John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 9:1

"But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time hath he made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations." — Isaiah 9:1 (ASV)

Yet the darkness shall not be. He begins to comfort the miserable with the hope of relief, so that they may not be overwhelmed by their immense distresses. Many take these words in a completely opposite meaning, that is, as a threat that foretells for the Jews a heavier affliction than that with which Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29) and Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:6) afflicted them.

The former inflicted a heavy calamity, the latter one still heavier, for he carried the twelve tribes into captivity and blotted out the name of the nation. Some think that he now foretells the heaviest calamity of all, for if it is compared with the former two, it exceeds them both. Though I am not prepared to reject this view, as it is not without plausibility, I prefer a different opinion. The other interpretation is indeed more plausible: that the Prophet intended to deprive hypocrites of all comfort, so that they would not imagine that this calamity would quickly pass away like a storm, as the others had, for it would be utterly destructive. And so we will take the particle כי (ki) in its literal meaning.

But in my opinion, it is most appropriate to view it as a consolation, in which he begins to lessen what he had said about that frightful darkness and driving (Isaiah 8:22), and, by soothing the bitterness of those punishments, encourages them to expect God's favor.

It is as if he had said, “And yet, amidst that shocking calamity which the Jews will endure, the darkness will not be such as when the land of Israel was afflicted, first by Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29), and afterwards more grievously by Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:6).” In such great extremities, believers might otherwise have lost heart if they had not been encouraged by some consolation. Isaiah therefore directs his message to them so that they would not think they were ruined, for he suggests that the punishments now to be inflicted will be lighter than those that preceded. That this is the natural interpretation will soon become clear from what follows.

But why does the Prophet say that this calamity, which was far more dreadful, would be more mild and gentle? For Jerusalem was to be destroyed, the temple demolished, and the sacrifices abolished, all of which had remained untouched during the former calamities. It might be thought that these were the severest of all, and that the former, in comparison to them, were light.

But it should be noted that while in the former instances there was no promise, an explicit promise was added to this threat. By this alone can temptations be overcome and chastisements be made light. Only by this seasoning, I say, are our afflictions eased; and all who lack it must despair. But if, through it, the Lord strengthens us by offering the hope of assistance, there is no affliction so heavy that we will not consider it light.

This may be made clear by a comparison. A man might happen to be drowned in a small stream; yet, if he had fallen into the open sea and grabbed hold of a plank, he might have been rescued and brought to shore. Similarly, the slightest calamities will overwhelm us if we are deprived of God’s favor; but if we relied on the word of God, we might emerge from the heaviest calamity safe and unharmed.

Regarding the words, some take מועף (mugnaph) as an adjective, as if the Prophet said, It shall not be darkened; but the feminine pronoun that immediately follows, בה (bahh), in her, does not allow us to apply this to men. Others more accurately describe it as a substantive noun; therefore, I have decided to translate it literally: there shall not be darkness in Judea according to the affliction of the time when, etc.

Some explain הקל (hekal) to mean that the land was relieved of a burden because the people had been carried into captivity. However, this is completely contrary to the Prophet’s meaning and does not agree with what follows, for it is immediately added that the seacoast has been more grievously afflicted by a second calamity.

Therefore, there can be no doubt that this verb corresponds to the other verb הכביד (hikbid). Since only a small part of the kingdom had been afflicted by Tiglath-pileser, the calamity he brought upon it is said to be light compared to the second, which was inflicted by Shalmaneser.

By the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. He calls it the way of the sea because Galilee was adjacent to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and on one side it was bordered by the course of the Jordan. It is called Galilee of the Gentiles, not only because it was bordering Tyre and Sidon, but because it contained a large number of Gentiles who were mixed with the Jews. For from the time that Solomon granted this country to King Hiram (1 Kings 9:11), it could never be subdued so completely that some part of it was not possessed by the Gentiles.