A VERSE BY VERSE COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH CHAPTER 9

1. ISAIAH 9 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
1 [a]
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those
who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land
of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future
1.BARNES, “Nevertheless - Notwithstanding what is said in the previous chapter of the
calamities that are coming upon Israel. Hengstenberg renders this whole verse: ‘For darkness
shall not be upon the land upon which there is distress; as the former time has dishonored the
land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; so shall the time come to honor it, the region on the
border of the sea, by the side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.’
The dimness - The Hebrew word hero denotes obscurity, or darkness; and is used here, as
the word darkness often is in the Scriptures, to denote calamity or affliction. The dimness, or
calamity, here referred to, is that which is threatened, Isa_8:21-22.
Shall not be such - It shall not be unbroken darkness, and unalleviated calamity; but it shall
be interrupted by the rising of the great light that shall shine on the dark land of Zebulun and
Naphtali.
In her vexation - The word ‘her’ refers to the whole land of Palestine, to the afflictions that
came upon the whole region. The word vexation, ‫מוצק‬ mutsaq means oppression, calamity, or
being “straitened, or pressed.”
When at the first - In the former time; on a former occasion.
He lightly afflicted - The word used here, ‫קלל‬ qalal, means properly, to be, or make light, or
small; and in Hiphil, the form which occurs here, it often means to “esteem lightly, to despise, to
hold in contempt;” 2Sa_19:43; Eze_22:7. It probably has that sense here, as the design of the
prophet is evidently to speak, not of a light affliction in the former time, but of a grievous, heavy
calamity - a calamity which would be well denoted by the expression, ‘he made them vile; he
exposed them to contempt and derision.’ The time to which reference is made here, was
probably the invasion of the land by Tiglath-pileser; 2Ki_15:29; 1Ch_5:26. In that invasion, the
parts of Zebulun and Naphtali were particularly afflicted. ‘Tiglath-pileser took Ijon, and Gilead,
and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria;’ 2Ki_15:29. This
region had also been invaded by Benhadad two hundred years before the time of Isaiah;
1Ki_15:20, and there might have been a reference to these various invasions to which this
northern part of the land of Palestine had been subjected.
The land of Zebulun - The region occupied by the tribe of Zebulun. This tribe was located
between the sea of Tiberias, or the lake Gennesareth, and the Mediterranean. It extended
entirely across from the one to the other, and as it was thus favored with a somewhat extended
seacoast, the people were more given to commerce than the other tribes, and hence, mingled
more with surrounding nations.

2. And the land of Naphtali - The region which was occupied by this tribe was directly north
of Zebulun, and of the sea of Galilee, having that sea and the tribe of Zebulun on the south and
southeast, Asher on the west, and a part of the tribe of Manasseh, on the east.
And afterward - That is, in subsequent times; meaning times that were to come after the
prophecy here delivered. The previous part of the verse refers to the calamities that had come
upon that region in former times. The expression here refers to what was seen by the prophet as
yet to occur.
Did more grievously afflict - ‫הכביד‬ hı ke
bbı yd. This verb has very various significations.
It properly means “to be heavy, to be grievous, to lie or fall heavy on anyone, to be dull,
obstinate; also, to be honored, respected;” that is, of weight, or influence in society. It means, in
Hiphil, the form which is used here, “to make heavy, or grievous;” 1Ki_12:10; Isa_47:6; “to
oppress,” Neh_5:15; and it also means to “cause to be honored, or distinguished, to favor. -
Gesenius.” The connection requires that it should have this sense here, and the passage means,
that the land which he had made vile in former times, or had suffered to be despised, he had
purposed to honor, or to render illustrious by the great light that should rise on it. So Lowth,
Rosenmuller, and Gesenius, translate it; see a similar use of the word in Jer_30:19; 2Ch_25:19;
1Sa_2:30.
By the way of the sea - The sea of Galilee, or Gennesareth. All this region was in the vicinity
of that sea. The word “way” here, ‫דרך‬ derek, means toward, or in the vicinity of. The extensive
dark region lying in the vicinity of that sea, Both those tribes bordered on the sea of Tiberias, or
had that as a part of their boundary.
Beyond Jordan - This expression - ‫הירדן‬ ‫עבר‬ ‛eber hayare
dden - means in the vicinity of
Jordan; the land by the side of the Jordan, or perhaps that large region through which the upper
part of the Jordan passed. It does not mean strictly on the east of Jordan, but rather the
northern portion of the land. It is such language as a man would use who was describing the
upper and imperfectly known regions of the country - the dark, uncivilized region through which
the upper part of the Jordan flowed, and the word ‫עבר‬ ‛eber, rendered here “beyond,” means
“side” - by the side of the Jordan.
Galilee of the nations - This was sometimes called upper Galilee. It was called ‘Galilee of
the nations,’ or of the Gentiles, because it was surrounded by them, and because the pagan were
extensively intermingled with the Jews. In this region, Solomon had given to Hiram, king of
Tyre, twenty cities; 1Ki_9:2. Adjacent to this region were the countries of Phenicia, Tyre, and
Sidon; and the people would naturally mingle much with them in commerce. The country
abounded with hills and caverns, and, consequently, it was never possible completely to dislodge
from the fastnesses the former inhabitants of the land. Strabo enumerates among the
inhabitants of Galilee, Arabians and Phenicians. The inhabitants of this country are represented
as having been bold and courageous, but as seditious, and prone to insolence and rebellion. If it
be asked here, in what way this land had been made contemptible, or why it was regarded as an
object of contempt? we may reply,
(1) The district in which these two tribes dwelt constituted the border-land toward the pagan
nations.
(2) The Galileans not only dwelt in the vicinity of the pagan, but a large number of them had
actually remained in the country, and it had been found impossible to expel them from it;
Jdg_1:30-35.
(3) The Phenicians, with whom they held commercial contact, and with whom they dwelt
intermingled, were among the most corrupt of the pagan nations. To this may be added,

3. (4) They were far from Jerusalem, and, consequently, the influence of religion may be
supposed to have been less felt among them than among the other Jews. The true religion
was, in a great measure, lost upon them, and ignorance and superstition took its place.
Hence, in the New Testament, they are spoken of as almost proverbially rude and
ignorant.
2. CLARKE, “Dimness “Accumulated darkness” - Either ‫מנדחה‬ menuddechah, fem. to
agree with ‫אפלה‬ aphelah; or ‫אפל‬‫המנדח‬ aphel hammenuddach, alluding perhaps to the palpable
Egyptian darkness, Exo_10:21.
The land of Zebulun - Zebulun, Naphtali, Manasseh, that is, the country of Galilee all
round the sea of Gennesareth, were the parts that principally suffered in the first Assyrian
invasion under Tiglath-pileser; see 2Ki_15:29; 1Ch_5:26. And they were the first that enjoyed
the blessings of Christ’s preaching the Gospel, and exhibiting his miraculous works among them.
See Mede’s Works, p. 101, and 457. This, which makes the twenty-third verse of chap. 8 in the
Hebrew, is the first verse in chap. 9 in our authorized version. Bishop Lowth follows the division
in the Hebrew.
3. GILL, “Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation,.... The
words may be rendered, "for there shall be no weariness to him that straitens" or "afflicts" them
(f); so Jarchi, who interprets it of the king of Assyria; but it is better to understand it of Titus
Vespasian, who would not be weary of, but indefatigable in carrying on the siege of Jerusalem,
and in distressing the Jews in all parts: or thus, "for there shall be no fleeing from him that is
oppressed in it" (g); either that is besieged in Jerusalem, or distressed in Judea; and so the
words are a reason of the former distress, and a continuation and amplification of it; though
many interpreters think they are to be understood by way of comfort, and as a mitigation of it,
which is the sense of our version:
when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; either
by Pul king of Assyria, in the reign of Menahem king of Israel, 2Ki_15:19 or rather by
Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, in the reign of Pekah king of Israel, since by him Galilee, and all
the land of Naphtali, were carried captive, 2Ki_15:29 which at the time of this prophecy was
past, and was but a light affliction in comparison of what followed:
and afterwards did more grievously afflict her: by Shalmaneser king of Assyria, in the
reign of Hoshea king of Israel, who took Samaria, and carried Israel or the ten tribes into
captivity, from whence they returned not; and yet it is suggested, that the tribulation and
distress that should come upon the Jews by the Romans should be greater than the heaviest of
these; there should be no fleeing, no escape, no, not of any, as at those times mentioned, but
wrath should come upon them to the uttermost, and particularly in the places following:
by the way of the sea; which some understand of the Mediterranean sea, and of that part of
the land of Israel which lay next it; but it seems rather to design the sea of Tiberias or Galilee, as
Jarchi rightly interprets it:

