Scriptures for the Whole House of Israel
CHAPTER 11
1. But a twig will shoot forth from the stump of Yishai, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit,
Twig: The targum interprets this as "a king", and the "branch" specifically as the Messiah. He would be born after the dynasty of Dawid appeared to have been cut down and snuffed out completely, but a scion would come out after a long time, proving that it was not dead after all.
2. and the Spirit of YHWH will alight upon Him--the spirit of wisdom and discernment, the spirit of counsel and bravery, the spirit of knowledge and the [reverential] fear of YHWH--
The Spirit...will alight upon Him: clearly, visibly fulfilled immediately after Y'shua's immersion by Yochanan. (Mat. 3:16; Mk. 1:10; Luk. 3:22) Seven spirits are mentioned here. (cf. Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6) In Hebrew, wisdom means "shrewd" and "able to put the pieces in place"; discernment means understanding and the ability to judge between one thing and another. Counsel means being able to both plan and give advice. Bravery means "strength" and "force". Knowledge means "intimate acquaintance" which leads to "certainty"; Yesh. 5:13 says the lack of this is why His people went into exile, so the way back out will be given through the recovery thereof. As his Body, none of us will have all of these in their completeness, but when we assemble together and all our gifts function as they are meant to, we will have an ample supply of all we need.
3. and will make Him breathe in the fear of YHWH, and He will not decide a case by what His eyes see or convict by what His ears hear,
Breathe: from the same word as "spirit", it can also mean to "smell". Rabbinic scholars therefore say the Messiah will not judge by his eyes or ears, but by what He smells. But recall also when Y'shua breathed on the disciples and told them to receive the Spirit of Holiness (Yochanan 20:22), just as YHWH breathed the spirit of life into Adam, since Y'shua was GIVEN the power to have life in Himself like the Father already had. (Yoch. 5:26; compare "MAKE Him breathe" here.) His salient case was the woman taken in adultery (Yoch. 8), but He always spent nights in prayer and listened for His Father's will rather than bowing to the will of the people. (Luk. 4:42, 43; 6:12, 13)
4. but He will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth, and He will strike the earth with the scepter of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will put the wicked to death.
Y'shua said His judgment was righteous, because He was not seeking His own will, but His Father's. (Yoch. 5:30) He did not entrust Himself to men, because he knew what was in their hearts. (Yoch. 2:23) Equity: from a word meaning "level", "straightforward", and "direct"; i.e., all parties are on a "level playing field" when tried: the rich are not given an unfair advantage, and neither are the poor. (Lev. 19:15) Breath of His lips: or "Spirit of His language". The wicked: the Aramaic interpolates "Romulus", one name for the counterfeit Messiah, the head of the nations that oppose Israel, as borne out in Rev. 19:15, 21.
5. And righteousness shall become the innermost band encircling His waist, and trustworthiness the band around His loins.
6. Then the wolf will stay with the lamb, and the leopard will stretch out along with the kids, with the calf and the lion cub and the well-fed cattle all together, and a little lad leads them along.
The United Nations has made this their theme, but they are out of season. Notice it is "THEN"--after the Messiah sets up His Kingdom--that all this will take place. (The Aramaic targum specifies that this refers to "the days of Messiah".) To be specific, the wolf is linked with the tribe of Binyamin (Gen. 49:27), and part of the Temple complex, where lambs are brought for sacrifice, is in Binyamin's tribal land. The leopard is linked with the Kushite in Yirmiyahu (Jer.) 13:23, and Kush (below, v. 11) is one of the places from which YHWH will bring His scattered people back. In the same context, Efrayim is called a "calf" (Yirm. 31:18), and the lion has always been linked to Yehudah (Gen. 49:9; and especially the Messiah, Rev. 5:5). A "little lad" is specifically what David is called (several times in 1 Shmuel 17), and the Messiah is sometimes called David since he is David's son (Y'chezq'el/Ezk. 34:23; 37:25).
7. The cow and the bear will [both] graze, and their offspring will stretch out together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox!
Seven animals are mentioned, just like the seven women in ch.4 , and the seven spirits in ch. 10.
8. The nursing child will even play over the poisonous snake's den, and the weaned child over the viper's den.
9. They will neither cause injury nor destroy on any [part] of My holy Mountain, because the earth will be full of the knowledge of YHWH, just as the waters cover the sea!
Earth: or "Land". Cause injury: "break" or "do evil". Destroy: or "bring corruption", "ruin", or "pervert". But it also means “to slaughter”. This may indicate that when all is really as it is meant to be, there will be no more killing at all, even of clean animals, just as it was in Eden. This forces us to rethink our expectations about the restored Temple of which the prophets do speak, for it is primarily meant to be “a house of prayer for all peoples”. Knowledge: because of Y’shua's rod of iron which does not bend, there will be absolute certainty about what YHWH is like and what he wants.
10. And what will take place in that Day [is that] the Root of Yishai that stands as a rallying point for the peoples; to it will nations resort, and His rest will be splendid.
Rallying point: standard, banner, or signal--something very conspicuous. Resort: or seek out diligently. His rest: or resting-place--the Kingdom, of which we get a preview each week in the Sabbath day. Splendid: glorious, full of abundance, dignity, and having the reputation for being important. The Root of Yishai is also called Yishai's branch. (v. 1)
11. And what will take place in that Day [is that] YHWH will again extend His hand the second [time] to acquire a remnant of His people that will be left--from Ashur, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Kush, from Eylam, from Shinar, from Chamath, and from the islands of the sea,
12. and He will lift up a signal for the nations, and gather in those driven out of Israel, and assemble the dispersed of Yehudah from the four extremities of the earth.
Signal: or signpost, insignia, banner, standard, rallying point. Gather in: or "collect back". Israel and Yehudah are distinguished. Of the first, the Northern Kingdom, YHWH promised that though He would sift the House of Israel among the nations as with a sieve, not one would be lost. (Amos 9:9)
13. Then Efrayim's envy will be removed, and those of Yehudah who cause distress will be cut off; Efrayim will not envy Yehudah, and Yehudah will not cause Efrayim distress.
The targum clarifies that "the House of Efrayim" (not the man Efrayim, the son of Yosef) envies Yehu-dah's connection to her roots only while he does not have it; when he is reconnected, there is no reason to envy Yehudah anymore. The term for"cause distress" is a legal one, meaning "to bind". I.e., Yehudah oppresses Efrayim as we try to return, by saying we can only be part of Israel if we abide by their interpretations of how to "walk out" Torah, and by emphasizing the letter apart from its spirit, thus, as Y'shua said, placing an unbearable burden on him. (Mat. 23:4)
14. Rather, they will fly on the shoulders of the Filistines toward the sea, and, united, plunder the sons of the east. Edom and Moav are where they stretch out their hand; the sons of Ammon will be their subjects,
Shoulders: or "mountain-slopes". Aramaic, "ally themselves shoulder to shoulder, to strike the Filistines who are in the west" (seaward from Israel). Filistines: means "immigrants" or "sojourners". The ancient Filistine territory had no mountains, but was all coastal plain; Filistines on mountain slopes are the Palestinians of today, by their own title for themselves. And indeed the term "Palestine" was probably an epithet the Romans placed on the Land to erase the memory of Yehudah and "honor" their ancient arch-enemy, the Filistines (though the etymology is now being disputed by serious scholars). "Fly on the shoulders" may mean to chase them to the sea--the very thing they have often threatened to do to Yehudah. Stretch out their hand: possibly"enlarge the borders of their tent" (54:2), since they will "possess the remnant of Edom" (Amos 9:12). Alt. Reading: "the ones to whom they stretch out their hand" as in giving orders, as in the parallel final phrase of this verse.
