For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
The verse means the people did not turn back to the one who struck them nor seek the Lord of hosts, even when affliction was brought upon them and despite the blows of judgment they suffered. Divine chastening did not lead them to repentance. Only when threatened by a death decree did they become willing to repent in sackcloth and ashes. The reproofs of sin given in Isaiah's day in this chapter also point to similar conditions in the last days.
The prophecy speaks of the Messiah's birth as though it had already taken place when it was still future, showing that prophetic language can describe future events in the present tense. The chapter was understood to predict a famous and powerful Messiah who would lead a successful revolt against Roman rule, but that expectation was mistaken. It belongs to a conditional promise of blessing for Israel and the Gentiles that depended on believing in Christ and obeying the gospel, and it went unfulfilled because his own people rejected him.
The verse means the people did not turn back to the one who struck them nor seek the Lord of hosts, even when affliction was brought upon them and despite the blows of judgment they suffered. Divine chastening did not lead them to repentance. Only when threatened by a death decree did they become willing to repent in sackcloth and ashes. The reproofs of sin given in Isaiah's day in this chapter also point to similar conditions in the last days.
The prophecy speaks of the Messiah's birth as though it had already taken place when it was still future, showing that prophetic language can describe future events in the present tense. The chapter was understood to predict a famous and powerful Messiah who would lead a successful revolt against Roman rule, but that expectation was mistaken. It belongs to a conditional promise of blessing for Israel and the Gentiles that depended on believing in Christ and obeying the gospel, and it went unfulfilled because his own people rejected him.