John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 30:32

"And every stroke of the appointed staff, which Jehovah shall lay upon him, shall be with [the sound of] tabrets and harps; and in battles with the brandishing [of his arm] will he fight with them." — Isaiah 30:32 (ASV)

And there shall be in every passage. He means that the Assyrians will try in vain every method of escaping from the hand of God; for wherever they go, whether they attempt to go forward or to turn back, the hand of God will pursue them. Regarding the phrase fastened staff, I readily adopt the opinion of those who think that the metaphor is taken from those who have suffered strokes so heavy that the marks of the instrument of punishment remain, as if a rod or staff were “fastened” in the wound.

Perhaps it will be thought preferable to interpret it as meaning that the wound is “fastened” on the Assyrian, just as a foundation is fixed in the earth; for what is not “fastened” can be moved from its place and carried away. But he shows that this wound is so deeply fixed that it cannot be shaken off or removed.

In the same way, the weight of God’s wrath lies on the reprobate and holds them weighed down to the end. To show that there is no hope of gaining an advantage by changing place, he says everywhere, thus declaring that there will be no retreat. The clause should be arranged this way: “wherever the staff shall pass, there it will stick firmly.”

With tabrets and harps. He means that the outcome of the battle will not be doubtful, as it is when combatants meet on equal terms; for he says that the victory will be certain, because as soon as God determines to go out to fight, He already holds the victory in His hand. “Tabrets and harps,” hands spread out and lifted up, express the joy of conquerors when they shout aloud and chant the song of victory.

Shall fight against her. The feminine pronoun בה (bāhh) is viewed by some commentators as referring to the army; but the Prophet undoubtedly intended to express something more significant: namely, the head of the army, that is, Babylon, as contrasted with Jerusalem, which he also formerly denoted by a similar pronoun.

From these statements we should infer that the wicked will eventually be destroyed, even though they appear to have many ways to escape. For wherever they turn, whatever road they take, the “staff” of the Lord will pursue them and will remain “fastened” to their back forever; they will never escape His hand or get rid of their wounds.

We, too, are chastened by the hand of God, but the wounds do not always last; our pains are soothed and abated, and our grief is turned into joy (John 16:20). Besides, God wages war against the reprobate in such a way that they cannot resist Him or gain anything by their attempts.

He does indeed join battle with them, but it is as a conqueror; He even allows them to gain some advantages, but He represses their insolence whenever He thinks proper. If, therefore, we fight under His banner, let us entertain no doubt of obtaining the victory; for when we have Him as our leader, we will be safe from all danger and will undoubtedly emerge as conquerors.