Isaiah 66:6

6 Listen to the loud noise coming from the city; hear the noise from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies, giving them the punishment they should have.

Isaiah 66:6 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 66:6

A voice of noise from the city
From the city of Jerusalem, as the Targum; so Kimchi, who says, that in the days of the Messiah shall go out of Jerusalem the voice of noise concerning Gog and Magog: this indeed respects the days of the Messiah, but such as are now past, and a voice of crying in the city of Jerusalem, at, the taking and destruction of it by the Romans; when were heard from it the noisy voices of the Roman soldiers, triumphing and rejoicing at it, and the shrieks of the inhabitants, running about from place to place for shelter; so when destruction and desolation are come upon any place, a voice or a cry is said to come from it; see ( Jeremiah 48:3 ) ( 51:54 ) ( Zephaniah 1:10 ) : a voice from the temple;
either from heaven, as Aben Ezra; or rather from the temple at Jerusalem, of the priests there hindered from doing their service, and starving for want of sustenance; or of the people that fled thither for security, but forced from thence by the soldiers; and especially a voice of crying and lamentation was heard, when set on fire. Some illustrate this by what the priests heard in the temple a little before the destruction of it, a rustling and a noise like persons shifting and moving, and a voice in the holy of holies, saying, "let us go hence"; as also the words of Jesus the son of Ananus, a countryman, who went about uttering these words,

``a voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, a voice against all the people:''
this he did before the war began, nor could he be persuaded to desist from it, but continued it afterwards; going on the walls of the city, saying,
``woe, woe to the city, and to the temple, and to the people, woe to myself also;''
and while he was speaking the last words, a stone, cast from a Roman engine, killed him, as Josephus F17 relates: a voice of the Lord, that rendereth recompence to his enemies;
for the Lord's voice was in all this, and his hand in the destruction of those people; it was according to his appointment, direction, and order, in righteous judgment for their sins, they being his implacable enemies, that would not have him to rule over them, ( Luke 19:14 Luke 19:27 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F17 De Bello Jud. I. 6. c. 5. sect. 3.

Isaiah 66:6 In-Context

4 So I will choose their punishments, and I will punish them with what they fear most. This is because I called to them, but they did not listen. I spoke to them, but they did not hear me. They did things I said were evil; they chose to do things I did not like."
5 You people who obey the words of the Lord, listen to what he says: "Your brothers hated you and turned against you because you followed me. Your brothers said, 'Let the Lord be honored so we may see you rejoice,' but they will be punished.
6 Listen to the loud noise coming from the city; hear the noise from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies, giving them the punishment they should have.
7 "A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain; she does not give birth to a son before the pain starts.
8 No one has ever heard of that happening; no one has ever seen that happen. In the same way no one ever saw a country begin in one day; no one has ever heard of a new nation beginning in one moment. just as soon as she feels the birth pains.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.