The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

3. or bothIn v. 17, both “your eyes” and “they will behold” have uncertain antecedents. Verse 18 seems to refer toAssyria checking out Jerusalem for invasion and siege. Verse 19 seems to allude to the strangesoundinglanguage of the Assyrian invaders. Yet at v. 20 the scene changes to an undisturbedJerusalem. Therefore, vv. 21 and 22 could refer to Jerusalem, obviously v. 24 does.Some see the “plunder” (BDB 1021) in v. 23 as related to the items that the Assyrian armyabandoned before the walls of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. and not the sack of Nineveh itself, which occurredin 612 B.C.33:24 YHWH is characterized as the healer. This is an allusion to chapter 1 where God’s people arecharacterized as ill (cf. 1:5-6). Illness is a metaphor for “sin” and “rebellion” (cf. Ps. 41:4; 103:3; Isa.53:5). The NT continues the Jewish concept of sickness relating to sin (cf. John 5:14; James 5:14-15).The term “save” in the OT denotes physical deliverance (see Special Topic at 33:2).DISCUSSION QUESTIONSThis is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your owninterpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the HolySpirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this sectionof the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.1. How are chapters 32 and 33 related to 28-31?2. Are these two chapters Messianic or historical?3. List the blessings of the Spirit described in 32:15-18.4. Give the historical context of 33:7-9.331