Isaiah 30:29

Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(29) Ye shall have a song . . .—The “holy solemnity,” or feast, was probably the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast of in-gathering, of all the festivals of the Jewish year the most abounding in its joy. In later times, and probably, therefore, in earlier, it had a night-ritual of special solemnity, the court of the Temple being illuminated with a great candelabrum. It was known as being pre-eminently “the feast” (1Kings 8:2; 1Kings 8:65; 1Kings 12:32; Ezekiel 45:25; 2Chronicles 7:8-9). The second clause of the verse completes the picture, by introducing the day-ritual of the procession of pilgrims from the country, bringing their firstfruits and playing on their flutes. (Comp. 1Samuel 10:5.)

The mighty One of Israel.—Literally, the Rock of Israel, as a name of Jehovah (Isaiah 17:10; Deuteronomy 32:4, et al.).

Benson Commentary

Isaiah 30:29-31. Ye shall have a song, &c. — You shall have occasion of great joy, and of singing songs of praise for your stupendous deliverance from that formidable enemy; as in the night, &c. — He mentions the night, either because the Jewish feasts began in the evening, and were celebrated with great joy during a part of the night, as well as on the following day; or because he has a particular respect to the solemnity of the passover, in which they spent some considerable part of the night in rejoicing, and singing sacred songs before the Lord. As when one goeth, &c. — Like the joy of one that is going up to the solemn feasts with music. The Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard — His thunder, metaphorically taken for a terrible judgment. “This destruction shall be from the immediate hand of God, in which he shall as evidently appear as if he had discomfited the army by a tempest of thunder, and lightning, and hail-stones, as he formerly destroyed the Canaanites and Philistines.” — Lowth. And show the lighting down of his arm — Upon the Assyrian, whom he will smite with a deadly blow in the face of the world; with the indignation of his anger — With great wrath; which is signified by heaping so many words of the same signification together. The Assyrian, who smote with a rod — Who was the rod wherewith God smote his people and other nations: he who used to smite others shall now be smitten himself.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

30:27-33 God curbs and restrains from doing mischief. With a word he guides his people into the right way, but with a bridle he turns his enemies upon their own ruin. Here, in threatening the ruin of Sennacherib's army, the prophet points at the final and everlasting destruction of all impenitent sinners. Tophet was a valley near Jerusalem, where fires were continually burning to destroy things that were hurtful and offensive, and there the idolatrous Jews caused their children to pass through the fire to Moloch. This denotes the certainty of the destruction, as an awful emblem of the place of torment in the other world. No oppressor shall escape the Divine wrath. Let sinners then flee to Christ, seeking to be reconciled to Him, that they may be safe and happy, when destruction from the Almighty shall sweep away all the workers of iniquity.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye shall have a song - That is, ye inhabitants of Jerusalem shall rejoice when the army of the Assyrian is destroyed.

As in the night, when a solemnity is kept - The word 'solemnity' here (חג châg) denotes a festival, or feast; and refers, by way of eminence, to the Passover, which is usually designated as "the feast;" that is, the principal festival of the Jews (see Matthew 27:15; John 5:1, John 5:11, John 5:13, John 5:23). This festival was kept at first at night, and was required to be so celebrated ever afterward Exodus 12:42; Deuteronomy 16:1-6.

As when one goeth with a pipe - Music was used in the daily service of the temple, and their processions and celebrations were all with instrumental music. The simple idea is, that the sudden and complete destruction of the army of Sennacherib would be the occasion of the highest joy.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

29. the night … solemnity—As in the passover night ye celebrate your deliverance from Egypt, so shall ye celebrate your rescue from Assyrian bondage. Translate, "the solemnity" (Ex 12:42).

goeth with a pipe—or flute. They used to go up to Jerusalem ("the mountain of the Lord," Zion) at the three feasts with music and gladness (De 16:16; Ezr 2:65; Ps 122:1-4).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ye shall have a song; you shall have occasion of great joy and songs of praise for your stupendous deliverance from that formidable enemy. Are in the night when a holy solemnity is kept: he mentions the night, either because the Jewish feasts begun at the evening, and were celebrated with great joy in part of the night season, as well as on the following day; or because he hath a particular respect to the solemnity of the passover, in which they spent some considerable part of the night in feasting, and rejoicing, and singing of psalms and songs before the Lord.

