Isaiah 9:9

9 All the people soon heard the message, Ephraim and the citizens of Samaria. But they were a proud and arrogant bunch. They dismissed the message, saying,

Isaiah 9:9 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 9:9

And all the people shall know
The word of the Lord, and that it is his; and by sad experience shall feel the weight of it; or, "the people shall know the whole of it" F25; shall find that the whole of it will be accomplished, every punctilio in it; whatever is said is done, everything predicted by it, the substance of it, and every circumstance relating to it: or they shall be punished, they shall bear, know, and feel the punishment of their sins; in which sense the word "know", in the Arabic language, is frequently used, of which Schultens F26 has given many instances: [even] Ephraim, and the inhabitants of Samaria:
the ten tribes are meant by Ephraim; and the inhabitants of Samaria are particularly mentioned, because Samaria was the metropolis of Ephraim, ( Isaiah 7:9 ) and because it was to suffer, and did suffer much in the threatened calamity, being besieged three years, then taken, and its inhabitants carried captive; and so experimentally knew the word of the Lord, and the truth of it, ( 2 Kings 17:5 2 Kings 17:6 ) : that say in the pride and stoutness of heart;
being proud and haughty, stout hearted, and far from righteousness, and the fear of God; hardening themselves against him, despising his word, and defying, as it were, his power and providence; saying, as follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F25 (wlk) "totum ejus".
F26 Animadv. Philol. in Job, p. 77, 78.

Isaiah 9:9 In-Context

7 His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He'll rule from the historic David throne over that promised kingdom. He'll put that kingdom on a firm footing and keep it going With fair dealing and right living, beginning now and lasting always. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this. God Answered Fire with Fire
8 The Master sent a message against Jacob. It landed right on Israel's doorstep.
9 All the people soon heard the message, Ephraim and the citizens of Samaria. But they were a proud and arrogant bunch. They dismissed the message, saying,
10 "Things aren't that bad. We can handle anything that comes. If our buildings are knocked down, we'll rebuild them bigger and finer. If our forests are cut down, we'll replant them with finer trees."
11 So God incited their adversaries against them, stirred up their enemies to attack:
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.