Глава 24

1–6. Devastation of the earth and punishment of its inhabitants for their wickedness. 7–13. The disappearance of all joy from the earth. 14–18a. The righteous are saved, the guilty are punished. 18–20. Earth shaking. 21–23. Punishment of the kings of the earth and the accession of the Most High Isa.24:1–6. The prophet sees how the Lord devastates the earth and carries out His just judgment on all people without distinction, because the people inhabiting the earth have transgressed the divine commands placed in their hearts and have defiled themselves with all sorts of sins. Isa.24:1. Behold, the Lord devastates the earth and makes it barren; changes its appearance and scatters those living on it. Since the future of the earth was revealed to the prophet in a vision, it is clear that his prophecy could not have strict consistency in depicting the different moments of the future judgment of the earth, and it is also not clear from it when this judgment will begin, how and by whom it will be carried out. It is only clear that this prophecy refers to the last times of the world and begins a series of prophecies about these times, which (the prophecies) end with chapter 27. “Makes it barren” - more correctly, devastates, ruins. “View”, i.e. all the cities, fortifications, etc. existing on it. Isa.24:2. And whatever happens to the people, so will it to the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the one who buys, so with the one who sells; as with the borrower, so with the lender; As with the usurer, so with the one who gives in interest. Despite differences in social status, all people will be punished by God. Isa.24:3. The land was completely devastated and completely plundered, for the Lord spoke this word. Isa.24:4. The earth laments, the earth is sad; the universe is drooping and sad; the lands that towered over the people fell. “He spoke this word” - that is, he decided so, commanded. “Rising above the people of the earth” - perhaps more correctly, according to Condamin - the sky will perish along with the earth! Isa.24:5. And the earth was defiled by those who lived on it, for they transgressed the laws, changed the statute, and violated the everlasting covenant. “They transgressed the laws,” that is, the traditions given to all mankind (Gen. 9 et seq.) and the voice of their conscience (Rom. 2:14). Isa.24:6. Because of this, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it are punished; Therefore the inhabitants of the earth were burned, and few people remained. “The curse consumes,” that is, the wrath of God acts like an all-consuming fire. “For this reason they were burned” - perhaps more correctly, according to Condamin - exterminated. Isa.24:7–13. All fun has ceased on earth and the few remaining inhabitants, at the sight of their devastated cities, can only cry. Grapes, from which excellent wine can be made, go to waste - no one wants to do this business anymore! Isa.24:7. The grape juice is crying; the vine hurts; all those who are glad at heart sigh. Isa.24:8. The fun with the tympanums stopped; the noise of those having fun fell silent; the sounds of the harp died down; Isa.24:9. they no longer drink wine with songs; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. “The grape juice is crying,” that is, ripe grape berries break off, fall and the juice flows along the ground. “It hurts,” that is, it disappears. Isa.24:10. The deserted city has been destroyed, all the houses are locked, you cannot enter. “City” is a general designation instead of: city. The Prophet, however, seems to depict primarily the state of affairs in Palestine. Isa.24:11. They cry about wine in the streets; all joy was darkened; all joy of the earth is banished. Isa.24:12. The city was left desolate and the gates fell apart. Isa.24:13. And in the middle of the earth, between the nations, it will be the same as what happens when olive trees are beaten, when grapes are gleaned, when the harvest is finished. “On the streets” – according to Orelli’s translation, in the fields. “The merriment of the earth” – perhaps more accurately: merriment from the earth. 