4. beyond Jordan; a part of the land of Israel so called, known by the name of Peraea; See Gill on
Mat_4:25,
in Galilee of the nations; which was inhabited not only by Jews, but by persons of other
nations, and therefore so called; now these places suffered much in the wars between the Jews
and the Romans, by skirmishes, sieges, robberies, plunders, &c. as appears from the history of
Josephus. Some interpreters understand all this, as before observed, as an alleviation of those
times of trouble, as if it would be less than in former times; but it is certain that it was to be, and
was, greater than ever was known, Mat_24:21 it is true, indeed, it may be considered as an
alleviation of it, and as affording some comfort in a view of it, that in those very parts where
there should be so much distress and misery, the Messiah, previous to it, would appear, and
honour it with his presence, who is afterwards spoken of, and so, in connection with the
following words, these may be rendered thus; as by De Dieu, "but obscurity shall not be brought
to it" (the land) "to which distress is brought; as at the first time he caused reproach towards the
land of Zebulun, and towards the land of Naphtali, so in the last" (time) "he will give glory by the
way of the sea, beyond Jordan, on the border of the nations": and if it be asked what that glory
should be, the answer is, "the people that walked in darkness", &c. and so the sense may be, that
whereas the inhabitants of Zebulun and Naphtali, and all Galilee, were lightly esteemed of, being
mean and illiterate, not famous for any arts or sciences, and having no prophet among them,
should, in the days of the Messiah, be highly honoured, and made glorious by his presence,
ministry, and miracles among them (h). See Mat_14:13, where it is quoted, and applied to
Christ's being in those parts.
4. HENRY, “The first words of this chapter plainly refer to the close of the foregoing chapter,
where every thing looked black and melancholy: Behold, trouble, and darkness, and dimness -
very bad, yet not so bad but that to the upright there shall arise light in the darkness
(Psa_112:4) and at evening time it shall be light, Zec_14:7. Nevertheless it shall not be such
dimness (either not such for kind or not such for degree) as sometimes there has been. Note, In
the worst of times God's people have a nevertheless to comfort themselves with, something to
allay and balance their troubles; they are persecuted, but not forsaken (2Co_4:9), sorrowful yet
always rejoicing, 2Co_6:10. And it is matter of comfort to us, when things are at the darkest,
that he who forms the light and creates the darkness (Isa_45:7) has appointed to both their
bounds and set the one over against the other, Gen_4:4. He can say, “Hitherto the dimness shall
go, so long it shall last, and no further, no longer.”
I. Three things are here promised, and they all point ultimately at the grace of the gospel,
which the saints then were to comfort themselves with the hopes of in every cloudy and dark
day, as we now are to comfort ourselves in time of trouble with the hopes of Christ's second
coming, though that be now, as his first coming then was, a thing at a great distance. The mercy
likewise which God has in store for his church in the latter days may be a support to those that
are mourning with her for her present calamities. We have here the promise,
1. Of a glorious light, which shall so qualify, and by degrees dispel, the dimness, that it shall not
be as it sometimes has been: Not such as was in her vexation; there shall not be such dark times
as were formerly, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and Naphtali (which lay
remote and most exposed to the inroads of the neighbouring enemies), and afterwards he more
grievously afflicted the land by the way of the sea and beyond Jordan (Isa_9:1), referring
probably to those days when God began to cut Israel short and to smite them in all their coasts,
2Ki_10:32. Note, God tries what less judgments will do with a people before he brings greater;

5. but if a light affliction do not do its work with us, to humble and reform us, we must expect to be
afflicted more grievously; for when God judges he will overcome. Well, those were dark times
with the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, and there was dimness of anguish in Galilee of the
Gentiles, both in respect of ignorance (they did not speak according to the law and the
testimony, and then there was no light in them, Isa_8:20) and in respect of trouble, and the
desperate posture of their outward affairs; we have both together, 2Ch_15:3, 2Ch_15:5. Israel
has been without the true God and a teaching priest, and in those times there was no peace.
But the dimness threatened (Isa_8:22) shall not prevail to such a degree; for (Isa_9:2) the
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.
5. JAMISON, “Isa_9:1-7. Continuation of the prophecy in the eighth chapter.
Nevertheless, etc. — rather, “For darkness shall not (continually) be on it (that is, the land)
on which there is (now) distress” [Hengstenberg and Maurer]. The “for” refers, not to the words
immediately preceding, but to the consolations in Isa_8:9, Isa_8:10, Isa_8:17, Isa_8:18. Do not
despair, for, etc.
when at the first, etc. — rather, “as the former time has brought contempt on the land of
Zebulun and Naphtali (namely, the deportation of their inhabitants under Tiglath-pileser,
2Ki_15:29, a little before the giving of this prophecy); so shall the after-coming time bring honor
to the way of the sea (the district around the lake of Galilee), the land beyond (but
Hengstenberg, “by the side of”) Jordan (Perea, east of Jordan, belonging to Reuben, Gad, and
half-Manasseh), the circle (but Hengstenberg, “Galilee”) (that is, region) of the “Gentiles”
[Maurer, Hengstenberg, etc.]. Galil in Hebrew is a “circle,” “circuit,” and from it came the name
Galilee. North of Naphtali, inhabited by a mixed race of Jews and Gentiles of the bordering
Phoenician race (Jdg_1:30; 1Ki_9:11). Besides the recent deportation by Tiglath-pileser, it had
been sorely smitten by Ben-hadad of Syria, two hundred years before (1Ki_15:20). It was after
the Assyrian deportation colonized with heathens, by Esar-haddon (2Ki_17:24). Hence arose the
contempt for it on the part of the southern Jews of purer blood (Joh_1:46; Joh_7:52). The same
region which was so darkened once, shall be among the first to receive Messiah’s light
(Mat_4:13, Mat_4:15, Mat_4:16). It was in despised Galilee that He first and most publicly
exercised His ministry; from it were most of His apostles. Foretold in Deu_33:18, Deu_33:19;
Act_2:7; Psa_68:27, Psa_68:28, Jerusalem, the theocratic capital, might readily have known
Messiah; to compensate less favored Galilee, He ministered mostly there; Galilee’s very
debasement made it feel its need of a Savior, a feeling not known to the self-righteous Jews
(Mat_9:13). It was appropriate, too, that He who was both “the Light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the Glory of His people Israel,” should minister chiefly on the border land of Israel, near the
Gentiles.
6. K&D, “After the prophet has thus depicted the people as without morning dawn, he gives
the reason for the assumption that a restoration of light is to be expected, although not for the
existing generation. “For it does not remain dark where there is now distress: in the first time
He brought into disgrace the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and in the last He
brings to honour the road by the sea, the other side of Jordan, the circle of the Gentiles.” ‫י‬ ִⅴ is
neither to be taken as equivalent to the untranslatable ᆉτι recitativum (Knobel), nor is there any

6. necessity to translate it “but” or “nevertheless,” and supply the clause, “it will not remain so.”
The reason assigned for the fact that the unbelieving people of Judah had fallen into a night
without morning, is, that there was a morning coming, whose light, however, would not rise
upon the land of Judah first, but upon other parts of the land. Mu‛ap and muzak are hophal
nouns: a state of darkness and distress. The meaning is, There is not, i.e., there will not remain,
a state of darkness over the land (lah, like bah in Isa_8:21, refers to 'eretz), which is now in a
state of distress; but those very districts which God has hitherto caused to suffer deep
humiliation He will bring to honour by and by (hekal = hekel, according to Ges. §67, Anm. 3,
opp. hicbı̄d, as in Isa_23:9). The height of the glorification would correspond to the depth of the
disgrace. We cannot adopt Knobel's rendering, “as at a former time,” etc., taking ‫עת‬ as an
accusative of time and ְⅴ as equivalent to ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫ֽא‬ ַⅴ, for ְⅴ is never used conjunctionally in this way
(see Psalter, i. 301, and ii. 514); and in the examples adduced by Knobel (viz., Isa_61:11 and
Job_7:2), the verbal clauses after Caph are elliptical relative clauses. The rendering adopted by
Rosenmüller and others (sicut tempus prius vilem reddidit, etc., “as a former time brought it
into contempt”) is equally wrong. And Ewald, again, is not correct in taking the Vav in v'ha-
acharon as the Vav of sequence used in the place of the Cen of comparison. ‫אשׁוֹן‬ ִ‫ר‬ ָ‫ה‬ ‫ת‬ ֵ‫ע‬ ָⅴ and ‫האחרון‬
are both definitions of time. The prophet intentionally indicates the time of disgrace with ְⅴ,
because this would extend over a lengthened period, in which the same fate would occur again
and again. The time of glorification, on the other hand, is indicated by the accus. temporis,
because it would occur but once, and then continue in perpetuity and without change. It is
certainly possible that the prophet may have regarded ha-acharon as the subject; but this would
destroy the harmony of the antithesis. By the land or territory of Naphtali ('artzah, poet. for
'eretz, as in Job_34:13; Job_37:12, with a toneless ah) we are to understand the upper Galilee of
later times, and by the land of Zebulun lower Galilee. In the antithetical parallel clause, what is
meant by the two lands is distinctly specified: (1.) “the road by the sea,” derek hayyam, the tract of
land on the western shore of the sea of Chinnereth; (2.) “the other side of Jordan,” ‛eber hayyarde
n, the country to the east of the Jordan; (3.) “the circle of the Gentiles,” gelı̄l haggoyim, the
northernmost border-land of Palestine, only a portion of the so-called Galilaea of after times.
Ever since the times of the judges, all these lands had been exposed, on account of the countries
that joined them, to corruption from Gentile influence and subjugation by heathen foes. The
northern tribes on this side, as well as those on the other side, suffered the most in the almost
incessant war between Israel and the Syrians, and afterwards between Israel and the Assyrians;
and the transportation of their inhabitants, which continued under Pul, Tiglath-pileser, and
Shalmanassar, amounted at last to utter depopulation (Caspari, Beitr. 116-118). But these
countries would be the very first that would be remembered when that morning dawn of glory
should break. Matthew informs us (Mat_4:13.) in what way this was fulfilled at the
commencement of the Christian times. On the ground of this prophecy of Isaiah, and not of a
“somewhat mistaken exposition of it,” as Renan maintains in his Vie de Jésus (Chapter 13), the
Messianic hopes of the Jewish nation were really directed towards Galilee.
(Note: The Zohar was not the first to teach that the Messiah would appear in Galilee, and
that redemption would break forth from Tiberias; but this is found in the Talmud and
Midrash (see Litteratur-blatt des Orients, 1843, Col. 776).)

