Isaiah 29:1

“Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city [where] David dwelt, &c.] Many Jewish writers by “Ariel” understand the altar of burnt offerings; and so the Targum, “woe, altar, altar, which was built in the city where David dwelt;” and so it is called in (<264315>Ezekiel 43:15,16) it signifies “the lion of God”; and the reason why it is so called, the Jews sayf568, is, because the fire lay upon it in the form of a lion; but rather the reason is, because it devoured the sacrifices that were laid upon it, as a lion does its prey; though others of them interpret it of the temple, which they say was built like a lion, narrow behind and broad beforef569; but it seems better to understand it of the city of…”

“COMING INVASION OF JERUSALEM: ITS FAILURE: UNBELIEF OF THE JEWS. (Isa. 29:1-24) Ariel--Jerusalem; Ariel means "Lion of God," that is, city rendered by God invincible: the lion is emblem of a mighty hero (Sa2 23:20). Otherwise "Hearth of God," that is, place where the altar-fire continually burns to God (Isa 31:9; Eze 43:15-16). add . . . year to year--ironically; suffer one year after another to glide on in the round of formal, heartless "sacrifices." Rather, "add yet another year" to the one just closed [MAURER]. Let a year elapse and a little more (Isa 32:10, Margin). let . . . kill sacrifices--rather, "let the beasts (of another year) go round" [MAURER]; that is, after the completion of a…”

“The city - The royal city, and seat of David and his posterity. Set them - Go on in killing sacrifices from time to time, one year after another, whereby you think to appease me, but all shall be in vain. Isaiah 29:4”

“29:1-14 This is the second of the six woes (What sorrow . . .). 29:1-8 In the Assyrian siege, the Lord would be fighting against Jerusalem, but he would force the Assyrians to abandon Jerusalem in his own time. 29:1-2 Ariel was another name for Mount Zion (29:8); it probably means altar of God.”

“am 3292, bc 712 woe: etc. or, O Ariel, that is, the lion of God, Isa 31:9; Eze 43:15, Eze 43:16 the city: or, of the city, Sa2 5:9 add: Isa 1:11-15; Jer 7:21; Hos 5:6, Hos 8:13, Hos 9:4; Amo 4:4, Amo 4:5; Heb 10:1 kill: Heb. cut off the heads, Isa 66:3; Mic 6:6, Mic 6:7 Isaiah 29:2”

“The prophecy here passes from the fall of Samaria, the crown of flowers ( Isa 28:1-4), to its formal parallel. Jerusalem takes its place by the side of Samaria, the crown of flowers, and under the emblem of a hearth of God. 'Arı̄'ēl might, indeed, mean a lion of God. It occurs in this sense as the name of certain Moabitish heroes ( Sa2 23:20; Ch1 11:22), and Isaiah himself used the shorter form אראל for the heroes of Judah ( Isa 33:7). But as אריאל (God's heart, interchanged with הראל htiw degna, God's height) is the name given in Eze 43:15-16, to the altar of burnt-offering in the new temple, and as Isaiah could not say anything more characteristic of Jerusalem, than that Jehovah had a…”