15. and YHWH will completely destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and He will wave His hand over the river with the heat of His breath, and strike it into seven stream beds, and tread it down with the shoes,
The River: usually refers to the Ferath (Euphrates). But since this event is to be even bigger than the original Exodus (Yirmiyahu/Jer. 16:14), and by Jewish tradition there were twelve paths through the Red Sea when Moshe led all of Israel across, this may refer to seven tribes coming across a whole ocean dryshod from the West...
16. and there will be a highway for the remnant of His people that will be left from Ashur, just as it was for Israel in the day when he went up from the land of Egypt.
Highway: literally, a raised path. Left from Ashur: or possibly "left behind by Ashur". Steve Collins reports that only a small percentage of the Northern Kingdom were actually taken captive by Ashur; many were already abroad in colonies set up by the Phoenician alliance that included Israel as well as Tzur (Tyre) and Tsidon, and others fled by ship when the Assyrian army was approaching. Others escaped from bondage to Ashur but did not return to the Land (while a few did, some mingling with the Samaritans). But YHWH promises to bring the remnant back, which is why many of us have felt this strong pull back to Torah and the Land of Israel.
CHAPTER 12
1. And in that Day you will say, "I will thank You, YHWH, because [though] You were exasperated with me, Your anger has turned away, and You will console me.
The imagery is of a parent comforting his child after punishing him.
2. "Behold, El is my deliverance! I will have confidence and not be in dread, because ‘YHWH is my strength and my song of Yah's praise, and He has become a deliverance for me.'"
El is: Aramaic, "In the Memra of [El]..." Everything after "because" is a quote from the Song of Moshe (Ex. 15:2) YHWH is my song of Yah's praise: This appears to be telling us to sing His own name back to Him. Become a deliverance: salvation or liberation; Aramaic, "He has spoken by His Memra, and become for me a Savior". How much more clearly could this refer to Y'shua? This is the traditional opening line for the liturgy for Havdallah [distinguishing], the time when the pressures of ordinary life rush back upon one after the Sabbath's respite.
3. So you can [all] draw water with rejoicing from the wellsprings of deliverance!
This is a song traditionally sung at Sukkoth (just after harvest) as a prayer for rain for the next growing season.
4. And in that Day you will say, "Give thanks to YHWH! Call on His Name! Among the peoples, make His dealings known! Cause it to be remembered that His Name is being set [inaccessibly] on high!
Call on His Name: The name specified just beforehand, not the names of the "bride's old boyfriends", is literally the one we are meant to call on. While He may listen to the ignorant and immature using the only names they have heard, once we know better, we have no excuse. The first of the "Ten Declarations" is "I am YHWH." That in itself should set our tone. Aramaic:
"Pray in His Name."
5. [Memorialize] YHWH with a musical instrument, because He has accomplished excellent [things]; this is known in the whole earth.
Excellent: in the literal sense--excelling, swelling up majestically, rising or growing like a column of smoke. Aramaic, "He does prodigious things."
6. Squeal and let your shout ring out, O inhabitant of Tsion, because the Holy One of Israel is magnified in your innermost part!
Aramaic, "the great one has promised to rest His Sh'khinah in your midst, the Holy One of Israel".
CHAPTER 13
1. The oracle [concerning] Bavel, which Yeshayahu, son of Amotz, perceived:
Oracle: or burden; "that which is lifted up". The Aramaic targum adds "of a cup of cursing". Bavel: Babylon. Perceived: the term specifically pertains to his role as a seer.
2. "Lift up a banner on a barren mountain! Make the voice grow louder for
them! Wave a hand, that they may enter the doorways of the nobles.
Banner: in the rabbinical view, always a reference to the Messiah. Barren: or "wind-swept", "cleared off"--i.e., one from which a clear signal can be sent with nothing obstructing the view. But "mountain" often signals a reference to the Temple, and if its mountain is barren, it means the Muslim shrines the t now occupy it are gone. Voice: or the sound of a shofar. Wave a hand: i.e., get their attention! But the Messiah is also often called YHWH's "right hand". So all of this imagery points to Messiah's involvement in Babylon's fall.
3. "I have given orders to My holy ones; I have also commissioned My valiant
ones to [carry out] My anger--those who rejoice in My triumph.
Holy ones: or in this case, poerhaps, "special forces", set apart to a particular task. Valiant ones: LXX, "giants". The same thing that happened to Bavel that happened to Ashur, its predecessor. (Chapter 10) Like Pharaoh also, YHWH punishes an oppressor for carrying out His judgment because they enjoyed it. So YHWH's warriors will rejoice at Bavel's fall. "Rejoice" here more specifically means "jump for joy."
4. "The sound of a commotion in the mountains, as of a multitude of people!
The noise of an uproar of kingdoms of Gentiles assembled together! YHWH of
Armies is mustering an army for the battle.
5. "YHWH and His instruments of wrath are coming from a distant Land on the
horizon, to bring ruin to the whole Land.
Horizon: literally, end of the heavens. Ruin: or twisting destruction,or being tied up.
6. "Wail, for the Day of YHWH is near! It will come as devastation from
Shaddai.
Devastation: havoc or violent destruction. Shaddai is the name of YHWH in His nurturing aspect, since the word is rooted in "breast". So here He is like a mother bear attacking those who threaten her cubs.
7. "Therefore, all hands will go slack, and every mortal man's heart will faint,
8. "and they have panicked; cramps and pangs will take hold of them. They
will writhe like a woman in labor. Each will be astounded at his fellow; their faces [will be] a sight for [their] glittering!
Astounded: as confusion was brought on Bavel once before (Gen. 10), He will do so again. Glittering: LXX, "will change their countenances as a flame". Like a woman in labor: but they will not truly be a woman in labor. They "give birth only to wind" (or spirit, without substance, 26:18). The unified entity that Babyblon has always tried to build ends up being only an image of One New Man, haSatan's counterfeit, an idol which only seems real. 2 Kefa (Peter) chapter 2 details ways in which this system infiltrated YHWH's congregations through false prophets who were only out for material gain, entangling again those who had escaped its grip once before. Tsion gives birth to the real new Man. (66:7-8)
9. "Indeed, the Day of YHWH, fierce and furious, and with burning nostril,
to transform the Land into an appalling wasteland, and to annihilate the
sinners [that are] in it,
An appalling wasteland: as in Mark Twain's 19th-century description of the Huleh Valley in which "not even a chicken could scratch out a living". But the main reference point seems to be still to come.
10. "because the stars of the sky and their constellations will not shine their light. The sun has been darkened, and the moon will not shine its light,
Constellations: or more specifically, Orion.
11. "and I will bring punishment on the evil order, and visit the perversity of the guilty upon them, and I will put an end to the arrogance of the insolent, and bring down the swelling [pride] of tyrants!
Bring punishment on the evil order: or "visit the civilized world with trouble". Though it is not our assignment at present, as more people recognize that they are really Israelites, we will begin to bring this impact upon the Babylonian system by keeping the Sabbath (doing no commerce on that day) and abstaining from Christmas purchases, for both of these are what prop the economy up and keep it running.
12. "I will make a mortal man more rare than refined gold, and humanity than
the marked gold wedges of Ofir.
Aramaic, "I will love those who fear Me more than the gold on which the sons of men place so much importance."
13. "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of its
[proper] place during the enraged outburst of YHWH of Armies and on the day
of His fierce anger.
