For they shall be ashamed of the oaks
which you
have desired,
and you shall be humiliated for the gardens
that you
have chosen.
Isaiah 1:29 Modern English Version (MEV)
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For
they shall be ashamed - That is, when they see the punishment that their idolatry has brought
upon them, they shall be ashamed of the folly and degradation of their worship.
Moreover, the gods in which they trusted shall yield them no protection, and
shall leave them to the disgrace and confusion of being forsaken and abandoned.
Of
the oaks - Groves,
in ancient times, were the favorite places of idolatrous worship. In the city
of Rome, there were thirty-two groves consecrated to the gods. Those were
commonly selected which were on hills, or high places; and they were usually
furnished with temples, altars, and all the implements of idolatrous worship.
Different kinds of groves were selected for this purpose, by different people.
The Druids of the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany, offered
their worship in groves of oak - hence the name Druid, derived from δρῦς drus,
an oak. Frequent mention is made in the Scriptures of groves and high places;
and the Jews were forbidden to erect them; Deu_16:21; 1Ki_16:23; 2Ki_16:4;
Ezk_6:13; Ezk_16:16, Ezk_16:39; Exo_34:13; Jdg_3:7;
1Ki_18:19; Isa_17:8; Mic_5:14. When, therefore, it is said
here, that they should be ashamed of the oaks, it means that they should be
ashamed of their idolatrous worship, to which they were much addicted, and into
which, under their wicked kings, they easily fell.
Their
calamities were coming upon them mainly for this idolatry. It is not certainly
known what species of tree is intended by the word translated oaks. The
Septuagint has rendered it by the word “idols” - ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν apo
tōn eidōlōn autōn. The Chaldee, ‘ye shall be
confounded by the groves of idols.’ The Syriac version also has idols. Most
critics concur in supposing that it means, not the oak, but the terebinth or
turpentine tree - a species of fir. This tree is the Pistacia Terebinthus of
Linnaeus, or the common turpentine tree, whose resin or juice is the China or
Cyprus turpentine, used in medicine. The tree grows to a great age, and is
common in Palestine. The terebinth - now called in Palestine the but’m-tree -
‘is not an evergreen, as is often represented; but its small, leathered,
lancet-shaped leaves fall in the autumn, and are renewed in the spring.
The
flowers are small, and are followed by small oval berries, hanging in clusters
from two to five inches long, resembling much the clusters of the vine when the
grapes are just set. From incisions in the trunk there is said to flow a sort
of transparent balsam, constituting a very pure and fine species of turpentine,
with an agreeable odor like citron or jessamine, and a mild taste, and
hardening gradually into a transparent gum. The tree is found also in Asia
Minor, Greece, Italy, the south of France, and in the north of Africa, and is
described as not usually rising to the height of more than twenty feet.’
Robinson’s Bib. Researches, iii. 15, 16. It produces the nuts called the
pistachio nuts. They have a pleasant, unctuous taste, resembling that of almonds,
and they yield in abundance a sweet and pleasant oil. The best Venice
turpentine, which, when it can be obtained pure, is superior to all the rest of
its kind, is the produce of this tree. The picture in the book will give you an
idea of the appearance of the terebinth. The Hebrew word אילים
'ēylı̂ym, from איל 'eyl, or more commonly אלה 'ēlâh, seems to be used sometimes as
the Greek δρῦς drus is, to denote any large tree, whether evergreen or
not; and especially any large tree, or cluster of trees, where the worship of
idols was celebrated.
Which
ye have desired - The
Jews, until the captivity at Babylon, as all their history shows, easily
relapsed into idolatry. The meaning of the prophet is, that the punishment at
Babylon would be so long and so severe as to make them ashamed of this, and
turn them from it.
Shall
be confounded - Another
word meaning to be ashamed.
For
the gardens - The
places planted with trees, etc., in which idolatrous worship was practiced. ‘In
the language of the Hebrews, every place where plants and trees were cultivated
with greater care than in the open field, was called a garden. The idea of such
an enclosure was certainly borrowed from the garden of Eden, which the
bountiful Creator planted for the reception of his favorite creature. The
garden of Hesperides, in Eastern fables, was protected by an enormous serpent;
and the gardens of Adonis, among the Greeks, may be traced to the same origin,
for the terms horti Adenides, the gardens of Adonis, were used by the ancients
to signify gardens of pleasure, which corresponds with the name of Paradise, or
the garden of Eden, as horti Adonis answers to the garden of the Lord. Besides,
the gardens of primitive nations were commonly, if not in every instance,
devoted to religious purposes. In these shady retreats were celebrated, for a
long succession of ages, the rites of pagan superstition.’ - Paxton. These
groves or gardens were furnished with the temple of the god that was
worshipped, and with altars, and with everything necessary for this species of
worship. They were usually, also, made as shady and dark as possible, to
inspire the worshippers with religious awe and reverence on their entrance;
compare the note at Isa_66:17.
Albert
Barne’s Notes on the Bible
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