7. It is true that, according to Jerome, in loc., the Nazarenes supposed Isa_9:1 to refer to the light
of the gospel spread by the preaching of Paul in terminos gentium et viam universi maris. But
“the sea” (hayyam) cannot possibly be understood as referring to the Mediterranean, as Meier
and Hofmann suppose, for “the way of the sea” (derek hayyam) would in that case have been
inhabited by the Philistines and Phoenicians; whereas the prophet's intention was evidently to
mention such Israelitish provinces as had suffered the greatest affliction and degradation.
7. PULPIT,
“THE TROUBLES OF ISRAEL SHALL END THROUGH THE BIRTH OF A MARVELOUS CHILD. The
section of the prophecy commencing with Isa_7:1 terminates in this glorious burst of glad and gracious
promise. The gist of the whole section is: "Israel shall not suffer from Pekah and Rezin; her oppressors
shall be Assyria and Egypt, more especially the former; Assyria shall overwhelm her, crush her, lay her
low; she shall remain awhile in gloom and darkness; but at length the darkness shall be dispelled; a 'great
light' shall shine forth, first in the north, then over all the land; 'the rod of the oppressor' shall be broken; a
Child shall be born, who shall bear marvelous names, and shall rule over the full kingdom of David in
justice and righteousness forever." God has spoken, and God will perform this.
Isa_9:1
Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when, etc. Our translators have
misconceived the construction, and consequently missed the sense. The first two clauses, which they run
together, are entirely separate and distinct. Translate, Nevertheless there shall be no (more) darkness to
her who was in affliction. As at the former time he brought contempt upon the land of
Zebulon, etc. Contempt was brought on the more northern part of the Holy Land, first when it was overrun
and ravaged by the Syrians (1Ki_15:20) under Ben-hadad, and more recently when it bore the brunt of
the Assyrian attack (2Ki_15:29) under Tiglath-Pileser. At the first and afterward; rather, at the former
time in the latter time. The contrast is between two periods of Israel's history, the existing period and
the Messianic. And afterward did more grievously afflict her. This is altogether wrong. Translate, So in
the latter time he hath brought honor on the way of the sea. The perfect is a "prophetic perfect," and the
reference is to the honor that would be done to the northern districts, "the land of Zebulon and the land of
Naphtali," by the Messiah dwelling there (comp. Mat_4:14-16). The way of the sea; i.e. the district about
the sea of Tiberias, called "the sea of Kinnereth" (equivalent to "Gennesareth") in Num_34:11, and "the
sea of Galilee" in Joh_6:1. Beyond Jordan; i.e. the tract east of the sea and of the upper Jordan, where
the five thousand were fed, and where our Lord was transfigured. Galilee of the nations. The name
"Galilee" seems to have been given to the outlying circuit, or zone, on the north, which was debatable

8. ground between the Israelites and their neighbors (see 1Ki_9:10; Jos_20:7; Jos_21:32). The word means
"circuit," or "ring." Though claimed as theirs by the Israelites, it was largely peopled by "Gentiles."
8. CALVIN, “1.Yet the darkness shall not be. He begins to comfort the wretched by the hope of
alleviation, that they may not be swallowed up by the huge mass of distresses. Many take these words in
quite an opposite meaning, that is, as a threatening which denounces against the Jews a heavier affliction
than that with which Tiglath-pileser (2Kg_15:29) and Shalmanezer (2Kg_17:6) afflicted them. The former
inflicted a heavy calamity, the latter inflicted one still heavier, for he carried the twelve tribes into captivity,
and blotted out the name of the nation. Some think that he now foretells the heaviest calamity of all, for if
it be compared with the former two, it exceeds both of them. Though I am not prepared to reject this view,
for it does not want plausibility, yet I rather favor a different opinion. The other interpretation is indeed
more plausible, that the Prophet intended to deprive hypocrites of every enjoyment, that they might not
imagine that this calamity would quickly pass away like a storm as the others had done, for it would be
utterly destructive; and so we shall take the particle ‫כי‬ (ki) in its literal meaning. (138)
But in my opinion it is most appropriate to view it as a consolation, in which he begins to mitigate what he
had said about that frightful darkness and driving, (Isa_8:22,) and, by allaying the bitterness of those
punishments, encourages them to expect the favor of God. As if he had said, “and yet, amidst that
shocking calamity which the Jews shall endure, the darkness will not be such as when the land of Israel
was afflicted, first, by Tiglath-pileser, (2Kg_15:29,) and afterwards more grievously by Shalmanezer,”
(2Kg_17:6.) Amidst so great extremities believers might otherwise have fainted, if their hearts had not
been cheered by some consolation. Isaiah therefore directs his discourse to them lest they should think
that they were ruined, for he intimates that the chastisements which are now to be inflicted will be lighter
than those which came before. That this is the natural interpretation will quickly appear from what
immediately follows.
But why does the Prophet say that this calamity, which was far more dreadful, would be more mild and
gentle? For Jerusalem was to be razed, the temple thrown down, and the sacrifices abolished, which had
remained untouched during the former calamities. It might be thought that these were the severest of all,
and that the former, in comparison of them, were light. But it ought to be observed, that while in the
former instances there was no promise, an explicit promise was added to this threatening. By this alone
can temptations be overcome and chastisements be rendered light. By this seasoning alone, I say, are
our afflictions alleviated; and all who are destitute of it must despair. But if, by means of it, the Lord
strengthen us by holding out the hope of assistance, there is no affliction so heavy that we shall not
reckon it to be light.

9. This may be made plain by a comparison. A man may happen to be drowned in a small stream, and yet,
though he had fallen into the open sea, if he had got hold of a plank he might have been rescued and
brought on shore. In like manner the slightest calamities will overwhelm us if we are deprived of God’
favor; but if we relied on the word of God, we might come out of the heaviest calamity safe and uninjured.
As to the words, some take ‫מועף‬ (mugnaph) for an adjective, as if the Prophet said,It shall not be
darkened; but the feminine pronoun which immediately follows, ‫בה‬ (bahh), in her, does not allow us to
refer this to men. It is more accurately described by others to be a substantive noun; and, therefore, I
have resolved to render it literally, there shall not be darkness in Judea according to the affliction of the
time when, etc. Some explain ‫הקל‬ (hekal) to mean that the land was relieved of a burden, in consequence
of the people having been carried into captivity; but this is altogether at variance with the Prophet’
meaning, and does not agree with what follows; for it is immediately added that the seacoast has
been more grievously afflicted by a second calamity. There can be no doubt, therefore, that this verb
corresponds to the other verb ‫,הכביד‬ (hikbid.) (139) Not more than a small part of the kingdom having been
afflicted by Tiglath-pileser, the calamity which he brought upon it is said to be light as compared with the
second which was inflicted by Shalmanezer.
By the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. He calls it the way of the sea,
because Galilee was adjoining to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and on one side it was bounded by
the course of the Jordan. It is called Galilee of the Gentiles, not only because it was contiguous to Tyre
and Sidon, but because it contained a great multitude of Gentiles, who were mingled with the Jews; for
from the time that Solomon granted this country to King Hiram, (1Kg_9:11,) it could never be subdued in
such a manner as not to have some part of it possessed by the Gentiles
(138) The Hebrew particle ‫,כי‬ (ki,) which is placed at the beginning of this verse, is rendered in the English
version by Nevertheless; but Calvin says that he is willing to translate it for — Ed
(139) ‫הקל‬ (hekal) signifies literally to make light, and in accordance with an English idiom, sometimes
denotes figuratively, to make light of. Stock’ rendering is, he made vile, answering to Lowth’ he debased.
Both agree in rendering ‫הכביד‬ (hikbid) he hath made it glorious. The English version concurs with Calvin
in rendering‫,הקל‬ (hekal,) he lightly afflicted, and ‫,הבביד‬ (hikbid,) he did more grievously afflict. — Ed

10. 9. BI, “The prophecy explained
Let me venture to give what I conceive to be the true rendering of the prophecy—a rendering
which at least in its main particulars has the support of the best modern interpreters—and the
striking beauty and force and consistency of the whole will become evident.
The prophet has been speaking in the previous chapter of a time of terrible distress and
perplexity which was close at hand. King and people had forsaken their God. Ahaz had refused
the sign of deliverance offered him and was hoping, by an alliance with Assyria, to beat off his
enemies. The people in their terror were resorting to wizards and to necromancers for guidance
instead of resorting to God. And the prophet warns them that the national unbelief and apostasy
shall bring its sure chastisement in national despair. They will look around them in vain for
succour. The heavens above and the earth beneath shall be wrapt in the same awful gloom.
Nothing can exceed the dramatic force of the picture; it is a night at noonday, the very sun
blotted from the heavens; it is a darkness which might be felt. But even while the prophet’s gaze
is fixed upon it he sees the light trembling on the skirts of the darkness. The sunrise is behind
the cloud. “The darkness,” cries the prophet, “is driven away.” So I venture to render the last
words of the eighth chapter. “For there shall no more be gloom to her (i.e., to the land)
that was in anguish. In the former time He made light of (not ‘lightly afflicted’ as our A.V. has
it), poured contempt upon the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, but in the latter time He hath
made it glorious by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee (the circuit) of the nations.” Take
this rendering and you have a perfectly exact end very striking prediction. It was not true that
the land had first been lightly afflicted and afterwards was more grievously afflicted. But it was
true that in the former time the land had been despised; Zebulun and Naphtali and Galilee of the
nations had been a byword among the Jews; their territory had been trampled under foot by
every invader who had ever entered Palestine. In the former time He did make light of it, He did
abase it, but in the latter time He made it glorious with a glory far transcending the glory of any
earthly kingdom. For it was here, amid this despised half heathen population, that the true Light
shined down, here the Lord of Glory lived, it was here that He wrought His wonderful works and
uttered His wonderful words, it was here that He gathered fishermen and tax gatherers to be His
first disciples and missionaries to the world. This land was of a truth made glorious by the feet of
Jesus of Nazareth. Well may the prophet continue, “The people that walked in darkness have
seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them hath the light
shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy.” The insertion of the
negative is an unfortunate mistake which, though found in our present Hebrew text, can be
easily explained, and indeed has been corrected by the Hebrew scribes themselves. “They joy
before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men exult when they divide the spoil. For the
yoke of his burden, and the staff upon his shoulder, the rod of his oppression Thou hast broken,
as in the day of Midian. For the greaves of the greaved warrior and the battle tumult and the
garments rolled in blood shall be for burning for fuel of fire.” The A.V., by the insertion of the
words “but this,” introduces an antithesis which destroys the whole force and beauty of the
picture. Strike out those words and all becomes clear and consistent. The meaning is that at the
advent of the Prince of Peace all wars shall cease. The soldier’s sandals and the soldier’s cloak
and all the bloodstained gear of battle shall be gathered together and east into the fire to be
burned. The heir of David’s throne is no earthly warrior; He does not win His kingdom by force
of arms. “For a Child is born unto us, a Son is given unto us, and the government shall be upon
His shoulder; He shall wear the insignia of royalty. And His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government
and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish
it, and to uphold it with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth even forever. The
zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.” Such is the majestic vision of light and Peace that
dawns upon the prophet’s soul in the midst of the national apostasy. (Bishop Perowne.)

