1 But there will be nog[ch. 8:22] gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time heh[2 Kgs. 15:29; 2 Chr. 16:4] brought into contempt the land ofiCited Matt. 4:15, 16 Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time hejch. 26:15 has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.2Or of the Gentiles
2 i[See ver. 1 above] The peoplek[Luke 1:79; Eph. 5:8, 14] who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land oflSee Job 3:5 deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
3 mch. 26:15 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as withnPs. 4:7; [John 4:36] joy at the harvest,
as theyoPs. 119:162; [1 Sam. 30:16] are gladp[Judg. 5:30] when they divide the spoil.
4 qch. 10:27; 14:25; Nah. 1:13; [Matt. 11:29] For the yoke of his burden,
rch. 10:5, 24; 14:5 and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken assch. 10:26; Ps. 83:9; See Judg. 7:19-25; 8:10-21 on the day of Midian.
5 tEzek. 39:9 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 uLuke 2:11; [John 3:16] For to us a child is born,
to usvch. 7:14 a son is given;
w[Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:25] and the government shall bexch. 22:22 upon1Or is upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called2Or is called
Wonderfuly[ch. 28:29] Counselor,zch. 10:21; Deut. 10:17; Neh. 9:32; Jer. 32:18; [Ps. 45:3] Mighty God,
aPs. 72:17 Everlastingbch. 63:16; [John 14:18] Father, Prince ofcPs. 72:7; [Eph. 2:14]; See ch. 11:6-9 Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
dPs. 89:4; Luke 1:32, 33 there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
eJer. 23:5 with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
fch. 37:32; 2 Kgs. 19:31; [Zech. 1:14] The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
8
The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel;
9 and all the people will know,
gch. 7:2, 5, 8, 9, 17 Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place. ”
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies.
12 h[2 Kgs. 16:6] The Syrians on the east andi[2 Chr. 28:18] the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.
jver. 17, 21; ch. 5:25; 10:4 For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
13 The peoplek[ch. 1:5; Hos. 7:10] did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off from Israellch. 19:15; Deut. 28:13 head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day—
15 mch. 3:2, 3 the elder and honored man is the head,
andn[ch. 28:7; Mic. 3:5] the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does notoPs. 147:10, 11 rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone ispch. 10:6 godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaksqGen. 34:7 folly.1Or speaks disgraceful things
j[See ver. 12 above] For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns likerPs. 83:14; [James 3:5] a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land is scorched,
andsch. 24:6 the people are like fuel for the fire;
t[Mic. 7:2] no one spares another.
20 uch. 8:21 They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
vch. 49:26; See Deut. 28:53-57 each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they arew[ch. 11:13]; See 2 Chr. 28:6-9 against Judah.
xSee ver. 12 For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.