Isaiah 33:3

3 Peoples fled from the voice of the angel; heathen men be scattered of thine enhancing. (The peoples shall flee from the roar of thy thunder; the heathen shall be scattered at thy exalting, or at thy lifting up.)

Isaiah 33:3 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 33:3

At the noise of the tumult the people fled
The Vulgate Latin Version renders it, "at the voice of the angel"; and Jerom reports it as the opinion of the Jews, that it was Gabriel; and many interpret the words either of the noise the angel made in the air, or was made in the Assyrian camp, when the angel descended, and smote such a vast number of them, at which the remnant, being frightened, fled, ( 2 Kings 19:35 2 Kings 19:36 ) but either this is to be understood as expressing what had been done in time past, and therefore the church took encouragement that it might and would be so again; or as a continuance of her prayer, thus, "at the noise of the tumult", or multitude ^F20, "let the people flee" ^F21; or as a prediction, "they shall flee" ^F23; that is, at the noise of the multitude of saints, the faithful, called, and chosen armies of heaven, that follow Christ on white horses, and clothed in white; when he shall go forth to battle with the kings of the earth, beast, and false prophet, let the people under them flee, or they shall flee, and not be able to stand before so puissant a General, and so powerful an army; see ( Revelation 17:14 ) ( 19:14 ) : at the lifting up of thyself, the nations were scattered;
so it has been in times past, when the Lord has lifted up himself, and appeared on behalf of his people, and has exerted himself, and displayed his power; and so it will be again; or so let it be: "let the nations be scattered"; the antichristian nations, as they will be, when the Lord shall lift up his hand, and pour out the vials of his wrath upon them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 (Nwmh lwqm) "a voce multitudinis", Pagninus; "a voce turbae", Montanus, Cocceius.
F21 Fugiant, so some in Gataker.
F23 Profugient, Piscator.

Isaiah 33:3 In-Context

1 Woe to thee, that robbest; whether and thou shalt not be robbed? and that despisest, whether and thou shalt not be despised? (Woe to thee, who robbest; shalt thou not be robbed? and who despisest, shalt thou not be despised?) When thou hast ended robbing, thou shalt be robbed; and when thou made weary ceasest to despise, thou shalt be despised.

2 Lord, have thou mercy on us, for we abided thee; be thou our arm in the morrowtide, and our health in the time of tribulation. (Lord, have thou mercy on us, for we have waited for thee; be thou our protection in the morning, and our deliverance, or our salvation, in the time of tribulation.)

3 Peoples fled from the voice of the angel; heathen men be scattered of thine enhancing. (The peoples shall flee from the roar of thy thunder; the heathen shall be scattered at thy exalting, or at thy lifting up.)

4 And your spoils shall be gathered together, as a bruchus, that is, (the) fruit of locusts, is gathered together, as when ditches be full thereof. (And their spoils shall be gathered up, like the gathering of the bruchi, that is, the fruit of the locusts, when the ditches be full of them.)

5 The Lord is magnified, for he dwelled on high, he filled Zion with doom and rightfulness (he filled Zion with justice, or judgement, and righteousness).