[Steven Avery]

Hi Folks,

Around the same times as the popular Albert Barnes commentary we have one of those commentaries that reviews many other commentators. A little drier than Calvin, Henry, Gill, yet we see that even in the 1900s there was plenty of acceptance of "joined" as fully proper.

http://books.google.com/books?id=H68aja_bBzMC&pg=PA278
Commentary on Isaiah - Joseph Addison Alexander (1846)

V. 15. The flight of the strangers from Babylon is not without reason, for every one found (there) shall be stabbed (or thrust through), and every one joined (or joining himself to the Babylonians) shall fall by the sword. All interpreters agree that a general massacre is here described, although they differ as to the precise sense and connexion of the clauses.... Junius explains the verse to mean that not only the robust but the decrepit ... should be slain, and the same interpretation is mentioned by Kimchi. Hitzig takes the sense to be that every one, even he who joins himself (i.e. goes over to the enemy), shall perish; they will give no quarter. others suppose an antithesis, though not a climax. Gesenius in the earlier editions of his lexicon explains the verse as meaning that he who is found in the street, and he who withdraws himself into the house, shall perish alike. Lowth makes the antithesis between one found alone and one joined with others.

And interpretation references to Umbreit, Michaelis Henderson, Knobel, Gesenius, Ewald.

While this is written in a heavier style than John Calvin and Matthew Henry and Albert Barnes and John Gill, we see that even in the mid-1800s many techie commentators fully accepted the "joined" translation, and not "capture", for which there is no obvious support.

In the above, Joseph Addison Alexander and Ferdinand Hitzig and possibly even Lowth support "joined". Although our German experts can check Hitzig closer at :

http://books.google.com/books?id=7Xs6h5DbGawC&pg=PA160
Der Prophet Jesaja, übers. und ausgelegt von F. Hitzig (1833)

While one commentary of Lowth, that appears to be discussing the Greek OT MS differences more than antithesis, is at :

http://books.google.com/books?id=p_IoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA252
Isaiah a New Translation - by Robert Lowth

While the actual translation of Lowth we had given with the Barnes commentary.

http://books.google.com/books?id=p_IoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA81
Every one, that is overtaken, shall be thrust through :
And all that are collected in a body shall fall by the sword.

Which was likely the source of the Hitzig "antithesis".

Also in the late 1800s, when the Christopher Wordsworth Commentary on Isaiah from the AV came forth :

http://books.google.com/books?id=JIkfAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA40
The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

While there was lots of commentary on the first part of the verse - "joined unto them" was left untouched.

Late in the 1800s we finally come to the first unambiguous attempt to claim captured as the right translation that I have found, from Delitzsh.

http://books.google.com/books?id=WgsXAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA299
Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah - Franz Delitzsch

Those trying to find the place of the modern change in translation theory for Isaiah 13:15 to "captured" are welcome to look for earlier, and let us know what is found - in ancient version, rabbinics, commentaries and translationsa.

Remember, Price and Combs actually claim this is definitely the right translation, with the far more prevalant "joined" being an "indisputable error" caused by a "misread" of the King James Bible editors who were involved in an "emendation" of the Masoretic Text. When Price and Combs are not writing against the King James Bible -- are they out selling bridges ?

Shalom,
Steven