurt of his people, and
heals the wounds inflicted by his blow."
Commentary:
30:1-33. The fourth lamentation is aimed at those who waste their time
in a vain search for Egyptian help against the Assyrians; they should
be counting God and relying completely on him. It begins by warning
them that they are going to be punished, but then the tone
changes, to the point that we are told that God is going to be kind to
his people and will show them what they must do to free themselves
from the Assyrian threat (vv. 18-33).
To begin with (vv 1-17) the main point being made is that it is sheer
rebellion it makes no sense to draw up plans that don’t take account
of God it makes no sense to seek protection from Egypt; it is too weak
to help anyone. The Lord denounces the distrust of God implicit in
overtures to Egypt (vv. 1-7). The prophet must warn the people who
obstinately refuse to obey God’s Law and have no time for prophets
(vv. 8-11): an alliance with Egypt (vv. 12-14) will lead to disaster;
it is progressively described as troublesome or dangerous (v. 6),
worthless (v. 7), and absolutely perverse (vv. 12-14). They could have
avoided punishment if they had had recourse to the Lord, but they have
trusted in their own strength, thinking to find help in their allies’ horses
(vv. 15-17). Zoan (Tanis) and Hanes (Hierapolis), mentioned in v. 4,
are Egyptian cities in the Nile Delta (cf. the note on 19: 1-25).
Rahab (v. 7) was a sea monster in Eastern mythology, and is sometimes
used as a name for Egypt (cf. Job 9:13; 26:12; Ps 87:4; 89:11).
The second part of the lamentation (vv. 18-33) consists of a number of
oracles which contain promises that Jerusalem will be delivered, and
threats that Assyria will be punished. It begins by describing how
happy the people will be if they turn back to their God (vv. 18-22).
The Lord eagerly awaits their return, for he is full of kindness and
mercy towards those who trust in him (v. 18).
As soon as they return, they will enjoy great contentment--described
here in terms of a material abundance greater than anything they could
imagine (vv. 23-26). Assyria, on the other hand, will be severely
punished by God (vv. 27—33). The “Topheth” (v. 33, note t), literally
“a burning place”, was the site in the valley of Ben-Hinom (or
Ge-ben-Hinnon, Gehenna) on the outskirts of Jerusalem where, at one
time, children were sacrificed to the Canaanite god Moloch (see the
note on Jer 7:21-8:3; cf. Jer 19:5; 32:35). It came to mean a place of
damnation and divine retribution for sinners. There the might of
Assyria will meet its fate.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.