Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 1:31

"And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them." — Isaiah 1:31 (ASV)

And the strong – This refers to those who have been thought to be strong, on whom the people relied for protection and defense: their rulers, princes, and the commanders of their armies.

As tow – This refers to the coarse or broken part of flax or hemp. It means here that which will be easily and quickly ignited and rapidly consumed. As tow burns and is destroyed at the touch of fire, so will the rulers of the people be consumed by the approaching calamities.

And the maker of it – This is a less accurate translation. The word פעלו po‛ălô may indeed be a participle and be translated ‘its maker,’ but it is more commonly a noun and means his work, or his action. This is its plain meaning here. This interpretation is supported by the Latin Vulgate, the Septuagint, and the Chaldee.

It means that, just as a spark ignites tow, so the works or deeds of a wicked nation will be the occasion or cause of their destruction. The ambition of one man is the cause of his ruin; the sensuality of a second is the cause of his; the avarice of a third is the cause of his.

These passions, insatiable and ungratified, will be the occasion of the deep and eternal sorrows of hell. So it means here that the crimes and hypocrisy of the nation will be the real cause of all the calamities that will come upon them as a people.

Shall both burn together – The spark and the flame from the ignited flax mingle and make one fire. So the people and their works will be ignited and destroyed together. They will burn so rapidly that nothing can extinguish them. The meaning is that the nation will be punished, and that all their works of idolatry and monuments of sin will be the occasion of their punishment and will perish at the same time. The principle involved in this passage teaches us the following things:

1. The wicked, however mighty, will be destroyed.

2. Their works will be the cause of their ruin – a cause necessarily leading to it.

3. The works of the wicked – all that they do and all on which they depend – will be destroyed.

4. This destruction will be final. Nothing will stay the flame. No tears of penitence, no power of men or devils, will put out the fires which the works of the wicked will ignite.