24 “What happens when olives are beaten.” Trees that have lost their fruit serve as a symbol of the disappearance of the inhabitants of the earth (cf. Is. 17 et seq.). Isa.24:14. They will lift up their voices, they will triumph in the majesty of the Lord, they will shout loudly from the sea. The choir of those saved on the sea and islands, who will see this picture of the devastation of the earth from afar, will praise God for His just judgment over wicked people for whom there will be no salvation. “They” are, in all likelihood, righteous persons who will witness the judgment of sinners (cf. Rev. 22:11–12). "From the sea". - The Prophet, of course, first of all is presented with the devastation of Palestine and the righteous are presented to him as being outside the strip of land that is being devastated. Isa.24:15. Therefore praise the Lord in the east, on the islands of the sea - the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. Isa.24:16. From the ends of the earth we hear the song: “Glory to the Righteous!” And I said: trouble is for me, trouble is for me! alas for me! villains act villainously, and villains act villainously. "Glory to the righteous". Here, by righteous, the prophet probably meant the righteous who will receive the highest glorification from God. Of course, he considered these righteous, first of all, the chosen Israelis, as can be seen from the fact that he invites them to glorify the God of Israel. Our synodal translation by the Righteous One obviously understands either the Most High or Christ as the Righteous Judge. "And I said." From the sight of the saved righteous, the prophet again turns his sad gaze to the iniquities of people who do not want to give up their atrocities. Isa.24:17. Horror and pit and noose for you, inhabitant of the earth! Isa.24:18. Then the one running from the cry of horror will fall into the pit; and whoever comes out of the pit will fall into the snare; for the windows of heaven will be dissolved, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken. The judgment of God, depicted here by the prophet, comes on those bowls of the wrath of God that are depicted in the Apocalypse (chapter 16). “Loop”, i.e. a snare, such as was used in the East to catch birds and animals. Isaiah 24:18–20. The prophet depicts a flood that will destroy the earth, and the shaking of the earth with terrible earthquakes. “Windows... of heaven” - see Gen. 7:11. "Foundations of the Earth". – The earth seemed to the Jews to stand on foundations or pillars (cf. 1 Samuel 2:8). Isa.24:19. The earth is crushed, the earth is disintegrated, the earth is greatly shaken; Isa.24:20. the earth staggers like a drunken man, and rocks like a cradle, and its iniquity weighs upon it; she will fall and never get up. “Like a cradle,” that is, a child’s cradle or a hanging bed for an adult, which in the East is sometimes hung on a tree branch. “It will fall” is a figurative expression. Isa.24:21–23. The judgment of God, beginning with the heavenly armies, will fall with all its force on earthly rulers, who will be imprisoned and punished, while the Lord Himself will reign in Zion. Isa.24:21. And it will come to pass in that day that the Lord will visit the great army on high and the kings of the earth on the earth. “He will visit,” that is, he will judge. “The lofty host”, i.e. a) the highest, heavenly bodies and b) the spirits or Angels who animated and moved, according to the beliefs of the ancients, these luminaries (“The most lofty” - in Hebrew maram is the same as the sky in Hebrew schamaim). These Angels at the same time were invisible patrons of individual kingdoms and intercessors for them before God (Dan.10). Isa.24:22. And they will be gathered together as prisoners into a ditch, and they will be shut up in prison, and after many days they will be punished. "Ditch". A dungeon in the East, for example, in Persia, often even now is a simple hole dug in the ground, slammed shut with an iron lid. Here, of course, we need to understand the underworld (Rev. 19 and Rev. 20 ch.) "After Many Days". From Rev. 20:7–10 it is clear that Satan and his Angels will be released from the abyss for a while, and then they will be called back again for the last, final judgment. Isa.24:23. And the moon will blush, and the sun will be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and there will be glory before his elders. The sun and moon, to which in ancient times were given divine reverence, will have to shamefully give up their place on earth to the true God and Ruler of the world. “Zion and... Jerusalem” here refers to the new ones, which are spoken of in the Apocalypse (Rev. 21:2). "Before the Elders". The prophet here recalls the elders of Israel who saw the glory of the Lord at Sinai (Ex. 24:9 et seq.). The Apostle John the Theologian probably had this place in mind when he spoke about the elders who sat on 24 thrones around the throne of God (Rev. 4:4). In the Slavic translation of the LXX-i - “Weep for wine everywhere, all earthly joy has ceased, all earthly joy has departed.” Note ed. You might be interested in: