Isaiah 30:29

29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

Isaiah 30:29 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 30:29

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 15:1-3 ) ( Revelation 19:1 Revelation 19:2 ) : 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 F11, 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 ( Psalms 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 F12: to the mighty One of Israel;
or, "Rock of Israel" F13; 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 14:1-4 ) ( 15:1-4 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F11 Vid. Aben Ezra, Ben Melech, & Abendana.
F12 Biccurim, c. 3. sect. 3, 4.
F13 (larvy rwu) "rupem Israelis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius; "petram Israel", Montanus.

Isaiah 30:29 In-Context

27 See, the name of the Lord comes from far away, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
28 his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck— to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads them astray.
29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and tempest and hailstones.
31 The Assyrian will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord, when he strikes with his rod.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.