12 Alas , the uproar of many peoples Who roar like the roaring of the seas , And the rumbling of nations Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters ! 13 The nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters , But He will rebuke them and they will flee far away , And be chased like chaff in the mountains before the wind , Or like whirling dust before a gale . 14 At evening time , behold , there is terror ! Before morning they are no more . Such will be the portion of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 17:12-14
Commentary on Isaiah 17:12-14
(Read Isaiah 17:12-14)
The rage and force of the Assyrians resembled the mighty waters of the sea; but when the God of Israel should rebuke them, they would flee like chaff, or like a rolling thing, before the whirlwind. In the evening Jerusalem would be in trouble, because of the powerful invader, but before morning his army would be nearly cut off. Happy are those who remember God as their salvation, and rely on his power and grace. The trouble of the believers, and the prosperity of their enemies, will be equally short; while the joy of the former, and the destruction of those that hate and spoil them, shall last for ever.