voke his displeasure. IT Shall rsf.eii their strength. Marg change. The Hebrew word commonly means to change, to alter; and then to revive, io renew, to cause to flourish again; aa e. g. a tree that has decayed an-i fallen down. See Note ch. ix. 10, comp. Job xiv. 7. Here it is evidently used in the sense of renewing, or causing to revive; to increase, and to restore that which is decayed. It means that the people ot God who trust in him shall become strong in faith; able to contend with their spiritual foes, to gain the victory over their sins, and to discharge i right the duties, and to meet aright th< tr.als of life. God gives them strength, if they seek him in the way of his appointment— a promise which has been verified in the experience of his people in every age. IT They shall mount up with wings as eagles. Lowth trans lates this:
" They shall put forth fresh feathers like *ha moulting eagle;"
and in his note on the passage remarks, that " it has been a common and popular opinion that the eagle lives and retains his vigour to a great age; and that beyond the common lot of other birds, he moults in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with them his youth." He supposes that the passage in Ps. ciii. 5, " So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's," refers to this fact. That this was a common and popular opinion among the ancients, is clearly proved by Bochart, Hieroz. P. 2, Lib. ii. c. i. pp. 1G5-169. The opinion was, that at stated times the eagle plunged itself in the sea and cast off its old feathers, and that new feathers started forth, ai;d that thus it lived often to the hundredth year, and then threw itself in the sea ami died. In accordance with this opinion, the LXX render this passage, " They shall put forth fresh feathers -repofvorrovaiv like eagles;" and the Vulgate " assument pennas sicut aquilse." The Chaldee renders it, " They who trust in the Lord shall be gathered from the captivity, and shall increase their strength, and renew their youth as a germ which grow3 up; upoc wings of eagles shall they run and not be fatigued." — But whatever may *>e the truth in regard to the eagle, there.9 no reason to believe that Isaiah here lad any reference to the fact that it noults in its old age. The translation >f Lowth was derived from the Septuapint, and not from the Hebrew text. The meaning of the Hebrew is simply, they shall ascend on wings as eagles,' cr ' they shall lift up the wings as eagles;' and the image is derived from the fact that the eagle rises on the most vigorous wing of any bird, and ascends apparently farther towards the sun. The figure, therefore, denotes strength and vigour of purpose; strong and manly piety; an elevation above the world; communion with God, and a nearness to his throne — as the eagle ascends towards the sun. ^ They shall run and not be weary. This passage, also, is but another mode of expressing the same idea — that they who trust in GoJ would be vigorous, elevated, unwearied; that he would sustain and uphold them; and that in his service they would never faint. — This was at first designed to be applied to the Jews in captivity in Babylon to induce them to put their trust in God. But it is as true now as it was at that time. It has been found in the experience of thousands and tens of thousands, that by waiting on the Lord the heart has been invigorated; the faith has been confirmed; and the affections have been raised above the world. Strength has been given to bear trial without murmuring, to engage in arduous duty without fainting; to pursue the perilous and toilsome journey of life without exhaustion, and to rise above the world in hope and peace on the be«* of death.
The design of this chapter is the same as that of the preceding, and it is to be regarded as the continuation of the argument commenced there. Its object is to lead those who were addressed, to put confidence in God. In the introduction to ch. xL it was remarked, that this is to be considered as addressed to the exile Jews in Babylon, near the close of their captivity. Their country, city, find temple had been laid waste. The prophet represents himself as bringing consolation to them in thia situation; particularly by the assurance that their long captivity was about to end; that they were about to he restored to their own land, and that their trials were to be succeeded by brighter and happier times. In the previous chapter there were general reasons given why they should put their confidence in God— arising from the firmness of his promises, the tact that he had created all things, that he had all power, <fcc. In this chapter there is a more definite view given, and a clearer light thrown on the mode in which deliverance would be brought to them. The prophet specifies that God would raise up a deliverer, and that that deliverer would be able to subdue all their enemies. The chapter may be conveniently divided into the following parts: —
I. God calls the distant nations to a public investigation of his ability to aid his people; to an argument whether he was able to deliver them; and to the statement of the reasons why they should confide in tiim, ver. 1.
II. He specifies that he will raise up a man from the east— who should be able to overcome the enemies of the Jews, and to effect their deliverance, vs. 2— 4.
III. The consternation of the nations at the approach of Cyrus, and their excited and agitated fleeing to their idols is described, vs. 5—7.