11. “Nevertheless”
There is in this world mercifully a compensating balance to all Divine denunciations, a
“nevertheless” to all God’s judgments, and a Gospel of grace appended to every message of
doom. It is this that makes this world, amid all its tragic scenes, a world of mercy. (D. Davies.)
Clearest promises of Christ in darkest times
It is noteworthy that the clearer promises of the Messiah have been given in the darkest hour? of
history. If the prophets had been silent upon the Coming One before, they always speak out in
the cloudy and dark day; for well the Spirit made them know that the coming of God in human
flesh is the lone star of the world’s night. It was so in the beginning, when our first parents had
sinned, and were doomed to quit the paradise of delights. When Israel was in Egypt, when they
were in the sorest bondage, and when many plagues had been wrought on Pharaoh, apparently
without success; then Israel saw the Messiah set before her as the Paschal lamb, whose blood
sprinkled on the lintel and the two side posts secured the chosen from the avenger of blood. The
type is marvellously clear, and the times were marvellously dark. I will quote three cases from
the prophetical books which now lie open before Isa_28:16, you read that glorious prophecy:
“Behold, I lay inZion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure
foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” When was that given? When the foundation
of society in Israel was rotten with iniquity, and when its cornerstone was oppression. Read
from Isa_28:14: “Wherefore hear the Word of the Lord, ye scornful men,” etc. Thus, when lies
and falsehoods ruled the hour, the Lord proclaims the blessed truth that the Messiah would
come sad would be a sure foundation for believers. Next, look into Jer_23:5: “Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,” etc. When was this clear
testimony given! Read the former verses of the chapter, sad see that the pastors were destroying
and scattering the sheep of Jehovah’s pasture. When the people of the Lord thus found their
worst enemies where they ought to have met with friendly care, then they were promised
happier days through the coming of the Divine Son of David. Glance at Eze_34:23, where the
Lord says, “And I will set up one shepherd over them, sad he shall feed them, even My servant
David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.” When came this cheering promise
concerning that great Shepherd of the sheep! It came when Israel is thus described: “And they
were scattered, because there is no shepherd,” etc. Thus, in each case, when things were at their
worst, the Lord Jesus was the one well of consolation in a desert of sorrows. In the worst times
we are to preach Christ, and to look to Christ. In Jesus there is a remedy for the direst of
diseases, and s rescue from the darkest of despairs. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Phases of Divine purpose
Let us look at some of the abiding doctrines and illustrations suggested by this noblest effort of
the prophet’s imagination. Isaiah’s wing never takes a higher flight than it does in this prevision
of the centuries.
1. The Divine purpose has never been satisfied, if we may so say, with darkness, judgment,
desolation. When God has judged a man He would seem to return to see what effect the
judgment has had, if haply He may see some hope of returning feeling, of loyalty sad filial
submission. God’s feeling has been always a feeling of solicitude to bless the nations. We

12. shall do wrong if we suppose that pity comes in only with the historical Christ, that
compassion was born on Christmas Day.
2. The Divine movement amongst the nations has always expressed itself under the contrast
of light sad darkness (verse 2). No contrast can be more striking; therefore this is the one
God has chosen whereby to represent the Divine movement. God is associated with light,
and all evil with darkness. The fulfilment of Divine purpose has always been associated with
incarnation, idealised Humanity.
3. Look at the Deliverer as seen by the prophet (verse 6). The Deliverer is to come as a child,
a son, a governor, a name; He is to sit upon the throne of David, sad upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment sad with justice from henceforth even forever. Say
there was a secondary application of the terms, there can be no objection to that; but no
living man ever filled out in their uttermost spheral meaning all these names but one, and
His name is Jesus.
4. Then comes rapture upon rapture. And the pledge of the fulfilment of all is, “The zeal of
the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (J. Parker, D. D.)
The remedy of the world’s misery
I. THE VIEW TAKEN BY THE PROPHET OF THE MORAL STATE OF THE WORLD
PREVIOUS TO THE GLORIOUS CHANGE WHICH MAKES THE SUBJECT OF HIS
PROPHECY.
1. The people are represented as walking in darkness. The prophet contemplates the world at
large. Light is an emblem of knowledge; darkness of ignorance and error.
2. But darkness alone appears to the mind of the prophet only a faint emblem of the state of
the heathen. He adds, therefore, “the shadow of death.” In Scripture this expression is used
for death, the grave, the darkness of that subterranean mansion into which the Jews
supposed the souls of men went after death. Figuratively, the expression is used for great
distress; a state of danger and terror. It is an amplification, therefore, of the prophet’s
thought. Experience has justified this representation of the prophet. The religion of the
heathen has ever been gloomy and horrible.
II. THE BLESSED VISITATION (Isa_9:2).
1. As darkness is an emblem of the religious sorrows which had overcast the world, so light is
an emblem of the truth of the Gospel The Gospel is “light.” This marks its origin from
heaven. This notes its truth. It is “light” because of its penetrating and subtle nature. It is
called “light,” “a great light,” because of the discoveries which it makes. It is life and health to
the world. Where it prevails, spiritual life is inspired, and the moral disorders of the soul give
place to health and vigour.
2. As in the vision light succeeds to darkness, so also joy succeeds to fear and misery.
III. SO VAST A CHANGE MUST BE PRODUCED BY CAUSES PROPORTIONABLY
POWERFUL: and to the means by which this astonishing revolution is effected the prophet next
directs attention (Isa_9:4-5). These words speak of resistance and a struggle. In the conduct of
this battle two things are, however, to be remarked: the absolute weakness and insufficiency of
the assailants, and their miraculous success. The weakness of the instruments used in breaking
the rod and yoke of the oppressor is sufficiently marked by the allusion to the destruction of the
host of Midian by Gideon and his three hundred men. But it may be said, “Is not all this a
splendid vision? You speak of weak instruments effecting a miraculous success; of the display

13. and operation of a supernatural power, touching the hearts of men, and changing the moral
state of the world; but what is the ground of this expectation?” This natural and very proper
question our text answers.
IV. “FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN,” etc. (Isa_9:6-7). (R. Watson.)
Light out of darkness
We are not left in doubt as to what the end of this great prophecy was. In Mat_4:15-16, we have
it expounded to us.
I. THE GREAT DARKNESS. The prophet first saw the people utterly overwhelmed by the
ruthless hand of merciless war. It had been once a prosperous land, but now darkness dense had
come over it till it was a veritable “shadow of death.” Turning from the immediate political
significance of this to its spiritual import, we can easily see in it a picture of the spiritual
condition of the world when Jesus came. The whole world was lying in the wicked one. The
Jewish people, though they had the living Word of God, had in the darkness of their carnal
ambition and lifeless formality lost all true vision of God. The Gentile world was no better. The
best which they had was, on the one hand, a sensuous and godless Epicureanism, and on the
other a cold and hopeless Stoicism. Turning to the condition of the unconverted people of our
own day, we see also darkness and the shadow of death. What light for the soul has all our
modern philosophical thinking and scientific research given?
II. THE GREAT LIGHT. The light which the prophet saw was the intervention of God for the
deliverance of the people from political bondage and physical misery, with some spiritual return
to God. That which it typified was the advent and work of Christ. How this light shone upon the
darkened world when He came! Truly it was a “great light.” The light seen in the face of Jesus
Christ is the glory of God, revealing His eternal purposes of grace to all sinful men. Christ lights
the world by loving it, i.e., by revealing the love of God to sinners.
III. THE GREAT BLESSINGS. With the coming of the true light came wonderful blessings to
the people. This is described in the language of the prophet under several figures of speech.
1. “Thou hast multiplied the nation.” If we look to the real fulfilment of this prophecy, what a
vast increase in the people of God there has been!
2. “And increased their joy.” Of old the people of God rejoiced at their best periods in mere
national prosperity. But under the spiritual reign of Jesus the people shall rejoice in better
things. The joy of salvation.
3. “According to the joy in harvest.” The happiest festival of the Jews was the harvest feast,
when the fruits of the earth were all gathered in, and the people blessed God and rejoiced in
their riches. But now He gives us a new and better harvest, the ingathering of souls, the first
fruits of which were gathered on the day of Pentecost. There is no such pure joy as that
which arises in the heart when God’s salvation is being accepted by men and women, and
His harvest is being gathered. What will it be in that day when the glad harvest home is
accomplished?
4. “And as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” This is a figure borrowed from the
triumphant joy of the victorious warrior, who, having overthrown the enemy, and taken
possession of his goods, divides them as spoil among the victors. Well, so shall, and so do,
God’s people rejoice over the victories which the Gospel wins over “the god of this world.”
5. “Thou hast broken the yoke . . . and the staff.” Hitherto the people had boon under the
iron yoke of their oppressors, and beaten by the rod of their taskmasters, as in the old

14. slavery times of Egypt. How happy when that yoke shall be broken, and that cruel staff or
rod done away! Under Messiah’s reign the cruel bondage of Satan’s yoke is broken, and the
taskmaster’s staff done away.
IV. HOW CHRIST DELIVERS. In earthly conflicts battles are fought “with confused noise and
garments rolled in blood.” The captives were delivered of old by these terrible and sanguinary
methods; but Christ delivers His captives by the power of the Spirit of God, “with burning and
fuel of fire.” The fire is the Holy Ghost, and the fuel of fire is the Word of truth. (G. F. Pentecost,
D. D.)
The nativity of our Lord
I. LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.
II. JOY BECAUSE OF THE LIGHT.
1. Because Jesus was born.
2. Because in His incarnation God and man were united.
3. Because through His birth “the yoke” of man’s burden has been broken (Isa_9:4), and the
power of his oppressor destroyed.
III. THE GROUNDS OF THIS JOY (Isa_9:6-7). (Clergyman’s Magazine.)
Good things in the days of the great Messiah
If it be asked, What the great design of God is in the Scriptures? I answer, To bring a lost world
to the knowledge of a Saviour all the prophecies, promises, histories, and doctrines of the Word,
do point us to Him, as the needle in the mariner’s compass points to the pole star. “To Him bore
all the prophets witness.” And when apostles under the New Testament were sent unto all
nations, with the silver trumpet of the everlasting Gospel in their mouths, what was the great
theme of their sermons! It was just to make Christ known among the nations All the lines of
religion meet in Him as their centre. The prophet in the close of the preceding chapter, having
spoken of dark and dismal days of trouble and distress, comes in the beginning of this, to
comfort and encourage the hearts of true believers, with the good things which were coming in
the days of the great Messiah.
I. There are THREE GREAT NEW TESTAMENT BLESSINGS he condescends upon.
1. Great light should spring up to a lost world (Isa_9:2).
2. Joy in the Lord (Isa_9:3).
3. Spiritual liberty (Isa_9:4-5).
II. It any should ask WHO IS HE, AND WHERE IS HE, THAT SHALL DO ALL THESE GREAT
THINGS? You have an answer in the words, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulder,” etc. In the words we may notice these things
following.
1. The incarnation of the great Messiah; for here the prophet speaks of His birth.
2. His donation. He is the gift of God to a lost world. “Unto us a Son is given.”
3. His advancement to the supreme rule and authority. “The government shall be upon His
shoulder.”

