aLike a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,
Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing,
Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.
Which is at the head of the1 verdant valley,
Like the first fruit before the summer,
Which an observer sees;
He eats it up while it is still in his hand.
For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty
To the remnant of His people,
And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
And through intoxicating drink are out of the way;
bThe priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink,
They are swallowed up by wine,
They are out of the way through intoxicating drink;
They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
| << Isaiah 28:3 | Isaiah 28:5 >> |
Isaiah 28:4
As the hasty fruit before the summer - The word rendered ' hasty fruit' ( ּ bikûrâh ); in Arabic, bokkore ; in Spanish, albacore ), denotes the "early fig." this ripens in June; the common fig does not ripen until August. Shaw, in his "Travels," p. 370, says: ' No sooner does the "boccore" (the early fig) draw near to perfection in the middle or latter end of June, than the "kermez" or summer fig begins to be formed, though it rarely ripens before August, about which time the same tree frequently throws out a third crop, or the winter fig, as we may call it. This is usually of a much longer shape and darker complexion than the kermez, hanging and ripening on the tree after the leaves are shed; and provided the winter be mild and temperate it is gathered as a delicious morsel in the spring.' Robinson (George), ("Travels in Palestine and Syria," vol. i. p. 354), says, ' The fig tree, which delights in a rocky and parched soil, and is therefore often found in barren spots where nothing else will grow, is very common in Palestine and the East. The fruit is of two kinds, the "boccore" and the "kermouse." The black and white boccore, or early fig, is produced in May; but the kermouse, or the fig properly so called, which is preserved and exported to Europe, is rarely ripe before September.' Compare Hosea 9:10. The phrase ' before the summer' means before the heat of the summer, when the common fig was usually ripe. The idea here is this, the early fig would be plucked and eaten with great greediness. So the city of Samaria would be seized upon and destroyed by its enemies.
Which when he that looketh upon it seeth ... - That is, as soon as he sees it he plucks it, and eats it at once. He does not lay it up for future use, but as soon as he has it in his hand he devours it. So soon as the Assyrian should see Samaria he would rush upon it, and destroy it. It was usual for conquerors to preserve the cities which they took in war for future use, and to make them a part of the strength or ornament of their kingdom. But Samaria was to be at once destroyed. Its inhabitants were to be carried away, and it would be demolished as greedily as a hungry man plucks and eats the first fig that ripens on the tree.
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Isaiah 28:4:
Psalms 52:4
Psalms 55:9
Daniel 8:9
Hosea 9:10
| << Isaiah 28:3 | Isaiah 28:5 >> |
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