IV. God gives to his people the assurance of his protection, and friendship, vs. 8— 14, This is shown, (I) because they were the children of Abraham, Ids friend, and he was bound in covenant faithfulness to protect them, vs. 3, 9. (2) By direct assurance that he would aid and protect tnem; that though they were feeble, yet he was strong enough to deliver them, vs. 10—14.
V. He says that he will enable them to overcome and scatter their foes, as the chaff is driven away on the mountains by the whirlwind, vs. 15, 16.
VI. He gives to his people the special promise of assistance and comfort. He will meet them in their desolate condition, and will piva them consolation as if fountains were opened in deserts, and ^rees producing grateful shade and fruit were planted in the wilderness, vs. 17—90.
VII. He appeals directly to the enemies of the Jews, to the worshippers of idols. He chnllenpei „hem to srive any evidence of the power or the divinity of their idols; and appeals to the fact that he hc>d foretold future events; that he had raised up a deliverer for his people in proof of his divinity, ar,«l his power to save. vs. 21 — 29.
The argument of the whole i-=, that the idol gods were unable to defend the nations whifth trusted
Ciem; that God would raise up a mighty prince who should be able to deliver the Jews lirom their and painful calamity, and that they, therefore, should put their trust in JEHOVAH.
1 Keep silence 'before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
2 Who raised up *the right-
1. Keep silence before me. Comp. Zech. ii. 13. The idea is, that the heathen nations were to be silent while God should speak, or with a view of entering into an argument with him respecting the comparative power of himself and of idols to defend their respective worshippers. The argument is stated in ihe following verses, and preparatory to the statement of that argument, the people are exhorted to be silent. This is probably to evince a proper awe and reverence for Jehovah, before whom the argument was to be conducted, and a proper sense of the magnitude and sacredness of the inquiry. Comp. ver. 21. And it maybe remarked here, that (he same reasons will apply to all approaches which are made to God. When we are about to come before him in prayer or praise; to confess our sins and to plead for pardon; when we engage in argument respecting his being, plans, or perfections; or when we draw near to him in the closet, the family, or the sanctuary, ihe mind should be filled with awe and reverence. It is well, it is proper, to pause and think of what our emotions should be, and of what we should say before God. Comp. Gen.
xxviii. 16,17. IT 0 islands. (O^X.) This word properly means islands, and is so translated here by the Vulgate, the LXX, the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the Arabic. But the word also is used to denote maritime countries; countries that were situated on sea-coasts, or the regions beyond sea. See Note ch. xx. 6. The word is applied, therefore, to the islands of the Mediterranean; to die maritime coasts; and then, also, it tomes to be used in the sense of any lands or coasts far remote, or beyond gea. See Jer. xxv. 22. Isa. xxiv. 15. Note xl. 15, xlii. 4, 10, 12, yUx. 1, xli.
eous man from the east, call, ed mhim to his loot, gave "the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
5. Ps. Ixx. 10. Dan. xi. 18. Here it is evidently used in the sense of distant nations or lands; the people who were remote from Palestine, and who were the worshippers of idols. The argument is represented as being with them, and they are invited to prepare their minds by suitable reverence for God for the argument which was to be presented. 11 And let the people renew their strength. On the word u renew," see Note ch. xl. 31. Here it means, ' Let them make themselves strong; let them prepare the argument; let them be ready to urge as strong reasons as possible; let them fit themselves to enter into the controversy about the power and glory of Jehovah.' See ver. 21. tf Let us come near together to judgment. The word "judgment " here means evidently controversy, argumentation; debate. Thus it is used in Job ix. 32. The language is that which is used of two parties who come together to try a cause, or to engage in debate; and the sense is, that God proposes to enter into an argumentation with the entire heathen world in regard to his ability to save his people; that is, he proposes to show the reasons why they should trust in him, rather than dread those under whose power they then were, and by whom they had been oppressed. Lowth renders it, correctly expressing the sense, "Let us enter into solemn debate together."
