V. 1. 2. Woe to the apostate children.
Here begins a new speech. For the prophet comes again to the people and to their times, exhorting them to faith and to the fear of God. For Sanherib king of Assyria drew near to them, who had led away the ten tribes of Israel. The princes of Judah (for Isaiah speaks only of the princes, not of the king), who were in great terror, took refuge in the help of Egypt and abandoned all hope in the help of God, as the flesh is wont to do. Therefore, in this chapter, the prophet first denounces the unbelief of the princes and the people and threatens them that this help will be of no use to them. Then he tries to bring them back to faith through promises, and to strengthen the hearts of the godly, he describes the miserable defeat of the king of Assyria, as in the tenth chapter above, v. 5 ff. He remains mostly with this subject until the 38th chapter.
Woe to the apostates.
(2) Thus he punishes the king's counselors and princes, because they are apostates both from God and from their king, who seek foreign help, so that they provoke God to anger all the more. What the Latin translation has given: Ordiremini telam, of which the meaning according to the Hebrew is approximately: "You seek protection without my spirit.
V. 3 For Pharaoh's strength shall be a reproach to you.
3.f ) This is the saying from the mouth of the Lord, whom they did not ask: Because you rely on men and not on God, that is, on lies and not on truth, it will happen that you will be put to shame, according to the saying [Proverbs 29:25 Vulg.
f) Instead of H8 3-6, the 1532 edition has only the following: This is to be a general saying: whoever relies on men will fall and perish.
will fall." Likewise [Ps. 146, 3.]: "Do not rely on princes; they are men, they cannot help." These sayings are explained by daily experience that those who rely on human help fall most shamefully. That is why the saying arose among the courtiers: the favor of princes is like April weather, that is, very unstable. For at that time the sunshine promises a lasting summer, but rain and hail soon follow. The wicked have experienced this themselves with their damage, and confess that it is true. So if one had to rely on men, one would have to rely most on princes, who are the most powerful and have an abundance of goods. Since those who surpass others in power and wealth are deceiving, how much less should one put one's trust in those who are not so powerful and not so rich!
4 Thus it is a common saying that trusting in men is vain and false. But no one believes it but he who has experienced it. That is where such speeches come from: What, or whom, is to be believed? The world is full of infidelity, and the like. But who is to blame? Certainly on you, who are warned in the first commandment that you should not rely on any man, and yet you do. Therefore your hope deceives you rightly. Yes, men sometimes gladly do their duty and help those who are in need; but they are prevented by God, so that others may learn that the saying of the prophet is true: "He who relies on men will fall." For a man either will not, or cannot, or does not know how to help; therefore one should not rely on men, but on God, who knows, wills, and can save in danger, be it as great as it may. But because our adversaries neither want nor are able to do this, we see how often and how finely they have become a mockery in these years.
5 Furthermore, a distinction must be made here. A Christian should believe of his neighbor that he will be a good shepherd of souls, a good prince, a good teacher, and yet he should not take this for granted as if he could not be deceived, but he should add this condition: Lord, if you will assist him, he will be such; if you will not assist him, I will not trust him a hair's breadth. Thus, if a prince entrusts an office to someone, let him believe that he will administer it duly, if God will give it; otherwise not. This means not to put one's hope and trust in man, but in God and divine help.
006 Now when the prophet seeth that the princes of Hezekiah seek the help of men, he proclaimeth beforehand that they shall be put to shame. For so it came to pass, as the books of Chronicles testify, that Sanherib went out against the king of Egypt, and drove him back into Egypt.
V. 4. 5. Their princes must have been at Zoan.
Zoan is a city in Egypt and was a royal residence. Tanis1 ) but is read nowhere else. I think it is the same as Zoan, and had another name in another language, just as Belgrade and "Greek-Weissenburg" 2) is the same city 2c. He says: You have sent your envoys to the king of Egypt, but you will achieve nothing.
V. 6. This is the burden over the animals that go toward the south.
8. the word "burden" must be taken, as above [Cap. 19, 1. 21, 1.], as a prophecy of future misfortune. For the prophet extends his prophecy with threats. For he sees camels and other animals standing ready, which should bring gifts to the king of Egypt. Therefore he prophesies against these animals and their leaders that they would not be able to do anything.
9. calls "the land of gloom and anguish".
1) In the Septuagint and Vulgate, lanis is placed instead of "zoan" at this point.
gabe is translated by "Greek-Weissenburg".
he Indaea, which the king of Assyria approached.
