And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
And the glorious beauty which (is) on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, (and) as the hasty fruit - rather, 'And the fading flower, (even) his (Ephraim's) glorious beauty (Isaiah 28:1, literally, the ornament of his beauty) which (is) on the head of the fat valley shall be as the hasty fruit' - i:e., the early fig. Figs usually ripened in August; but earlier ones (Hebrew, bikuwraah (H1061); Spanish, bokkore) in June, and were regarded as a delicacy (Jeremiah 24:2; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1).
Which (when) he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand - i:e., immediately, without delay.
He eateth up - describing the eagerness of the Assyria Shalmaneser, not merely to conquer, but to destroy utterly Samaria; whereas other conquered cities were often spared.