Isaiah 32

Is 32:1-20. Messiah's Kingdom; Desolations, to Be Succeeded by Lasting Peace, the Spirit Having Been Poured Out.

The times of purity and happiness which shall follow the defeat of the enemies of Jehovah's people (Is 32:1-8). The period of wrath before that happy state (Is 32:9-14). The assurance of the final prosperity of the Church is repeated (Is 32:15-20).

1. king--not Hezekiah, who was already on the throne, whereas a future time is contemplated. If he be meant at all, it can only be as a type of Messiah the King, to whom alone the language is fully applicable (Ho 3:5; Zec 9:9; see on Is 11:3-5). The kingdom shall be transferred from the world kings, who have exercised their power against God, instead of for God, to the rightful King of kings (Eze 21:27; Da 7:13, 14).

princes--subordinate; referring to all in authority under Christ in the coming kingdom on earth, for example, the apostles, &c. (Lu 22:30; 1Co 6:2; 2Ti 2:12; Re 2:26, 27; 3:21).

2. a man--rather, the man Christ [Lowth]; it is as "the Son of man" He is to reign, as it was as Son of man He suffered (Mt 26:64; Joh 5:27; 19:5). Not as Maurer explains, "every one of the princes shall be," &c.

rivers--as refreshing as water and the cool shade are to the heated traveller (Is 35:6, 7; 41:18).

3. them that see--the seers or prophets.

them that hear--the people under instruction (Is 35:5, 6).

4. rash--rather, "the hasty"; contrast "shall not make haste" (Is 28:16); the reckless who will not take time to weigh religious truth aright. Or else, the well-instructed [Horsley].

stammers--those who speak confusedly on divine things (compare Ex 4:10-12; Jr 1:6; Mt 10:19, 20). Or, rather, those drunken scorners who in stammering style imitated Isaiah's warnings to mock them [Maurer] (Is 28:7-11, 13, 14, 22; 29:20); in this view, translate, "speak uprightly" (agreeably to the divine law); not as English Version, referring to the distinctness of articulation, "plainly."

5. vile--rather, "fool" [Lowth]; that is, ungodly (Psa 14:1; 74:18).

liberal--rather, "noble-minded."

churl--rather, "fraudulent" [Gesenius].

bountiful--religiously. The atheistic churl, who envies the believer his hope "full of immortality," shall no longer be held as a patriot struggling for the emancipation of mankind from superstition [Horsley].

6. vile ... villainy--rather, "the (irreligious) fool ... (his) folly."

will speak--rather, "present"; for (so far is the "fool" from deserving the epithet "noble-minded") the fool "speaketh" folly and "worketh," &c.

hypocrisy--rather, "profligacy" [Horsley].

error--impiety, perverse arguments.

hungry--spiritually (Mt 5:6).

7. churl--"the fraudulent"; this verse refers to the last clause of Is 32:5; as Is 32:6 referred to its first clause.

speaketh right--pleadeth a just cause (Is 29:21); spiritually, "the poor man's cause" is the divine doctrine, his rule of faith and practice.

8. liberal--rather, "noble-minded."

stand--shall be approved under the government of the righteous King.

9-20. Address to the women of Jerusalem who troubled themselves little about the political signs of the times, but lived a life of self-indulgence (Is 3:16-23); the failure of food through the devastations of the enemy is here foretold, being what was most likely to affect them as mothers of families, heretofore accustomed to every luxury. Vitringa understands "women--daughters" as the cities and villages of Judea (Eze 16:1-63). See Am 6:1.