10. He says, "Since there are lions and lionesses." This is a very fierce sermon of punishment. The way out of Judea to Egypt is a great wilderness, and this contains a great multitude of all kinds of wild beasts, serpents, lions 2c. Therefore, the prophet alludes to this way. He says: "Quite rightly do you messengers, together with your animals, which you lead laden with gifts, make your way through the desert of serpents and lions. For you yourselves are the terrible lions and poisonous serpents, who infect my people with the hope of human help, so that they turn away from the faith and leave their God and take refuge in human help. Furthermore, the saying can be given like this: Onus jumentorum ad austrum euntium, inter quae sunt, in terra angustiae et necessitatis, leo et leaena, basiliscus et draco volans. Portant super humeros jumentorum etc. [This is the burden of the beasts that go toward the south, among which are, in the land of anguish and distress, the lion and the lioness, the basilisk and the flying dragon. They lead on the back of the beasts of burden" 2c.]
V. 7. Rahab will sit quietly by (Superbia tantum est, quiesce).
11. Jerome has put a generic name s8uporbi] instead of a proper name [Rahab], but it must be translated: "Rahab will sit quietly by it." "Rahab," however, is Egypt, as it is written in the 87th Psalm, v. 4. "I will cause Rahab and Babylon to preach." It has the name of hopefulness and presumption. As if he wanted to say: Rahab, from whose help you expect glorious things, will deceive you and will not be able to help you.
V. 8 Go therefore, and write it before them on a tablet.
Now he adds a sign to his prophecy, as he did above in chapter 8 [v. 11 ff]. For he has scolded them so far for taking refuge from God in the help of men. This very thing, he commands, is now to be written publicly on a tablet, so that they have no opportunity to excuse themselves. The writing on the tablet is as follows:
382 D- xx". 300-303. interpretations on the prophets. W. vi. [sr-ssr. 383
V. 9. for they are a disobedient people.
13. instead of: Populus enim ad iracundiam provocans etc. translate thus: "For they are a disobedient people, and lying children, who will not hear the law of the Lord" 2c. This is a severe punishment. As if to say: they should honor GOD, but they irritate Him; they should confess GOD, but they deny Him. They do not want to hear God's word, but they want to hear what pleases them. So also now the papists say that they want to be instructed, but so, if one would say what they themselves approve, as follows. For this passage contains a mean description of all the ungodly.
V. 10. But say to the seers: You shall not see.
14 He calls the prophets "seers" and "see" the word of God. Here it must be noted that the Holy Spirit calls right that which those call heretical, and calls deception and error that which those call truth. "Preach us deceit," that is, man's help; "and see not the right doctrine," that is, do not tell us much of the faith and fear of God. "Preach unto us softly," that is, what is well pleasing to us. For the flesh rejects the word of faith, because it kills the presumption and the attempts of presumption. Therefore, it takes offense at the word of GOD.
V. 11. Let the saint in Israel stop with us.
(15) Tell us about the king of Egypt, who has chariots and horses. This pleases us better than if you tell us much about the faith in God, who sits here with us in darkness and does not pay attention to us. Just as nowadays the princes, when they hear the Gospel spoken, start laughing loudly and say: "What are you talking about the Gospel? Be silent, your gospel is packing itself away from us.
V. 12-14. Therefore the Holy One speaks to Israel.
16. he threatens them with the punishment that follows all the wicked, that they will perish suddenly. This "vice", he speaks, that is, the
Doctrine of presumption on human powers, will be "like a crack in a wall," which will bring about the fall, shattering you all suddenly and unexpectedly. This is an exceedingly puffing simile.
V. 15. By being still and hoping you would be strong.
(17) He seeks to move the hearts of his hearers in various ways, by exhortation, by threats, and by promises, so that he may draw them away from hope and trust in human help. Therefore, this is an excellent promise, that we should expect divine help in hope, and refrain from our attempts, then we would certainly be preserved. As if to say: If there is a troubling thing that could trouble you, see to it that you do not sin, either by despair or by presumption of human help, but be still and expect salvation, and you will surely be saved. But this way of overcoming and being saved, our reason does not understand that we can overcome by' being quiet. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is needed to awaken in us faith in the word of the divine promise, that we may be still and hope, and let the wicked rage and rage against us. But before God should leave those who are so quiet and hope, he would snatch them out by his angels. But this expectation of divine help is certain death for reason. And it is precisely in this promise that the true death of the flesh is required. Thus faith moves in the midst of the death of the flesh and of reason, and makes alive 2c.
