Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 9

Nevertheless - Notwithstanding what is said in the previous chapter of the calamities that are coming upon Israel. Hengstenberg renders this whole verse: ‘For darkness shall not be upon the land upon which there is distress; as the former time has dishonored the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; so shall the time come to honor it, the region on the border of the sea, by the side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.’

The dimness - The Hebrew word here denotes obscurity, or darkness; and is used here, as the word darkness often is in the Scriptures, to denote calamity or affliction. The dimness, or calamity, here referred to, is that which is threatened (Isaiah 8:21–22).

Shall not be such - It shall not be unbroken darkness and unalleviated calamity; but it shall be interrupted by the rising of the great light that shall shine on the dark land of Zebulun and Naphtali.

In her vexation - The word ‘her’ refers to the whole land of Palestine, to the afflictions that came upon the whole region. The word vexation, מוצק mûtsâq, means oppression, calamity, or being “straitened, or pressed.”

When at the first - In the former time; on a former occasion.

He lightly afflicted - The word used here, קלל qâlal—means properly, to be, or make light, or small; and in Hiphil, the form which occurs here, it often means “to esteem lightly, to despise, to hold in contempt” (2 Samuel 19:43; Ezekiel 22:7). It probably has that sense here, as the design of the prophet is evidently to speak, not of a light affliction in the former time, but of a grievous, heavy calamity—a calamity which would be well denoted by the expression, ‘he made them vile; he exposed them to contempt and derision.’

The time to which reference is made here was probably the invasion of the land by Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chronicles 5:26). In that invasion, the parts of Zebulun and Naphtali were particularly afflicted. Tiglath-pileser took Ijon, and Gilead, and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria; (2 Kings 15:29). This region had also been invaded by Benhadad two hundred years before the time of Isaiah (1 Kings 15:20), and there might have been a reference to these various invasions to which this northern part of the land of Palestine had been subjected.

The land of Zebulun - The region occupied by the tribe of Zebulun. This tribe was located between the Sea of Tiberias, or the Lake Gennesareth, and the Mediterranean. It extended entirely across from the one to the other, and as it was thus favored with a somewhat extended seacoast, the people were more given to commerce than the other tribes, and hence, mingled more with surrounding nations.

And the land of Naphtali - The region which was occupied by this tribe was directly north of Zebulun, and of the Sea of Galilee, having that sea and the tribe of Zebulun on the south and southeast, Asher on the west, and a part of the tribe of Manasseh, on the east.

And afterward - That is, in subsequent times; meaning times that were to come after the prophecy here delivered. The previous part of the verse refers to the calamities that had come upon that region in former times. The expression here refers to what the prophet saw was yet to occur.

Did more grievously afflict - הכביד hı̂kebbı̂yd. This verb has many different meanings. It properly means “to be heavy, to be grievous, to lie or fall heavy on anyone, to be dull, obstinate; also, to be honored, respected”—that is, of weight, or influence in society. It means, in Hiphil, the form which is used here, “to make heavy, or grievous” (1 Kings 12:10; Isaiah 47:6); “to oppress” (Nehemiah 5:15); and it also means “to cause to be honored, or distinguished, to favor”—Gesenius.

The connection requires that it should have this latter sense here. The passage means that the land which He had made vile in former times, or had allowed to be despised, He had purposed to honor, or to make illustrious by the great light that would rise on it. So Lowth, Rosenmuller, and Gesenius translate it; see a similar use of the word in Jeremiah 30:19; 2 Chronicles 25:19; and 1 Samuel 2:30.

By the way of the sea - The Sea of Galilee, or Gennesareth. All this region was in the vicinity of that sea. The word “way” here, דרך derek—means toward, or in the vicinity of. The extensive dark region lay in the vicinity of that sea; both those tribes bordered on the Sea of Tiberias or had that as a part of their boundary.

Beyond Jordan - This expression—הירדן עבר ‛ēber hayareddēn—means in the vicinity of Jordan; the land by the side of the Jordan, or perhaps that large region through which the upper part of the Jordan passed. It does not mean strictly on the east of Jordan, but rather the northern portion of the land. It is such language as one would use who was describing the upper and imperfectly known regions of the country—the dark, uncivilized region through which the upper part of the Jordan flowed—and the word עבר ‛ēber, rendered here “beyond,” means “side”—by the side of the Jordan.