Shake: or unsettle, perturb, disturb; LXX: "enrage". Move out of its place: LXX, "be shaken from its foundation". On the literal level, it appears there will be a change in the orbit of the earth--perhaps back to the 360-day years that existed prior to 701 B.C. (only a few years after this prophecy was given). Patten, Hatch, and Steinhauer trace it to a near passby of Mars, whose orbit used to cross earth's until the close encounter threw both into their current paths. On a deeper level, this verse is alluded to in Heb. 12:26-27, where it speaks of spiritual principles that hold men in bondage. We are seeing the beginning of this now as some of the doctrines held precious by Christianity are proving not to stand up to proper biblical interpretation.
14. "Then it will become like a gazelle that is being hunted, and like a sheep that no one gathers up, every man will turn to face his people, and each will take flight to his [own] land.
15. "Everyone who is discovered will be shot, and everyone who is caught will fall by the sword.
Shot: or wounded by somehow being pierced through or run through.
16. "Their nursing babies will be dashed to pieces before their [very] eyes, their houses plundered, and their wives raped.
17. "Indeed, I am stirring up Madai against them, who will not place any value on silver, and [as for] gold, they will have no interest in it.
Madai: the Medes, who took Babylon on the same night King Belshazzar had seen the "handwriting on the wall". (Daniel 5) Silver...gold: i.e., they will not accept these as a ransom.
18. "But bows will dash young lads to pieces; they will not have pity on the
fruit of the womb, nor spare children.
This has never yet happened, because the city was taken without a battle; the king and a few key rulers were killed, but most inhabitants of Babylon were unaware the next day that anything had taken place. It went as smoothly as any coup d'etat. So this prophecy remains to be fulfilled. Revelation 18 speaks of a larger "Babylon"--the system that had its origin in Bavel under Nimrod, but has spread into a whole "world order" (the "evil order" spoken of in v. 11, which now encompasses the entire civilized world through paganism, commerce, politics, and financial dependencies foisted upon the masses.)
19. "And Bavel, the prominent one among kingdoms, the splendor of the majesty of the Khasdim, has become like Elohim's overthrow of S'dom and Amorrah:
Splendor of the majesty: Aram., "boast of the pride". Khasdim: Chaldeans
(Mesopotamians).
20. "It will endure, uninhabited; from generation to generation, no one will reside in it. Not even the Arabian will pitch a tent there, nor will shepherds [build a fold for] sheep to lie down there.
If it were not for the last portion of this verse, one might think that this prophecy had already been fulfilled, if the only analogy between S'dom and Bavel were that it would be uninhabited. But now Saddam Hussein is rebuilding it and, even if it is not dwelt in as such, it is again becoming a focus of some attention, and it appears that one day it will become quite the hub of activity again, and a future, more complete destruction awaits it. (Yirmiyahu 50-51; Zech. 5:7ff)
21. "Rather, the yelping wild beasts of the desert shall lie down there, and their houses will be full of wailing creatures; daughters of the owl shall settle there, and there hairy goats will skip about.
Hairy goats will skip about: Aramaic, "demons will play". Revelation 18 upholds this interpretation, saying that after Babylon's fall it will become a "abode of demons and the prison of every unclean spirit". (v. 2) I.e., the only thing that remains in the Babylonian system will be demons and the selfish (which ritual impurity depicts). That chapter warns us strongly to come out of that system (when it is time, and not let it rule our decisions while we still need to live within it), lest we inadvertently become participants in the judgments that must come upon it for all its robberies and harlotries. All nations are participants, but the description in Revelation seems to clearly include the overt institutional church because of its many compromises with this system. "Hairy goat" is the meaning also of the mountains of Seir, which Esau inherited, and Edom (Esau's other name) is often identified with the church in many rabbinic writings.
22. "Jackals will reply from their desolate houses, and dragons in their dainty palaces. Now her time is drawing near, and her days will not be postponed,
Jackals: or "wild island-beasts". All these terms and those in v. 21 can also refer to different types of demons in Hebrew. This is the most likely interpretation, in light of Zech. 5:5-11, where "Wickedness" personified is sent back to Shinar (where Bavel is) and a house is built for her there. Desolate houses: the same term in Hebrew as "widows". Postponed: or "drawn out", "deferred", "prolonged". I.e., it will be right on time, and we cannot fend it off with excuses.
CHAPTER 14
1. "because YHWH will have compassion on Yaaqov, and will yet choose Israel,
and give them rest in their [own] Land. Then the foreigner will be joined to
them, and they shall attach themselves to the House of Yaaqov.
Y'shua saw the multitudes and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mk. 6:34, an allusion to Y'hezq'el/Ezk. 34). Choose: The term connotes approving her after testing her by fire, and also delighting in her and preferring her over all else. Yet: or "again"--after treating her as less than significant, less than a nation, He will again turn special attention to her and focus especially on her. We are seeing this begin to take place. House of Yaaqov: the physical, natural side of the patriarch, as opposed to the spiritual, hence the more readily identifiable of the two kingdoms, Yehudah, in contrast to Israel, though the Aramaic substitutes "Israel" here (a common rabbinical tradition).
2. "And the peoples will fetch them and bring them to their own place, and the House of Israel will themselves take possession of them on YHWH's soil as servants and handmaids; thus they will take their captors captive, and dominate their oppressors.
Servants: in Israel, servants have the full right of a member of a household, except for authority. I.e., they will be better off as slaves in Israel than freemen elsewhere, except that they will have no right to make rulings within Israel.
3. "And it will come about on the day when YHWH gives you rest from your
sorrow and your disquiet and the hard labor that was forced on you,
Sorrow: can also mean pain, or even an idol; YHWH will provide relief from these as well.
4. "that you will take up this proverbial saying against the king of Bavel, saying, ‘How the tyrant has come to an end, and the gold-gatherer ceased!'
Tyrant: LXX, "extortioner". Ceased: literally, "has taken a sabbath".
5. "YHWH has shattered the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of dominators!
6. "The one who attacked the peoples with arrogance, with relentless blows--the one who subjugated the nations with anger--is being pursued, and there is no one to hold them back.
7. "The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they burst forth into resounding song!
Once the wars cease and we realize that the Kingdom is fully upon us, how can we help but break out into singing? YHWH loves such contrasts in our worship as quietness and exuberance..
8. "The cypress trees and the cedars of Levanon rejoice over you: ‘Since you
have relaxed, no one will come up to cut us down!'
9. "The underworld from below is excited to welcome you at your arrival; for
you it awakens those who have sunk down [into it]--all the rams of earth. It
has caused all the kings of the nations to rise up from their thrones.
10. "They all testify and tell you, ‘You too are made as weak as we are!
You have become just like us!'
11. "‘Your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the clamor of
your musical instruments. The maggots make a bed under you, and the worms
cover you!'
Maggots also appear in Scripture when enough manna was gathered for two days, but not on the day before the Sabbath. Those who did this were not trusting YHWH for daily bread, so they tried to forge their own security. Bavel, too, tried to do things their own way and in their own timing, so they receive the same curse.
12. "How you have fallen from the heavens, O bright star, son of the dawn!
You are chopped down to the ground, O disabler of nations!
