Isaiah 9:4

“For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, &c.] Of Galilee, of the nation multiplied, of the spiritual inhabitants of it, whose joy was increased; and this is one reason of it, because they were delivered by the Lord from the burdensome yoke of the ceremonial law, which was broken off and abolished by Christ; and from the tyranny of Satan, the god of this world, out of whose hands they were ransomed and delivered; and from the dominion of sin, under the power of which they had been in bondage. And the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor; different phrases, expressive of the same thing; the bondage and slavery of the law, sin, and Satan: as in the day of Midian; when Gideon got…”

“The occasion of the "joy," the deliverance not only of Ahaz and Judah from the Assyrian tribute (Kg2 16:8), and of Israel's ten tribes from the oppressor (Kg2 15:19), but of the Jewish Christian Church from its last great enemy. hast--the past time for the future, in prophetic vision; it expresses the certainty of the event. yoke of his burden--the yoke with which he was burdened. staff of . . . shoulder--the staff which strikes his shoulder [MAURER]; or the wood, like a yoke, on the neck of slaves, the badge of servitude [ROSENMULLER]. day of Midian-- (Jdg 7:8-22). As Gideon with a handful of men conquered the hosts of Midian, so Messiah the "child" (Isa 9:6) shall prove to be the "Prince…”

“For thou hast broken - This verse, and the following, show the way in which the occasion of the joy had been furnished. The expression ‘thou hast’ does not necessarily refer to the past, but is a form of expression derived from the nature of the prophetic visions, where that is described as past which is seen to pass before the eyes of the prophet; see the Introduction, section 7. The yoke - This word is often used to denote oppression, or tyranny; Leviticus 26:13; Deuteronomy 28:48 - where oppression is described as ‘an iron yoke;’ compare 1 Kings 12:4; Isaiah 47:6; Isaiah 58:6. The staff of his shoulder - The word rendered staff here may mean a bough, a branch, a staff, stick, or rod.…”

“The yoke - His burdensome yoke. The staff - The staff or staves by which he was forced to carry burdens upon his shoulders. The rod - Wherewith he beat him. Oppressor - Of all his oppressors, but especially of sin and the devil. As - When God destroyed the Midianites in so admirable a manner by three hundred men. Isaiah 9:5”

“9:4 The people experienced the rule of other nations as a yoke of . . . slavery and a heavy burden (Jer 30:8). • oppressor’s rod: In Isa 10:5, the Assyrians are called “the rod of [the Lord’s] anger.” Just as God’s anger will cease, so will Assyria’s oppression of Judah (14:5). • The Lord had destroyed the army of Midian through Gideon (see Judg 6:35; 7:22-25).”

“For thou hast broken: or, When thou brakest, Isa 14:25, Isa 47:6; Gen 27:40; Lev 26:13; Jer 30:8; Nah 1:13 the staff: Isa 10:5, Isa 10:27, Isa 14:3-5, Isa 30:31, Isa 30:32; Psa 125:3 as in the day: Isa 10:26; Jdg 6:1-6, Jdg 7:22-25, Jdg 8:10-12; Psa 83:9-11 Isaiah 9:5”

“"For the yoke of its burden and the stick of its neck, the stick of its oppressor, Thou hast broken to splinters, as in the day of Midian." The suffixes refer to the people (hâēâm). Instead of soblō, from sōbel, we have intentionally the more musical form סבּלו (with dagesh dirimens and chateph kametz under the influence of the previous u instead of the simple sheva). The rhythm of the v. of anapaestic. "Its burden" (subbolo) and "its oppressor" (nogēs bō) both recall to mind the Egyptian bondage ( Exo 2:11; Exo 5:6). The future deliverance, which the prophet here celebrates, would be the counterpart of the Egyptian. But as the whole of the great nation of Israel was then redeemed,…”