Galilee of the nations - This was sometimes called upper Galilee. It was called ‘Galilee of the nations,’ or of the Gentiles, because it was surrounded by them, and because the pagan were extensively intermingled with the Jews. In this region, Solomon had given to Hiram, king of Tyre, twenty cities (1 Kings 9:2). Adjacent to this region were the countries of Phenicia, Tyre, and Sidon; and the people would naturally mingle much with them in commerce. The country abounded with hills and caverns, and, consequently, it was never possible completely to dislodge from the fastnesses the former inhabitants of the land.

Strabo enumerates among the inhabitants of Galilee, Arabians and Phenicians. The inhabitants of this country are represented as having been bold and courageous, but as seditious, and prone to insolence and rebellion. If it is asked here, in what way this land had been made contemptible, or why it was regarded as an object of contempt? we may reply:

1. The district in which these two tribes dwelt constituted the border-land toward the pagan nations.
2. The Galileans not only dwelt in the vicinity of the pagan, but a large number of them had actually remained in the country, and it had been found impossible to expel them from it (Judges 1:30–35).
3. The Phenicians, with whom they held commercial contact, and with whom they dwelt intermingled, were among the most corrupt of the pagan nations. To this may be added,
4. They were far from Jerusalem, and, consequently, the influence of religion may be supposed to have been less felt among them than among the other Jews. The true religion was, in a great measure, lost upon them, and ignorance and superstition took its place. Hence, in the New Testament, they are spoken of as almost proverbially rude and ignorant.

The people that walked in darkness—The inhabitants of the region of Galilee. They were represented as walking in darkness, because they were far from the capital and from the temple; they had few religious privileges; they were intermingled with the pagan, and were comparatively rude and uncultivated in their manners and in their language. Allusion to this is made several times in the New Testament; (John 1:46): ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ (John 7:52): ‘Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet;’ (Matthew 26:69; Mark 14:70). The word ‘walked’ here is synonymous with ‘lived,’ and denotes that thick darkness brooded over the country, so that they lived or walked amidst it.

Have seen a great light—Light is not only an emblem of knowledge in the Scriptures, but of joy, rejoicing, and deliverance. It stands opposed to moral darkness, and to times of judgment and calamity. What is the particular reference here, is not agreed by expositors. The immediate connection seems to require us to understand it of deliverance from the calamities that were impending over the nation then. They would be afflicted, but they would be delivered. The tribes of Israel would be carried captive away; and Judah would also be removed. This calamity would particularly affect the ten tribes of Israel—the northern part of the land, the regions of Galilee—“for those tribes would be carried away not to return.” Yet this region also would be favored with an especially striking manifestation of light.

I see no reason to doubt that the language of the prophet here is adapted to extend into that future period when the Messiah should come to that dark region, and become both its light and its deliverer. Isaiah may have referred to the immediate deliverance of the nation from impending calamities, but there is a fullness and richness of the language that seems to be applicable only to the Messiah. So it is evidently understood in Matthew 4:13-16.

They that dwell—The same people are referred to here as in the former member of the verse.

In the land of the shadow of death—This is a most beautiful expression, and is special to the Hebrew poets. The word צלמות (tsalmâveth)—is exceedingly poetical. The idea is that of death, as a dark substance or being, casting a long and chilly shade over the land—standing between the land and the light—and thus becoming the image of ignorance, misery, and calamity. It is often used in the Scriptures to describe those regions that were lying as it were in the penumbra of this gloomy object, and exposed to all the chills and sorrows of this melancholy darkness. Death, by the Hebrews, was especially represented as extending his long and baleful shadow over the regions of departed spirits (Job 38:17):

Have the gates of death been opened to thee?
Hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Before I go—I shall not return—
To the land of darkness
And of the shadow of death. (Job 10:21)

It is thus an image of chills, and gloom, and night—of anything that resembles the still and mournful regions of the dead. The Chaldee renders these two verses thus: ‘In a former time Zebulun and Naphtali emigrated; and those who remained after them a strong king shall carry into captivity, because they did not remember the power which was shown in the Red Sea, and the miracles which were done in Jordan, and the wars of the people of the cities. The people of the house of Israel who walked in Egypt as in the midst of shades, came out that they might see a great light.’