O bright star: or, "Howl!" (Another root word can take the same form.) Aram., "shining star among the stars". It was translated "Lucifer" in Latin, and indeed this calumny of the king of Babylon can (like the king of Tsur/Tyre in Y'hezq'el 28) be carried further and seen as representing the arch-Adversary (haSatan). When we compare all the jewels that grace haSatan there with those on the New Yerushalayim that comes down from heaven (Rev. 21:19-20), it becomes clear that haSatan was once in the position of YHWH's bride. The word for "shining star" in Hebrew is Heylel, which is related to Hallel (brighten up, praise, and celebrate), so on a
deeper level, when we say "HalleluYah", it can be broken down into "Hallel and Yah"--a wedding announcement. The infamous pride of Nevuchadnezzar (Dan. 4) is a microcosm of the pride--the downfall--of the former "anointed covering cheruv". So it is easy to see why the human race--and especially those of us who are in Messiah, and thus part of YHWH's new bride--are so hated by haSatan. Y'shua, too, is called the "bright and morning star" (Rev. 22:16). O disabler of nations: or "lying prostrate over nations".
13. "And now you have said in your heart, ‘I will supercede the heavens!
Higher than the stars of El will I raise my throne, and I will sit on the Mount of the Appointment in the far reaches of the north!
The heavens: sometimes an idiom for YHWH Himself. Higher than the stars of El: The meaning the builders of Bavel probably intended by their name was "Gate of El". Their tower was intended to reach the heavens, and they never lost that idea. Mount of Appointment: HaSatan co-opted worship of many of YHWH's people by replacing His holidays with different ones that glorify "her". North: or "hidden place". HaSatan gains worship through the pagan holidays by hiding within them and controlling them from behind the scene.
14. "‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be comparable to
the Most High!'
This is the prospect haSatan in turn used to tempt Chavvah (Eve). But the Hebrew word for Most High is Elyon. YHWH promised Israel that if we would be obedient, He would make us "elyon" of the nations (Deut. 28:1) --i.e., not just LIKE Elyon, but actually "elyon". As His promise to make a name for Avram followed right after Bavel's attempt to make a name for themselves, His gifts are always superior to what we try to take from Him for ourselves. Similarly, we often heard the church called "spiritual Israel", but it only held many Israelites captive through looking LIKE Israel, or provided a temporary holding pattern until the time could come back around for Israel to be itself--a nation in covenant with YHWH--again.
15. "Oh, really? Actually, you will be brought down to the underworld [instead]--to the extremities of the pit!
Underworld: Heb., She'ol. Aramaic, "pit of the place of perdition".
16. "The ones who see you will gaze at you [in wonderment, trying] to figure
out how this could be the man who disquieted the earth and made kingdoms
shudder,
17. "who made the civilized world into uninhabited pastureland, tore down
its cities, and did not open the house of his prisoners.
18. "All kings among the nations lie down in honor--every one of them--each in his own house,
19. "but you are flung from your grave like a detested weed, like the garments of those who are slain by being pierced with a sword, who go down into the stones of the pit, like a trampled corpse.
A detested weed: Aramaic, "a hidden miscarriage".
20. "You will not be united with them in burial, because you have corrupted your land and murdered your own people! The descendants of evildoers will never be renowned!
Not be united: LXX, "As a garment defiled in blood cannot be clean, so neither shall you be pure." Renowned: or even "named". This wicked ruler's children would not even deserve the dignity of a decent burial. Descendants: literally "seed". Recall that, as He said He would have eternal enmity against Amaleq (Ex. 17:14-16), YHWH declared war from the start between the Seed of the Woman and the seed of the serpent. (Gen. 3:15) This gives us a clue as to what land He is talking about. As there is a "holy seed" carried on through many generations (6:13),there are lineages that YHWH wants blotted out forever. (E.g., Deut. 25:19)
21. "‘Make the slaughtering-place ready for his sons; in the guilt of their fathers, do not let them come on the scene and inherit the land or fill the face of the habitable territory with enemies!
22. "‘Then I will rise up against them', declares YHWH of Armies, ‘and cause the name and [any] remnant of progeny or posterity for Bavel to be cut off,' declares YHWH [by His prophet].
23. "‘I will appoint it to be the inheritance of the hedgehog and watery marshes, and I will sweep it with the broom of annihilation,' declares YHWH of Armies.
24. "YHWH of Armies has taken an oath, saying, ‘If it isn't [the case that] it indeed turns out just like the comparison I have made...! Now as I have planned, so will it be established
25. "‘to break Ashur in My Land and on My mountains. I will trample it, then its yoke will have been removed from being upon them, and his load taken off their shoulders.'
Now the focus shifts from Bavel back to Ashur (Assyria), the nation that exiled the northern Kingdom (the ones YHWH said He would set back on His mountains, Yirm./ Jer. 31:5; Y'hezq'el/Ezk. 34:14), just as Bavel exiled the southern. But Bavel took over the Assyrian Empire, and thus probably left the Assyrian borders intact. Thus in overthrowing Bavel, He also overthrew Ashur's right to the Land. As for Ashur being destroyed on the mountains of Israel, compare what He will do to the men of Mt. Seir (the "hairy goat") inY'hezq'el 35 and Gog and Magog in Y'hezq'el 38-39.
26. "This is the plan that has become firm the whole world over, and this is
the hand that is extended over all the nations,
27. "because YHWH of Armies has planned it, and who can thwart [it]? His
hand is extended, and who can turn it back?"
28. This oracle came in the year of King Achaz's death:
This was the third year of Hoshea, the last king of the Northern Kingdom, about four years before the Assyrians began their final siege of the city of Shomron (its capital). Achaz's son Hizqiyahu, who is held up as a paradigm of what a good king should be (2 Kings 18:5), succeeded him to the throne.
29. "O Pleshet, all of you, do not be glad over the breaking of the rod that struck you, because from the serpent's root will come forth a poisonous viper, and its fruit a fiery flying serpent!
Pleshet: Filistia, later known as Palestine. Though Ashur will fall, Babylon will arise, and after it the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and Rome! They become harsher and more cruel; the metals in Nevuchadnezzar's image progress from superior to inferior. The Aramaic identifies the serpent as Yishai (Jesse) and the poisonous viper as the Messiah--for such He will be to the wicked. In that case, a "fiery flying serpent" might relate to Y'shua's likening Himself to the "fiery serpent" that was lifted up on a pole so that those who looked to it might be healed from the bites of the other "fiery serpents". (Num. 21)
30. "While the firstborn of the poor graze [in the pasture], and the needy stretch out in safety, I will kill your root with famine, and it will kill off what is left of you.
Poor: or thin, frail. Needy: Aramaic adds "in his [i.e., Messiah's] days". You: i.e., Pleshet (perhaps the Palestinians).
31. "Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! You are dissolved, Pleshet--all of you! Because out of the north comes smoke, and there is no straggler in his ranks.
Wail: very similar to the word for "shining star" in v. 12.
32. "What, then, shall the nation's messenger say in reply? That YHWH has
made Tsion's foundation firm, and the afflicted of His people will find
refuge in it."
Aramaic, "What will the messengers of the Gentiles announce as good news?" Indeed, when those who were scattered among the Gentiles and became Gentiles for a time, truly understand the Good News of the Kingdom, this is exactly what we will anounce. Make Tsion's foundation firm: Yirm. (Jer.) 33:2-18 gives many more details abnout how He will do this. Afflicted: or poor. Compare Bavel's penchant for commerce and exploitation with YHWH's invitation to come drink the water of life without cost. (55:1; Rev. 21:6.
CHAPTER 15
1. The oracle [concerning] Moav: "Since Ar of Moav was despoiled by night,
it has been brought to an end. Since Kir of Moav was despoiled by night, it
has been brought to an end.
By night: the Aramaic adds, "while they sleep".
2. "The household--Dibon, that is--goes up to the cultic platforms to weep;
Moav shall wail over Nevo and over Meydeva. On all their heads [there is]
baldness, and every beard is shaved off.
