John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 29:2

"then will I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation; and she shall be unto me as Ariel." — Isaiah 29:2 (ASV)

But I will bring Ariel into distress. I think that ו (vau) should here be taken as a disjunctive conjunction: “And yet I will execute my judgments and take vengeance, though, by delaying them for a time, it may seem as if I had forgiven.” He next threatens that he will give them grief and mourning, instead of the joy of the festivals. אניה (ănīāh) is viewed by some as an adjective, but improperly, for it is used in the same manner by Jeremiah (Lamentations 2:5). He declares that the Lord will reduce that city to distress, so that the Jews might know that they had to contend with God, and not with men. And, though the war was carried on by the Assyrians, they might still perceive that God was their leader.

And it shall be to me as Ariel. This clause would not apply to the Temple alone, for he means that everything will be made bloody by the slaughter that will take place at Jerusalem; and therefore he compares it to an “Altar,” on which victims of all kinds are slain, in the same manner as wicked men destined for slaughter are frequently compared to a sacrifice.

In short, by alluding here to the word “Altar,” he says that the whole city will be “as Ariel,” because it will overflow with the blood of the slain. Thus, it is evident that the outward profession of worship, ceremonies, and the outward demonstrations of the favor of God are of no avail, unless we sincerely obey him.

By an ironical expression, he tells hypocrites that their labor is fruitless. These are those who, with an impure heart, present sacrifices of beasts to God, as if they were the offerings fitted to appease his anger. He further implies that since they had profaned the Temple and the Altar, it was impossible to offer a proper sacrifice to God without slaying victims throughout the whole city—as if he had said, “There will be carnage in every part.” He makes use of the word “Sacrifice” figuratively, to denote the violent slaughter of those who refused to offer themselves willingly to God.