18 There are many examples of this saying throughout the holy scriptures, but our present experience also gives ample testimony that the best and most certain means of overcoming all evil is to be quiet and secure, and to leave everything to God. For what else has been the cause that for so many years we have enjoyed a constant peace in the midst of such great raging and tumult of the world and the princes? It is not our actions that have brought us this peace and this security, but rather
To be quiet and hope, as the prophet says here, is that we in simple faith have committed ourselves and our cause to God, and with persistent prayer (for these weapons alone we have against Satan) protect ourselves. However, even before these times, there were many glorious examples of this saying.
19 For some years ago there was a bishop of Magdeburg, a count of Beichlingen, 1) who had been forcibly drawn to the diocese by the cathedral chapter. It happened by chance that the Duke of Saxony prepared for war against him because of some disagreements. When the bishop learned of this, he, 2) like one who lies in a deep sleep, made no countermeasures to the war, in order to expel force with force, but he took care of his churches, often found himself in them, improved their errors, read and prayed diligently, as if there were no war to worry about from anywhere. However, a spy from the Duke of Saxony was at the bishop's court when the news arrived that the Duke of Saxony had already started the campaign. Thereupon the bishop said: "It has good ways; I will take care of my churches, but God will fight for me. The spy caught this word and brought it to the Duke of Saxony. Thereupon the campaign was immediately stopped by the laudable duke, and the soldiers were dismissed. For he replied that he was much too weak to fight against someone who had God as his ally in battle. In this way, the hope for divine help does not fall into disgrace.
(20) And this is true not only in matters of religion, but also in secular matters. For this is how it tends to happen in general, that hasty actions come to grief; on the other hand, those things go well which are approached fearfully and with reason. That is why the Romans praise Fabius, the procrastinator,
1) Count Frederick of Beichlingen (cf. Walch, St. Louis ed. vol. V, 1204 f.). In the Latin editions: LiefiliüMn, in the one of 1532: VieUinZen. The former county of Beichlingen is located in the Thuringian district of the province of Saxony. The Counts of Beichlingen died out in 1567.
2) In Latin here is the so-called Inünitivus üistorieus.
Luther's Works, "d. VI.
who made up for the bad things by procrastinating. For the presumption of our powers always puts us to shame. Therefore it is well said: Patience overcomes all things (Patiens terit omnia virtus); and Paul says [Rom. 12:21.), "Overcome evil with good." The world sees such an outcome, but it does not see the cause, which only the Holy Scriptures show us.
21 Furthermore, the cause of this promise lies in the first commandment, where God promises that He will be a protector of the godly 3) and again that He will punish the wicked. It is therefore impossible that the godly should not be preserved and that the wicked should not perish. For the word of God cannot fail. Only in this is it provided of us, that we cannot expect the moment of time when we shall be preserved, and the ungodly punished. For God is long-suffering and does not punish quickly. But the slower He begins to punish, the longer He continues with the punishment, once He has begun. Because human nature becomes impatient with this delay, the heart must be raised with such scriptures, and souls must be accustomed to endure all hardships in the hope of future redemption. Just as Christ also reminds us when he says Luc. 21, 19: "Take hold of your souls with patience" 2c. For the wicked cannot endure, and it is certainly true, as they say, Malum destruit se ipsum [evil destroys itself].
(22) Therefore, we must be quiet and leave everything in the hands of God. After that we should also hope for the future redemption, and in fact experience that hope does not make us ashamed, but our adversaries will be ashamed, who have undertaken to defend an ungodly cause against Christ in an ungodly way.
V. 16, 17: For your thousands will flee from the rebuke of one.
(23) One enemy shall make your lousy fugitive, and ye shall all be scattered, and there shall not be left any of your host.
3) Erlanger: xriorurn instead of xiorum; a misprint.
than a flag. For here he calls a mast in figurative speech a pole on which the flag hangs.
(24) This is the cause of victory, that God takes away the heart of those who are overcome, and makes the conquerors brave. But a fearful army is nothing but a heap led to the slaughter, and they are more painted than living men of war, whose hands are lukewarm and whose sword is blunt.
V. 18. Therefore the Lord waits.
(25) He now comes back to the promises, whether he might withdraw them from the presumption of human powers. As if to say, "The Lord is still delaying, so that he will not deliver you to destruction as you think; he is still waiting for you; therefore desist from your plans and hope. This is an excellent passage.