15. 4. His character and designation, in five names here given Him, which show that He has a
name above every name, “Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.”
5. The relation He stands in to lost sinners of Adam’s family. He is born “to us,” He is given
“to us,” and not to the angels which fell.
6. The application and triumph of faith upon all this; for the Church here lays claim to Him,
and triumphs in her claim; for the words are uttered in a way of holy boasting. “Unto us this
Child is born, unto us this Son is given.” (E. Erskine.)
Fulness of Christ
There is that in Jesus Christ alone which may and can afford sufficient comfort and relief in the
worst of times and conditions.
I. WE WILL INQUIRE INTO THE TRUTH OF IT (Col_2:9).
1. If you look into Scripture you shall find that the promises and prophecies of Christ are
calculated and given out for the worst of times.
2. If there was enough in the types of Christ to comfort and relieve the people of God under
the Old Testament in the worst of their times; then there must needs be enough in Christ to
comfort the people of God now in the worst of our times. In the times of the Old Testament,
in ease they had sinned, what relief had they? A sacrifice to make an atonement Lev_4:20),
and so a type of Christ the great Sacrifice Heb_9:26). In case they were in the wilderness and
wanted bread, what relief had they? Manna, a type of Christ, “the true Bread that came down
from heaven.’ In case they wanted water, what relief had they? The rock opened, and “that
rock was Christ.” In ease they were stung wire the fiery serpents what relief had they? They
had the brazen serpent, and that was a type of Christ (Joh_3:15).
3. If all the promises of good things made to us were originated in Christ, and if all the
promises that were made unto Christ of good things to come, do descend upon us, then
surely there is enough in Christ to succour in the worst of times. For what are the promises
but Divine conveyances?
4. If all our want of comfort and satisfaction doth arise from the want of a sight of Christ’s
fulness and excellency, and all our satisfaction and comfort doth arise from the sight of
Christ’s fulness and excellency, then this doctrine must needs he true.
II. WHAT IS THAT IN CHRIST THAT MAY OR CAN COMFORT, SUCCOUR AND BELIEVE IN
THE WORST OF TIMES AND CONDITIONS?
1. Look what that good thing is which the world can either give or take away, that is in Christ
in great abundance; and if that be in Christ in great abundance which the world can neither
give or take away, then there is that in Christ that may or can succour, comfort, and relieve
in the worst of times. Can the world take away your estate, gold, or silver? Then read what is
said in Pro_3:1-35, concerning wisdom, where Christ is called wisdom (verse 13). Can the
world take away your liberty? Then you know what Christ says, “Behold, I have set before
thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” Can the world take away your life? You know
what Christ saith, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” On the other side, what can the
world give to you? Can the world give you peace, rest, quietness? Then you know what Christ
saith (Mat_11:28; Joh_14:27). Can the world give you happiness? I am sure Christ can.
2. There is in Jesus Christ the greatest excellency under the best propriety, “My Lord and my
God.”

16. 3. There is in Jesus Christ the greatest fulness joined with the most communicativeness.
4. The sweetest love under the greatest engagement. Is not a brother engaged to help his
brother? A father his children? A husband his wife! Now, suppose there were one person
that could stand under all these relations—a brother, a father, a husband; how much would
that person be engaged to help? Thus Christ doth; He stands under all these relations.
6. There is that in Jesus Christ that suiteth all conditions.
III. HOW FAR THIS CONCERNS US. (W. Bridge, M. A.)
Immanuel the Light of Life
I. There is to be a light breaking in upon the sons of men who sit in darkness, and this light is to
be found only in the incarnate God. Let me ILLUSTRATE THIS FACT BY THE CONTEXT.
1. I must carry you back to Isa_7:14. The sign of coming light is Jesus.
2. Further on we see our Lord Jesus as the hold fast of the soul in time of darkness. See in
Isa_8:8, the whole country overwhelmed by the fierce armies of the Assyrians, as when a
land is submerged beneath a flood. Then you read—And he shall pea through Judah; he shall
overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings
shall fill the breadth of Thy land, O Immanuel.” The one hope that remained for Judah was
that her country was Immanuel’s land. There would Immanuel be born, there would He
labour, and there would He die. He was by eternal covenant the King of that land, and no
Assyrian could keep Him from His throne. If you are a believer in Christ, you belong to Him,
and you always were His by sovereign right, even when the enemy held you in possession.
We might exultingly have gloried over you, “Thy soul, O Immanuel.” Herein lay your hope
when all other hope was gone. Herein is your hope now.
3. Further on in the chapter we learn that Jesus is our star of hope as to the destruction of
the enemy. The foes of God’s people shall be surely vanquished and destroyed because of
Immanuel. Note well in Isa_8:9-10, how it is put twice over like an exultant taunt: “Gird
yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in
pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not
stand: for Immanuel.” Our version translates the word into “God with us,” but it is
“Immanuel.” In Him, even in our Lord Jesus Christ, dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily, and He has brought all that Godhead to bear upon the overthrow of the foes of His
people.
4. Further on we find the Lord Jesus as the morning light after a night of darkness, The last
verses of the eighth chapter picture a horrible state of wretchedness and despair: “And they
shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry:” etc. But see what a change awaits them!
Read the fine translation of the R.V. “But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish.”
What a marvellous light from the midst of a dreadful darkness! It lean astounding change,
such as only God with us could work. There am some here who have traversed that terrible
wilderness You are being driven as captives into the land of despair, and for the last few
months you have been tromping along a painful road, “hardly bestead and hungry.” You are
sorely put to it, and your soul finds no food of comfort, but is ready to faint and die. You fret
yourself: your heart is wearing away with care, and grief, and hopelessness. In the bitterness
of your soul you are ready to curse the day of your birth. The captive Israelites cursed their
king who had led them into their defeat and bondage; the fury of their agony, they even
cursed God and longed to die, It may be that your heart is in such a ferment of grief that you
know not what you think, but are like a man at his wits’ end. Those who led you into sin are

17. bitterly remembered; and as you think upon God you am troubled. This is a dreadful ease for
a soul to be in, and it involves a world of sin and misery. You look up, but the heavens are as
brass above your head; your prayers appear to be shut out from God’s ear; you look around
you upon the earth, and behold “trouble and darkness, and dimness of anguish”; your every
hope is slain, and your heart is torn asunder with remorse and dread. Every hour you seem
to be hurried by an irresistible power into greater darkness. In such a case none can give you
comfort save Immanuel, God with us. Only God, espousing your cause, and bearing your sin,
can possibly save you. See, He comes for your salvation!
5. Once more, we learn from that which follows our text, that the reign of Jesus is the star of
the golden future. He came to Galilee of the Gentiles, and made that country glorious, which
had been brought into contempt. That corner of Palestine had very often borne the brunt of
invasion, and had felt more than any other region the edge of the keen Assyrian sword. It
was a wretched land, with a mixed population, despised by the purer race of Jews; but that
very country became glorious with the presence of the incarnate God. That first land to be
invaded by the enemy was made the headquarters of the army of salvation. Even so at this
day His gracious presence is the day dawn of our joy. Here read and interpret Isa_9:3.Then
shall your enemy be defeated, as in the day of Midian. When Jesus comes you shall have
eternal peace; for His battle is the end of battles. “All the armour of the armed man in the
tumult, and the garments rolled in blood, shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire.” This is
the rendering of the Revision; and it is good. The Prince of Peace wars against war, and
destroys it. Now is it that the Lord Jesus becomes glorious in our eyes; and He whose name
is Immanuel is now crowned in our heart with many crowns, and honoured with many titles.
What a list of glories we have here! What a burst of song it makes when we sing of the
Messiah (Isa_9:6). Each word sounds like a salvo of artillery.
II. I want to PRESS HOME CERTAIN TRUTHS CONNECTED WITH MY THEME. Immanuel is
a grand word. “God with us” means more than tongue can tell It means enmity removed on our
part, and justice vindicated on God’s part. It means the whole Godhead engaged on our side,
resolved to bless us.
1. Jesus is Immanuel (Mat_1:21).
2. Perhaps you wish to know a little more of the incident in the text which exhibits Jesus as
the great light. Our Lord made His home in the darkest parts. He looked about and saw no
country so ignorant, no country so sorrowful, as Galilee of the Gentiles, and therefore He
went there, and lifted it up to heaven by priceless privileges!
3. We will turn back to where we opened our Bibles at the first, and there we learn that, to be
God with us, Jesus must be accepted by us. He cannot be with us if we will not have Him.
Hear how the prophet words it: “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” Be sure
that you go on with the verse to the end—“and the government shall be upon His shoulder.”
If Christ is your Saviour He must be your King. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Lux in tenebris
One evening last week I stood by the seashore when the storm was raging. The voice of the Lord
was upon the waters; and who was I that I should tarry within doors, when my Master’s voice
was heard sounding along the water? I rose and stood to behold the flash of His lightnings, and
listen to the glory of His thunders. The sea and the thunders were contesting with one another;
the sea with infinite clamour striving to hush the deep-throated thunder, so that His voice
should not be heard; yet over and above the roar of the billows might be heard that voice of God,
as He spake with flames of fire, and divided the way for the waters. It was a dark night, and the