Dibon means "pining away", but also a city in the region of Moav (east of the Dead Sea). Nevo: the mountain where Moshe died after seeing the Promised Land. Meydeva: a major town near Mt. Nevo. Parallel passages are in Amos 2:1-3 and Yirmiyahu (Jer.) 48:36ff, where we see that having the hair and beard removed are symbols of the loss of wealth and wisdom (or loss of authority by being taken captive).
3. "In its streets they will put on burlap; on its rooftops and in its open
plazas everyone will wail, sinking down with tears.
Burlap: or "sack-cloth", a traditional symbol of deep mourning.
4. "Heshbon and El'aleh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Yahatz! So
Moav's armed warriors will give a cry of alarm; his life will be displeasing
to him.
Heshbon is a largely-unexcavated tel today, but then was the capital of Moav and near its northern border; El'aleh is nearby. Yahatz: Close to 15 miles away.
5. "My heart will cry out for Moav! Its fugitives get as far as Tsoar. A three-year-old heifer, because on the incline of Luhith they will go up weeping, because on the way to Horonayim they will raise an outcry of destruction,
Tsoar: the town to which Moav's parents, Lot and his daughter, fled when S'dom was being overthrown. It means "insignificance". Aramaic, "In their heart the Moavites hope to flee to Tsoar." Horonayim: "the twin caves".
6. "because the pure waters will become appalling, because the herb is drying up, the vegetation is exhausted, and there will not be any greenery.
7. "Therefore, they have acquired the abundance, and what they had stored
up, and will carry it over the willow brook,
8. "because the outcry has gone completely around the territory of Moav, its
wailing as far as the two reservoirs, its howling to the Well of the Mighty
Ones.
9. "For Dimon's waters are full of blood. Yet I will appoint even more [to
come] upon Dimon: a lion for the Moavites who escape, and for what is left of
the tillable soil."
All of these locations are in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan today.
CHAPTER 16
1. "Spread out a pasture from Sela in the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Tsion,
Spread out a pasture: or, "Send a lamb", possibly a reference to the Messiah, for reasons that will become clearer below. At one time the king of Moav did send a tribute of rams to Israel. (2 Kings 3:4) Sela: the Hebrew name for the Edomite-Nabatean city of Petra. Both names mean "large rock", and indeed this "rose-red city half as old as time" as 19th-century poet John William Burgon described it, has its buildings and tombs carved right out of the sheer rock walls. Mountain of the Daughter of Tsion: perhaps not a suburb of Yerushalayim, but Mt. Sinai near Midyan, which is south of Petra in Saudi Arabia.
2. "because what will take place is that at the fords of Arnon, the daughters of Moav will become like a fluttering bird that is pushed out of the nest.
Fords of Arnon: In the region of Moav, the Arnon river forms a canyon that resembles the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. In the past it effectively formed a natural border between Moav and the Emorite territory. Even today there is only one bridge across it on the King's Highway. The scenario seems to be one of their seeing the Counterfeit Messiah's armies massed on the other edge of the sharp escarpment and having to either surrender Israel's refugees to them or depend on YHWH to rescue them as a mother eagle does when teaching its young to fly.
3. "Gather for deliberation; make your decision. Make your shadow like night in the middle of the noonday. Carefully conceal those who have been banished; do not reveal [the hiding place] of the fugitive!
Decision: or assessment. This is reminiscent of Y'shua's parable about the king counting the cost of whether he can afford to do battle against an enemy with a large army. (Lk. 14:31) Moav is up against total destruction if they do not follow this advice to provide a refuge for those who are coming. But the only option YHWH seems to give is to do it willingly and be blessed, or have Him shelter them in their land and pay the price for their refusal.
4. "My outcasts will dwell temporarily among you, Moav; become a [secret] shelter for them from the face of the [violent] despoiler, because the one who is pressing [them] has reached his limit; the wreaker of havoc is finished; the trampler has already [come] out from the Land.
Dwell temporarily: As a "pasture" (v. 1), Sela (Petra) is well-defended and may be the sheepfold-fortress referred to in 34:6; 63:1. (Heb., "Botzrah", also the name of a city not far north of Petra) Its only entrance is a narrow, mile-long passageway between high cliffs. It could harbor well over a million people. The desert area between there and Mt. Sinai could harbor mant more. This is probably the same incident referred to in Revelation 12 when Israel (or at least Yehudah) is given a place to flee in the wilderness, probably after the Abomination that Makes Desolate is set up in the rebuilt Temple. (Mk. 13:14) But the Hebrew term for "outcasts" (or refugees) here is used in Deut. 30:1-5 to denote any from Israel who have left YHWH's covenant and are being punished by being dispersed to every part of the world, hence the Northern Kingdom as well. (compare Neh. 1:8ff). In 2 Shmuel 14:13 YHWH says He will devise a way for the outcasts to be restored, and Y'shua is just that. Indeed, He devised ways to make the fufillment of Messianic prophecies appear less likely, so that when He brought it about nonetheless, His glory would be all the greater. One who is pressing them: The one place the Counterfeit Messiah will NOT have jurisdiction is the land of Jordan (the territory of Moav, Edom, and Ammon), though he enters the "beautiful, honored Land" of Israel. (Dan. 11:41) Thus this would be the ideal place for Israel to flee, being "next-door neighbors" who, at present, have a true peace treaty with Israel, unlike all other Arab neighbors. Reached his limit: perhaps being held off at the "grand canyon" of the Arnon River. (v. 2) Is finished: the Counterfeit Man's days are numbered, one more encouragement YHWH gives to nudge Moav toward the right decision of whom to side with.
5. "But in mercy the throne has been established, and He will remain on it with stability in the Tent of David, executing judgment, investigating a case, then bringing justice promptly.
Perhaps this "sheepfold" is the gathering place where both houses of Israel together will have "David", the one shepherd, set over them (Hos. 1:11 or 2:2 in Heb.; Y'chezq'el/Ezek. 34:23; 37:24; Yochanan 10:16). After this, perhaps He, the antitype of the first Y'hoshua, will follow in Y'hoshua's footsteps from Mt. Sinai to Yerushalayim, minus the years of wandering in the wilderness.
6. "We have heard of Moav's majesty (he is very proud), his haughtiness, his pomp, and his excessiveness, but this is not how his stragglers will be.
Stragglers: or lies. Apparently Moav reluctantly agreed to shelter the refugees after all, but then mocked them like the Filistines who asked David, "Why can't your Elohim protect you in your own Land? Why do you need to seek refuge from our gods?" So they will pay the price anyway.
7. "Therefore Moav will wail for Moav; every one of them will howl. You will groan for the ruins of Qir-Chareseth; indeed, they will be broken down.
Qir-Chareseth means "wall of earthenware".
8. "For the fields of Cheshbon have drooped, and [as for] the vine of Sibmah, the lords of the nations have beaten down their mother-vines. They have reached all the way to Ya'azer, and wander throughout the wilderness. Her shoots have been left fallow; they have reached the other side of the sea!
Sibmah: a region of Moav whose name means "fragrant". Mother-vines: the choicest, from which offshoots are taken to plant elsewhere. Ya'azer: a levitical city in Gil'ad, far north of Moav's northern border. Sea: here, the Dead Sea, which forms part of the western border of Moav (Jordan now as well).
9. "Therefore I will mourn the vine of Sibmah with the wailing of Ya'azer; I will drench you with my tears, O Cheshbon and El'ale, because the cheering for your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen [silent].
10. "Moreover, gladness and rejoicing are gathered up out of the [fruitful] plantation; there will be no song ringing out or shouting [heard] in the vineyards. The treaders will tread out no wine in their wine-presses. I have put an end to their cheering.
