Isaiah 30:17

“One thousand [shall flee] at the rebuke of one, &c.] A troop of horse, consisting of a thousand men, shall flee upon the attack and onset of a single person, so dispirited should they be, and so possessed of the fear of the enemy; what was promised to them with respect to their enemies is here turned against them, (<032607>Leviticus 26:7,8) (<053230>Deuteronomy 32:30): at the rebuke of five shall ye flee; being attacked by a very small number, the whole army should run away: this denotes with what ease they should be routed, and put to flight; and is to be understood, not of what would be at the present time, but of what should come to pass hereafter, when the Chaldean army should come…”

“One thousand--A thousand at once, or, "As one man" [MAURER]. rebuke--the battle cry. shall ye--at the rebuke of five shall ye, namely, all (in contrast to the "one thousand") flee so utterly that even two shall not be left together, but each one shall be as solitary "as a signal staff" [G. V. SMITH], or "a banner on a hill" (Isa 5:26; Isa 11:12). The signal staff was erected to rally a nation in war. The remnant of Jews left would be beacons to warn all men of the justice of God, and the truth of His threatenings. GESENIUS (from Lev 26:8; Deu 32:30) arbitrarily inserts "ten thousand." "At the rebuke of five shall ten thousand of you flee."”

“'Till - 'Till you be destroyed, and but a few of you left. Isaiah 30:18”

“30:17 One . . . Five: This curse is the opposite of God’s blessing for obedience (Lev 26:8; Deut 32:30). • The Assyrians had dominated the rest of the land of Judah, leaving Jerusalem isolated like a lonely flagpole on a hill.”

“thousand: Lev 26:8, Lev 26:36; Deu 28:25, Deu 32:30; Jos 23:10; Pro 28:1; Jer 37:10 till ye: Isa 1:7, Isa 1:8, Isa 37:3, Isa 37:4; Neh 1:2, Neh 1:3; Zep 3:12; Zac 13:8, Zac 13:9; Mat 24:21, Mat 24:22 a beacon: or, a tree bereft of branches, or, boughs, or a mast, Isa 6:13, Isa 27:11; Joh 15:2-6; Rom 11:17 Isaiah 30:18”