And has set out that he may have mercy on you.
026 He showeth his patience marvelously. For you provoke him by your distrust to destroy you; but he is exceedingly patient to spare you, and to have mercy on you, if only you would expect it, and would not prescribe the time and manner of helping him.
For the Lord is a God of judgment.
27. he chastens with judgment and moderation, that is, moderately and with benefit, he does not corrupt altogether; therefore expect counsel from him.
Blessed are all those who wait for him.
28. Here the service of God is described, that those are true priests who wait on the Lord. For this is the highest religion of the first commandment, to fear God in good days and to trust Him in adversity. The wicked, however, cannot do this, but because they are without faith, they determine the way and the time to help him, how and by whom and when they want to be saved. Because the flesh wants to hear, see and grasp the help with its hands. Therefore, it takes refuge in its own strength and in its own actions, and does not want to expect help from God. Therefore it becomes
disgraced, and despairs in the danger. Thus this passage contains an exhortation and encouragement to faith; just as it is finely said in Proverbs: "All will be well who can but endure it.
V. 19. For the people of Zion will dwell at Jerusalem.
29 These are excellent promises with which he tells King Hezekiah and the godly not to despair. First, he promises a gracious and kind God; second, that Jerusalem and its citizens would be safe; third, that the crops would be good, that they would not suffer hunger or thirst in the siege; fourth, even the word of God, by which they would be established, would be taught 2c. They will hear the word of him who reminds them, reciting after them, he says; just as shepherds go after the flock of sheep, so your teachers will go after you, teaching you the right way 2c.
V.20. And the Lord will give you bread in tribulation.
30 Instead of: Et dabit tibi Dominus panem artum, translate: "The Lord will give you bread in tribulation, and water in anguish." For he promises that he will give blessing against the arrogance of the enemy.
For he will no longer let your teacher flee away.
31. You will have prophets who will teach you the firm and constant word of promise. For he indicates by the word "flee away" such people who teach inconstant and uncertain things.
V. 21: And your ears will hear the word spoken behind you:
The most simple opinion is that the prophet has in mind a shepherd who walks behind his flock and blows on the flute. As if he wanted to say: You will have very faithful shepherds who will help you and will fix their eyes on you 2c., so as to indicate the care of a shepherd for the souls of his disciples.
Z88 L. xxii, 307-310. brief interpretation on Isaiah, cap. 30, 21. 22. w. vi. E-eo." 389
This is the way they go.
These teachers will take care to keep you on the right road of God's commandments, so that you do not stray into the statutes of men or into your own conceit. But it is a very sweet promise that we shall have many such teachers as Isaiah to teach us what to do. Under the pope, everything was in the greatest confusion; no one knew for sure whether his status (vitae genus) was pleasing to God. But now, by God's grace, the authorities can say of their office: "This is the way in which I should go. So a father, a mother, a pupil, a teacher 2c. can say: This is the way in which I should walk. Thus the words "this is the way" refer to teaching; but the word "walk in the same" belongs to exhortation. Thus a preacher is to be a dialectician who teaches, and an orator who exhorts.
V. 22. And you will profane your silvered idols.
(34) After this, saith he, it shall come to pass, that ye shall be purged from all idolatry. For when one has heard the true doctrine, all confidence in works and all idolatry falls away and perishes. But here he indicates the certainty of faith, that the true doctrine makes people so certain that they can with a clear conscience condemn that which they previously approved and considered the highest worship. So nowadays we throw away the caps after we have recognized the true doctrine of the religion in which we previously placed the highest trust of blessedness. Thus the annual feast days (anniversaria), the masses, and other ungodly services have fallen, and lie quite low, just as the prophet here says of the Jews of his time that they would throw away their oversilvered idols and the golden garments of their images; not that they hoped as if their wooden or silver images were capable of anything, but because they thought that this service was pleasing to God.
35 But there is an emphasis in the words, "your silvered idols, and the golden garments of your images. As if he wanted to say, "Why do you boast so much about your idols?
Idols? What are they but your works and your powers? But to forsake your Creator and trust in your own work is the greatest foolishness and the greatest impiety. Just as there is nothing more foolish than to make a god out of gold, which serves all: so it is also the greatest folly to put one's trust in other works that are ours, such as fasting, putting on a cap 2c. For this cannot be denied, that these are our works, because they would not be done if we would not have it so, and because our will is lord and regent over all these works. And yet there has been such a great blindness that neither we have seen this, nor the papists now see it; but that which properly belongs to the fear of God and to faith, they ascribe to a godless monk's cap, and to a badly kept fast, namely, that they are true services of God.
