O house of Israel. — Apparently, as there is no contrast with Judah, in its wider sense, as including the whole body of the twelve tribes.
A mighty nation. — The strict force of the adjective is that of “lasting, enduring,” as of mountains (Micah 6:2) and rivers (Amos 5:24; Psalms 74:15).
Whose language thou knowest not. — To the Jew, as to the Greek, the thought of being subject to a people of alien speech, a “barbarian,” added a new element of bitterness. Compare Isaiah 28:11; Deuteronomy 28:49.