2. Who raised up. This word, "'"^n,, is usually applied to the act of arousing one from sleep, Zech. iv. 1. Cant. ii. 7, iii. 5, viii. 4; then to awake, arouse, or stir up to any enterprise. Here it means, that God had caused the man here referred to to arouse for the overthrow of their enemies; it was by his agency that he had been led to form the plana which should result in their deliverance. This is the first aigument which God urges to induce his people to put confidence in him, and to hope for deliverance; and the fact that He had raised op and qualified such a man for the work he urges as a proof that he would certainly protect and guard his people. IT The righteous man from the east. Ileb. righteousness. (Pl£ tzedheq.) The LXX render it literally ttKaioavprjv, righteousness. The Vulgate renders it, " the just;" the Syriac as the LXX. The word here evidently means, as in cur translation, the just or righteous man. It is common in the Hebrew, as in other languages, to put the abstract for the concrete. In regard to the person here referred to, there have been three principal opinions, which it may be proper briefly to notice. (1.) The first is, that which refers it to Abraham. This is the interpretation of the Chaldee Paraphrast, who renders it, " Who has publicly led from the east Abraham. the chosen of the just;" and this interpretation has been adopted by Jarchi, Kimchi, Abarbanel, and by the Jewish writers generally. They say that it means that God had called Abraham from the east; that he conducted him to the land of Canaan, and enabled him to vanquish the people who resided there, and particularly that he vanquished the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, and delivered Lot from their hands, Gen. xiv.; and that this is designed by God to show them that he who had thus raised up Abraham would raise up them also in the east. There are, however, objections to this interpretation which seem to be insuperable, a few of which may be referred to. (a) The country from which Abraham came, the land of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, is not commonly in the Scriptures called " the east," but the north. See Jer. i. 13, 14, 15, iv. G, vi. 1, xxiii. 8, xxxi. 8, xxv. 9, 26, xlvi. 10. 1. 3. Dan. xi. 6, 8, 11. This country was situated to the northeast of Palestine, and it is believed is nowhere in the Scriptures called the country of the east. (b) The description which is bere given of what was accomplished by him who was iaised up from the east, is not one that applies to Abraham. It supposes more important achieveme; ts than any that signalized the father of the faithful. There were no acts in the life of Abraham that can be regarded as subduing the " nations " before him; as ruling over " kings;" or as scattering them like the dust, or the stubble. Indeed he appears to have been engaged but in one military adventure — the rescue of Lot — and that was of so slight and unimportant a character as not to form the peculiarity of his public life. Had Abraham been referred to here, it would have been for some other trait than that cf a conqueror or military chieftain, (c) We shall see that the description and the connection require up to understand it of another — of Cyrue. J?.) A second opinion i3, that it refeis direct!) and entirely to the Messiah. Many of the fathers, as Jerome, Cyril,, Eusebius Theodoret, Procopius, held this opinion But the objections to this are insuperable, (a) It is not true that the Messiah was raised up from the east. He was born in the land of Judea, and always liver in that land. (&) The description hero is by no means one that applies to him. It is the description of a warrior and a conqueror; of one who subdued nations, and scattered them before him. (c) The connection and design of the passag' does not admit of the interpretation That design is, to lead the Jews is exile to put confidence in God, and to hope for a speedy rescue. In order to this, the prophet directs them to the fact that a king appeared in the e'lst, and that he scattered the nations; hnd from these facts they were to infer that they would themselves be delivered, and that. God would be their protector. But how would this design be accomplished by a reference to so remote an event as the coming of the Messiah] (3.) The third opinion, therefore, remains, that this refers to Cyrus, the Persian monarch, by whom Babylon was taken, and by whom the Jews were restored to their own land. In support of this interpretation, a few considerations may be adverted to. (a) It agrees with the fact in regard to the country from which
Cyrus came for purposes of conquest. He came from the land which is every where in the Scriptures called the East. (6) It agrees with the specifications which Isaiah elsewhere makes, where Cyrus is mentioned by name, and where there can be no danger of error in regard to the interr retation. See ch. xliv. 23, xlv. 1, 2, 3, 4, 13. Thus in ch. xlvi. 11, it is said of Cyrus, " calling a ravenous bird/ro7« the east, the man that executeth my commandments from a far country." (c) The entire description here is one that applies in a remarkable manner to Cyrus, as wiil be shown more fully in the Notes on the particular expressions which occur, (d) This supposition accords with the design of the prophet. It was to be an assurance to them not only that God would raise up such a man, but that they should be delivered; and as this was intended to comfort them in Babylon, it was intended that when