John Wesley

On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria.

“Rivers - Of the river Nile, which may be called rivers, either for its greatness, or because towards the end of it, it is divided into seven streams.”

On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your…

“And so the prophet notes the just judgment of God, in scourging them with a rod of their own making. By - By the successive kings of the Assyrian empire, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and especially by Nebuchadnezzar.”

For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

“And his agrees with the other prophecy, chap. vii, 16. Before the child shall know to refuse the evil and chuse the good, which requires a longer time than to distinguish his parents, and suits well to Shear-Jashub, who, being born some years before, was…”

It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!

“Such was the danger of Judah's land, when Sennacherib took all the fenced cities of Judah, 2 Kings xviii, 13, and sent his army against Jerusalem. Wings - Of his forces, or of the wings of his army, as they still are called.”

And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.

“Jerusalem - Which are distinctly mentioned, as a wonderful thing, because Jerusalem was the seat of the temple, and of God's solemn worship, where all the means of knowledge and grace were in greatest plenty, where the thrones of civil and ecclesiastical judicature were established…”

Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”

“Many - Not all; for there shall be a remnant, as was foretold, chap. iv, 2; vi, 13. Stumble - At that stone or rock, mentioned, ver. viii, 14.”

Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

“Behold - These words are literally spoken by Isaiah concerning himself, but mystically concerning Christ; and therefore they are fitly ascribed to Christ, Heb. ii, 13. The children - His spiritual children, whom he had either begotten or brought up by his ministry.”

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

“To the law - Let this dispute between you and them be determined by God's word, which is here and in many other places called the law, to signify their obligation to believe and obey it; and the testimony, because it is a witness between…”

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress.

“Zebulun - These parts are particularly mentioned, because this storm fell most heavily upon them; but under them the other parts of the land are understood. Afterward - By Shalmaneser, who took Samaria, and carried Israel into captivity, 2 Kings xvii, 5, 6.”

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

“The people - Israel and Judah. Darkness - The expression is general and so may well comprehend both calamity and ignorance, idolatry and profaneness, in which those parts were eminently involved. Have seen - Shall see at the coming of the Messiah.”

You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.

“Thou hast - Thou hast made good thy promise to Abraham concerning the multiplication of his seed, by gathering in the Gentiles to the Jews. Before thee - In thy presence, and in the place of thy worship.”

For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.

“The staff - The staff or staves by which he was forced to carry burdens upon his shoulders. The rod - Wherewith he beat him. Oppressor - Of all his oppressors, but especially of sin and the devil.”

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders.

“Us - Unto us Jews, of whom Christ was born, and to whom he was primarily sent. A child - The Messiah by the consent of interpreters, not only Christian, but Jewish: for so the ancient Hebrew doctors understood the place, and particularly the Chaldee…”

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.

“The throne - Which was promised to David, and to his seed forever. For ever - From the beginning of it to all eternity.”

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob, and it has fallen upon Israel.

“The Lord - The prophet, having inserted some consolatory passages for God's faithful people, returns to his former comminution against the rebellious Israelites. And - Hebrew. it fell, that is, it shall fall, in the prophetical style.”

The LORD has raised up the foes of Rezin against him and joined his enemies together.

“Therefore - To chastise your pride, and defeat your hopes. Set up - The Assyrians, who, presently after this prophecy, prevailed against him, 2 Kings xvi, 7. He mentions Rezin, because he was confederate with Ephraim.”

Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have devoured Israel with open mouths. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

“Syrians - For though Rezin, king of Syria was destroyed, yet the body of the nation survived, and submitted themselves to the king of Assyria, and upon his command invaded Israel afterwards. Before - Hebrew. on the east: for Syria stood eastward from Israel.”

Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows.

“Fatherless - Who are the special objects of his care and pity, and much less upon others. Everyone - Not precisely; for there were seven thousand elect persons among them, when they seemed to Elijah to be universally corrupt, but the body of the people.”

For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets which roll upward in billows of smoke.

“Burneth - Shall burn you, as it follows, shall devour. Thorns - The low and mean persons; for these are opposed to the thickets of the forest, in the next clause.”

As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

“The kingdoms - Which worshipped their own idols, and vainly imagined that they could protect them from my power.”

On that day the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.

“But the Messiah is principally intended, of whom David was but a type; and who was in a particular manner anointed above his fellows, as is said, Psalm xlv, 7.”

Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

“The stem - Or, stump: for the word signifies properly a trunk cut off from the root. By which he clearly implies, that the Messiah should be born of the royal house of David, at that time when it was in a most forlorn condition…”

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.

“Wisdom - It is not needful, exactly to distinguish these two gifts; it is sufficient that they are necessary qualifications for a governor, and a teacher, and it is evident they signify perfect knowledge of all things necessary for his own and peoples good, and…”

but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth.

“Reprove - Or condemn their malicious enemies. Thy rod - With his word, which is his scepter, and the rod of his power, Psalm cx, 2, which is sharper than a sword, Heb.”

The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child…

“The wolf - The creatures shall be restored to that state of innocency in which they were before the fall of man. Men of fierce, and cruel dispositions, shall be so transformed by the grace of Christ, that they shall become gentle, and tractable.”