(36) But where the righteousness of faith has taken hold of the heart, it works this, that our righteousness becomes a filth to us, and this it does with great certainty. Apart from this righteousness of faith, it is impossible not to be taken in by superstition and false worship. For it has a very great appearance, which blinds the eyes of the simple, while true faith goes along simply without any appearance, believing in God and serving the neighbor, as we see in Christ, who went along most simply, without any makeup, since in him was the highest faith and the highest love.
(37) Therefore the prophet has a secret interpretation in mind when he says: "You will desecrate the golden garments of your images. As if he wanted to say: That covering under which superstition is hidden, and that appearance, the pure preaching of the Word will take away and lift. For ungodliness would do no harm if it did not have such an appearance. Just as we see nowadays in the enthusiasts, who put this on us, that our religion has no appearance at all. Therefore they take on a gloomy appearance, wear bad clothes, live lonely (soli) 2c. In sum, they put all the human
The people of the world are not willing to accept the obligations of religion under the pretext of religion, so that they may be offered for sale to the mob under the pretense of sanctity and darken our minds. Therefore, a great certainty of faith is required that one can reject and repudiate this. Thus, Muenzer also wanted to eradicate all appearance of piety, but he himself invented other new appearances, and yet he thievishly gained the name of godliness through this appearance among the simple.
V. 23-25. And there will be on all the great mountains.
If you believe God the Lord, you will be showered with blessings. "On the mountains", where otherwise there is the greatest barrenness, there will be the greatest fruitfulness "when the towers", that is, the princes of the Assyrians, "will fall". It must have been a great faith with the king Hezekiah, who believed this prophecy, since everything was already full of the enemy war army, and Jerusalem was beset with a very hard siege.
39 This passage, however, prevents us from being offended by divine promises, which are always very tasteless in appearance and completely at odds with the facts. For this reason, reason is offended by them, and considers them to be utterly vain baptisms. Thus we see that the sacramentarians also measure the divine promises and the word of God according to reason. Therefore, they necessarily defend their opinion against the clear words of Scripture. But such passages of Scripture are well to be remembered, in which the promises thus conflict with the thing itself. So also, when we die, the promise says: You will live 2c.
V. 26. And the moon's light will be like the sun's light.
40) He makes the joy great, according to the sense of the blessed, 1) who have suddenly been delivered from apparent death. For, as we have shown before, to the sorrowful heart all things seem sad.
1) Erlanger: eüketura instead of aSeotnra.
against the merry all to be merry and laugh. Therefore he says: Hezekiah and others, freed from the siege, when they will see the defeat of the enemies, will rejoice so much that the light of the sun and the moon, with all too great joy, will seem to them far more pleasant and lovely than before. They will think that all creatures would be happy and laughing at the same time 2c. For this picture must be interpreted according to how the godly are to be understood.
V. 27. 28. Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar.
(41) After the prophet has comforted the godly, and tried to turn away the wicked from the presumption of human powers by many reasons, he now passes from his people to the Assyrians and threatens them with destruction. He says: The Assyrian is coming; our God is also coming full of wrath against him. But he says that the LORD comes from afar, so that he may express the attitude of those who wait for the hand of the LORD. For it seems as if God is delaying His help and is looking late at us. But it is a great description, which required the highest danger of the godly, so that they would rise up against the impending terror. But if anyone could believe that God was thus ["like a consuming fire"] kindled against our enemies, he would be safe from all danger.
V. 29. There you will sing.
After the towers have fallen, you will go through the city with joy, singing and giving thanks.
V. 30-32. And the LORD will sound his glorious voice.
Now he describes the way they will be killed and slain. The Lord will destroy the Assyrian with thunder and lightning. The thunder he calls "the voice of the LORD", "timbrels and harps".
V. 33. For the pit is prepared from yesterday.
44. this place one has declared of the hell, and it also goes on when one is given to the home.
interpretation. But it seems to me that one must understand it historically. He calls "the pit" (XXX) the slaughter and sacrifice that was prepared for the Assyrians, which they could not escape, so that the opinion is this: The Lord will destroy the Assyrians.
Assyrians slaughter, he will prepare a burnt offering, for which "fire and wood" are prepared. Only the blowing is left, by which it is to be lighted, that is, the lightning. For it alludes to the fall of Sodom.