they were apprised of the conquests of Cyrus, they were to be assured of the fact that God was their protector; and those conquests, therefore, were to be regarded by them as a proof that God would deliver them. This opinion is held by Vitringa, Rosemniiller, and probably by a large majority of the most intelligent commentators. The only objection of weight to it is that suggested by Lowth, that the character of " a righteous man" does not apply to Cyrus. But to this it may be replied, that the word may be used not to denote one that is pious, or a true worshipper of God, but one who was disposed to do justly, or who was not a tyrant; and especially it may be applied to him on account of his delivering the Jews from their hard and oppressive bondage in Babylon, and restoring them to their own land. That was an act of eminent public justice; and the favours which he showed them in enabling them to rebuild their city and temple, were such as to render it not improper that this appellation should be given to him. It may be added also that Cyrus was a prmce eminently distinguished for justice and equity, and for a mild and kind administration over his own subjects. Xcntphon, who has descried his character at length, has iroposed him as an faample of a just monarch, and his gov ernment as an example of an equitable administration. All the ancient writers celebrate his humanity and benevolence. Comp. Diod. lib. xiii. p. 342, and the Cyropaedia of Xenophon every where. As there will be frequent occasion ta refer to Cyrus in the Notes on the chapters which follow, it may be proper here to give a very brief outline of his public actions, that his agency in the deliverance of the Jews may be more fully appreciated. Cyrus was the son of Cambyses, the Persian, and of Mandane, the daughter of Astyages, king of the Medes. Astyages is in Scripture called Ahasuerus. Cambyses was, according to Xenophon (Cyrop. B. 1), king of Persia, or, according to Herodotus, he was a nobleman. Herod. B. 1, c. 107. If he was the king of Persia, of course Cyrus was the heir of the throne. Cyrus was born in his father's court A. M. 3405, or B. C. 595, and was educated with great care. At the age of twelve years, his grandfather, Astyages, sent for him and his mother Mandane to court, and he v/as treated, of course, with great attention. Astyages, or Ahasuerus, had a son by the name of Cyaxares, who was born about a year before Cyrus, and who was heir to the throne of Media. Some time after this, the son of the king of Assyria having invaded Media, Astyages, with hi3 son Cyaxares, and his grandson Cyrus, inarched against him. Cyrus defeated the Assyrians, but was soon after recalled by his father Cambyses to Persia, that he might be near him. At the age of sixteen, indeed, and when at the court of his grandfather, Cyrus signalized himself for his valour in a war with the king of Babylon. Evil-Merodach. the son of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had invaded the territories of Media, but was repelled with great loss, and Cyrus pursued him with great slaughter to his own borders. This invasion of Evil-Merodach laid thy foundation of the hostility between Babylon and Media, which was not terminated until Babylon was taken and destroyed by the united armies of Ma dia and Persia. Wlien Astyages died, after a reign of jiirty-five years, he was succeeded by his son Cyaxares, the wide o< Cyrus. lie was still involved in a wai with the Babylonians. Cyrus was made general of the Persian troops, and at the head of an army of 30,000 men was sent to assist Cyaxares, whom the Babylonians were preparing to attack. The Babylonian monarch at this iime was Neriglissar, who had murdered Evil-Merodach, and who had usurped the crown of Babylon. Cyaxares and Cyrus carried on the war against Babylon during the reigns of Neriglissar and his son Laborosoarchod, and of Nabon^dius. The Babylonians were defeated, and Cyrus carried his arms into the countries to the west beyond the river Holys — a river running north into the Euxine Sea — and subdued Cappadocia, and conquered Crcesus, the rich king of Lydia, and subdued almost all Asia Minor. Having conquered this country, he returned again, re-crossed the Euphrates, turned his arms against the Assyrians, and then laid siege to Babylon, and took it (see Notes on ch. Kiii. xiv.), and subdued that mighty kingdom. During the life of Cyaxares his uncle, he acted in conjunction with him. On the death of this king of Media, Cyrus married his daughter, and thus united the crowns of Media and Persia. After this marriage, he subdued all the nations between Syria and the Red Sea, and died at the age of seventy, after a reign of thirty years. Cyaxares, the uncle of Cyrus, is in the Scripture called Darius the Mede (Dan. v. 31), and it is said there, that it was by him that Babylon was taken. But Babylon was taken by the valour of Cyrus, though acting in connexion with, and under Cyaxares; and it is said to have been taken by Cyaxares, or Darius, though it was done by the personal valour of Cyrus. Jo6ephus says, that Darius with his ally, Cyrus, destroyed the kingdom of Baby. Ion. Ant. B. xii. c, 13. Jerome assigns three reasons, why Babylon is said in the Scriptures to have been taken by Darius or Cyaxares; first, because he •vas the elder of the two; secondly, because the Modes were at that time more famous than the Pcisians: and thirdly because the uncle ought to be preferred to the nephew. The Greek writers say that Babylon was taken