18. sky was covered with thick clouds, and scarce a star could be seen through the rifts of the
tempest; but at one particular time, I noticed far away on the horizon, as if miles across the
water, a bright shining, like gold. It was the moon hidden behind the clouds, so that she could
not shine upon us; but she was able to send her rays down upon the waters, far away, where no
cloud happened to intervene. I thought as I read this chapter last evening, that the prophet
seemed to have stood in a like position, when he wrote the words of my text. All round about
him were clouds of darkness; he heard prophetic thunders roaring, and he saw flashes of the
lightning of Divine vengeance; clouds and darkness, for many a league, were scattered through
history; but he saw far away a bright spot—one place where the clear shining same down from
heaven. And he eat down, and he penned these words: “The people that walked in darkness have
seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
shined”; and though he looked through whole leagues of space, where he saw the battle of the
warrior “with confused noise and garments rolled in blood,” yet he fixed his eye upon one bright
spot in futurity, and he declared that there he saw hope of peace, prosperity, and blessedness;
for said he, “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon
His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
2
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
1.BARNES, “The people that walked in darkness - The inhabitants of the region of
Galilee. They were represented as walking in darkness, because they were far from the capital,
and from the temple; they had few religious privileges; they were intermingled with the pagan,
and were comparatively rude and uncultivated in their manners and in their language. Allusion
to this is several times made in the New Testament; Joh_1:46 : ‘Can any good thing come out of
Nazareth?’ Joh_7:52 : ‘Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet;’ Mat_26:69;
Mar_14:70. The word walked here is synonymous with lived, and denotes that thick darkness
brooded over the country, so that they lived, or walked amidst it.
Have seen a great light - Light is not only an emblem of knowledge in the Scriptures, but of
joy, rejoicing, and deliverance. It stands opposed to moral darkness, and to times of judgment
and calamity. What is the particular reference here, is not agreed by expositors. The immediate
connection seems to require us to understand it of deliverance from the calamities that were
impending over the nation then. They would be afflicted, but they would be delivered. The tribes
of Israel would be carried captive away; and Judah would also be removed. This calamity would
particularly affect the ten tribes of Israel - the northern part of the land, the regions of Galilee -

19. “for those tribes would be carried away not to return.” Yet this region also would be favored with
a especially striking manifestation of light. I see no reason to doubt that the language of the
prophet here is adapted to extend into that future period when the Messiah should come to that
dark region, and become both its light and its deliverer. Isaiah may have referred to the
immediate deliverance of the nation from impending calamities, but there is a fullness and
richness of the language that seems to be applicable only to the Messiah. So it is evidently
understood in Mat_4:13-16.
They that dwell - The same people are referred to here as in the former member of the
verse.
In the land of the shadow of death - This is a most beautiful expression, and is special to
the Hebrew poets. The word ‫צלמות‬ tsalmaveth, is exceedingly poetical. The idea is that of death,
as a dark substance or being, casting a long and chilly shade over the land - standing between
the land and the light - and thus becoming the image of ignorance, misery, and calamity. It is
often used, in the Scriptures, to describe those regions that were lying as it were in the
penumbra of this gloomy object, and exposed to all the chills and sorrows of this melancholy
darkness. Death, by the Hebrews, was especially represented as extending his long and baleful
shadow ever the regions of departed spirits; Job_38:17 :
Have the gates of death been opened to thee?
Hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Before I go - I shall not return -
To the land of darkness
And of the shadow of death.
Job_10:21
It is thus an image of chills, and gloom, and night - of anything that resembles the still and
mournful regions of the dead. The Chaldee renders these two verses thus: ‘In a former time
Zebulun and Naphtali emigrated; and those who remained after them a strong king shall carry
into captivity, because they did not remember the power which was shown in the Red Sea, and
the miracles which were done in Jordan, and the wars of the people of the cities. The people of
the house of Israel who walked in Egypt as in the midst of shades, came out that they might see a
great light.’
2. PULPIT, “The people that walked in darkness (comp. Isa_8:22). All the world was "in darkness"
when Christ came; but here the Jews especially seem to be intended. It was truly a dark time with them
when Christ came. Have seen; rather, saw.The "prophetic" preterit is used throughout the whole
passage. A great light. "The Light of the world," "the Sun of righteousness," "the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world, "first broke on man in that northern tract" by the way of the sea,
"when Jesus came forward to teach and to preach in "Galilee of the Gentiles." For thirty years he had
dwelt at Nazareth, in Zebulon. There he had first come forward to teach in a synagogue (Luk_4:16-21); in
Galilee he had done his first miracles (Joh_2:11; Joh_4:54); at Capernaum. "Upon the sea coast, in the
borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim," he commenced his preaching of repentance (Mat_4:13-17). The
"light" first streamed forth in this quarter, glorifying the region on which contempt had long been poured.

20. 3. GILL, “The people that walked in darkness,.... Meaning not the inhabitants of Judah
and Jerusalem, in the times of Hezekiah, when Sennacherib besieged them, as Jarchi and
Kimchi interpret it; and much less the people of Israel in Egypt, as the Targum paraphrases it;
but the inhabitants of Galilee in the times of Christ; see Mat_4:16, Joh_1:48 and is a true
character of all the people of God before conversion, who are in a state of darkness, under the
power of sin, shut up in unbelief; are in gross ignorance of themselves, and their condition; of
sin, and the danger they are exposed to by it; of divine and spiritual things; of the grace of God;
of the way of peace, life, and salvation by Christ; and of the work of the blessed Spirit; and of the
truths of the Gospel; they are in the dark, and can see no objects in a spiritual sense; not to read
the word, so as to understand it; or to work that which is good; and they "walk" on in darkness,
not knowing where they are, and whither they are going; and yet of these it is said, they
have seen a great light; Christ himself, who conversed among the Galilaeans, preached unto
them, and caused the light of his glorious Gospel to shine into many of their hearts; by which
their darkness was removed, so that they not only saw Christ, this great light, with their bodily
eyes, but with the eyes of their understanding; who may be called the "light", because he is the
author and giver of all light, even of nature, grace, and glory; and a "great" one, because he is the
sun, the greatest light, the sun of righteousness, the light of the world, both of Jews and
Gentiles; he is the true light, in distinction from all typical ones, and in opposition to all false
ones, and who in his person is God over all.
They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death; as Galilee might be called, because it
was a poor, miserable, and uncomfortable place, from whence no good came; and this character
fitly describes God's people in a state of nature and unregeneracy, who are dead in Adam, dead
in law, and dead in trespasses and sins, dead as to the spiritual use of the powers and faculties of
their souls; they have no spiritual life in them, nor any spiritual sense, feeling, or motion; and
they "dwell", continue, and abide in this state, till grace brings them out of it; see Joh_12:46,
upon them hath the light shined: Christ in human nature, through the ministration of his
Gospel, by his spirit, so as to enlighten them who walk in darkness, and to quicken them who
dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, and to comfort them in their desolate estate; and this
light not only shone upon them in the external ministration of the word, as it did "upon" the
inhabitants in general, but it shone "into" the hearts of many of them in particular, so that in
this light they saw light.
4. HENRY, “At this time when the prophet lived, there were many prophets in Judah and
Israel, whose prophecies were a great light both for direction and comfort to the people of God,
who adhered to the law and the testimony. Besides the written word, they had prophecy; there
were those that had shown them how long (Psa_74:9), which was a great satisfaction to them,
when in respect of their outward troubles they sat in darkness, and dwelt in the land of the
shadow of death. (2.) This was to have its full accomplishment when our Lord Jesus began to
appear as a prophet, and to preach the gospel in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, and in
Galilee of the Gentiles. And the Old Testament prophets, as they were witnesses to him, so they
were types of him. When he came and dwelt in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali, then this
prophecy is said to have been fulfilled, Mat_4:13-16. Note, [1.] Those that want the gospel walk
in darkness, and know not what they do nor whither they go; and they dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, in thick darkness, and in the utmost danger. [2.] When the gospel comes to any
place, to any soul, light comes, a great light, a shining light, which will shine more and more. It

21. should be welcome to us, as light is to those that sit in darkness, and we should readily entertain
it, both because if is of such sovereign use to us and because it brings its own evidence with it.
Truly this light is sweet.
5. JAMISON, “the people — the whole nation, Judah and Israel.
shadow of death — the darkest misery of captivity.
6. K&D, “The range of vision is first widened in Isa_9:2.: “The people that walk about in
darkness see a great light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a
light shines.” The range of vision is here extended; not to the Gentiles, however, but to all Israel.
Salvation would not break forth till it had become utterly dark along the horizon of Israel,
according to the description in Isa_5:30, i.e., till the land of Jehovah had become a land of the
shadow of death on account of the apostasy of its inhabitants from Jehovah (zalmaveth is
modified, after the manner of a composite noun, from zalmuth, according to the form kadruth,
and is derived from ‫,צלם‬ Aeth. salema, Arab. zalima, to be dark).
(Note: The shadow or shade, zel, Arab. zill (radically related to tall = ‫,טל‬ dew), derived its
name ab obtegendo, and according to the idea attached to it as the opposite of heat or of light,
was used as a figure of a beneficent shelter (Isa_16:3), or of what was dark and horrible (cf.,
Targ. tallani, a night-demon). The verb zalam, in the sense of the Arabic zalima, bears the
same relation to zalal as baham to bahah (Gen. p. 93), ‛aram, to be naked, to ‛arah (Jeshurun,
p. 159). The noun zelem, however, is either formed from this zalam, or else directly from zel,
with the substantive termination em.)
The apostate mass of the nation is to be regarded as already swept away; for if death has cast its
shadow over the land, it must be utterly desolate. In this state of things the remnant left in the
land beholds a great light, which breaks through the sky that has been hitherto covered with
blackness. The people, who turned their eyes upwards to no purpose, because they did so with
cursing (Isa_8:21), are now no more. It is the remnant of Israel which sees this light of spiritual
and material redemption arise above its head. In what this light would consist the prophet states
afterwards, when describing first the blessings and then the star of the new time.
7. MACLAREN, “THE KINGDOM AND THE KING
The darker the cloud, the brighter is the rainbow. This prophecy has for its historical
background the calamitous reign of the weak and wicked Ahaz, during which the heart of the
nation was bowed, like a forest before the blast, by the dread of foreign invasion and conquest.
The prophet predicts a day of gloom and anguish, and then, out of the midst of his threatenings,
bursts this glorious vision, sudden as sunrise. With consummate poetic art, the consequences of
Messiah’s rule are set forth before He Himself is brought into view.
I. Image is heaped on image to tell the blessedness of that reign (Isa_9:2-5). Each trait
of the glowing description is appropriate to the condition of Israel under Ahaz; but each has a

