Isaiah 10:34

Isa 10:34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

Ver. 34. By a mighty one.] {a} That is, by an angel. {Isa 37:36 Psa 78:25; Psa 89:5-6}

{a} Per magnificum.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This verse and Isa 10:33 describe the sudden arrest and overthrow of Sennacherib in the height of his success; Isa 10:18-19; Eze 31:3, Eze 31:14, &c., contain the same image; "Lebanon" and its forest are the Assyrian army; the "iron" axe that fells the forest refers to the stroke which destroyed the one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians (Kg2 19:35). The "Mighty One" is Jehovah (Isa 10:21; Isa 9:6).

From the local and temporary national deliverance the prophet passes by the law of suggestion in an easy transition to the end of all prophecy--the everlasting deliverance under Messiah's reign, not merely His first coming, but chiefly His second coming. The language and illustrations are still drawn from the temporary national subject, with which he began, but the glories described pertain to Messiah's reign. Hezekiah cannot, as some think, be the subject; for he was already come, whereas the "stem of Jesse" was yet future ("shall come") (compare Mic 4:11, &c.; Mic 5:1-2; Jer 23:5-6; Jer 33:15-16; Rom 15:12).

Next: Isaiah Chapter 11

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 34. Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one] באדיר beaddir, the angel of the Lord, who smote them, Kimchi. And so Vitringa understands it. Others translate, "The high cedars of Lebanon shall fall:" but the king of Assyria is the person who shall be overthrown.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest - The army of the Assyrians, described here as a thick, dense forest; compare Isa 10:18-19.

With iron - As a forest is cut down with an axe, so the prophet uses this phrase here, to keep up and carry out the figure. The army was destroyed with the pestilence 2Ki 19:35; but it fell as certainly as a forest falls before the axe.

And Lebanon - Lebanon is here evidently descriptive of the army of the Assyrian, retaining the idea of a beautiful and magnificent forest. Thus, in Eze 31:3, it is said, ‘the king of the Assyrians was a cedar of Lebanon with fair branches.’ Lebanon is usually applied to the Jews as descriptive of them (Jer 22:6, Jer 22:23; Zec 10:10; 11: l), but it is evidently applied here to the Assyrian army; and the sense is, that that army should be soon and certainly destroyed, and that, therefore, the inhabitants of Jerusalem had no cause of alarm; see the notes at Isa. 37.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

With iron; or, as with iron, as the trees of the forest are cut down by instruments of iron.

And Lebanon; or, his Lebanon, the pronoun being oft understood in the Hebrew text; the Assyrian army, which being before compared to a forest or wood, and being called his Carmel in the Hebrew text, Isa 10:18, may very fitly, upon the same ground, be called his Lebanon here; especially considering that the king of Assyria is called a cedar of Lebanon, Eze 31:3.

By a mighty one; by a mighty angel, Isa 37:36.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He shall cut down; or, one shall eat down; Jehovah being, no doubt, intended. Lebanon. (comp. Eze_31:3, "Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon Here the comparison is enlarged, and Assyria appears as Lebanon itself with all its cedar woods. By a mighty one; rather, a glorious one. (comp. Isa_33:21, where the word here used adir is an epithet of Jehovah)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Iron - Or, as with iron, as the trees of the forest are cut down with instruments of iron. Lebanon - Or, his Lebanon, the Assyrian army, which being before compared to a forest, and being called his Carmel in the Hebrew text, ver. 18, may very fitly upon the same ground, be called his Lebanon here.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

“And He (Jehovah) shall cut down (or away) the thickets of the forest (the Assyrian army) with iron, (i.e., with an instrument of iron, as an axe), and this Lebanon (this wooded mountain, this enormous forest, still referring to the host of the Assyrians) with (or by) a mighty one.” It is clear that the iron of this verse and the fire of v. 17 denote one and the same thing, both implying that the forest was to perish, not by slow decay, but by sudden violence, which shows the absurdity of giving a specific sense to all the particulars in such a picture. Thus the thickets are probably mentioned only to complete the picture of a forest totally destroyed. The general figure of a forest is made more specific by referring to Lebanon, a mountain celebrated for its woods.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And...shall be cut off Heb. וְנִקַּף. This, too, is an expression of cutting, as (ibid.) “Like one who cuts off olives (כְּנֹקֶף).” וְנִקַּף is in the passive voice.

the thickets of the forests The prominent branches, symbolizing the heroes.

and the Lebanon The thickness of his forest and his stately forest. They are the multitudes of his armies.

shall fall through a mighty one Through an angel they shall fall. Alternatively, through a mighty one, in the merit of Hezekiah who is the mighty one and the rulers of Israel, as it is said (Jer. 30:21): “And their leader shall be of themselves.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ונקף And he shall cut down.

סבכי The trees that are thick with branches.

בברזל With the axe, that is, by means of the angel.

And Lebanon, etc. The princes, that are compared with the trees of the Lebanon, shall fall. בברזל אדיר ═ באדיר By a mighty axe; ברזל is to be supplied from the preceding בברזל with the axe.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.