by Cyrus, without mentioning Cyaxares or Darius, doubtless because it was done solely by his valour. For a full account of the reign of Cyrus, see Xenophon's Cyrop., Herodotus, and the ancient part of the Universal History, vol. iv. Ed. Lond. 1779, 8vo. *F Called him to his foot. Lowth renders this, " Hath called him to attend his steps." Noyes renders itj " Him whom victory meeteth in his march." Grotius, " Called him that he should follow him," and he refers to Gen. xii. 1, Josh, xxiv.3, Heb. xi. 8. Rosenmuller renders it, " Who hath called from the east that man to whom righteousness occurs at his feet," i. e. attends him. But the idea seems to be, that God hi d influenced him to follow him as one follows a guide at his feet, or close to him. IT Gave the nations before him. That is, subdued nations before him. This is justly descriptive of the victorious career of Cyrus. Among the nations whom he subdued, were the Armenians, the Cappadocians, the Lydians, the Phrygians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, comprising a very large portion of the world, known at that time. Cyrus subdued, according to Xenophon, all the nations lying between the Euxine and Caspian seas on the north, to the Red Sea on the south, and even Egypt, so that his own proclamation was true: " Jehovah, God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth." Ezra i. 2. IT And made him rule over kings. As the kings of Babylon, of Lydia, of Cappadocia, who were brought into subjection under him, and acknowledged their dependence on him. IT He hath given them as the dust to his sword. He has scattered, or destroyed them by his sword, as the dust is driven before the wind. A similar remark is made by David:
Then did I beat them small as the duat before the wind, I did cai>t them out as the dirt in the streets.
3 He pursued them, and passed 4safely: even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
4 Who hath wrought and
driven away. So it is said of the nations before Cyrus, implying that they were utterly scattered. IT To his bow. The bow was one of the common weapons of war, and the inhabitants of the east were distinguished for its use. The idea in this verse is very beautiful, and is one that is often employed in the sacred Scriptures, and by Isaiah himself. See Job xxi. 18. Ps. i. 4, xxxv. 5. Note, xvii. 13, xxix. 5. Comp. Hos. xiii. 3.
3. He pursued them. When they were driven away. He followed on, and devoted them to discomfiture and ruin. ff Andpassedsafely. Marg., as in the Hebrew," in peace." That is, he followed them uninjured; they had no power to rally; he was not led into ambush, and he was safe as far as he chose to pursue Ihem. IT Even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. By a way that he had not been accustomed to march; in an unusual journey; in a land of strangers. Cyrus had passed his early years on the east of the Euphrates. In his conquests he crossed that river, and extended Dis march beyond even the river Halys to the western extremity of Asia, and even to Egypt and the Red Sea. The idea here is, that he had not travelled in these regions until he did it for purposes of conquest— an idea which is strictly in accordance with the truth of history.
4. Who hath wrought and done it? By whom has all this been accomplished? Has it been by the arm of Cyrus? Has it been by human skill and power 1 The design of this question is obvious. It is to direct attention to the fact that all this has been done by God, and that he who had raised up such a man, and had accomplished all this by means of him, had power to deliver his people. IT Calling the generations from the beginning. The idea here seems to be, that all the nations that dwell on the ear;h in eveiy place owed their origin to God. Comp.
done it, calling the generations from'the beginning % I the Lord, the first, pand with the last; I am he.
5 The isles saw it, and feared *.
Acts xvii. 26. The word " calling " here seems to be used in the sense of commanding, directing, or ordering them; and the truth taught is, that all the nations were under his control, and had been from the beginning. It was not only true of Cyrus, and of those who were subdued before him, but it was true of all nations and generations. The object seems to be to lift up the thoughts from the conquests of Cyrus to God's universal dominion over all kingdoms from the beginning of the world. IT / the Lord, the first. Before any creature was made r existing before any other being. The description that God here gives of himself as "the first and the last," is one that is often applied to him in the Scriptures, and is one that properly expresses eternity. See ch. xliv. 6, xlviii. 12. It is remarkable also that this expression which so obviously implies proper eternity is applied to the Lord Jesus in Rev. i. 17, and xxii. 13. IT And with the last. The usual form in which this i& expressed is simply " the last," ch. xliv. 6, xlviii. 12. The idea here seems to be, ' and with the last, I am the same f i. e. I am unchanging and eternal. None will subsist after me; since with the last of all created objects I shall be the same that I was in the beginning. Nothing would survive God; or in other words, he would exist for ever and ever. The argument here is, that to this unchanging and eternal God who had thus raised up and directed Cyrus, and who had control over all nations, they might commit themselves witli unwavering confidence, and be assured that h< was able to protect and deliver them.
