Isaiah 28:2

“Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, &c.] That is, a powerful king, with a mighty army, meaning Shalmaneser king of Assyria; whom the Lord had at his beck and command, and could use at his pleasure, as his instrument, to bring down the towering pride of Ephraim, and chastise him for his sensuality: [which] as a tempest of hail; that beats down herbs and plants, and branches of trees, and men and beasts: [and] a destroying storm; which carries all before it, blows down houses and trees, and makes terrible devastation wherever it comes: as a flood of mighty waters overflowing; whose torrent is so strong there is no stopping it: so this mighty and powerful prince shall cast down to…”

“strong one--the Assyrian (Isa 10:5). cast down--namely, Ephraim (Isa 28:1) and Samaria, its crown. with . . . hand--with violence (Isa 8:11).”

“A strong one - The king of Assyria. Shall cast down - The crown of pride. The hand - By the hand of God, which shall strengthen him in this work. Isaiah 28:3”

“28:2 the Lord will send: The covenant God will act against his own people, whose behavior had effectively disqualified them as God’s people (see Hos 1:9). • The mighty army is that of the Assyrians, who destroyed Samaria in 722 BC.”

“the Lord: Isa 9:9-12, Isa 27:1; Eze 30:10, Eze 30:11 as a tempest: Isa 28:15-19, Isa 8:7, Isa 8:8, Isa 25:4, Isa 29:6, Isa 30:30; Eze 13:11; Nah 1:8; Mat 7:25-27; Rev 18:8 Isaiah 28:3”

“In the next three vv. the hoi is expanded. "Behold, the Lord holds a strong and mighty thing like a hailstorm, a pestilent tempest; like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He casts down to the earth with almighty hand. With feet they tread down the proud crown of the drunken of Ephraim. And it happens to the fading flower of its splendid ornament, which is upon the head of the luxuriant valley, as to an early fig before it is harvest, which whoever sees it looks at, and it is no sooner in his hand than he swallows it." "A strong and mighty thing:" ואמּי חזק we have rendered in the neuter (with the lxx and Targum) rather than in the masculine, as Luther does, although the strong and mighty…”