As when one goeth with a pipe; like the joy of one that is going up to the solemn feasts with music, and the voice of joy and praise, as they used to do, Psalm 42:4, to cheer up themselves in the way, which to many of them was long, and would otherwise have been tedious.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Ye shall have a song,.... That is, the Jews should have a song, and sing it upon the ruin of the Assyrian army; as the Israelites had, when Pharaoh and his host were drowned in the Red Sea; and so will the Christian church have one, at the fall of Babylon, Revelation 15:1,

as in the night, when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, the Jewish feasts always began, the even preceding, and were ushered in with singing songs, and psalms; especially the feast of the passover, which it is thought is alluded to here. It is a common notion of the Jews (k), that the slaughter of the Assyrian army was on the night of the passover; that it was in the night is certain, 2 Kings 19:35 but that it was on the night of the passover is not certain; however, the songs sung on that night were not on this occasion, nor could this be sung so soon; and it will be at evening time that the latter day glory shall break out, and songs of joy be heard from the uttermost parts of the earth, Zechariah 14:7,

as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord; the temple; it being usual for persons, that came from distant parts of the land to the temple to worship, to bring pipes along with them in their hands, and play upon them as they were travelling, to divert them, and the company that were with them; see Psalm 42:4. Jarchi thinks the allusion is to the bringing up of the first fruits to the temple at Jerusalem, which was preceded with a pipe, as appears from the Misnah (l):

to the mighty One of Israel; or, "Rock of Israel" (m); one of the names of the Messiah, 2 Samuel 23:3 to whom the song of praise and triumph shall be sung, in the latter day, by those that stand upon Mount Zion, with harps in their hands, having gotten the victory over the beast and his image, Revelation 14:1.

(k) Vid. Aben Ezra, Ben Melech, & Abendana. (l) Biccurim, c. 3. sect. 3, 4. (m) "rupem Israelis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius; "petram Israel", Montanus.

Geneva Study Bible

Ye shall have a song, as in the {b} night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come upon the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.

(b) You will rejoice at the destruction of your enemies, as they who sang for joy at the solemn feast, which began in the evening.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

29. Ye shall have a song] lit. “the song shall be to you.” Undoubtedly, the song is sung by the Israelites, not by an angelic choir, as is strangely suggested by Duhm. The song will be like that in the night when a feast is hallowed (R.V. marg.). The feast is probably the Passover, the only festival which, so far as we know, included a nocturnal ceremony, in the O.T. times. That singing then formed a part of the ritual (as in the time of Christ: Matthew 26:30), cannot be proved, but it is not unlikely that this was the case. The reason why this particular festival is selected for comparison may be that it commemorated the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. It is thought by many that the “Song of Moses,” Exodus 15, was used as a Paschal hymn.

as when one goeth with a pipe] Or: like his who marches with a flute, &c. (cf. 1 Kings 1:40); in other words, “who takes part in a festal procession to the Temple.”

the mighty One of Israel] the Rock of Israel (R.V.), 2 Samuel 23:3.

29–32. Songs of rejoicing arise within the city, while the Assyrians are slaughtered under its walls.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 29. - Ye shall have a song; literally, to you will [then] be a song. While the nations weep and lament, and are burnt up by God's anger, and swept away by his "overflowing flood," and guided to their destruction by his bridle in their jaws, Israel shall rejoice with singing. As in the night when a holy solemnity is kept. Perhaps a special reference is intended to the Pass-over-feast, which commenced with an even-tag or night celebration (Exodus 12:6, 8, 42; Matthew 26:30). Or perhaps "Isaiah is not referring to one feast more than another" (Cheyne), night-rituals belonging to all toasts, since the day commenced with the sunset. The Passover-song consisted of Psalm 113. - 118. And as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord. Joyful processions from the country districts to Jerusalem are alluded to. These were commonly headed by a piper or a band of pipers (Vitringa). They took place several times in the year - at each of the three great feasts, and irregularly when any district sent up its firstfruits to the temple treasury (Nehemiah 10:35-37). To the Mighty One of Israel; literally, to the Rock of Israel; i.e. to Jehovah (comp. Isaiah 17:10; and see also Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18, 30, 31; Psalm 18:2, 31, 46, etc.). The idea embodied in the metaphor is rather that of an unfailing refuge than of mere might and power. Isaiah 30:29

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

This is the issue of the judgment which begins at the house of God, then turns against the instrument employed, namely the heathen, and becomes to the Israel that survives a counterpart of the deliverance from Egypt. "Your song will then sound as in the night, when the feast is celebrated; and ye will have joy of heart like those who march with the playing of flutes, to go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel." In the word châg (feast), which is generally used with special reference to the feast of tabernacles, there is here an unmistakeable allusion to the passover, as we may see from the introduction of "the night," which evidently means the night before the passover (lēl shimmurı̄m, Exodus 12:42), which was so far a festal night, that it preceded and introduced the feast of unleavened bread. The prophet has taken his figure from the first passover-night in Egypt, when Israel was rejoicing in the deliverance which it was just about to receive, whilst the destroying angel was passing through the land. Such would be the song which they would be able to sing, when Jehovah poured out His judgment upon His people's enemies outside. The church is shut up in its chamber (Isaiah 26:20), and its joy resembles the heartfelt joy of those who go on pilgrimage on one of the three great feasts, or in the procession that carries up the first-fruits to Jerusalem (Biccurim, iii. 3), going up with the sound of flutes to the mountain of Jehovah, to appear before Him, the Rock of Israel.