Isaiah 9:10

“The bricks are fallen down, &c.] Houses made of bricks, which were without the cities besieged and destroyed by the Assyrians; of which the haughty Israelites made no account, looking upon such a desolation as little, or no loss at all: but we will build with hewn stone, so that the houses will be better and stronger, more beautiful, and more durable: the sycamores are cut down; which grew in the fields, and outer parts of the cities, and were but a mean sort of wood, and which the Assyrians cut down to serve several purposes in their siege; of this sort of trees, (see Gill on “<421904>Luke 19:4”): but we will change them into cedars; that is, will plant cedars in place of them; trees tall…”

“bricks--in the East generally sun-dried, and therefore soon dissolved by rain. Granting, say the Ephraimites to the prophet's threat, that our affairs are in a ruinous state, we will restore them to more than their former magnificence. Self-confident unwillingness to see the judgments of God (Isa 26:11). hewn stones-- (Kg1 5:17). sycamores--growing abundantly on the low lands of Judea, and though useful for building on account of their antiseptic property (which induced the Egyptians to use them for the cases of their mummies), not very valuable. The cedar, on the other hand, was odorous, free from knots, durable, and precious (Kg1 10:27). "We will replace cottages with palaces."”

“The bricks are fallen down - The language of this verse is figurative; but the sentiment is plain. It contains the confession of the inhabitants of Samaria, that their affairs were in a ruinous and dilapidated state; but also their self-confident assurance that they would be able to repair the evils, and restore their nation to more than their former magnificence. Bricks, in oriental countries, were made of clay and straw, and were rarely turned. Hence, exposed to suns and rains, they soon dissolved. Walls and houses constructed of such materials would not be very permanent, and to build with them is strongly contrasted with building in a permanent and elegant manner with hewn stone. The…”

“Stones - We have received some damage; but, we doubt not we shall quickly repair it with advantage. Isaiah 9:11”

“9:10 In their proud confidence, Israel thought it would replace whatever was lost with more expensive items (see 2:13-16; Amos 5:11).”

“bricks: Kg1 7:9-12, Kg1 10:27; Mal 1:4 Isaiah 9:11”