22. meaning far beyond that limited application. Isaiah may, or may not, have been aware of ‘what’
or ‘what time’ his words portrayed in their deepest, that is, their true meaning, but if we believe
in supernatural prediction which, though it may have found its point of attachment in the
circumstances of the present, was none the less the voice of the Spirit of God, we shall not make,
as is often done now, the prophet’s construction of his words the rule for their interpretation.
What the prophecy was discerned to point to by its utterer or his contemporaries, is one thing;
quite another is what God meant by it.
First we have the picture of the nation groping in a darkness that might be felt, the emblem of
ignorance, sin, and sorrow, and inhabiting a land over which, like a pall, death cast its shadow.
On that dismal gloom shines all at once a ‘great light,’ the emblem of knowledge, purity, and joy.
The daily mercy of the dawn has a gospel in it to a heart that believes in God; for it proclaims the
divine will that all who sit in darkness shall be enlightened, and that every night but prepares
the way for the freshness and stir of a new morning. The great prophecy of these verses in its
indefiniteness goes far beyond its immediate occasion in the state of Judah under Ahaz. As
surely as the dawn floods all lands, so surely shall all who walk in darkness see the great light;
and wherever is a ‘land of the shadow of death,’ there shall the light shine. It is ‘the light of the
world.’
Isa_9:3 gives another phase of blessing. Israel is conceived of as dwindled in number by
deportation and war. But the process of depopulation is arrested and reversed, and numerical
increase, which is always a prominent feature in Messianic predictions, is predicted. That
increase follows the dawning of the light, for men will flock to the ‘brightness of its rising.’ We
know that the increase comes from the attractive power of the Cross, drawing men of many
tongues to it; and we have a right to bring the interpretation, which the world’s history gives,
into our understanding of the prophecy. That enlarged nation is to have abounding joy.
Undoubtedly, the rendering ‘To it thou hast increased the joy’ is correct, as that of the
Authorized Version (based upon the Hebrew text) is clearly one of several cases in which the
partial similarity in spelling and identity in sound of the Hebrew words for ‘not’ and ‘to it,’ have
led to a mistaken reading. The joy is described in words which dance and sing, like the gladness
of which they tell. The mirth of the harvest-field, when labour is crowned with success, and the
sterner joy of the victors as they part the booty, with which mingles the consciousness of foes
overcome and dangers averted, are blended in this gladness. We have the joy of reaping a
harvest of which we have not sowed the seed. Christ has done that; we have but to enjoy the
results of His toil. We have to divide the spoil of a victory which we have not won. He has bound
the strong man, and we share the benefits of His overcoming the world.
That last image of conquerors dividing the spoil leads naturally to the picture in Isa_9:4 of
emancipation from bondage, as the result of a victory like Gideon’s with his handful. Who the
Gideon of this new triumph is, the prophet will not yet say. The ‘yoke of his burden’ and ‘the rod
of his oppressor’ recall Egypt and the taskmasters.
Isa_9:5 gives the reason for the deliverance of the slaves; namely, the utter destruction of the
armour and weapons of their enemy. The Revised Version is right in its rendering, though it may
be doubtful whether its margin is not better than its text, since not only are ‘boot’ and ‘booted’ as
probable renderings of the doubtful words as ‘armour’ and ‘armed man,’ but the picture of the
warrior striding into battle with his heavy boots is more graphic than the more generalised
description in the Revised Version’s text. In any case, the whole accoutrements of the oppressor
are heaped into a pile and set on fire; and, as they blaze up, the freed slaves exult in their liberty.
The blood-drenched cloaks have been stripped from the corpses and tossed on the heap, and,
saturated as they are, they burn. So complete is the victory that even the weapons of the
conquered are destroyed. Our conquering King has been manifested, that He might annihilate

23. the powers by which evil holds us bound. His victory is not by halves. ‘He taketh from him all his
armour wherein he trusted.’
II. Now we are ready to ask, And who is to do all this? The guarantee for its
accomplishment is the person of the conquering Messiah. The hopes of Israel did not, and those
of the world do not, rest on tendencies, principles, laws of progress, advance of civilisation, or
the like abstractions or impersonalities, but on a living Person, in whom all principles which
make for righteousness and blessedness for individuals and communities are incarnated, and
whose vital action works perpetually in mankind.
In this prophecy the prophet is plainly speaking greater things than he knew. We do not get to
the meaning if we only ask ourselves what did he understand by his words, or what did his
hearers gather from them? They and he would gather the certainty of the coming of Messiah
with wondrous attributes of power and divine gifts, by whose reign light, gladness, liberty would
belong to the oppressed nation. But the depth of the prophecy needed the history of the
Incarnation for its disclosure. If this is not a God-given prediction of the entrance into human
form of the divine, it is something very like miraculous that, somehow or other, words should
have been spoken, without any such reference, which fit so closely to the supernatural fact of
Christ’s incarnation.
The many attempts to translate Isa_9:6 so as to get rid of the application of ‘Mighty God,’
‘Everlasting Father,’ to Messiah, cannot here be enumerated or adequately discussed. I must be
content with pointing out the significance of the august fourfold name of the victor King. It
seems best to take the two first titles as a compound name, and so to recognise four such
compounds.
There is a certain connection between the first and second of these which respectively lay stress
on wisdom of plan and victorious energy of accomplishment, while the third and fourth are also
connected, in that the former gathers into one great and tender name what Messiah is to His
people, and the latter points to the character of His dominion throughout the whole earth. ‘A
wonder of a counsellor,’ as the words may be rendered, not only suggests His giving wholesome
direction to His people, but, still more, the mystery of the wisdom which guides His plans. Truly,
Jesus purposes wonders in the depth of His redeeming design. He intends to do great things,
and to reach them by a road which none would have imagined. The counsel to save a world, and
that by dying for it, is the miracle of miracles. ‘Who hath been His counsellor in that
overwhelming wonder?’ He needs no teacher; He is Himself the teacher of all truth. All may
have His direction, and they who follow it will not walk in darkness.
‘The mighty God.’ Isa_10:21 absolutely forbids taking this as anything lower than the divine
name. The prophet conceives of Messiah as the earthly representative of divinity, as having God
with and in Him as no other man has. We are not to force upon the prophet the full new
Testament doctrine of the oneness of the incarnate Word with the Father, which would be an
anachronism. But we are not to fall into the opposite error, and refuse to see in these words, so
startling from the lips of a rigid monotheist, a real prophecy of a divine Messiah, dimly as the
utterer may have perceived the figure which he painted. Note, too, that the word ‘mighty’
implies victorious energy in battle. It is often applied to human heroes, and here carries warlike
connotations, kindred with the previous picture of conflict and victory. Thus strength as of God,
and, in some profound way, strength which is divine, will be the hand obeying the brain that
counsels wonder, and all His plans shall be effected by it.
But these are not all His qualities. He is ‘the Father of Eternity’-a name in which tender care and
immortal life are marvellously blended. This King will be in reality what, in old days, monarchs
often called themselves and seldom were,-the Father of His people, with all the attributes of that
sacred name, such as guidance, love, providing for His children’s wants. Nor can Christians

24. forget that Jesus is the source of life to them, and that the name has thus a deeper meaning.
Further, He is possessed of eternity. If He is so closely related to God as the former name
implies, that predicate is not wonderful. Dying men need and have an undying Christ. He is ‘the
same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.’
The whole series of names culminates in ‘the Prince of Peace,’ which He is by virtue of the
characteristics expressed in the foregoing names. The name pierces to the heart of Christ’s work.
For the individual He brings peace with God, peace in the else discordant inner nature, peace
amid storms of calamity-the peace of submission, of fellowship with God, of self-control, of
received forgiveness and sanctifying. For nations and civic communities He brings peace which
will one day hush the tumult of war, and burn chariots and all warlike implements in the fire.
The vision tarries, because Christ’s followers have not been true to their Master’s mission, but it
comes, though its march is slow. We can hasten its arrival.
Isa_9:7-8 declare the perpetuity of Messiah’s kingdom, His Davidic descent, and those
characteristics of His reign, which guarantee its perpetuity. ‘Judgment’ which He exercises, and
‘righteousness’ which He both exercises and bestows, are the pillars on which His throne stands;
and these are eternal, and it never will totter nor sink, as earthly thrones must do. The very life-
blood of prophecy, as of religion, is the conviction that righteousness outlasts sin, and will
survive ‘the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds.’
The great guarantee for these glowing anticipations is that the ‘zeal of the Lord of hosts’ will
accomplish them. Zeal, or rather jealousy, is love stirred to action by opposition. It tolerates no
unfaithfulness in the object of its love, and flames up against all antagonism to the object. ‘He
that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of Mine eye.’ So the subjects of that Messiah may be sure
that a wall of fire is round about them, which to foes without is terror and destruction, and to
dwellers within its circuit glows with lambent light, and rays out beneficent warmth.
8. CALVIN, “2.The people walking in darkness hath seen a great light. He speaks of future events in
the past tense, and thus brings them before the immediate view of the people, that in the destruction of
the city, in their captivity, and in what appeared to be their utter destruction, they may behold the light of
God. It may therefore be summed up in this manner: “ in darkness, nay, in death itself, there is
nevertheless good ground of hope; for the power of God is sufficient to restore life to his people, when
they appear to be already dead.” Matthew, who quotes this passage, appears to torture it to a different
meaning; for he says that this prediction was fulfilled when Christ preached along the sea-coast.
(Mat_4:16.) But if we take a just view of the comparison, it will be found that Matthew has applied this
passage to Christ correctly, and in its true meaning. Yet it does not appear that the view generally given
by our commentators is a successful elucidation of the passage; for they merely assert that it belongs to
the kingdom of Christ, but do not assign a reason, or show how it accords with this passage. If, therefore,
we wish to ascertain the true meaning of this passage, we must bring to our recollection what has been
already stated, that the Prophet, when he speaks of bringing back the people from Babylon, does not look
to a single age, but includes all the rest, till Christ came and brought the most complete deliverance to his
people. The deliverance from Babylon was but a prelude to the restoration of the Church, and was
intended to last, not for a few years only, but till Christ should come and bring true salvation, not only to

