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La Bible David Martin
Ésaïe 9:1
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- EveryParallel Translations
Le peuple qui marchait dans les t�n�bres a vu une grande lumi�re, et la lumi�re a resplendi sur ceux qui habitaient le pays de l'ombre de la mort.
Toutefois l'obscurit� ne sera pas selon que la d�tresse fut sur la terre, quand au commencement il pesa l�g�rement sur le pays de Zabulon et le pays de Nephtali, et plus tard s'appesantit sur elle,... chemin de la mer, au del� du Jourdain, Galil�e des nations:
Mais les t�n�bres ne r�gneront pas toujours Sur la terre o� il y a maintenant des angoisses: Si les temps pass�s ont couvert d'opprobre Le pays de Zabulon et le pays de Nephthali, Les temps � venir couvriront de gloire La contr�e voisine de la mer, au del� du Jourdain, Le territoire des Gentils.
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
am 3264, bc 740
the dimness: Isaiah 8:22
when: 1 Kings 15:19, 1 Kings 15:20, 2 Kings 15:29, 2 Chronicles 16:4
afterward: Leviticus 26:24, Leviticus 26:28, 2 Kings 17:5, 2 Kings 17:6, 1 Chronicles 5:26
by the way: Matthew 4:15
Galilee of the nations: or, Galilee the populous
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 33:23 - O Joshua 12:23 - the nations 2 Kings 15:19 - Pul Matthew 4:14 - saying Matthew 15:29 - unto Luke 4:44 - Galilee John 7:52 - Search
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Nevertheless, the dimness [shall] not [be] such as [was] in her vexation,.... The words may be rendered, "for there shall be no weariness to him that straitens" or "afflicts" them f; so Jarchi, who interprets it of the king of Assyria; but it is better to understand it of Titus Vespasian, who would not be weary of, but indefatigable in carrying on the siege of Jerusalem, and in distressing the Jews in all parts: or thus, "for there shall be no fleeing from him that is oppressed in it" g; either that is besieged in Jerusalem, or distressed in Judea; and so the words are a reason of the former distress, and a continuation and amplification of it; though many interpreters think they are to be understood by way of comfort, and as a mitigation of it, which is the sense of our version:
when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; either by Pul king of Assyria, in the reign of Menahem king of Israel, 2 Kings 15:19 or rather by Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, in the reign of Pekah king of Israel, since by him Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, were carried captive, 2 Kings 15:29 which at the time of this prophecy was past, and was but a light affliction in comparison of what followed:
and afterwards did more grievously afflict [her]: by Shalmaneser king of Assyria, in the reign of Hoshea king of Israel, who took Samaria, and carried Israel or the ten tribes into captivity, from whence they returned not; and yet it is suggested, that the tribulation and distress that should come upon the Jews by the Romans should be greater than the heaviest of these; there should be no fleeing, no escape, no, not of any, as at those times mentioned, but wrath should come upon them to the uttermost, and particularly in the places following:
by the way of the sea; which some understand of the Mediterranean sea, and of that part of the land of Israel which lay next it; but it seems rather to design the sea of Tiberias or Galilee, as Jarchi rightly interprets it:
beyond Jordan; a part of the land of Israel so called, known by the name of Peraea; 2 Kings 15:29- ::
in Galilee of the nations; which was inhabited not only by Jews, but by persons of other nations, and therefore so called; now these places suffered much in the wars between the Jews and the Romans, by skirmishes, sieges, robberies, plunders, c. as appears from the history of Josephus. Some interpreters understand all this, as before observed, as an alleviation of those times of trouble, as if it would be less than in former times but it is certain that it was to be, and was, greater than ever was known, Matthew 24:21 it is true, indeed, it may be considered as an alleviation of it, and as affording some comfort in a view of it, that in those very parts where there should be so much distress and misery, the Messiah, previous to it, would appear, and honour it with his presence, who is afterwards spoken of, and so, in connection with the following words, these may be rendered thus; as by De Dieu, "but obscurity shall not be brought to it" (the land) "to which distress is brought; as at the first time he caused reproach towards the land of Zebulun, and towards the land of Naphtali, so in the last" (time) "he will give glory by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, on the border of the nations": and if it be asked what that glory should be, the answer is, "the people that walked in darkness", c. and so the sense may be, that whereas the inhabitants of Zebulun and Naphtali, and all Galilee, were lightly esteemed of, being mean and illiterate, not famous for any arts or sciences, and having no prophet among them, should, in the days of the Messiah, be highly honoured, and made glorious by his presence, ministry, and miracles among them h. See Matthew 14:13, where it is quoted, and applied to Christ's being in those parts.
