SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:12
No llaméis, conjuración, a todas las cosas a que este pueblo llama conjuración; ni temáis su temor, ni le tengáis miedo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Isaiah 8:12
Verse 12. Say ye not, A confederacy "Say ye not, It is holy"] rq kesher. Both the reading and the sense of this word are doubtful. The Septuagint manifestly read hq kashah; for they render it by sklhron, hard. The Syriac and Chaldee render it adrm merda, and dwrm merod, rebellion. How they came by this sense of the word, or what they read in their copies, is not so clear. But the worst of it is, that neither of these readings or renderings gives any clear sense in this place. For why should God forbid his faithful servants to say with the unbelieving Jews, It is hard; or, There is a rebellion; or, as our translators render it, a confederacy? And how can this be called "walking in the way of this people?" ver. 11, which usually means, following their example, joining with them in religious worship. Or what confederacy do they mean? The union of the kingdoms of Syria and Israel against Judah? That was properly a league between two independent states, not an unlawful conspiracy of one part against another in the same state; this is the meaning of the word rq kesher. For want of any satisfactory interpretation of this place that I can meet with, I adopt a conjecture of Archbishop Secker, which he proposes with great diffidence, and even seems immediately to give up, as being destitute of any authority to support it. I will give it in his own words:"Videri potest ex cap. v. 16, et hujus cap. 13, 14, 19, legendum rq vel wdq kadosh, eadem sententia, qua wnyhla Eloheynu, Hos. xiv. 3. Sed nihil necesse est. Vide enim Jer. xi. 9; Ezek. xxii. 25. Optime tamen sic responderent huic versiculo versiculi 13, 14." The passages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel above referred to seem to me not at all to clear up the sense of the word rq kesher in this place. But the context greatly favours the conjecture here given, and makes it highly probable: "Walk not in the way of this people; call not their idols holy, nor fear ye the object of their fear:" (that is, the sebasmata, or gods of the idolaters; for so fear here signifies, to wit, the thing feared. So God is called "The fear of Isaac," Gen. xxxi. 42, lxiii. ) "but look up to JEHOVAH as your Holy One; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and he shall be a holy Refuge unto you." Here there is a harmony and consistency running through the whole sentence; and the latter part naturally arises out of the former, and answers to it. Idolatry, however, is full of fears. The superstitious fears of the Hindoos are very numerous. They fear death, bad spirits generally, and hobgoblins of all descriptions. They fear also the cries of jackalls, owls, crows, cats, asses, vultures, dogs, lizards, &c. They also dread different sights in the air, and are alarmed at various dreams. See WARD'S Customs.
Observe that the difference between rq kesher and dq kadosh is chiefly in the transposition of the two last letters, for the letters r resh and d daleth are hardly distinguishable in some copies, printed as well as MS.; so that the mistake, in respect of the letters themselves, is a very easy and a very common one. - L.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Exhortations and warnings. (Is. 8:1-8) Comfort for those who fear God (Is. 8:9-16) Afflictions to idolaters. (Is. 8:17-22)
Is. 8:1-8 The prophet is to write on a large roll, or on a meta tablet, words which meant, "Make speed to spoil, hasten to the prey: pointing out that the Assyrian army should come with speed, and make great spoil. Very soon the riches of Damascus and of Samaria, citie then secure and formidable, shall be taken away by the king of Assyria The prophet pleads with the promised Messiah, who should appear in tha land in the fulness of time, and, therefore, as God, would preserve it in the mean time. As a gentle brook is an apt emblem of a mil government, so an overflowing torrent represents a conqueror an tyrant. The invader's success was also described by a bird of prey stretching its wings over the whole land. Those who reject Christ, wil find that what they call liberty is the basest slavery. But no enem shall pluck the believer out of Emmanuel's hand, or deprive him of his heavenly inheritance.
Is. 8:9-16 The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upo crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the power of ou enemies restrained. The Lord, who will be a Sanctuary to those wh trust in him, will be a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, to those who make the creature their fear and their hope. If the things of God be an offence to us, they will undo us. The apostle quotes this a to all who persisted in unbelief of the gospel of Christ, I Pet. 2:8 The crucified Emmanuel, who was and is a Stumbling-stone and Rock of offence to unbelieving Jews, is no less so to thousands who are calle Christians. The preaching of the cross is foolishness in their esteem his doctrines and precepts offend them.
Is. 8:17-22 The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though no miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suite to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel i difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolis and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we know how we may seek to our God, and come to the knowledge of his mind? To the law and to the testimony; for there you will see what is good, and what the Lor requires. We must speak of the things of God in the words which the Holy Ghost teaches, and be ruled by them. To those that seek to familiar spirits, and regard not God's law and testimony, there shal be horror and misery. Those that go away from God, go out of the way of all good; for fretfulness is a sin that is its own punishment. The shall despair, and see no way of relief, when they curse God. And their fears will represent every thing as frightful. Those that shut their eyes against the light of God's word, will justly be left to darkness All the miseries that ever were felt or witnessed on earth, are a nothing, compared with what will overwhelm those who leave the words of Christ, to follow delusions __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
לא 3808 תאמרון 559 קשׁר 7195 לכל 3605 אשׁר 834 יאמר 559 העם 5971 הזה 2088 קשׁר 7195 ואת 853 מוראו 4172 לא 3808 תיראו 3372 ולא 3808 תעריצו׃ 6206