25. their bodies, but likewise to their souls. When we shall have made a little progress in reading Isaiah, we
shall find that this was his ordinary custom.
Having spoken of the captivity in Babylon, which held out the prospect of a very heavy calamity, he shows
that this calamity will be lighter than that which Israel formerly endured; because the Lord had fixed a
term and limit to that calamity, namely, seventy years, (Jer_25:11,) after the expiration of which
the light of the Lord would shine on them. By this confident hope of deliverance, therefore, he encourages
their hearts when overpowered by fear, that they might not be distressed beyond measure; and thus he
made a distinction between the Jews and the Israelites, to whom the expectation of a deliverance so near
was not promised. Though the Prophets had given to the elect remnant some taste of the mercy of God,
yet, in consequence of the redemption of Israel being, as it were, an addition to the redemption of Judah,
and dependent on it, justly does the Prophet now declare that a new light has been exhibited; because
God hath determined to redeem his people. Appropriately and skilfully, too, does Matthew extend the rays
of light to Galilee and the land of Zebulun. (Mat_4:15.)
In the land of the shadow of death. He now compares the captivity in Babylon to darkness and death; for
those who were kept there, were wretched and miserable, and altogether like dead men; as Ezekiel also
relates their speech,
Dead men shall arise out of the graves. (Eze_37:11.)
Their condition, therefore, was such as if no brightness, no ray of light, had shone on them. Yet he shows
that this will not prevent them from enjoying light, and recovering their former liberty; and that liberty he
extends, not to a short period, but, as we have already said, to the time of Christ.
Thus it is customary with the Apostles to borrow arguments from the Prophets, and to show their real use
and design. In this manner Paul quotes (Rom_9:25) that passage from Hosea,
I will call them my people which were not my people,
(Hos_2:23,) (140)
and applies it to the calling of the Gentiles, though strictly it was spoken of the Jews; and he shows that it
was fulfilled when the Lord brought the Gentiles into the Church. Thus, when the people might be said to
be buried in that captivity, they differed in no respect from the Gentiles; and since both were in the same
condition, it is reasonable to believe that this passage relates, not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles

26. also. Nor must it be viewed as referring to outward misery only, but to the darkness of eternal death, in
which souls are plunged, till they come forth to spiritual light; for unquestionably we lie buried in darkness,
till Christ shine on us by the doctrine of his word. Hence also Paul exhorts,
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light. (Eph_5:14.)
If therefore we extend the commencement of the deliverance from the return from Babylon down to the
coming of Christ, on whom all liberty and all bestowal of blessings depends, we shall understand the true
meaning of this passage, which otherwise has not been satisfactorily explained by commentators.
(140) In the original text the reference reads: Hos_2:13 which I assume was a typographical error. — fj.
9. CHARLES SIMEON, “BLESSINGS IMPARTED BY THE GOSPEL
Isa_9:2-4. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the
joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in
the day of Midian.
THE dispensations of God in this world are never so afflictive, but there are some alleviating and
consolatory circumstances to cheer us under them. The judgments with which he threatened to punish his
apostate people were very tremendous [Note: Isa_8:19-22.]: yet he comforted them in the mean time with
prospects of the Messiah’s advent. Whatever reference the words of my text may have to the deliverance
of the Jews from Sennacherib’s army, we are sure that they refer to Christ, and to the blessings that
should issue from the ministration of his Gospel. St. Matthew quotes them in this view [Note: Mat_4:12-
16.]; and the very words themselves are far more suited to a spiritual subject than to any temporal
occurrence [Note: The first verse of the chapter is inexplicable, according to our version. Bishop Lowth
translates it differently, and thereby makes the sense of the whole passage clear. “There shall not
hereafter be darkness in the land which was distressed. He formerly debased the land of Zebulon and
Naphthali, but in the latter time he hath made it glorious, even the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee
of the Gentiles. [For] the people, &c,” The meaning is, that as the northern part of Galilee had been
particularly afflicted by the incursions of the Assyrians, so it should be particularly honoured by the

27. ministry of Christ.].
We notice then in the text three rich blessings resulting from the ministry of Christ, and of his servants in
all ages; namely, light, joy, and victory. The first which the Christian receives, is,
I. Light—
Men are everywhere “sitting in darkness and the shadow of death”—
[This was the case with the Jews, notwithstanding they were God’s professing people, and had continual
access to the word and ordinances of God. And it is the case with us, notwithstanding we are called
Christians, and have the word and sacraments administered amongst us. We are like persons immured in
a dungeon, or bereft of sight: light is shining all around us, but we see it not: we are as much in darkness
as if there were no light at all. The Scriptures uniformly represent us thus; and experience abundantly
confirms their testimony. How ignorant are men of their own hearts; of God; of the way of acceptance with
him; and indeed of the whole circle of divine truth! Nor is this ignorance confined to the illiterate: it obtains
as much among the great and learned, as among the poorest and meanest of mankind.]
But by the Gospel the eyes of their understanding are opened—
[All were not enlightened by the preaching of Christ and his apostles; nor are all instructed now by the
word they hear: but they whose eyes are opened, do attain by the Gospel a wonderful insight into “the
truth as it is in Jesus:” they discover the depth of their own depravity: they behold “the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ:” a thousand other things, “which the natural man cannot receive,” are open to their
view: “they are brought out of darkness into marvellous light [Note: 1Pe_2:9.]:” “neither do they from
thenceforth walk any more in darkness, because they have the light of life [Note: Joh_8:12.].”]
Together with light, the Christian is filled with,
II. Joy—
That which in the text we read “Thou hast not increased the joy,” is in the margin translated, “Thou hast
increased to it the joy,” namely, to the nation of saints that are multiplied. This seems to be the more
proper rendering of the words, and to agree best with the context; for all who are illuminated with divine
truth, have,

28. 1. A sacred joy—
[Whatever joy a carnal man partakes of, let him only be brought into the divine presence, and it vanishes
at once. To speak to him of God and heaven and hell, is to make him melancholy. But the Christian’s joy
is a holy sacred joy: “he joys before God.” It was appointed under the Law that the people at the
beginning and end of harvest should bring their first-fruits and their tithes to the temple, and, feasting
upon them with their friends, rejoice before God [Note:Deu_16:9-15.]. Thus the Christian brings his
temporal comforts into the divine presence, that he may enjoy God both in and with them. By religion, all
his joys are greatly enhanced; nor does he ever enjoy his food or his friends or any blessing in life so
much, as when he is led to God by them, and glorifies his God in them. But the most delightful seasons
are those wherein he can go to his God in secret, and pour out his soul before him. One hour spent in
communion with his Lord is more to him than a whole life of carnal joy: it is a feast of fat things, an
antepast of heaven.]
2. An exalted joy—
[The Christian’s joy is compared to that of a successful husbandman, and a victorious warrior. In every
age, the in-gathering of the harvest has been an occasion of joy [Note: Isa_16:9-10.]: the seizing also of
the spoil from a vanquished enemy has ever been considered as a ground of triumph. There is indeed on
both these occasions too much of what is merely carnal: still however the spirits of the people are raised
far beyond their usual pitch. In this respect the Christian’s joy resembles theirs. When he begins to see
the fruit of his painful labours and his dubious conflicts, he cannot but rejoice that he has not laboured in
vain, or fought in vain. Yes, his soul is joyful in his God, and “he rejoices with a joy that is unspeakable
and glorified.”]
To this the Gospel contributes, by crowning its converts with,
III. Victory—
As natural men are blind, so are they also under sore bondage—
[The Egyptian or Babylonish yoke was light in comparison of that which Satan has imposed on all the
human race. He holds them fast in his chains, and “leads them captive at his will” — — —]
But through the Gospel they are effectually delivered from it—

29. [When the Jewish nation was oppressed by the Midianites, God raised up Gideon to effect its
deliverance. But how was the deliverance wrought? by arms? No: God would not suffer him to employ the
army he had raised, but first released all of them except ten thousand, and then dismissed all of those
except three hundred. And how were those three hundred armed? with sword and spear? No: but with
earthen pitchers, and lamps, and trumpets: and with this little army so accoutred, he put to flight the
whole host of Midian: they brake their pitchers, held forth their lamps, and blew their trumpets; and the
enemies were put to flight [Note: Jdg_7:19-21.]. Thus, precisely thus, does the Christian triumph over his
enemies: unable to accomplish any thing by his own arm, he, by the mere light and sound of the Gospel,
vanquishes his foes. When indeed the rout commences, he summons all his powers to destroy them; nor
ceases from the pursuit, till he has effectually subdued them all. Behold a man who was lately enslaved
by the world, the flesh, and the devil; see him at once throw off the yoke, behold him trampling on the
world, crucifying the flesh, and bruising Satan under his feet! Is this a dream? No; it is a reality, that may
be seen now as much as it was on the day of Pentecost, or on the day that the blood-thirsty Saul became
a preacher of the faith he had once destroyed. “Such is the heritage of the servants of the Lord:” they all
are conquerors, and “more than conquerors, through Him that loved them.”]
Infer,
1. How strangely do men misconceive of the nature and operation of the Gospel!
[That which Christ and his apostles preached, is deemed fanaticism, and is supposed to lead to
melancholy and licentiousness. But how opposite is this sentiment to that which is contained in the text!
Only let the Gospel be searched into with candour and diligence, and we will venture to affirm that it shall
approve itself as light, and become a source of joy, and lead to certain victory. Whatever remains of
darkness, grief, or bondage, shall be gradually banished, and the felicity of heaven be enjoved, in
proportion as the soul is subjected to the dominion of Christ.]
2. How much do the saints of God live below their privileges!
[If we look at the first converts, we shall be ready to think that they were of a different species from us; so
far are we below them in spiritual attainments. But is not the Gospel the same as it was in their day?
Does it not require as much of us as it did of them? And will it not operate as powerfully on our hearts as
it did on theirs? O let us not be satisfied with such indistinct views of the mysteries of God: let us not be
contented with such scanty measures of joy and triumph: let us not think it enough to gain some small
advantages over our spiritual enemies: let us look for greater things, and expect more signal displays of
the Divine power and goodness! We are not straitened in God, but in ourselves: let us only be strong in