What joy shall be in the midst of afflictions by the birth and kingdom of Christ, 1-7. The judgments upon Israel for their pride, 8-12, for their hypocrisy, 13-17, and for their impenitence, 18-21.
1 Nevertheless, there shall be no more gloom to her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time, he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness/
have seen a great light./
Those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death,/
upon them the light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation./
You have increased its joy./
They joy before you according to the joy in harvest,/
and as men rejoice when they divide the plunder.
4 For you have broken the yoke of his burden/
and the staff of his shoulder,/
the rod of his oppressor,/
as in the day of Midian.
5 For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle/
and the garments rolled in blood/
shall be for burning and fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,/
to us a son is given./
And the government shall be upon his shoulder./
And his name shall be called/
Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God,/
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government/
and peace there shall be no end,/
upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom,/
to order it and to establish it/
with judgment and with justice/
from now on even forever./
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob/
and it has fallen upon Israel.
9 And all the people shall know,/
even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria,/
who say in the pride and stoutness of heart,
10 "The bricks have fallen down,/
but we will build with hewn stones./
The sycamores are cut down,/
but we will change them into cedars."
11 Therefore, the LORD will set up/
the adversaries of Rezin against him/
and join his enemies together,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind./
And they shall devour Israel with open mouth./
For all this his anger is not turned away,/
but his hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to him who smites them,/
neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
14 Therefore, the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail,/
branch and rush, in one day.
15 The ancient and honorable, he is the head,/
and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,/
and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore, the Lord will have no joy/
in their young men,/
neither will he have mercy/
on their fatherless and widows,/
for everyone is a hypocrite and an evil-doer,/
and every mouth speaks folly./
For all this his anger is not turned away,/
but his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns as the fire./
It shall devour the briers and thorns/
and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest,/
and they shall mount up like the rising of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts/
the land is darkened,/
and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire./
No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand/
and be hungry./
And he shall eat on the left hand/
and they shall not be satisfied./
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh is against Ephraim,/
Ephraim is against Manasseh,/
and together they are against Judah./
For all this his anger is not turned away,/
but his hand is stretched out still.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Isaiah, Chapter 9[➚]
[v.1] - Quoted in Matthew 4:15.
[v.2] - Quoted in Matthew 4:16; Luke 1:79.
[v.6a] - "Wonderful, Counselor" - Reference, John 14:16-17, 15:26, 16:7-8; 1st John 2:1.
[v.6b] - "The Mighty God" - Reference, 1st Chronicles 29:10-13.
[v.6c] - "The Everlasting Father" - Reference, Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8.
[v.6d] - "The Prince of Peace" - Reference, Isaiah 32:17; John 14:27; Romans 5:1.