UIsaya 47:13

Izhibhalo Ezingcwele

13 Udiniwe bubuninzi bamaqhinga akho; mabamise kaloku, bakusindise oonocanda bezulu, oojongiinkwenkwezi, abakwazisayo ekuthwaseni kwenyanga ngenyanga izinto ezikuzelayo.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wearied: Isaiah 57:10, Ezekiel 24:12, Habakkuk 2:13

Let now: Isaiah 44:25, Daniel 2:2-10, Daniel 5:7, Daniel 5:8, Daniel 5:15, Daniel 5:16, Daniel 5:30

astrologers, the stargazers: Heb. viewers of the heavens, the monthly prognosticators. Heb. that gave knowledge concerning the months.

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:22 - as one Genesis 41:8 - the magicians of Egypt Exodus 7:11 - wise men Exodus 8:18 - they could Leviticus 19:31 - General Numbers 22:6 - I wot Numbers 23:8 - General Deuteronomy 18:10 - that useth divination 1 Samuel 6:2 - called 2 Kings 17:17 - used Ecclesiastes 10:15 - labour Isaiah 2:6 - and are Isaiah 16:12 - but Isaiah 47:9 - for the multitude Jeremiah 50:35 - her wise men Ezekiel 21:29 - they see Nahum 2:8 - Stand Nahum 3:4 - the mistress Acts 19:19 - used

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels,.... Taken of astrologers, diviners, and soothsayers; who were never able to give any satisfactory answers to questions put to them, or to give good advice in cases of emergency; as appears from Nebuchadnezzar's consultation with them about his dream; and Belshazzar's about the handwriting upon the wall, which was the very night that the city was taken, Daniel 2:2:

let now the astrologers; or, "viewers of the heavens" s; not that look upon them, and consider them as the work of God's hands, in order to glorify him; but that examine the face of the skies, and the position of the heavenly bodies, their conjunctions with, and aspects on each other, in order to foretell what shall be below: or, "the dividers of the heavens" t, as it may be rendered, from the use of the word in the Arabic language; who divide the heavens into so many parts, or houses; who, as Kimchi u, from the same use of the word, fix and determine things according to the stars; and who next are called "the stargazers"; that look at them, and, according to their position, conjunction, aspect, and influence, judge what will come to pass among men. So Cicero observes w, that the Chaldeans, by long observation of the stars, were thought to have formed a science, whereby they could foretell what should happen to everyone, and what fate he was born to:

the monthly prognosticators; or "that make known months", or "for the months" x; what shall be in every month; what weather it will be, and what things shall happen; such as our almanac makers. Let these now all meet together,

and stand up and save thee from those things that shall come upon thee; which they were never able to do; for if they could not foretell these things by their art, it could not be thought they could give any directions how to escape them, or put upon any methods that would secure from them.

s הוברי שמים "speculantes coelos", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version; "contemplatores coelorum", Vitringa. t "resecuit, amputavit", Golius, Castel. u Sepher Shorash. rad. הבר w De Divinatione, l. 1. c. 1. x מודיעים לחדשים "cognoscere faciunt menses", Pagninus; "facientes", Montanus; "qui notas faciunt in menses", Junius Tremellius, Piscator i.e. "praedictiones suas notificantes in menses", Cocceius; "indicantes novilunia", Vitringa.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou art wearied - Thou hast practiced so many arts, and practiced them so long, that thou art exhausted in them. The ‘counsels’ here referred to, are those which the astrologers and diviners would take in examining the prognostications, and the supposed indications of future events.

Let now the astrologers - Call in now the aid of the various classes of diviners on whom thou hast relied to save thee from the impending calamity and ruin. The words rendered here ‘astrologers’ (שׁמים הברי hob^erēy shâmayim) mean properly “the dividers of the heavens;” those who divided, or cut up the heavens for the purpose of augury, or to take a horoscope (Gesenius). What this art was is not certainly known. It is probable that it referred to their designating certain stars, or constellations, or conjunctions of the planets in certain parts of the heavens, as being fortunate and propitious, and certain others as unfortunate and unpropitious. At first, astrology was synonymous with astronomy. But in process of time, it came to denote the science which professes to discover certain connections between the position and movements of the heavenly bodies, and the events which occur on the earth.

It was supposed that the rising and setting, the conjunction and opposition of the planets, exerted a powerful influence over the fates of people; over the health of their bodies, the character of their minds, and the vicissitudes of their lives. Some regarded, it would seem, the positions of the stars as mere signs of the events which were to follow; and others, and probably by far the larger portion, supposed that those positions had a positive influence in directing and controlling the affairs of this lower world. The origin of this science is involved in great obscurity. Aristotle ascribes the invention to the Babylonians and Egyptians. Ptolemy concurs in this opinion, and Cicero traces it to the same origin. Lucian says that both these nations, as well as the Lybians, borrowed it from the Ethiopians, and that the Greeks owed their knowledge of this pretended science to the poet Orpheus. The science prevailed, it is probable, however, much more early in India; and in China it appears to be coeval with their history.

The Arabians have been distinguished for their attachment to it; and even Tycho Brahe was a zealous defender of astrology, and Kepler believed that the conjunctions of the planets were capable of producing great effects on human affairs. It is also a remarkable fact that Lord Bacon thought that the science required to be purified from errors rather than altogether rejected. Those who wish to inquire into the various systems of astrology, and the arts by which this absurd science has maintained an influence in the world, may consult the “Edin. Encyclopedia,” Art. “Astrology,” and the authorities enumerated there. The thing referred to in the passage before us, and which was practiced in Babylon, was, probably, that of forecasting future events, or telling what would occur by the observation of the positions of the heavenly bodies.

The star-gazers - Those who endeavor to tell what will occur by the contemplation of the relative positions of the stars.

The monthly prognosticators - Margin, ‘That give knowledge concerning the months.’ That is, at the commencement of the months they give knowledge of what events might be expected to occur during the month; - perhaps from the dip of the moon, or its riding high or low, etc. Something of this kind is still retained by those persons who speak of a dry or wet moon; or who expect a change of weather at the change of the moon - all of which is just as wise as were the old systems of astrology among the Chaldeans. This whole passage would have been more literally and better translated by preserving the order of the Hebrew. ‘Let them stand up now and save thee, who are astrologers; who gaze upon the stars, and who make known at the new moons what things will come upon thee.’

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 47:13. From these things - "What are the events"] For מאשר measher, read מה אשר mah asher, so the Septuagint, "what is to happen to thee."