Isaiah 33:3

3. At the noise of the tumult] the convulsions which attend the manifestation of Jehovah. The phrase is found in 1Ki_18:41 of a rain storm, and in Isa_13:4 of a multitudinous host.

3, 4. Assurance of Jehovah’s victory, founded on the great deliverances of the past. The perfects in Isa_33:3 may be either those of experience, expressing a general truth often verified in history, or of prophetic assurance. Isa_33:4 seems to apply this truth to the present crisis.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa 33:3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

Ver. 3. At the noise of the tumult the people fled,] i.e., The Assyrian soldiers shall flee at the coming of the angel, with a hurry noise in the air for greater terror; {a} but he shall give them their passport. This their confidence was the fruit of prayer.

At the lifting up of thyself.] If God do but "arise" only, "his enemies shall be scattered; and all that hate him shall flee before him." {Psa 68:1} {See Trapp on "Psa 68:1"}

{a} A voce angeli. - Vulg.

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.

Isa 33:3-4. At the noise of the tumult — Which shall be made upon the angel’s destroying the army; the people fled — Namely, those of the army who escaped that stroke. At the lifting up of thyself — To execute judgment; the nations were scattered — The people of divers nations which made up Sennacherib’s army. And your spoil — That treasure which you have raked together by spoiling divers people; shall be gathered — By the Jews at Jerusalem, when you shall be forced to flee away with all possible speed, leaving your spoils behind you; like the gathering of the caterpillar — As caterpillars gather and devour all the fruits of the earth, which was a common plague in those countries; as the running to and fro of locusts, &c. — As locusts, especially when they are armed by commission from God, come with great force, and run hither and thither devouring every thing before them; shall he run upon them — Namely, Hezekiah, with his people, shall thus eagerly run to the spoil of the Assyrian camp, and shall take it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When thou, O Lord, didst lift up thine arm to punish thine enemies.

That is, the Assyrians fled before the army of the Chaldeans, or the Chaldeans for fear of the Medes and Persians.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

the tumult--the approach of Jehovah is likened to an advancing thunderstorm (Isa 29:6; Isa 30:27), which is His voice (Rev 1:15), causing the people to "flee."

nation--the Assyrian levies.

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 3. At the noise of the tumult - "From thy terrible voice"] For המון hamon, "multitude," the Septuagint and Syriac read amica, "terrible," whom I follow.

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

(3) At the noise of the tumult . . .—The “people” are the mingled nations of the Assyrian armies; the “tumult” is that of the rush and crash, as of a mighty tempest, when Jehovah should at last up lift Himself for the deliverance of His chosen ones.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

At the noise of the tumult the people fled,.... The Vulgate Latin Version renders it, "at the voice of the angel"; and Jerom reports it as the opinion of the Jews, that it was Gabriel; and many interpret the words either of the noise the angel made in the air, or was made in the Assyrian camp, when the angel descended, and smote such a vast number of them, at which the remnant, being frightened, fled, Kg2 19:35 but either this is to be understood as expressing what had been done in time past, and therefore the church took encouragement that it might and would be so again; or as a continuance of her prayer, thus, "at the noise of the tumult", or multitude (t), "let the people flee" (u); or as a prediction, "they shall flee" (w); that is, at the noise of the multitude of saints, the faithful, called, and chosen armies of heaven, that follow Christ on white horses, and clothed in white; when he shall go forth to battle with the kings of the earth, beast, and false prophet, let the people under them flee, or they shall flee, and not be able to stand before so puissant a General, and so powerful an army; see Rev 17:14,

at the lifting up of thyself, the nations were scattered; so it has been in times past, when the Lord has lifted up himself, and appeared on behalf of his people, and has exerted himself, and displayed his power; and so it will be again; or so let it be: "let the nations be scattered"; the antichristian nations, as they will be, when the Lord shall lift up his hand, and pour out the vials of his wrath upon them.

(t) "a voce multitudinis", Pagninus; "a voce turbae", Montanus, Cocceius. (u) Fugiant, so some in Gataker. (w) Profugient, Piscator.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

At the noise of the tumult - Lowth supposes that this is addressed by the prophet in the name of God, or rather by God himself to the Assyrian, and that it means that notwithstanding the terror which he had caused the invaded countries, he would himself fall and become an easy prey to those whom he intended to subdue. But probably it should be regarded as a part of the address which the Jews made to Yahweh Isa 33:2, and the word ‘tumult’ - המון hâmôn, sound, noise, as of rain 1Ki 18:41, or of music Eze 26:13; Amo 5:23, or the bustle or tumult of a people 1Sa 4:11; 1Sa 14:19; Job 39:7 - refers here to the voice of God by which the army was overthrown. Yahweh is often represented as speaking to people in a voice suited to produce consternation and alarm. Thus it is said of the vision which Daniel saw of a man by the side of the river Hiddekel, ‘his words’ were ‘like the voice of a multitude’ (המון hâmôn), Dan 10:6. And thus, in Rev 1:10, the voice of Christ is said to have been ‘like the voice of a trulupet;’ and in Isa 33:15, ‘like the sound of many waters.’ It wilt be recollected also that it was said that God would send upon the Assyrian army ‘thunder, and an earthquake, and a great noise, with storm and tempest, and a flame of devouring fire’ (Isa 29:6; compare Isa 30:30); and it is doubtless to this prediction that the prophet refers here. God would come forth with the voice of indignation, and would scatter the combined armies of the Assyrian.

