10 Take counsel, and it is broken, Speak a word, and it doth not stand, Because of Emmanu-El!'
What, then, shall we say unto these things? if God `is' for us, who `is' against us?
Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
Because that Aram counselled against thee evil, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying: We go up into Judah, and we vex it, And we rend it unto ourselves, And we cause a king to reign in its midst -- The son of Tabeal. Thus said the Lord Jehovah: It doth not stand, nor shall it be!
There is no wisdom, nor understanding, Nor counsel, over-against Jehovah.
`And lo, with us -- at `our' head -- `is' God, and His priests and trumpets of shouting to shout against you; O sons of Israel, do not fight with Jehovah, God of your fathers, for ye do not prosper.'
And Ahithophel hath seen that his counsel was not done, and he saddleth the ass, and riseth and goeth unto his house, unto his city, and giveth charge unto his household, and strangleth himself, and dieth, and he is buried in the burying-place of his father.
And it hath passed on into Judah, It hath overflown and passed over, Unto the neck it cometh, And the stretching out of its wings Hath been the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Emmanu-El!
Therefore the Lord Himself giveth to you a sign, Lo, the Virgin is conceiving, And is bringing forth a son, And hath called his name Immanuel,
Against Thy people they take crafty counsel, And consult against Thy hidden ones. They have said, `Come, And we cut them off from `being' a nation, And the name of Israel is not remembered any more.' For they consulted in heart together, Against Thee a covenant they make, Tents of Edom, and Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagarenes, Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with inhabitants of Tyre, Asshur also is joined with them, They have been an arm to sons of Lot. Selah. Do to them as `to' Midian, As `to' Sisera, as `to' Jabin, at the stream Kishon. They were destroyed at Endor, They were dung for the ground! Make their nobles as Oreb and as Zeeb, And as Zebah and Zalmunna all their princes, Who have said, `Let us occupy for ourselves The comely places of God.' O my God, make them as a rolling thing, As stubble before wind. As a fire doth burn a forest, And as a flame setteth hills on fire, So dost Thou pursue them with Thy whirlwind, And with Thy hurricane troublest them. Fill their faces `with' shame, And they seek Thy name, O Jehovah. They are ashamed and troubled for ever, Yea, they are confounded and lost. And they know that Thou -- (Thy name `is' Jehovah -- by Thyself,) `Art' the Most High over all the earth!
To the Overseer. -- By sons of Korah. `For the Virgins.' -- A song. God `is' to us a refuge and strength, A help in adversities found most surely.
for if according to the flesh ye do live, ye are about to die; and if, by the Spirit, the deeds of the body ye put to death, ye shall live;
teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days -- till the full end of the age.'
Be not afraid, for with thee I `am', Look not around, for I `am' thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld thee, With the right hand of My righteousness.
`No man doth station himself before thee all days of thy life; as I have been with Moses, I am with thee, I do not fail thee, nor forsake thee;
Ye -- of God ye are, little children, and ye have overcome them; because greater is He who `is' in you, than he who is in the world.
For a Child hath been born to us, A Son hath been given to us, And the princely power is on his shoulder, And He doth call his name Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.
Jehovah of hosts `is' with us, A tower for us `is' the God of Jacob! Selah.
And the thing is right in the eyes of Absalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 8
Commentary on Isaiah 8 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 8
This chapter, and the four next that follow it (to chap. 13) are all one continued discourse or sermon, the scope of which is to show the great destruction that should now shortly be brought upon the kingdom of Israel, and the great disturbance that should be given to the kingdom of Judah by the king of Assyria, and that both were for their sins; but rich provision is made of comfort for those that feared God in those dark times, referring especially to the days of the Messiah. In this chapter we have,
Isa 8:1-8
In these verses we have a prophecy of the successes of the king of Assyria against Damascus, Samaria, and Judah, that the two former should be laid waste by him, and the last greatly frightened. Here we have,
Isa 8:9-15
The prophet here returns to speak of the present distress that Ahaz and his court and kingdom were in upon account of the threatening confederacy of the ten tribes and the Syrians against them. And in these verses,
Isa 8:16-22
In these verses we have,