Isaiah 37:24

24 By the hand of thy slaves thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots I shall come up to the height of the mountains to the sides of Lebanon, and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof and the choice fir trees thereof; and I will enter into the height of his border and the forest of his Carmel.

Isaiah 37:24 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 37:24

By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord
Particularly by Rabshakeh, and the other two that were with him, who, no doubt, assented to what he said; not content to reproach him himself, he set his servants to do it likewise; he made use of them as instruments, and even set them, as well as himself, above the Lord: and hast said, by the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the
height of the mountains;
not only with his foot soldiers, but with his chariots, and a great number of them, he had travelled over hills and mountains, as Hannibal over the Alps, and was now upon the high mountains which were round about Jerusalem, and very near the mountain of the Lord's house; of which Jarchi interprets the words: to the sides of Lebanon;
meaning either the mountain of Lebanon, which was on the borders of the land of Israel, famous for cedars and fir trees, later mentioned; or, the temple made of the wood of Lebanon, near which his army now lay; so the Targum and Jarchi understand it: and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees
thereof;
to make way for his army, and to support himself with materials for the siege; to make tents with for his soldiers to lie in, or wooden fortresses from whence to annoy the city. The cedars of Lebanon were very large and tall. Mr. Maundrell ^F16 says he measured one of the largest, and

``found it six and thirty feet and six inches thick; its branches spread a hundred and eleven feet; its trunk from the ground was about fifteen or sixteen feet, and then divided into five branches, each of which would make a large tree.''

Monsieur Thevenot ^F17 says, now there are no more nor less that, twenty three cedars on Mount Lebanon, great and small: or it may be, these metaphorically intend the princes, and nobles, and chief men of the Jewish nation, he threatens to destroy; so the Targum,

``and I will kill the most beautiful of their mighty ones, and the choicest of their princes:''

and I will enter into the height of his border;
some think the tower of Lebanon, which stood on the east part of it towards Syria, is meant; but it seems rather to design Jerusalem, the metropolis of the nation, which he thought himself sure of entering into, and taking possession of; and this was what his heart was set upon; so the Targum, and I will subdue the city of their strength;
their strong city Jerusalem, in which they placed their strength: and the forest of his Carmel:
or "the forest and his fruitful field" {r}; the same city, which, for the number of its houses and inhabitants, was like a forest, and was Hezekiah's fruitful field, where all his riches and treasure were. The Targum interprets it of his army,

``and I will consume the multitude of their army.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 179.
F17 Travels, part 1. B. 2. ch. 60. p. 221.
F18 (wlmrk rey) "sylvas, arva ejus", Junius & Tremellius; "sylvas et arva ejus", Piscator.

Isaiah 37:24 In-Context

22 This is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him, Has he despised thee? Has he laughed thee to scorn O virgin daughter of Zion? Has he shaken his head behind thy back O daughter of Jerusalem?

23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

24 By the hand of thy slaves thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots I shall come up to the height of the mountains to the sides of Lebanon, and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof and the choice fir trees thereof; and I will enter into the height of his border and the forest of his Carmel.

25 I have dug and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet shall I dry up all the rivers of sustenance.

26 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it and of ancient times that I have formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, that thou should be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.