Cheering: particularly used in Scripture of those treading out wine and of a battle cry. Compare 63:2, 3.
11. "Therefore My internal organs will be stirred up like a harp for Moav, and My inward emotions for Qir-Chares[eth].
12. "But what will happen when it is seen that Moav has wearied himself on the worship-platform, that he will enter into his sanctuary to pray, but he will not prevail.
Not prevail: or "not be able to".
13. "This is the word that YHWH has been speaking to Moav for some time,
14. "but now YHWH has spoken, saying, ‘In three years, as a hired laborer [counts] years, the splendor of Moav, with all its great abundance will be despised, since what is left will be a trifling few and powerless.'"
As a hired laborer counts years: i.e., not one day longer than three years, since that is all he is paid for. Of course, the one who hired them would not let them work a day less than three years. Thus this means exactly three years. That was the exact length of time the Temple altar remained in its desecrated state in the days of the Maccabees, as recounted at Hanukkah.
CHAPTER 17
1. The oracle [concerning] Dameseq: "Behold, Dameseq is being removed from [the category] of a city; it will be a heap of ruins.
Dameseq (Damascus) is still the capital of Syria in our own day. So it is still here, and with the issue of the Golan Heights and Syria's support for Hizbullah terrorists, it is only adding to the reasons for the judgment described here. There is a word-play here: "From being a city" is me'ir in Hebrew, and "heap" is me'i. Compare Amos 1:3-5; Micha 1:6ff.
2. "[The] cities of Aroer are abandoned; they will be [a place] for flocks. They will stretch themselves out, and there will be nothing to make them afraid.
Cities of Aroer: or "ruined cities". Several towns in the region bore this name, one in Moav and one in Yehudah, but in this case the most likely candidate was in the territory of the Ammonites (and later Gad), near the Yabboq River, east of the Yarden, as it is the closest of the three to Dameseq. Nothing to make them afraid: compare Micha 4:4.
3. "There will also cease to be blockaded cities in Efrayim when the sovereignty of Dameseq and the remnant of Aram [comes to an end]; they will become comparable in splendor to the descendants of Israel", declares YHWH of Armies.
4. "And in that day what will take place is that the importance of Yaaqov will be lowered, and the robustness of his flesh will be rendered lean,
5. "and it will be like when the reaper of a harvest of grain harvests the ears with his arm, and it will be like the one who gathers up the heads of grain in the valley of Refayim,
Refayim: a region of Bashan that means "healing" or "invigorating", but it was also the name of a race of giants.
6. "but the gleanings left in it will be like when one goes around an olive tree [and there are] two [or] three olives on the top of the uppermost branches, four [or] five on the most fruitful boughs", declares YHWH, Elohim of Israel.
7. "In that Day, mankind shall have regard for his Maker, and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel,
Mankind: literally, "the Adam", i.e., the "one new man" that bears the restored image of Elohim.
8. "and he will not have regard for the altars, the craftsmanship of his [own] hands, nor will he look to what his fingers have made--that is, the asherim and sun-pillars.
Asherim: a grammatically improbable word in Hebrew. It is the masculine plural form of a word that is feminine in the singular (asherah, a fertility goddess). It thus signifies a male consort of this goddess, or a husband (Ba'al) for her, and hence an overtly sexual emphasis in its worship. The form it usually took was being a base so that the trees cut from the forest for this purpose could be stood upright again. This has its modern counterpart in the Christmas tree. In this light, it is especially significant that YHWH forbade any trees to be near His sanctuary. (Deut. 16:21) Sun-pillars: from a word for "heat", and this probably connected with these fornicatory rituals.
9. "In that day his fortress cities will be like an abandoned forest, an uppermost branch that they have left [unharvested]; it will become a wasteland.
Forest: or bough, possibly relating to the imagery in v. 6.
10. "Because you have forgotten the Elohim of your deliverance, and you did not call to mind the Rock of your strength, you will therefore plant pleasing pleasant plants, but sow it with foreign shoots.
Pleasing plants... foreign shoots: This may be the phrase on which Y'shua based His parable of the wheat and tares. (Mat. 13:25ff)
11. "In the day in which you plant it, you carefully build a fence around it, and on the [next] morning you cause the bud to sprout. [But] what is harvested [will be] a heap in a day of sickness and incurable pain.
12. "Alas to the crowd of great nations, who make a commotion like the roaring of the seas, and who make a din like the rumbling of [the confluence of] many [powerful] waters!
declared that His Anointed One is now to reign on the earth.
18:1 shows that the context is the "birth pangs of the Messiah", so
here Babylon is linked with not just the "motherland" of Bavel, but all
the nations that have "been made drunk with the wine of her
fornications"--i.e., the whole world system that unifies in opposition
to YHWH when He has
13. "The [gathering] nations will rumble in like the rushing of abundant waters, but He has rebuked them, and they have fled far away, and have been
chased before the wind like the chaff of the mountains, and like a tumbleweed before a windstorm.
Tumbleweed: or anything that rolls, or simply whirling dust.
14. "Then indeed, toward eveningtime, calamity [comes]! Before morning arrives, there is nothing [left] of them! This is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who pillage us."
CHAPTER 18
1. "Woe to the land of whirring wings, which [comes] from beyond the river of Kush,
River of Kush: Nimrod was Kush's son, and he inhabited Shinar and founded avel. (Gen. 10:8ff) But it may be Africa that is referred to, as the remainder of Kush's descendants settled there.
2. "that sends ambassadors by sea and in vessels of papyrus-reed upon the surface of the waters. Go, fleet [footed] messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people who inspire dread, from [its inception] onward--a subjugating nation, measured out [with a cord], a land whose rivers have bisected it!
Ambassadors: the word can also mean "hinge" or "door pivot" (as a harbinger of a coming transition to something new), as well as "pangs" or distress". But its root word means "to cramp". So this cramping by a massive gathering of enemies, the minions of the Counterfeit Messiah, will be what YHWH uses to push the true New Man through the birth canal and bring about the Kingdom. But since the woe is to this place and he shifts the focus to another nation, it may be indicating that "cramped people" were sent by sea, which immediately reminds us of slave ships. Fleet-footed: or lightweight; i.e., swift. "Tall" here can also mean "postponed" or "deferred". Bavel's destruction was deferred until long after the city itself ceased to be anything significant, but its influence had to last until the end of days so that the battle between the only two actual ways of life (civilization based on rebellion against YHWH and the worldview of Israel) could come to its final head and the false system be completely obliterated. But it can also mean "scattered"; a scattered people whose kingdom is "set aside" until later would be Israel. Measured out: a reduplicated form of the word for "cord". Thus it may symbolize two cords. North America holds a proportionately high percentage of those scattered from the Northern Kingdom; indeed it seems to be a special gathering place for these three elements of Israel: those enslaved and brought here on "cramped" slave ships, the "tall and smooth" native Americans who had settled here earlier (some colonizing this land as early as King Shlomo's day), and finally those Europeans who indeed became mighty very early in the nation's history. This may be the "appointed" place to which many of YHWH's people would come for safety from oppression (cf. 2 Shmuel 10:7), yet which is not their final settling place (1 Chron. 17:9). The second cord is Y'shua. This nation was actually founded so that these oppressed ones could worship as they felt YHWH's word mandated. So Y'shua has always been a strong element of our national identity, though he was not known in His Hebraic context. Yet only "a threefold cord is not easily broken" (Eccles. 4:12) While there is a large percentage of Yehudah in North America as well, they know their identity yet have not embraced the open door to return to the Land YHWH gave to all Israel. The third cord that will lend this highest level of stability is the faithful of Yehudah, with whom these other two elements (the Kingdom of Israel and Y'shua its king) will yet be united.
