Isaiah 9:17

“Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, &c.] Take no delight and pleasure in them; but, on the contrary, detest and abhor them, and so destroy them, being depraved and corrupted by the bad instructions and examples of their parents: neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows; who are objects of pity and compassion; yet these being wicked, as well as the fathers of the one, and the husbands of the other, shall be no more spared than they have been; so that this expresses both the general corruption and destruction of this people: for everyone [is] a hypocrite and an evildoer; a hypocrite, as Aben Ezra on the place observes, is one that is outwardly good, and…”

“no joy--the parallelism, "neither . . . mercy," shows that this means, He shall have no such delight in their youthful warriors, however much they be the nation's delight and reliance, as to save them from the enemy's sword (Isa 31:8; compare Jer 18:21). fatherless, &c.--not even the usual objects of His pity (Psa 10:14, Psa 10:18; Psa 68:5; Jer 49:11; Hos 14:3) shall be spared. hypocrite--rather, a libertine, polluted [HORSLEY]. folly--wickedness (Psa 14:1). still--Notwithstanding all these judgments, more remain.”

“Shall have no joy - He shall not delight in them so as to preserve them. The parallel part of the verse shows that the phrase is used in the sense of having mercy. In their young men - The hope and strength of the nation. The word used here commonly denotes those who are chosen, particularly for purposes of war. The sense is, that the hope and strength of the nation, that on which the chief reliance would be placed, would be cut off. Neither shall have mercy ... - Judgment would sweep through the nation, even over those who were the usual objects of the divine protection - widows and orphans; compare Psalms 10:14, Psalms 10:18; Psalms 48:5; Deuteronomy 10:18; Jeremiah 49:11; Hosea 14:3.…”

“No joy - Shall not rejoice over them to do them good. Fatherless - Who are the special objects of his care and pity, and much less upon others. Every one - Not precisely; for there were seven thousand elect persons among them, when they seemed to Elijah to be universally corrupt, but the body of the people. Hypocrite - For though they professed to worship God, yet indeed they had forsaken him. Folly - Wickedness. Isaiah 9:18”

“9:17 Even widows and orphans, ordinarily objects of God’s compassion (1:17, 23; 10:2), became objects of his wrath when they were unrepentant.”

“have no joy: Isa 10:2, Isa 13:18, Isa 27:11, Isa 62:5, Isa 65:19; Psa 147:10; Jer 18:21; Zac 9:17 for every: Isa 10:6; Job 15:34; Jer 5:1; Mic 7:2; Mat 16:3 every mouth: Isa 32:6, Isa 32:7; Mat 12:34 folly: or, villany For all: Isa 9:12, Isa 9:21, Isa 5:25, Isa 10:4; Eze 20:33 Isaiah 9:18”