Isaiah 24

Chap. XXIV. Ver. 1—23. The divine judgments on the land of Israel.—Having declared the fate of several other nations, (from (Isaiah 13)) the prophet now declares the judgments that were impending over the people of God themselves, and which were to extend equally to all classes of society. The picture of distress is delineated in strong colours, heightened by the enumeration of many striking and concomitant circumstances. But whether the desolation here spoken of was that occasioned by Shalmanezer, Nebuchadnezzar, or the Romans, is not certain. — Perhaps it may have a view to all the three; though to the last, some parts of the description seem more especially applicable. But the images, though thus general, sufficiently show the greatness of the calamity, which

Notes on the verses

Chap. XXIV. Ver. 4. The haughty people,—See margin. Lowth, “The lofty people of the land.” Ver. 6. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth.—Lowth, “A curse devoured the land.” So throughout the chapter; land for earth. Ver. 10. The city of confusion is broken down.—Lowth, “The city is broken down: it is desolate.” Ver. 15. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires.—See margin. Gesenius explains this of the north country; but Lowth, by a slight variation in the text, reads, “In the distant coasts.” Ver. 16. My leanness.—See margin. Lowth, “Wretchedness;” Boothroyd, “My calamity.” — The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously.—“The plunderers plunder; yea, the plunderers continually plunder.”

Ver. 17. Fear.—Lowth, “Terror.” (This alludes to the ancient modes of hunting wild beasts. The fear or terror was a line strung with feathers of all colours, which fluttering in the air, frightened them into the toils or pit; which was dug deep in the ground, and covered with green boughs, turf, &c.; and the snare, or toil, was a series of nets, enclosing at first a great space of ground, and then drawn into a narrower compass, till the animals were at last closely shut up, and entangled in them. — Bagster.) Ver. 18. From the noise of the fear.—Lowth, “From the terror.” — The windows.—Lowth, “The flood-gates.” Ver. 20. And shall be removed, &c.—Lowth, “And moveth this way and that, like a lodge for the night.”

Ver. 21. The Lord shall punish.—Lowth, “Shall summon on high the host that is on high,” &c. i.e. all the ecclesiastical and civil, spiritual and temporal, powers of the nation. Ver. 23. The moon shall be confounded, &c.—That is, all other powers and potentates shall hide themselves in obscurity, when the Lord assumes his glory. — Before his ancients gloriously.—Lowth, “Before his ancients shall he be glorified;” i.e. before the elders of his ancient church, Israel.