The people fled - The people in the army of the Assyrian. A large part of them Were slain by the angel of the Lord in a single night, but a portion of them with Sennacherib escaped and fled to their own land (Isa 37:36-37.

At the lifting up of thyself - Of Yahweh; as when one rouses himself to strike.

The nations - The army of Sennacherib was doubtless made up of levies from the nations that had been subdued, and that composed the Assyrian empire.

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

At the noise of the tumult, which the angel shall make in destroying the army.

The people; those of the army who escaped that stroke.

The nations; the people of divers nations, which made up his army.

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

3, 4. The prophet is not left in doubt. He sees the answer. The deliverance is yet future, but he sees it as if it were past, or now transpiring.

At the noise of the tumult the people (Assyrian) fled; at the lifting up of thyself — Words figuratively expressing the silent power of Jehovah in destroying the enemy. See Isa_37:36-37. A demonstration of thunder and great noise from the heavens is unnecessarily assumed by some.

Your spoil — That of the destroyed and routed armies.

Shall be gathered — By the inhabitants of Jerusalem going to the evening’s abandoned camps, and, like hungry locusts and caterpillars, (as they sweep clean every thing on which they light,) hastily seizing every thing they find.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; rather, the peoples; i.e. the contingents from many nations which made up the huge army of Sennacherib. The "noise" is that caused by God "lifting up himself". (comp. Psa_29:3-9)

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

The noise - Which the angel shall make in destroying the army. The people - Those of the army, who escaped that stroke. The nations - The people of divers nations, which made up this army.

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

While the prophet is praying thus, he already sees the answer. "At the sound of a noise peoples pass away; at Thy rising nations are scattered. And your booty is swept away as a swarm of locusts sweeps away; as beetles run, they run upon it." The indeterminate hâmōn, which produces for that very reason the impression of something mysterious and terrible, is at once explained. The noise comes from Jehovah, who is raising Himself judicially above Assyria, and thunders as a judge. Then the hostile army runs away (נפצוּ = נפצּוּ, from the niphal נפץ, Sa1 13:11, from פּץ = נפוץ, from פּוּץ); and your booty (the address returns to Assyria) is swept away, just as when a swarm of locusts settles on a field, it soon eats it utterly away. Jerome, Cappellus, and others follow the Septuagint rendering, ὃν τρόπον ἐάν τις συναγάγη ἀκρίδας. The figure is quite as appropriate, but the article in hechâsı̄l makes the other view the more natural one; and Isa 33:4 places this beyond all doubt. Shâqaq, from which the participle shōqēq and the substantive masshâq are derived, is sued here, as in Joe 2:9, to signify a busy running hither and thither (discursitare). The syntactic use of shōqēq is the same as that of קרא (they call) in Isa 21:11, and sōphedı̄m (they smite) in Isa 32:12. The inhabitants of Jerusalem swarm in the enemy's camp like beetles; they are all in motion, and carry off what they can.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

“At a noise of tumult (or tumultuous noise) the peoples flee; at Thy rising the nations are scattered.” The rising meant is the act of rising from a state of seeming inaction, or as when one rouses himself to strike. These words are commonly applied to the divine interposition in the case of Sennacherib’s attack upon Jerusalem.

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

At the loud noise the peoples flee

Possible meanings of "the loud noise" are 1) it refers to Yahweh's voice. AT: "The peoples flee at the sound of your loud voice" or 2) it refers the loud sounds of Yahweh's army. AT: "The people flee at the sound of your army" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

arise

This means to begin doing something. AT: "begin acting" (See: Idiom)

the nations are scattered

This can be written in active form. AT: "the nations scatter" (See: Active or Passive)

Your spoil is gathered as the locusts gather; as locusts leap, men leap on it

This compares how quick and eager Yahweh's people are when they gather the spoils from their enemies to the eagerness of locusts when they gather food. This can be stated in active form. AT: "Your people gather spoils from your enemies with the same fierceness as the locusts have who devour green plants" (See: Simile and Active or Passive)

translationWords

nation

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

From the sound of roaring that emanated from before You, peoples wandered until here when You performed wondrous miracles for us.

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.

The tumult of Assyria.

מרממתך By Thy honour. The honour which Thou hast given him.

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.