Thou hast multiplied the nation - You have made the nation strong, powerful, and mighty. Several interpreters, such as Calvin, Vitringa, and Le Clerc, suppose that the prophet here, and in the two following verses, speaks in the first instance of the prosperity near at hand, and of the rapid increase of the Israelites after the return from the Babylonian exile. The inhabitants of Galilee must have participated in this increase, as may be inferred from the accounts of Josephus regarding the great population of that province in his time (see Jewish Wars, i. 20, 23).

Vitringa also directs our attention to the fact that the Jewish people, after the exile, not only filled Judea but also spread into Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy. However, it seems unnecessary to refer it to such an increase of the inhabitants. It may refer to the great increase of the Messiah’s kingdom, or of the kingdom He would establish, whose commencement would be in Galilee (see Hengstenberg, Christology, vol. 1, p. 354).

And not increased the joy - The Masoretes here read in the margin לו (lô), “to it,” instead of לא (lo'), “not.” Eleven manuscripts, two of them ancient, have this reading. This reading is followed by the Chaldee Paraphrase, the Syriac, and the Arabic. The Septuagint also seems to have understood it this way. This is also the reading in the margin, the connection demands it, and it is unquestionably the correct reading.

It would then read, “Thou hast increased for it (the nation) the joy.” Hengstenberg, however, suggests that the phrase may mean, “whose joy you did not previously enlarge,” that is, “upon whom you had previously inflicted heavy sufferings.” But this interpretation is harsh, and I see no reason to doubt that an error may have crept into the text.

They joy before thee according to the joy of harvest - This is a beautiful figure and is found frequently in ancient writings. The harvest was a time of exultation and joy, commonly gathered amid songs and rejoicings, and concluded with a festival. The phrase “before thee” refers to the fact that the first-fruits of the harvest among the Hebrews were presented with thanksgiving before God in the temple (Deuteronomy 12:7; Deuteronomy 14:22–26).

And as men rejoice ... - This is also an expression of great joy and rejoicing. Such an occasion, at the close of a battle when great spoil or plunder had been taken, would be a time of great rejoicing (1 Samuel 30:16; 2 Chronicles 20:25–28).

For you have broken - This verse, and the following, show the way in which the occasion for the joy had been provided. The expression ‘you have’ does not necessarily refer to the past, but is a form of expression derived from the nature of prophetic visions, where what is seen to pass before the prophet's eyes is described as past (see the Introduction, section 7).

The yoke - This word is often used to denote oppression or tyranny (Leviticus 26:13; Deuteronomy 28:48—where oppression is described as an iron yoke; compare to 1 Kings 12:4; Isaiah 47:6; Isaiah 58:6).

The staff of his shoulder - The word translated as staff here may mean a bough, a branch, a staff, stick, or rod. Gesenius supposes that the expression here means the rod by which punishment is inflicted, and that the phrase ‘rod of, or for the shoulder,’ denotes oppression and servitude. Rosenmuller thinks that it refers rather to the custom among the ancients of placing a piece of wood, not unlike a yoke, on the necks and shoulders of slaves, as a mark of servitude. Hengstenberg understands it as ‘the staff which strikes the neck or back.’

The rod of his oppressor - This, doubtless, refers to the chastisement inflicted on those in bondage, and is a phrase denoting oppression and servitude. The word ‘his’ here refers to Israel.

As in the day of Midian - This refers to the deliverance that was accomplished under Gideon against the Midianites (see Judges 7; Judges 8). That deliverance was a remarkable interposition of God. It was accomplished not by human strength, but was a signal manifestation of the power of God in delivering the nation from the long oppression of the Midianites. So the prophet says here, that the deliverance will be as signal a proof of the presence and power of God as it was in that day. Herder (Hebrew Poetry, vol. ii. p. 296) says, ‘At that period, in the north part of the country, a great deliverance was wrought. Then, in the obscure forests of Naphtali and Zebulun, the light of freedom went forth over all the land. So now, also, in this northern throng of nations, in the way along the sea of Galilee, where now the hostile Syrians are exercising their oppressions, the light of freedom is going forth, and there shall be joy and jubilee, like that of the song of Deborah.’

