Isaiah 1:8
And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
Original Language Analysis
וְנוֹתְרָ֥ה
is left
H3498
וְנוֹתְרָ֥ה
is left
Strong's:
H3498
Word #:
1 of 9
to jut over or exceed; by implication, to excel; (intransitively) to remain or be left; causatively to leave, cause to abound, preserve
בַת
And the daughter
H1323
בַת
And the daughter
Strong's:
H1323
Word #:
2 of 9
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
צִיּ֖וֹן
of Zion
H6726
צִיּ֖וֹן
of Zion
Strong's:
H6726
Word #:
3 of 9
tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of jerusalem
בְמִקְשָׁ֖ה
in a garden of cucumbers
H4750
בְמִקְשָׁ֖ה
in a garden of cucumbers
Strong's:
H4750
Word #:
7 of 9
literally a cucumbered field, i.e., a cucumber patch
Cross References
Zechariah 9:9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.John 12:15Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.Zechariah 2:10Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.Isaiah 62:11Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.Isaiah 10:32As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.Lamentations 2:6And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.Isaiah 37:22This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.Isaiah 4:4When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.Psalms 9:14That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.Job 27:18He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
Historical Context
During Sennacherib's 701 BC invasion, 46 fortified cities fell, leaving Jerusalem isolated like a lone shelter in an empty field, miraculously preserved by God's intervention (2 Kings 19).
Questions for Reflection
- When you feel isolated and vulnerable, do you recognize God's preserving hand?
- How does Jerusalem's precarious position foreshadow Christ's similar isolation before His crucifixion?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Three images of isolation convey Jerusalem's vulnerability: a temporary shelter in a vineyard after harvest, a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, and a besieged city. The 'daughter of Zion' personifies Jerusalem as a vulnerable woman, emphasizing both the covenant relationship and the pathos of her abandonment. Only divine preservation prevents total destruction.