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Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

THE PROPHET ISAIAH

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
YHWH’S COMING BANQUET

Isaiah 25:1-5 – The True Stronghold

IS25:1 O Y^eH^oW^aH, you are my God. 1007 I will exalt You. 1008 I will praise Your Name. 1009 For You have accomplished wondrous things 1010 – ancient purposes that are faithful to truth. 1011

1007	My God: The LXX Greek is HOTHEOS.

1008	I will exalt You: LXX: glorify thee; JPS: extol; NJB: praise you to the heights. [Psalm 99:5]

1009	I will praise Your Name: The LXX Greek is HYMNESO TO ONOMA SOU. This is an oft-repeated phrase in many forms in the Hebrew Scriptures. [Psalm 145:2] This Name is only one, the noma sagrada, YHWH. [Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18 KJV] See notes on Hebrews 2:12.

1010	You have accomplished wondrous things: Or, LXX: wonderful things; NJB: accomplished marvels; BAS: for you have done great acts of power. [Psalm 40:5; 98:1; 107:8; 145:4]

1011

Ancient purposes that are faithful to truth: Or, LXX: ancient truth [ARCHAIAN ALETHINEN]; NJB: plans long-conceived, faithfully, firmly; JPS: for you planned graciousness of old; RHM: purposes of long ago, faithful in truth; KJV: thy counsels of old; BAS: your purposes in the past have been made true and certain in effect; YLT: Counsels of old, stedfastness, O stedfast One. Compare the Hebrew with Isaiah 9:6. [Psalm 33:11]

IS25:2 You have turned a fortress into a pile of ruins, 1012 a walled city to desolation, arrogant towers into rubble. 1013 It will never be rebuilt throughout future periods of time. 1014

1012	You have turned a fortress into a pile of ruins: Or, RHM: made of a citadel, a mound; JPS: turned a city into a stone heap.

1013	Arrogant towers into rubble: Or, LXX: the city of ungodly men; JPS: citadel of strangers into rubble; RHM: palaces for foreigners to be no city; BAS: the tower of the men of pride has come to an end.

1014	It will never be rebuilt throughout future periods of time: Or, RHM: to times age-abiding shall it not be built; JPS: never to be rebuilt; LXX: not be built for ever [AIONA].

IS25:3 It is for this reason a powerful people 1015 – the city of tyrannical nations 1016 – will render to You awe-inspired reverence. 1017

1015	Powerful people: Or, mighty peoples, fierce people, strong people.

1016	The city of tyrannical nations: Or, RHM: tyrannous nations; JPS: cruel nations; NJB: pitiless nations.

1017	Will render to You awe-inspired reverence: Or, LXX: injured men shall bless thee; NJB: hold you in awe; JPS: honor; RHM: revere thee. [Psalm 66:3]

IS25:4 For You have become a refuge to the weak, a refuge to the needy when oppressed, a shelter from the storm, a shade from heat. 1018 [Revelation 7:15, 16] When a tyrant’s spirit blasts against a wall, 1019

1018	A shade from heat: Some see a paraphrased allusion at Revelation 7:15, 16.

1019

When a tyrant’s spirit blasts against a wall: Or, NJB: the breath of the pitiless is like a winter storm; JPS: when the fury of tyrants was like a winter storm [footnote: Hebrew uncertain]; RHM: blast of tyrants. In the Hebrew the word rendered “blast” is RUWACH [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #7307] and clearly means a force or pressure against another object, as in breath or wind. The LXX Greek uses PNEUMA.

IS25:5 like a hot gust from the desert You humiliate the imposing roar of foreigners 1020 – like the shadow of a cloud subduing the heat. Just so the song of tyrants will answered with humiliation. 1021

1020

Like a hot gust from the desert You humiliate the imposing roar of foreigners: Or, KJV: the noise of strangers as the heat in a dry place; RHM: the pomp of foreigners wilt thou subdue; JPS: the rage of strangers like heat in the desert; NJB: calm the foreigner’s tumult; BAS: As heat by the shade of a cloud, the noise of the men of pride has been made quiet by you. [Isaiah 49:10]