f כי לא מועף לאשר מוצק לה "quia non defatigatio ei angustanti eos." Quidam in Gataker so Jarchi. g "Et non poterit avolare de angustia sua", Hieron. h See my book of the Prophecies of the Messiah, &c. p. 148.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Nevertheless - Notwithstanding what is said in the previous chapter of the calamities that are coming upon Israel. Hengstenberg renders this whole verse: ‘For darkness shall not be upon the land upon which there is distress; as the former time has dishonored the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; so shall the time come to honor it, the region on the border of the sea, by the side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.’
The dimness - The Hebrew word hero denotes obscurity, or darkness; and is used here, as the word darkness often is in the Scriptures, to denote calamity or affliction. The dimness, or calamity, here referred to, is that which is threatened, Isaiah 8:21-22.
Shall not be such - It shall not be unbroken darkness, and unalleviated calamity; but it shall be interrupted by the rising of the great light that shall shine on the dark land of Zebulun and Naphtali.
In her vexation - The word ‘her’ refers to the whole land of Palestine, to the afflictions that came upon the whole region. The word vexation, מוצק mûtsâq means oppression, calamity, or being “straitened, or pressed.”
When at the first - In the former time; on a former occasion.
He lightly afflicted - The word used here, קלל qâlal, means properly, to be, or make light, or small; and in Hiphil, the form which occurs here, it often means to “esteem lightly, to despise, to hold in contempt;” 2 Samuel 19:43; Ezekiel 22:7. It probably has that sense here, as the design of the prophet is evidently to speak, not of a light affliction in the former time, but of a grievous, heavy calamity - a calamity which would be well denoted by the expression, ‘he made them vile; he exposed them to contempt and derision.’ The time to which reference is made here, was probably the invasion of the land by Tiglath-pileser; 2Ki 15:29; 1 Chronicles 5:26. In that invasion, the parts of Zebulun and Naphtali were particularly afflicted. ‘Tiglath-pileser took Ijon, and Gilead, and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria;’ 2 Kings 15:29. This region had also been invaded by Benhadad two hundred years before the time of Isaiah; 1 Kings 15:20, and there might have been a reference to these various invasions to which this northern part of the land of Palestine had been subjected.
The land of Zebulun - The region occupied by the tribe of Zebulun. This tribe was located between the sea of Tiberias, or the lake Gennesareth, and the Mediterranean. It extended entirely across from the one to the other, and as it was thus favored with a somewhat extended seacoast, the people were more given to commerce than the other tribes, and hence, mingled more with surrounding nations.
And the land of Naphtali - The region which was occupied by this tribe was directly north of Zebulun, and of the sea of Galilee, having that sea and the tribe of Zebulun on the south and southeast, Asher on the west, and a part of the tribe of Manasseh, on the east.
And afterward - That is, in subsequent times; meaning times that were to come after the prophecy here delivered. The previous part of the verse refers to the calamities that had come upon that region in former times. The expression here refers to what was seen by the prophet as yet to occur.
Did more grievously afflict - הכביד hı̂kebbı̂yd. This verb has very various significations. It properly means “to be heavy, to be grievous, to lie or fall heavy on anyone, to be dull, obstinate; also, to be honored, respected;” that is, of weight, or influence in society. It means, in Hiphil, the form which is used here, “to make heavy, or grievous;” 1 Kings 12:10; Isaiah 47:6; “to oppress,” Nehemiah 5:15; and it also means to “cause to be honored, or distinguished, to favor. - Gesenius.” The connection requires that it should have this sense here, and the passage means, that the land which he had made vile in former times, or had suffered to be despised, he had purposed to honor, or to render illustrious by the great light that should rise on it. So Lowth, Rosenmuller, and Gesenius, translate it; see a similar use of the word in Jer 30:19; 2 Chronicles 25:19; 1 Samuel 2:30.