5. The isles saw it. The distan! nations. Note ver. 1. They saw what was done in the conquests of the mac whom God in this remarkable manne! had raised up; and they had had demonstration, therefore, of the mighty the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be 8of good courage.
7 So rthe carpenter encour-
power of Jehovah above the power of idols. iT And feared. Were alarmed, and trembled. All were apprehensive that they would be subdued, and driven away as with the tempest. IT The ends of the earth. Distant nations occupying the extremities of the globe. See Note, ch. xl. 28. IF Drew near, and came. Came together for the purpose of mutual alliance, and self-defence. The prophet evidently refers to what he Bays in the following verses, that they formed treaties; endeavoured to prepare for self-defence; looked to their idol gods, and encouraged each other in their attempts to offer a successful resistance to the victorious arms of Cyrus.
6. They helped every one his neighbour. The idolatrous nations. The idea is, that they formed confederations to strengthen each other, and to oppose him whom God had raised up to subdue them. The prophet describes a state of general consternation existing among them, when they supposed that all was in danger, and that their security consisted only in confederation; in increased attention to their religion; in repairing their idols and making new ones, and in conciliating the favour and securing the aid of their gods. It was natural for them to suppose that the calamities which were coming upon them by the invasion of Cyrus were the judgments of their gods, for some neglect, or Bome prevailing crimes, and that their favour could be secured only by a more diligent attention to their service, and by forming new images and establishing them in the proper places of worship. The prophet, therefore, describes in a graphic manner, the consternation, the alarm, and the haste, every where apparent among them in attempting to conciliate the favour of their idols, and to en-
aged the 9goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer 'him that smote the anvil, 2saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
^ourage each other. — Nothing is more common, than for men, when they are in danger, to give great attention to religion, though they may greatly neglect or despise it when they are in safety. Men fly to temples and churches and altars in the times of plague and the pestilence; and as regularly Hee from them when the calamity is overpast. IT Be of good courage. Marg., as in the Heb. " Be strong." The sense is, Do not be alarmed at the invasion of Cyrus. Make new images, set them up in the temples, show unusual zeal in religion, and the favour of the gods may be secured, and the dangers be averted. Thi? is tc be understood as the language oi the idolatrous nations, among whom Cy rus, under the direction of Jehovah, war carrying his conquests and spreading desolation.
7. So the carpenter. Note ch. xl 19. IF Encouraged the goldsmith Margin, the founder. See Note chap xl. 19. The word properly mean* one who melts, or smelts metals of any kind; and may be applied either to one who works in gold, silver, or brass. The image here is that of haste, anxiety, solicitude. One workman in the manufacture of idols encouraged another, in order that the idols might be finished as soon as possible, and that thus the favour of the gods might be propitiated, and the impending danger averted. IT He that smootheth with the hammer. That is, he encourages oi strengthens him that smites on the anril The idol was commonly cast or found ed, and of course was in a rough stale This required to be smoothed, or polish • eci, and this was in part done doubtles* by a small hammer. IF Him that smote the anvil. The workman whose office it was to work on the anvil— forminj
8 But thou, Israel, art my ser- f from the ends of the earth, and
9 Thou whom I have taken
parts of the idol, or perhaps chains. 7 It is ready for the sodering. The parts are ready to be welded, or sodered together. All this is descriptive of haste and anxiety to have the work done; and the object of the prophet is evidently to ridicule their vain solicitude to defend themselves against the plans and purposes of God by efforts of this kind. IT And he fastened it with nails. He fixed it to its place in the temple, or in the dwelling; and thus showed a purpose that the worship of the idol should be permanent, and fixed. Hooks, or nails, were necessary to keep it in its place, and secure it from falling down. When the idol was thus fixed, they supposed that their kingdoms were safe. They judged that the gods would inter- Dose to protect and defend them from their foes. — This is a beautiful description of the anxiety, and pains, and consternation of sinners when calamity is coming upon them, and of the nature of their reliances. What could these dumb idols — these masses of brass, or silver, or stone do to protect them 1 And in like manner what can all the refuges of sinners do when God comes to judge them, and when the calamities connected with death and the judgment shall overtake them? They are just as full of consternation as were the heathen who are here described; and all their refuges will be just a3 little to be relied on as were the senselesw images which the heathen had made for their defence. 8. But thou, Israel, art my servant. This is an address directly to the Jews, and is designed to show them, in view of the truths which had just been urged, that God was their protector and friend. Those who relied on idols were trusting to that which could not aid them. But those who trusted in him were safe. For their protection be had raised up Cyrus, for this purpose ne had subdued the nations before him. God now expresses
