John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 29:7

"And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night." — Isaiah 29:7 (ASV)

As a dream of a night-vision. I also interpret this verse differently from others, for they think that the Prophet intended to bring comfort to the godly. There is undoubtedly great plausibility in this view, and it contains an excellent doctrine: namely, that the enemies of the Church resemble "dreamers" in this respect, that the Lord disappoints their hopes, even when they think they have almost gained their objective. But this interpretation does not seem to me to agree well with the text. Sometimes it happens that when a sentence is beautiful, it attracts us to it and causes us to stray from the true meaning, so that we do not adhere closely to the context or spend much time investigating the author’s meaning. Let us therefore inquire if this is the true meaning of the Prophet.

Since the Prophet afterwards proceeds again to utter threats, I have no doubt that here he continues with the same subject, which otherwise would be improperly interrupted by this statement. He censures the Jews and rebukes them for their obstinacy in boldly despising God and all His threats.

In short, by a most appropriate metaphor, he reproves them for their false confidence and presumption. He threatens that the enemies will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly while the Jews will imagine they are enjoying profound peace and are very far from all danger. Indeed, the event will be so sudden and unexpected that it will appear to be "a dream." "Although then," he says, "you indulge the hope of uninterrupted repose, the Lord will quickly awaken you and will drive away your presumption."

The Prophet says wittily that the Jews are "dreaming" because, being drowned in their pleasures, they neither see nor feel anything, but, amid the dizzy whirl, stupidly imagine they are happy. Hence he infers that the enemies will come, as in "a dream," to strike terror into those who are asleep, just as it frequently happens that a pleasant and delightful sleep is disturbed by frightening dreams. It follows from this that the pleasures which have lulled them to sleep will not benefit them; for, though they do not think of it at all, yet a tumult will arise suddenly. This might still have been somewhat obscure if he had not explained the subject more fully in the following verse.