Isaiah 22 KJV
Oracle Against Jerusalem
Isaiah Chapter 22: Oracle Against Jerusalem
The chapter's reference to Eliakim receiving 'the key of the house of David' (v. 22) provides the direct source for the messianic imagery in Revelation 3:7, where Christ is described as the one who opens and shuts with authority.
1he burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.
6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.
9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
15 Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
17 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lordโs house.
19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his fatherโs house.
24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his fatherโs house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.
25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
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Did You Know?
The chapter's reference to Eliakim receiving 'the key of the house of David' (v. 22) provides the direct source for the messianic imagery in Revelation 3:7, where Christ is described as the one who opens and shuts with authority.
Isaiah 22:13's phrase 'let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die' is quoted by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:32 to illustrate the implications of denying the resurrection.
The oracle addresses Jerusalem as the 'valley of vision,' an ironic designation highlighting the city's failure to heed its prophetic revelations despite being the center of divine communication.
The condemnation of Shebna, described as 'this treasurer' (v. 15), likely reflects a historical figure from Hezekiah's court, with possible archaeological correlations to a rock-cut tomb in the Kidron Valley bearing an inscription to a royal steward.
The prophecy notes the removal of defenses from 'the house of the forest' (v. 8), referring to Solomon's armory mentioned in 1 Kings 7:2 and 10:17, symbolizing the stripping away of royal security due to misplaced trust in military preparations rather than God.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain "Shebna," too (Isa 22:15), was scribe at this time (Isa 36:3) [MAURER]. The language of Isa 22:12-14, as to the infidelity and consequent utter ruin of the Jews, seems rather to foโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Isaiah 22 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Prophecy as to an attack on Jerusalem; Prophecy that shebna should be deposed from being prefect of the palace, and eliakim promoted to the office.
- 5,30
- "Shebna," too (Isa 22:15), was scribe at this time (Isa 36:3) [MAURER]. The language of Isa 22:12-14, as to the infidelity and consequent utter ruin of the Jews, seems rather to foreshadow the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in Zedekiah's reign, and cannot be restricted to Hezekiah's time [LOWTH].
- 1
- of... valley of vision โ rather, "respecting the valley of visions"; namely, Jerusalem, the seat of divine revelations and visions, "the nursery of prophets" [JEROME], (Isa 2:3; 29:1; Eze 23:4, Margin; Lu 13:33). It lay in a "valley" surrounded by hills higher than Zion and Moriah (Ps 125:2; Jer 21:13). thee โ the people of Jerusalem personified. housetops โ Panic-struck, they went up on the flat balustraded roofs to look forth and see whether the enemy was near, and partly to defend themselves from the roofs (Jud 9:51, &c.).
Read all 25 notes on Isaiah 22 โ