called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thoy art my servant, I. have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
to them the assurance that though the nations should be destroyed, yet that he had chosen them, and would remember them, and his promise made to Abraham, their illustrious ancestor. — The word " servant " here is used in a mild and gentle sense not to denote bondage or slavery, but to denote that they had been engaged in his service, and that he regarded them as subject to his law?, and as under his protection. IF Jacob whom I have chosen. The descendants of Jacob whom I have selected to be my people. Abraham my friend. Heb. "Loving me," my lover. Abraham was regarded as the friend of God. See 2 Chron. xx. 7. James ii. 23: " And he was called the Friend of God." This most honourable appellation he deserved by a life of devoted piety, and by habitually submitting himself to the will of God. — The idea in this verse is, thataa they were the descendants of his friend, God deemed himself bound to protect and deliver them according to his gracious promises; and this is one of the many instances where the divine favour is manifested to descendants in consequence of the piety and prayers of theii ancestors.
9. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth. From Chaldea — regarded by the Jews as the remote part of the earth. Thus in ch. xiii. 5, it is said of the Medes that they came " from a far country, from the end of heaven." See Note on that place. Abraham was called from Ur of the Chaldees — a city still remaining on the. east of the river Euphrates. It is probably the same place as the Persian fortress Ur, between Nesibis and the Tigris. It was visited by Mr. Wolfe, Mr. Buckingham, and by others. tf And called thee from the chief men thereof. Or rather from the extremities of the earth. The word '"12£^ means properly a side; and when applied to ' e
10 Feai "thou not; for 1 am with *thec; be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen7 thee; yea, I will help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
earth, means the sides, ends, or extremities of it. In Ex. xxiv. 11, it is rendered " nobles," from an Arabic word signifying to be deep-rooted, and hence those who are sprung from an ancient stock. Gesenius. In this place it is evidently used in the same sense as the word (^^) meaning side, in the sense of extremity, or end. The parallelism requires us to give this interpretation to the word. So Jerome renders it, a longinquis ejus (sc. terra). The LXX render it e* t<Zv gk^tti+v," from the speculations of the earth" {Thompson); or rather perhaps meaning from the extremity of vision; from the countries lying in the distant horizon; or from the elevated places which offered an extensive range of vision. The Chaldee renders it, " from the kingdoms I have selected thee." Symmachus renders it, d-d ruv ayxiovwv uvr?ti — from its angles, its corners, its extremities. Some have supposed that this refers to the deliverance from Egypt, but the more probable interpretation is that which refers it to the call of Abraham from Chaldea; and the idea is, that as God had called him from that distant land, and had made him his friend, he would preserve and guard hi3 posterity. Perhaps it may be implied that he would be favourable to them in that same country from whence he had called their illustrious progenitor, and would in like manner conduct them to the land of promise, i. e. to their own
10. Fear thou not. This verse is plain in its meaning, and is full of consolation. It is to be regarded as addressed primarily to the exile Jews during their long and painful captivity in Babylon; and the idea is, that they who had been selected by God to be his peculiar people had nothing to fear. But the
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall bo ashamed* and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they 4that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and
promise is one that may be regarded as I addressed to all his people in similar eiri cumstances,and it is as true now as it was I then, that those whom God has chosen j have nothing to fear. II For Iamwitk i thee. This is a reason why they should I not be afraid. God was their protector, and of whom should they be afraid? "If God be for us, who can be agaii st us I" What higher consolation can man desire than the assurance that he is with him to protect him? 1T Be not dismayed. The word here rendered dismayed ( 5PN23PI) is derived from ( nSEJ) to see, to look; and then to look about as one does in a state of alarm, or danger. The sense here is, that they should be calm, and under no apprehension from their foes. IT For I am thy God. I am able to preserve and strengthen thee. The God of heaven was their God; and as he had all power, and that power was pledged for their protection, they had nothing to fear. IT / will uph *ld thee. I will enable you to bear all your trials. IT With the right hand of my righteousness. With my faithful right hand. The phrase is a Hebrew mode of expression, meaning that God's hand was faithful; that it might be relied on, and would secure them.