1021	Just so the song of tyrants will answered with humiliation: Or, NJB: so the song of the pitiless dies away; JPS: the singing of the tyrants was vanquished; RHM: the song of tyrants become low; BAS: the song of the cruel ones has been stopped. Return to Isaiah 24:8. [Revelation 18:22]

Isaiah 25:6-9 – A Global Banquet

IS25:6 Then Y^eH^oW^aH of [angelic] armies will prepare for all the peoples in this Mountain 1022 a rich banquet. 1023 A banquet of old wines, 1024 of plenty filled with marrow, 1025 of well-strained ancient wines. 1026

1022

Prepare for all the peoples in this Mountain: Or, JPS: will make on this mount. Isaiah has mentioned God’s Mountain in Isaiah 2:1-4. Compare also Isaiah 10:32; 11:9; 16:1; 27:13; 56:7; 66:20. God’s mountain is most often associated with Jerusalem, usually pointing to a New Jerusalem. See Isaiah 65:17, 18, 25. In the immediate context Isaiah has already referred to Mount Zion and Jerusalem in one breath. [Isaiah 24:23] Though the following imagery may be expanded to include “all peoples” of the earth, the main thrust is with regard to the people of Jerusalem. Thus, as Paul’s reference to this context shows, the main application is to the Christian Saints within the New Jerusalem. See notes below.

1023	A rich banquet: Or, LXX: a feast; NJB: banquet or rich food; JPS: rich viands; RHM: RHM: fat things; BAS: feast of good things. Note the context of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:12. [Psalm 104:15]

1024

Old wines: Or, KJV: wine on the lees; JPS: choice wines; NJB: fine wines; LXX: they shall drink wine [OINON]; BAS: wines long stored; YLT: preserved things. One can imagine the millions of bottles of wine left remaining in the wine cellars of earth’s wine-makers. Jesus the Nazarene uses wine as an analogy or metaphor several times. [Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-39; 22:18] On wine see the Biblical Article Wine That Makes The Heart Rejoice.

1025	Plenty filled with marrow: Or, NJB: succulent food; JPS: rich vians seasoned with marrow; RHM: fat things full of marrow. Marrow within the large bones is a storage place for blood cells and the eating of it seems approved here. [Job 21:24]

1026	Well-strained ancient wines: Or, KJV: wine on the lees well refined; JPS: choice wines well refined.

IS25:7 Also in this Mountain 1027 He will swallow down the covering shroud 1028 – that shroud veiled over all the peoples 1029 [Luke 2:32] – and that interwoven web over all the ethnic groups. 1030

1027	In this Mountain: The context is within the New Jerusalem, God’s Kingdom. [Daniel 2:35, 44, 45; Revelation 14:1] See notes below.

1028

Swallow down the covering shroud: That is, devour. Or, NJB: destroyed the veil; JPS: destroy on this mount the shroud that is drawn over the faces; RHM: swallow up… the mask of the veil; KJV: face of the covering cast over; BAS: put an end to the shade covering the face; YLT: face of the wrapping that is wrapped over. The death-shroud covering the faces of the children of Adam, particularly the Saints of the Christian Church.

1029	hroud veiled over all the peoples: Or, KJV: the vail that is spread over all nations; RHM: covering that is spread over all the nations. The language is almost the same as that of Luke 2:32. [Hebrews 2:15]

1030	Interwoven web over all the ethnic groups: Or, NJB: the pall enveloping all nations; JPS: covering that is spread; RHM: the web that is woven over all the nations. See notes on Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-22.

IS25:8 He will triumphantly swallow down death itself, 1031 [1 Corinthians 15:26, 54] and the Sovereign Lord Y^eH^oW^aH of [angelic] armies wipe tears off all faces. 1032 [Revelation 7:17; 21:4] He will remove the reproach of His own people, 1033 taken away from off the entire earth. For Y^eH^oW^aH has spoken.