3. "All inhabitants of the civilized world, those of the land who have settled down: When [someone] lifts up a conspicuous signal on the mountains, you will take notice! And when he gives a blast on the shofar, you will listen!
Those of the land who have settled down: or "dwellers of the earth"--perhaps the dead who will rise at the shofar blast. (1 Thess. 4:16-17)
4. "Because this is what YHWH said to me: ‘I will settle down and focus My attention on My established Place, like a glowing heat above a light, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest,
Settle down: or "rest", "be quiet", "be at peace"--all indications that He is speaking of the Sabbath rest that comes in the Messianic Kingdom. My Established Place: the Land of Israel, Yerushalayim, and most specifically the Temple Mount. Mist: or dew, always a harbinger of good in Scriptrue, for it feeds tender plants that would be damaged by driving rains, causing them to bud in the morning (v. 5).
5. "because before the harvest, when the flower has finished [blooming] and the sour grape will be ripening to a sparkle, He will both cut off the [excess] shoots with a pruning knife and take away and cut down the unfruitful tendrils.
Take away...the unfruitful tendrils: so that the other branches will bear more fruit or leave room for grafting. (Yochanan 15:1-2; Rom. 11:17-24)
6. "[All of] them together will be left to the ravenous birds of the mountains and all the beasts of the earth. The birds of prey will spend the summer over them, and all the [other] beasts of the earth will spend the winter on them.
The same is said of Bavel (Babylon) in Rev. 18, where these "birds and beasts" are identified with demons. In any case, these birds always show up at the scene of destruction or war. (Yirmiyahu 7:33; 12:9, etc.)
7. "At that time the homage-gift will be carried to YHWH of a people tall and smooth and a people from it who inspire dread, and [keep going] beyond--a subjugating nation [that is] measured out [with a cord], a land whose rivers have bisected it, to the Place of the Name of YHWH of Armies--Mount Tsion."
Though other nations will be required to do homage to Y'shua in the Kingdom (Zech. 14:16ff; Rev. 21:24), here the people brought back from this land are themselves the homage-gift to YHWH.
CHAPTER 19
1. The oracle [concerning] Egypt: "Behold! YHWH rides on a swift cloud, and has entered Egypt, so Egypt's worthless [images] will shake from His presence, and Egypt's heart will dissolve away within it.
Egypt was a refuge that initially took Israel in during a time of need, then gave Israel authority, benefitting greatly because of this, but then it turned and enslaved Israel to its own agendas. As such, in addition to whatever literal fulfillment this prophecy will have, it is also a metaphor for the organized Church, which has done all the same. Now YHWH is again saying, "Let My people go", so they can fulfill their complete calling. When He shakes all things, He can sift Efrayim back out, and though Egypt's heart is melted, it can still be recast in the right mold if the people in the Church grasp the truth.
2. "And I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian, and they will fight, each man against his brother, and each man against his neighbor, city against city and kingdom against kingdom.
This is another evidence that there is a deeper meaning than literal Egypt, for while Egypt was divided into several kingdoms long before Yeshayahu's day, it has been a unified land ever since. But Christianity has been divided over and over again.
3. "Then Egypt's spirit will be emptied out within it, and I will swallow up its counsel. Then they will seek out the worthless images and the enchanters, the mediums, and the familiar spirits.
Spirit: not the truly Holy Spirit, but the spirit of the wicked shepherds who muddy the waters for the sheep. (Y'chezq'el/Ezek. 34:19) Enchanters: literally, "those who go softly".
4. "But I have [hemmed them in and] delivered them over into the hand of a harsh master, and a fierce king will have dominion over them", declares the Master, YHWH of Armies.
Joseph Good sees Egypt prophetically as Europe in the last days, the first area to be ruled by the Counterfeit Messiah. He will probably also be associated with the visible Church at first, but will then turn on it, and at that point it will be too late to get out. He is calling us to become Israel now while there is still freedom to do so. In this light, compare Y’shua's statement that His "yoke is easy and [His] burden is light." (Matt. 11:30)
5. "Then the waters will be dried up from the sea, and the river will be desolate and dried up.
6. "The rivers will be pushed aside, and the siege-moats will languish and be dried up; water-reeds and bulrushes will wither away.
Pushed aside: possibly by a major cataclysm that changes all their courses when the mountains are lowered and the valleys lifted up. (40:4) Siege-moats: or canals, which depended on the Nile. When rivers change their course, stagnant "oxbow" lakes are left, and those who built fixed houses and depended on conditions remaining the same have no livelihood left. (v. 10) But Israel is called to "dwell in tents" as sojourners, so that we can move along with the water source. YHWH shifts it periodically so that we depend on Him, not on the patterns by which He has blessed us in the past. The Church once had the true water, but its candlestick has been taken away, and we need to follow YHWH's move.
7. "There will be bare spots by the Nile, by the mouth of the Nile, and everything sown [by] the Nile will dry up, be driven away, and no longer exist.
Sown: a reminder of the Northern Kingdom, since Hoshea said Elohim would sow it into the whole world. (2:23) But the Nile, or Egypt, represents the world from which Israel is to be cut off. Anything that has not been harvested will be done away with.
8. "The fishermen will also lament, and everyone who casts a hook into the Nile will mourn; those who spread out fishnets over the surface of the waters will grow feeble.
Grow feeble: or "be bereaved". Efrayim has "multiplied like fish" (Gen. 48:16), and Y’shua sent His envoys out to gather them. (Jer. 16:16; Mark 1:17) But once He has fished out the last that He wishes to restore to Israel, those who made money off the Gospel will have no more market. (v. 10) The day of fishing is over. For a long time it was allowable to randomly drop our nets, not being able to see what we were catching, but Y’shua's parable reminds us that we still have to sort out what is kosher and what is not. (Matt. 13:47ff) After the fishing, He says He will send out hunters (Yirmiyahu 16:16)--those who seek out specific individuals and follow them until they are captured.
9. "Those who labor in combed flax will be ashamed, along with the weavers of white cloth.
Ashamed: or disconcerted, disappointed. They have been weaving their white cloth (in Scripture, a symbol of the works of the righteous) into more fishnets instead of garments. The goal is not to keep getting bigger, but to become holier, whichg in Scripture usually means to become smaller, as those who have the wrong motives are screened out and only what is pure remians; Y'shua said He came to seek and rescue what was lost (Luk. 19:10)--nothing else, unless others wish to become part of the Israel that was lost.
10. "Her supports will be crushed; the souls of all who earn wages will become stagnant ponds.
Earn wages: i.e., who make their livelihood from the River. Living (running) water is meant to flow through us and on to others, but when we try to dam it up so that we can contain it as security for later, it becomes undrinkable. In Israel, this pattern began with Yaravam (Jeroboam), who wanted the tithe that belonged to the Levites as his own revenue, and offered a convenient alternative to what YHWH had commanded. The Church also keeps people from growing beyond a certain point by saying they have gone too far, lest they lose the tithe as well.
11. "The rulers of Tsoan are certainly perverse, and the counsel of Pharaoh's wise advisors has been dulled. How can you say to Pharaoh, ‘I am the son of the wise ones, the son of ancient kings?'
Tsoan: Tanis (modern-day San), on the eastern bank of a branch of the Nile. The capital of the Shepherd Dynasty (Hyksos), its name means "place of departure". How can we even explain to Church leaders, whose sense of what is biblical has been altered by centuries of the wrong focus, that we are indeed heirs to the covenants of Israel and should be living according to the ancient paths?