By the way of the sea - The sea of Galilee, or Gennesareth. All this region was in the vicinity of that sea. The word “way” here, דרך derek, means toward, or in the vicinity of. The extensive dark region lying in the vicinity of that sea, Both those tribes bordered on the sea of Tiberias, or had that as a part of their boundary.
Beyond Jordan - This expression - הירדן עבר ‛ēber hayareddēn - means in the vicinity of Jordan; the land by the side of the Jordan, or perhaps that large region through which the upper part of the Jordan passed. It does not mean strictly on the east of Jordan, but rather the northern portion of the land. It is such language as a man would use who was describing the upper and imperfectly known regions of the country - the dark, uncivilized region through which the upper part of the Jordan flowed, and the word עבר ‛ēber, rendered here “beyond,” means “side” - by the side of the Jordan.
Galilee of the nations - This was sometimes called upper Galilee. It was called ‘Galilee of the nations,’ or of the Gentiles, because it was surrounded by them, and because the pagan were extensively intermingled with the Jews. In this region, Solomon had given to Hiram, king of Tyre, twenty cities; 1 Kings 9:2. Adjacent to this region were the countries of Phenicia, Tyre, and Sidon; and the people would naturally mingle much with them in commerce. The country abounded with hills and caverns, and, consequently, it was never possible completely to dislodge from the fastnesses the former inhabitants of the land. Strabo enumerates among the inhabitants of Galilee, Arabians and Phenicians. The inhabitants of this country are represented as having been bold and courageous, but as seditious, and prone to insolence and rebellion. If it be asked here, in what way this land had been made contemptible, or why it was regarded as an object of contempt? we may reply,
(1) The district in which these two tribes dwelt constituted the border-land toward the pagan nations.
(2) The Galileans not only dwelt in the vicinity of the pagan, but a large number of them had actually remained in the country, and it had been found impossible to expel them from it; Judges 1:30-35.
(3) The Phenicians, with whom they held commercial contact, and with whom they dwelt intermingled, were among the most corrupt of the pagan nations. To this may be added,
(4) They were far from Jerusalem, and, consequently, the influence of religion may be supposed to have been less felt among them than among the other Jews. The true religion was, in a great measure, lost upon them, and ignorance and superstition took its place. Hence, in the New Testament, they are spoken of as almost proverbially rude and ignorant.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER IX
This chapter contains an illustrious prophecy of the Messiah.
He is represented under the glorious figure of the sun, or
light, rising on a benighted world, and diffusing joy and
gladness wherever he sheds his beams, 1-3.
His conquests are astonishing and miraculous, as in the day of
Midian; and the peace which they procure is to be permanent,
as denoted by the burning of all the implements of war, 4, 5.
The person and character of this great Deliverer are then set
forth in the most magnificent terms which the language of
mankind could furnish, 6.
The extent of his kingdom is declared to be universal, and the
duration of it eternal, 7.
The prophet foretells most awful calamities which were ready to
fall upon the Israelites on account of their manifold
impieties, 8-21.
NOTES ON CHAP. IX
Verse Isaiah 9:1. Dimness - "Accumulated darkness"] Either מנדחה menuddechah, fem. to agree with אפלה aphelah; or אפל המנדח aphel hammenuddach, alluding perhaps to the palpable Egyptian darkness, Exodus 10:21.
The land of Zebulun — Zebulun, Naphtali, Manasseh, that is, the country of Galilee all round the sea of Gennesareth, were the parts that principally suffered in the first Assyrian invasion under Tiglath-pileser; see 2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chronicles 5:26. And they were the first that enjoyed the blessings of Christ's preaching the Gospel, and exhibiting his miraculous works among them. See Mede's Works, p. 101, and 457. This, which makes the twenty-third verse of chap. viii. in the Hebrew, is the first verse in chap. ix. in our authorized version. Bishop Lowth follows the division in the Hebrew.
