Isaiah 24:1

“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, &c.] Some, by the “earth”, only understand the land of Israel or Judea, and interpret the prophecy of the captivity of the ten tribes by Shalmaneser, as Kimchi, and other Jewish writers; and others, of the destruction of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar; but some take in along with them the neighbouring nations who suffered by the same princes at the same time. Vitringa interprets the whole of the times of the Maccabees, as also the three following chapters (<232501>Isaiah 25:1-27:13); though it is best to understand it of the Papal world, and all the antichristian states; and there are some things in it, at the close of it, which respect the destruction of…”

“THE LAST TIMES OF THE WORLD IN GENERAL, AND OF JUDAH AND THE CHURCH IN PARTICULAR. (Isa. 24:1-23) the earth--rather, "the land" of Judah (so in Isa 24:3, Isa 24:5-6; Joe 1:2). The desolation under Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.”

“Maketh the earth empty - That is, will depopulate it, or take away its inhabitants, and its wealth. The word ‘earth’ here (ארץ 'ārets) is used evidently not to denote the whole world, but the land to which the prophet particularly refers - the land of Judea. It should have been translated the land (see Joel 1:2). It is possible, however, that the word here may be intended to include so much of the nations that surrounded Palestine as were allied with it, or as were connected with it in the desolations under Nebuchadnezzar. And turneth it upside down - Margin, ‘Perverteth the face thereof.’ That is, everything is thrown into confusion; the civil and religious institutions are disorganized,…”

“The land - Of Canaan. Waste - He will shortly make it waste, first by the Assyrians, and then by the Chaldeans. Turneth - Brings it into great disorder and confusion. Isaiah 24:2”

“24:1–27:13 This section is often referred to as the “Little Apocalypse” because of its similarities to the book of Revelation. In these chapters Isaiah takes readers out of the present into a vision of the future world. The universal imagery of the Little Apocalypse makes it difficult to assign the events described to any precise historical situation. That means that these chapters cannot be used to outline a sequence of events or create a historical blueprint for the future. Instead, the imagery is intended to create an impressionistic drama of an unfolding world that is both like and unlike the present. The combination of aspects of the old era with aspects of the new era (for instance,…”

“am 3292, bc 712 maketh the: Isa 1:7-9, Isa 5:6, Isa 6:11, Isa 6:12, Isa 7:17-25, Isa 27:10, Isa 32:13, Isa 32:14, Isa 42:15; Jer 4:7; Eze 5:14, Eze 6:6, Eze 12:20, Eze 24:11, Eze 35:14; Nah 2:10; Luk 21:24 turneth it upside down: Heb. perverteth the face thereof, Isa 29:16; Kg2 21:13; Psa 146:9; Act 17:6 scattereth: Deu 4:27, Deu 28:64, Deu 32:26; Neh 1:8; Jer 9:16, Jer 40:15, Jer 50:17; Eze 5:2; Zac 13:7-9; Jam 1:1 Isaiah 24:2”

“It is thoroughly characteristic of Isaiah, that the commencement of this prophecy, like Isa 19:1, places us at once in the very midst of the catastrophe, and condenses the contents of the subsequent picture of judgment into a few rapid, vigorous, vivid, and comprehensive clauses (like Isa 15:1; Isa 17:1; Isa 23:1, cf., Isa 33:1). "Behold, Jehovah emptieth the earth, and layeth it waste, and marreth its form, and scattereth its inhabitants. And it happeneth, as to the people, so to the priest; as to the servant, so to his master; as to the maid, so to her mistress; as to the buyer, so to the seller; as to the lender, so to the borrower; as to the creditor, so to the debtor. Emptying the earth…”