For every battle of the warrior — The expression used here has caused great difficulty because it occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. The word סאון (se'on) — rendered here 'battle' — is thought to mean, rather, greaves, or the armor of the warrior that covered the feet and legs. It would be literally translated, 'Every greave of those armed with greaves' (Gesenius). The Chaldee renders it, 'For every gift of theirs is for evil.' The Syriac, 'For every tumult (of battle) is heard with terror.' Hengstenberg renders it, 'For all war-shoes put on at the noise of battle, all garments dipped in blood, shall be burned, shall be the food of fire.' The idea, according to him, is that the great future redemption will be like the deliverance under Gideon, 'because, far from being accomplished by force of arms, with it all contention and war shall cease.' Gesenius regards the figurative expression as a general designation of that peace that shall never end.

All the armor used in war shall then be burned, as being of no further use.

Is with confused noise — The word used here — רעשׁ (ra‛ash) — denotes, properly, a shaking, as of a spear; a concussion, tumult, or noise, as of a battle. Here it is thought to refer to the noise that the armor of the soldiers made — particularly to the noise made by the greaves, or war-shoes, worn on the feet and legs. Those greaves were fitted up, it is said, with numerous large iron hooks or clasps, and were sometimes fastened with large nails (compare Josephus, Jewish Wars, Book VI, Chapter 1, Section 8).

And garments — This word here refers, undoubtedly, to the soldier’s cloak or blanket.

Rolled in blood — This is a description of the usual effect of war. The image of war is that of a clangor made by the armor of soldiers and by garments that have been dipped in human blood. It is a most revolting but just image.

But this shall be — Regarding this threatened invasion and danger, this shall be the result. The meaning is this: The prophet sees the image of war and of threatened invasion. He hears the clangor of their greaves — the sound of their march — and he sees the usual emblem of battle: bloody garments. But he says here that this invasion shall not be successful. There was no occasion for alarm. The very armor of the warrior should be burned up. The enemy should be defeated — and their greaves and their bloody garments should be consumed.

With burning — For burning; that is, it shall be consumed.

And fuel of fire — Hebrew, 'Food of fire.' This is a strong, emphatic expression — 'it shall be to be burned — the food of fire.' It denotes the certainty that they would be vanquished, that the invading foe would not be successful, and that his very armory and garments would be stripped off and burned. To understand this, it is necessary to remark that in ancient times it was customary to strip the dead who were slain in a vanquished army, and to collect their armor, their chariots, etc., and consume them. The more valued spoils of battle were reserved as the prey of the victors or to be suspended in temples consecrated to the gods :

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
He breaketh the bow;
And cutteth the spear in sunder;
He burneth the chariot in the fire.

Ezekiel has carried out this description more at length:

And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go forth,
And shall set on fire and burn the weapons,
Both the shields and the bucklers,
The bows and the arrows,
And the clubs and the lances. (Ezekiel 39:9).

Zechariah has a similar figure, as descriptive of the time of the Messiah:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem;
Behold, thy king cometh unto thee.
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,
And the horse from Jerusalem,
And the battle bow shall be cut off, etc. (Zechariah 9:9–10).

This custom prevailed among several nations. Thus Virgil:

— scutorumque incendi victor acervos. (Aeneid, viii. 562).

There can be no doubt, I think, that the prophet here has his eye on the victories of the Messiah, and that he means to say that in those victories all armor would be for fuel of fire; that is, that they would be achieved without hostile arms. Applied to the Messiah, it means either that his victories would be complete or that in his victories all necessity of such armor would cease. According to this, the passage teaches that peace should be introduced by him without a conflict and thus harmonizes with the numerous parallel passages in which peace is represented as a characteristic mark of the times of the Messiah, when contention, war, and destruction shall cease .