1031

He will triumphantly swallow down death itself: Or, KJV: he will swallow up death in victory; RHM: having swallowed up death itself victoriously; JPS: he will destroy death forever; NJB: destroyed death for ever; BAS: put an end to death for ever. Jerome’s 4th Century Latin Vulgate renders the phrase PRAECIPITABIT MORTEM IN SEMPITERNUM, that is, “He will cast down death forever.” The Syric Pheshitta renders it: “Death has been swallowed up in victory forever.” The words are paraphrased by Paul at 1 Corinthians 15:26, 54 and applied to that moment when the Saints receive immortality in the kingdom of God. Paul does not apply it to all humanity though in the finale humankind will be raised to the Last Judgment. [Acts 17:30, 31; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; Revelation 20:11-14] Those judged to be “righteous” will “inherit the earth.” [Acts 24:15; Psalm 37:29] Those judged to be “unrighteous” will be destroyed. [Revelation 20:12-14]

1032

Wipe tears off all faces: Or, NJB: Lord Yahweh has wiped away the ears from every cheek. The LXX Greek – HO THEOS PAN DAKROUN APO PANTOS PROSOPOU – is paraphrased at Revelation 7:17, HO THEOS PAN DAKROUN EK TON OPHTHALMON AUTON. It is again referenced at Revelation 21:4 – EXALEIPSEI PAN DAKROUN EK TON OPHTHALMON AUTON. Judging from Paul’s use of the phrase and the contexts in Revelation the application is perfectly consistent with the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem. These tears are those of the Saints among the new “Israel of God.” [Galatians 6:16] For details see Nazarene Commentary 2000-2002© notes on the texts mentioned above. [Or, read Nazarene Apocalypse 2000©.]

1033

Remove the reproach of His own people: Or, LXX: taken away the reproach of his people from all the earth; RHM: the reproach of his own people; JPS: put an end to the reproach of His people; NJB: his people’s shame away everywhere on earth. The phrasing again points to those inhabitants of the New Jerusalem. On this “reproach” compare Psalm 69:9 with Romans 15:3. [Psalm 89:51] One way this reproach is removed from the Christian Church [or, Christ’s Kingdom] is at the harvest-judgment. See notes on Matthew 13:40-43. Note the word “reproach” at Daniel 12:2. The Christian Church [the Israel of God] has, like Israel before it, brought reproach on God and themselves throughout the history of the last two-thousand years. This reproach will be removed by punishing those guilty of it upon their resurrection at the parousia-judgment. See the Biblical Article God and Judgment.

IS25:9 So during that day it will be said: “Behold, our God for whom we waited that He might save us! 1034 This is Y^eH^oW^aH! We waited for Him! Let us all triumph and rejoice in His salvation!”

1034

Behold, our God for whom we waited that He might save us: Or, KJV: Lo, this is our God… we have waited for him and he will save us; NJB: in him we put our hope that he should save us; JPS: We trusted in Him, and He delivered us. On the word “deliver” see Daniel 12:2 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. The “us” are the People of YHWH within the Christian Church.

Isaiah 25:10-12 – Moab Trampled

IS25:10 For the hand of Y^eH^oW^aH will come to rest in this Mountain. 1035 Then Moab will be trampled under Him like treading down straw in the drainage of a pile of manure. 1036

1035	Come to rest in this Mountain: Or, JPS: shall descend upon this mount [footnote: Holy Land]; RHM: settle down in this mountain; LXX: God will give rest on this mountain. Return to Isaiah 12:6. [Psalm 132:13]

1036

Then Moab will be trampled under Him like treading down straw in the drainage of a pile of manure: Or, RHM: treading down of a strawheap in the water of a dunghill; JPS: as straw is threshed to bits at Madmenah; NJB: as straw is trodden into the dung-heap; BAS: even as the dry stems of the grain are crushed under foot in the waste place. [Psalm 83:10] The imagery shows the contempt God has for Moab. See notes elsewhere on “Moab.” [Malachi 2:3]

IS25:11 Then He will stretch out His hand among them like a swimmer 1037 stretching out to swim. Then Moab’s arrogance will be humiliated with the deceptive movements of His hands. 1038

1037	Stretch out His hand among them like a swimmer: That is, scattering the Moabites like water splashing before a swimmer. Or, JPS: as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim.

1038	Moab’s arrogance will be humiliated with the deceptive movements of His hands: Or, RHM: with the devises of his hands; NJB: humble his pride despite what his hands may attempt. The Hebrew is uncertain so there a several views.

IS25:12 Yes, He has brought down – laid low – the lofty strongholds of your walls – leveled to the ground, pounded to dust!