Ésaïe 10:18

18 Qui consumera, corps et âme, La magnificence de sa forêt et de ses campagnes. Il en sera comme d'un malade, qui tombe en défaillance.

Ésaïe 10:18 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 10:18

And shall consume the glory of his forest
The Assyrian army is compared to a "forest", for the number of men in it; and for the mighty men in it, comparable to large and tall trees, such as oaks and cedars; and like a wood or forest a numerous army looks, when in rank and file, in proper order, and with banners, and having on their armour, their shields, spears, bows and arrows; and the "glory" of it intends either the princes and nobles that were in it, the principal officers, generals, and captains; or the riches of it, the plunder of the Egyptians and Ethiopians, as Kimchi observes, which were all destroyed at once: both soul and body,
or "from the soul even to the flesh" ^F15; which denotes the total consumption of them, nothing of them remaining; the Targum is,

``the glory of the multitude of his army, and their souls with their bodies, it shall consume;''

and so some understand this of the eternal destruction of soul and body in hell: the Rabbins are divided about the manner of the consumption of the Assyrian army; some say their bodies and souls were both burnt, which these words seem to favour; and others, that their souls were burnt, and not their bodies, their lives were taken away, and their bodies unhurt; which they think is favoured by ( Isaiah 10:16 ) where it is said, "under his glory", and not "his glory" ^F16: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth;
who when he fails, the whole company or army is thrown into confusion, and flees; and so the Targum,

``and he shall be broken, and flee.''

Some render it, "as the dust of the worm that eats wood" ^F17; so Jarchi; signifying that they should be utterly destroyed, and become as small as the dust that falls from a worm eaten tree; which simile is used, a forest being made mention of before.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 (rvb dew vpnm) "ab anima usque ad carnem", V. L. Montanus, Piscator.
F16 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 113. 2. & Sanhedrin, fol 94. 1, 2. See Kimchi in loc.
F17 (oon owomk) "at pulvis teredinis", Tigurine version.

Ésaïe 10:18 In-Context

16 C'est pourquoi le Seigneur, le Seigneur des armées, enverra Le dépérissement parmi ses robustes guerriers; Et, sous sa magnificence, éclatera un embrasement, Comme l'embrasement d'un feu.

17 La lumière d'Israël deviendra un feu, Et son Saint une flamme, Qui consumera et dévorera ses épines et ses ronces, En un seul jour;

18 Qui consumera, corps et âme, La magnificence de sa forêt et de ses campagnes. Il en sera comme d'un malade, qui tombe en défaillance.

19 Le reste des arbres de sa forêt pourra être compté, Et un enfant en écrirait le nombre.

20 En ce jour-là, Le reste d'Israël et les réchappés de la maison de Jacob, Cesseront de s'appuyer sur celui qui les frappait; Ils s'appuieront avec confiance sur l'Eternel, le Saint d'Israël.