12. "Where are your wise ones now? All right, let them inform you of what they know YHWH of Armies has planned in regard to Egypt!
13. "The rulers of Tsoan have become fools! The rulers of Nof are deceived; Egypt is misled by the cornerstone of its tribes.
Nof: Another name for Memphis, the capital city of Egypt.
14. "YHWH has produced a distorted, mixed-up spirit in the heart of her, and they have misled Egypt in its every undertaking, as a drunkard staggers through his vomit.
YHWH has produced: Is He the author of confusion? No, but for those who do not love the truth, He sends a strong delusion so that they think they are on the right track, and thus provides a backdrop against which to contrast true righteousness. (2 Thess. 2:10-11; 1 Cor. 11:19)
15. "Then Egypt will have no work that [either] head or tail, palm branch or bulrush [fiber] can do.
Head : 9:14 interprets this figuratively as "an elder or honored one", "and the prophet who teaches falsehood, he is the tail." Palm branch... bulrush fiber: also a metaphor for the highest and the lowliest. There will be no point in any of YHWH's people remaining there anymore.
16. "In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and they will be terrified and shake from the presence of the wielding of the hand of YHWH of Armies, which He is brandishing against it.
17. "And the soil of Yehudah will become a cause of reeling to Egypt; everyone who brings it to mind will be in dread from the presence of the purpose which YHWH of hosts has devised in regard to it.
I.e., YHWH plans to make Israel "the head and not the tail". (Deut. 28:13) The land that now belongs to Yehudah, but is the inheritance of all Israel, will beckon many out of their bondage to the Church. The fertile soil of Hebraic understanding of Scripture is also robbing the Church and Babylon of their Christmas and Saturday shopping revenues, and Yerushalayim will only become more and more of a cup of trembling to the nations that come against it. (Zech. 12:12)
18. "In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Kanaan and swearing to YHWH of Armies, and one will be called the City of Destruction.
City of Destruction: or overthrow. But this was a nickname for Auschwitz. Joseph Good sees "Egypt" as an end-time prophetic code-name for Europe. Several concentration camps were never dismantled and could be re-used. Verse 20 could lend credence to this. The five virgins in Y’shua's parable who missed the wedding feast (Matt. 25) may have a "second chance" to prove their true loyalty during the time of Yaaqov's trouble through the much suffering and martyrdom that we read of in the book of Revelation. The language of Kanaan seems to be a poetic way of saying "Hebrew" since it is YHWH by whom they are taking oaths. But Kanaan also means "merchant".
19. "In that day there will be an altar to YHWH in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to YHWH near its border,
Some see both of these as describing the Great Pyramid, since two things are mentioned here, yet together they are spoken of in singular terms in v. 20. This pyramid is both at the center of an arc drawn along the Nile delta's coastline as well as at the dividing line between Upper and Lower Egypt. It is seen to have prophetic significance in its every measurement. Perhaps, however, all it is saying is that in the Messianic Kingdom, Egypt will only be worshipping YHWH. (Compare Zecharyah 14:18) In the days of Greek rule over Israel, the Tzadoq priesthood was ousted by whomever could pay for it or whomever the new rulers wished to appoint, and some of the true priests moved to Egypt and did build a Temple and altar there.
20. "and it will become a distinguishing token and a testimony to YHWH of Armies in the land of Egypt, because they will cry out to YHWH for help from the presence of the oppressors, and He will send them a deliverer, and a great one at that, and he will rescue them.
Deliverer: the word has the same root as "Y'shua". Rescue: literally, "snatch them out". This seems to be a repetition of the history of the Exodus.
21. "Then YHWH will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will be familiar with YHWH in that day, and they will render slaughter and offering, and vow a vow to YHWH, and make good on it.
Make good on it: literally, "complete it".
22. "When YHWH strikes Egypt, He will be [both] striking and healing, and they will return all the way to YHWH, and He will allow them to bring Him their petition, and He will heal them.
23. "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Ashur, and the Assyrian will enter into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Ashur, but Egypt will serve Ashur.
Compare 35:6ff.
24. "In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Ashur, a blessing in the heart of the earth,
The third: i.e., in triangulation of power. If Egypt represents the Church, could Ashur represent the Islamic nations, who are also misled but full of zeal for what they think is right, and unwilling to be persuaded otherwise by Babylon? The predominant enemies of Israel may thus become her allies, being together the three strands of a cord, after they are purged of their impurities. (See the end of chapter 21) But we aim to be the firstfruits who do not miss the wedding feast either. Heart: literally, "nearest" or "innermost part".
25. "whom YHWH of Armies has intensely blessed, saying, ‘Blessed be My people Egypt, Ashur, the product of My hands, and Israel, My inheritance."
CHAPTER 20
1. The year that Tartawn came to Ashdod (when Sargon the king of Ashur sent him), and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,
Tartawn: an Assyrian title for a field-marshal, general, or commander. Ashdod: near the coast of Judea south of present-day Tel Aviv, it was once a Filistine city where the captured Ark of the Covenant caused the inhabitants great distress. (1 Shmuel 5) When Assyrian King Sargon II replaced Ashdod's King Azuri with his brother, Ashdod rebelled, with this repercussion in 711 B.C., ten years before Sennacheriv attempted to besiege Yerushalayim, and possibly the same year Samaria (capital of the Northern Kingdom) was besieged.
2. at that time YHWH spoke by the hand of Yeshayahu the son of Amotz, saying, "Go and loosen the burlap from off your waist, and take off your shoe from your foot." So he did just that, walking around naked and barefoot.
3. Then YHWH said, "Just as My servant Yeshayahu has walked around naked and barefoot for three years--a warning and sign about Egypt and Kush--
4. "in the same way the king of Ashur will conduct away captives from Egypt and exiles from Kush, young and old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks stripped bare, to Egypt's shame.
Exiles: itself based on a different word meaning "uncovered" or "laid bare", which slaves taken in battle often were. To Egypt's shame: or, "leaving Egypt vulnerable". Exodus 20:26 and Lev. 18, 20 forbid letting one's nakedness be seen, as it reveals our shame (47:3), so this was an extreme measure to get the point across to Yehudah that Egypt was in reality not something in which they could place confidence. "Naked" in Hebrew also means "undefended". Yeshayahu is to be commended for his confidence that this was really YHWH speaking!
5. "So they will be shocked and embarrassed by Kush, on which they had pinned their expectations, and by Egypt, [whose adornment had been] their boast.
They: Apparently Yehudah.
6. "Then in that day the inhabitant of this region will say, ‘Look! This is what the object of our expectation is [really] like--[the one] to whom we had run for help to be rescued from before the king of Ashur. So how can we be saved?'"
This shows that they were indeed not trusting YHWH, and thus did feel naked before the world forces that were vying for prominence all around them.
THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah)
Introduction:
Yeshayahu means "YHWH is salvation"--the same meaning as Yehoshua, but with the phrasing in the reverse order. Yeshayahu was probably from the tribe of Yehudah. A contemporary of Micha and Hoshea, he prophesied more than 200 years after the division of Israel, beginning c. 740 B.C.E. (Just prior to King Uzziyahu's death in 739), or about 18 years prior to the fall of the Northern Kingdom. But he mainly addresses the southern kingdom of Yehudah, which was now in decline as well, following the same pattern of apostasy that Israel had taken. Since he records the death of Sennakheriv, it is estimated that he continued to prophesy for some 60 years, until about 680B.C.E., when by tradition he was executed by being sawn in two. As with all the prophets, his main theme is, "Come back to the Torah!"
PART 2: Chapters 11-20
