Jesaja 5:13

13 Daarom zal mijn volk gevankelijk weggevoerd worden, omdat het geen wetenschap heeft; en deszelfs heerlijken zullen honger lijden, en hun menigte zal verdorren van dorst.

Jesaja 5:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 5:13

Therefore my people are gone into captivity
Or rather, as Kimchi explains it, "shall go into captivity"; the past for the future; for this cannot be understood even of the captivity of the ten tribes, for they were not carried captive until the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign, ( 2 Kings 17:6 ) ( 18:1 ) whereas this prophecy was delivered out many years before, even in the time of Uzziah, as is manifest from the following chapter, ( Isaiah 6:1 ) and much less it cannot design the captivity of Judah, but respects the captivity by the Romans, in future time. Because [they have] no knowledge;
of the work of the Lord, and the operations of his hands; the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "because they knew not the Lord", the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the true Messiah; they knew not his person, office, grace, and Gospel; they did not own and acknowledge him, but despised and rejected him; their ignorance was affected and voluntary; they had the means of knowledge, but did not make use of them; they would not know him, they would not attend to the strong and clear evidence of his being the Messiah, which prophecies, miracles, and his doctrines, gave of him; the things belonging to their peace they knew not, these were righteously hid from them, and hence destruction came upon them, ( Luke 19:42-44 ) the words may be rendered in connection with the former, "therefore my people shall go into captivity without knowledge" {b}, unawares, unthought of, and unexpected; and the Jews, to the last; did not think their city would be taken, but that in some way of other salvation and deliverance would be wrought for them: and their honourable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried
up with thirst;
or "shall be"; this is expressive of a famine of bread and water, which all, both high and low, prince and people, should be affected with; see ( Isaiah 3:1 ) and was true not only when Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans, ( Jeremiah 52:6 ) ( Lamentations 4:4 Lamentations 4:5 Lamentations 4:8-10 ) ( Jeremiah 5:10 ) but when it was besieged by the Romans, in which the rich suffered as well as the poor; and was so great, that even women ate their own children, as Josephus ^F3 relates: this is threatened as a punishment of their rioting and drunkenness, ( Isaiah 5:11 Isaiah 5:12 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F2 (ted ylbm yme hlg Nkl) "idcirco exsulat populus meus absque scientia", Cocceius; so Montanus.
F3 De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 10. sect. 2. 3. & 12. 3. & 6. 3, sect. 3.

Jesaja 5:13 In-Context

11 Wee dengenen, die, zich vroeg opmakende in den morgenstond, sterken drank najagen, en vertoeven tot in de schemering, totdat de wijn hen heeft verhit!

12 En harpen en luiten, trommelen en pijpen, en wijn zijn in hun maaltijden; maar zij aanschouwen het werk des HEEREN niet, en zij zien niet op het maaksel Zijner handen.

13 Daarom zal mijn volk gevankelijk weggevoerd worden, omdat het geen wetenschap heeft; en deszelfs heerlijken zullen honger lijden, en hun menigte zal verdorren van dorst.

14 Daarom zal het graf zichzelf wijd opensperren, en zijn mond opendoen, zonder maat; opdat nederdale haar heerlijkheid, en haar menigte, met haar gedruis, en die in haar van vreugde opspringt.

15 Dan zal de gemene man nedergebogen worden, en de aanzienlijke man zal vernederd worden, en de ogen der hovaardigen zullen vernederd worden.