Getting the typo fixed.
From: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Lamentation Over Rebellious Children (Continuation)
[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 cat-
tle 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 run-
ning with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. [26] More-
over 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.”
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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 on 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 de-
nounces 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, thin-
king to find help in their allies’ horses (vv. 15-17). Zoan (Tanis) and Hanes (Hiera-
polis), 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 Assy-
ria 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.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.