And all the people shall know
The word of the Lord, and that it is his; and by sad experience shall feel the weight of it; or, "the people shall know the whole of it" F25; shall find that the whole of it will be accomplished, every punctilio in it; whatever is said is done, everything predicted by it, the substance of it, and every circumstance relating to it: or they shall be punished, they shall bear, know, and feel the punishment of their sins; in which sense the word "know", in the Arabic language, is frequently used, of which Schultens F26 has given many instances: [even] Ephraim, and the inhabitants of Samaria:
the ten tribes are meant by Ephraim; and the inhabitants of Samaria are particularly mentioned, because Samaria was the metropolis of Ephraim, ( Isaiah 7:9 ) and because it was to suffer, and did suffer much in the threatened calamity, being besieged three years, then taken, and its inhabitants carried captive; and so experimentally knew the word of the Lord, and the truth of it, ( 2 Kings 17:5 2 Kings 17:6 ) : that say in the pride and stoutness of heart;
being proud and haughty, stout hearted, and far from righteousness, and the fear of God; hardening themselves against him, despising his word, and defying, as it were, his power and providence; saying, as follows: