UIsaya 51:23

Izhibhalo Ezingcwele

23 Ndoyibeka esandleni sabakwenza isingqala, ababesithi kumphefumlo wakho, Qubuda sigqithe, waza wena wawenza umhlana wakho wanjengomhlaba, wanjengesitrato kwabagqitha phezu kwawo.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I will: Isaiah 49:25, Isaiah 49:26, Proverbs 11:8, Proverbs 21:18, Jeremiah 25:17-29, Zechariah 12:2, Revelation 17:6-8, Revelation 17:18

Bow: Joshua 10:24, Psalms 65:11, Psalms 65:12, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 13:16, Revelation 13:17

Reciprocal: Exodus 1:14 - was with rigour Leviticus 26:13 - and I have 2 Chronicles 16:10 - oppressed Job 19:12 - His Job 19:22 - and are not Psalms 36:11 - foot Psalms 44:25 - General Psalms 66:12 - caused Psalms 107:12 - he brought Psalms 129:3 - The plowers Ecclesiastes 4:1 - and considered Isaiah 14:4 - How Isaiah 29:4 - thou shalt Isaiah 42:22 - a spoil Isaiah 49:17 - thy destroyers Isaiah 52:2 - Shake Isaiah 52:5 - make Isaiah 54:11 - thou afflicted Jeremiah 50:33 - and all Jeremiah 51:24 - General Lamentations 1:21 - they shall Lamentations 3:34 - crush Ezekiel 16:6 - polluted Daniel 3:19 - was Nebuchadnezzar Obadiah 1:16 - as ye Micah 7:10 - now Zephaniah 3:19 - I will undo Zechariah 6:8 - quieted Zechariah 12:1 - for Romans 11:10 - and bow Galatians 2:4 - bring Revelation 16:6 - they have

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I will put it into the hand of them that afflict me,.... As the Lord did to literal Babylon, Jeremiah 25:15, so will he do to mystical Babylon; he will retaliate upon her all the evils she has done to others, and destroy them that destroyed the earth; see

Revelation 11:18,

which have said to thy soul, bow down, that we may go over; who not only afflicted the bodies, but tyrannized over the souls and consciences of men; obliging them to a compliance with their idolatrous practices, to bow down and worship the beast, and his image; and thereby acknowledge subjection to the see of Rome, and its authority over them: the allusion seems to be the custom of the eastern kings trampling upon the necks of their conquered enemies, Joshua 10:24, and the pope of Rome has, in a literal sense, trampled upon the necks even of kings and emperors.

And thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over; which expresses the low estate of the church of Christ, or holy city, while trodden under foot by the Gentiles during the reign of antichrist, Revelation 11:2, and may also denote the sneaking outward compliance of some through the force of persecution, when they did not cordially embrace, nor with conscience, and from their heart, submit to the authority of the church of Rome; but though the people of God are represented in such a low and grovelling condition, yet they shall arise out of it, and come into a very flourishing one, as the next chapter shows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee - The nations that have made war upon thee, and that have reduced thee to bondage, particularly the Babylonians. The calamities which the Jews had suffered, God would transfer to their foes.

Which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over - This is a striking description of the pride of eastern conquerors. It was not uncommon for conquerors actually to put their feet on the necks of conquered kings, and tread them in the dust. Thus in Joshua 10:24, ‘Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war that went with them, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings.’ So David says, ‘Thou has given me the necks of mine enemies’ Psalms 18:40. ‘The emperor Valerianus being through treachery taken prisoner by Sapor king of Persia, was treated by him as the basest and most abject slave, for the Persian monarch commanded the unhappy Roman to bow himself down and offer him his back, on which he set his foot in order to mount his chariot, or his horse, whenever he had occasion.’ (Lactantius, as quoted by Lowth) Mr. Lane (Modern Egyptians, vol. i. p. 199) describes an annual ceremony which may serve to illustrate this passage: ‘A considerable number of Durweeshes, says he (I am sure there were not less than sixty, but I could not count their number), laid themselves down upon the ground, side by side, as close as possible to each other, having their backs upward, having their legs extended, and their arms placed together beneath their foreheads.

When the Sheikh approached, his horse hesitated several minutes to step upon the back of the first prostrate man; but being pulled and urged on behind, he at length stepped upon them: and then without apparent fear, ambled with a high pace over them all, led by two persons, who ran over the prostrate men, one sometimes treading on the feet, and the other on the heads. Not one of the men thus trampled on by the horse seemed to be hurt; but each the moment that the animal had passed over him, jumped up and followed the Sheikh. Each of them received two treads from the horse, one from one of his fore-legs, and a second from a hind-leg.’ It seems probable that this is a relic of an ancient usage alluded to in the Bible, in which captives were made to lie down on the ground, and the conqueror rode insultingly over them.

Thou hast laid thy body as the ground - That is, you were utterly humbled and prostrated (compare Psalms 66:11-12). From all this, however, the promise is, that they should be rescued and delivered. The account of their deliverance is contained in the following chapter Isaiah 52:1-12; and the assurance of rescue is there made more cheering and glorious by directing the eye forward to the coming of the Messiah Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-12, and to the glorious results which would follow from his advent (Isaiah 54:1). These chapters are all connected, and they should be read continuously. Material injury is done to the sense by the manner in which the division is made, if indeed any division should have been made at all.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 51:23. Them that afflict thee - "Them who oppress thee"] The Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac, and Vulgate appear to have read מוניך monayich, as in Isaiah 40:26." - SECKER.

Which have said to thy soul, Bow down - "Who say to thee, Bow down thy body"] A very strong and most expressive description of the insolent pride of eastern conquerors; which, though it may seem greatly exaggerated, yet hardly exceeds the strict truth. An example has already been given of it in the note, Isaiah 49:23. I will here add one or two more. "Joshua called for all the men of Israel; and said unto the captains of the men of war that went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings," Joshua 10:24. "Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: As I have done, so hath God requited me," Judges 1:7. The Emperor Valerianus, being through treachery taken prisoner by Sapor king of Persia, was treated by him as the basest and most abject slave: for the Persian monarch commanded the unhappy Roman to bow himself down, and offer him his back, on which he set his foot, in order to mount his chariot or horse whenever he had occasion. - LACTANTIUS, De Mort. Persec. cap. v. AUREL. VICTOR. Epitome, cap. xxxii. - L.