Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 5:13
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Therefore my people are gone into captivity, &c.] Or rather, as Kimchi explains it, “shall go into captivity”; the past for the future; for this cannot be understood even of the captivity of the ten tribes, for they were not carried captive until the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign, (<121706>2 Kings 17:6 18:1) whereas this prophecy was delivered out many years before, even in the time of Uzziah, as is manifest from the following chapter, (<230601>Isaiah 6:1) and much less it cannot design the captivity of Judah, but respects the captivity by the Romans, in future time. Because [they have] no knowledge; of the work of the Lord, and the operations of his hands; the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, “because they knew not the Lord”, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the true Messiah; they knew not his person, office, grace, and Gospel; they did not own and acknowledge him, but despised and rejected him; their ignorance was affected and voluntary; they had the means of knowledge, but did not make use of them; they would not know him, they would not attend to the strong and clear evidence of his being the Messiah, which prophecies, miracles, and his doctrines, gave of him; the things belonging to their peace they knew not, these were righteously hid from them, and hence destruction came upon them, (<421942>Luke 19:42-44) the words may be rendered in connection with the former, “therefore my people shall go into captivity without knowledge”f99, unawares, unthought of, and unexpected; and the Jews, to the last; did not think their city would be taken, but that in some way of other salvation and deliverance would be wrought for them: and their honourable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst; or “shall be”; this is expressive of a famine of bread and water, which all, both high and low, prince and people, should be affected with; (see <230301>Isaiah 3:1) and was true not only when Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans, (<245206>Jeremiah 52:6 <250404>Lamentations 4:4,5,8-10) (<240510>Jeremiah 5:10) but when it was besieged by the Romans, in which the rich suffered as well as the poor; and was so great, that even women ate their own children, as Josephusf100 relates: this is threatened as a punishment of their rioting and drunkenness, (<230511>Isaiah 5:11,12).
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