11. Ail they that were incensed against thee. They who were enraged against thee, i. e. the Chaldeans who made war upon you, and reduced you to bondage. IF Shall be ashamed and confounded. To be ashamed and confounded is often used as synonymous with being overcome and destroyed. 1T They that strive with thee. Marg., as in the Hebrew," the men of thy strife." The expression refers to their enemies, the Babylonians.
shalt not find them, even sthem that contended with thee: 6they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. 13 For I the Lokd thy God will hold thy 'right hand, saying
them, for they should cease to exist. The whole verse, with the verse following, is emphatic, repeating in varied term3 what was said before, and meaning that their foes should be entirely destroyed.
13. Fear not. Note,ver. 10. IT Thou uoiin. This word is properly applied as it is with us, to denote a worm, such as is generated in putrid substances, Ex. xvi. 20, Isa. xiv. 11, lxvi. 24; or such as destroy plants, Jonah iv. 7, Deut. xxvlii. 39. It is used also to describe a person that is poor, afflicted, and an object of insignilicance:
Behold even to the moon, antl it shineth not; Yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm; And the son of man which is a worm?
In the passage before us, it is applied to the Jews in Babylon as poor and afflicted, and as objects of contempt in view of their enemies. It implies that in themselves they were unable to defend or deliver themselves, and in this state of helplessness, God offers to aid them, and assures them that they have nothing to fear. IT And ye men of Israel. Margin, "few men." V^i^i ij-\y me the Israel. There has been a great variety in the explanation of this phrase. Aquila renders it redvshiris, and Theodotion, vcKpol, dead. So the Vulgate, qui mortui estis ex Israel.. The LXX render it, " Fear not, Jacob, dXiyoord? 'lapan'X, O diminutive Israel." The Chaldee, " Fear not, O tribe of the house of Jacob, ye seed of Israel." Lowth renders it, "ye mortals of Israel." The Hebrew denotes properly, as in our translation, " men of Israel; " but there is evidently included the idea of fewness
unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou \\ orm Jacob, and ye 'men of Jsrael; I will help thee, saith mo Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
or feebleness. The parallelism requires us so to understand it; and the word men, or mortal men, may well expresa the idea of feebleness. ^ And thy Redeemer. On the meaning of this word, see Notes on ch. xxxv. 9, and ch. xliii. lj 3. It is applied here to the rescue from the captivity of Babylon, and ia used in the general sense of deliverer. God would deliver, or rescue them as he had done in times past. He had done it so often, that this might be regarded as his appropriate appellation, that he was the Redeemer of his people. IT The Holy One of Israel. The Holy Being whom the Israelites adored, and who was their protector, and their friend. See Note, ch. ii. 4. This appellation is often given to God. See ch. v. 19, 24, x. 20, xii. 6, xvii. 7, xxix. 19, xxx. 11, 12. We may remark in view of these verses, ( 1.) That the people cf God are in themselves feeble and defenceless. They have no strength on which they can rely. They are often so encompassed with difficulties which they feel they have no strength to overcome, that they are disposed to apply to themselves the appellation of " worm," and by others they are looked on as objects of contempt, and are despised. (2.) They have nothing to fear. Though they are feeble, their God and Redeemer is strong. He is their Redeemer, and their friend, and they may put their trust in him. Their enemies cannot ultimately triumph over them, but they will be scattered and become as nothing. (3.) In times of trial, want, and persecutic n, the friends of God should put then trust alone in him. It is often the plan of God so to afflict and humble his people, that they shall feel their utter help lessness and dependence, and be led to hirr as the only source of strength.
15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having 2teeth: thou shalt thresh
15. Behold, I will make thee, &c. The object of the illustration in this verse and the following is, to show that God would clothe them with power, and that all difficulties in their way would vanish. To express this idea, the prophet uses an image derived from the mode of threshing in the East, where the heavy wain or sledge was made to pass over a large pile of sheaves, and to bruise out the grain, and separate the chaff so that the wind would drive it away. The phrase, " I will make thee," means, ' I will constitute, or appoint thee,' i. e., thou shalt be such a threshing instrument. It is not that God would make such a sledge or wain for them, but that they should he such themselves; they should beat down and remove the obstacles in the way as the threshing v/ain crushed the pile of grain. IT A new sharp threshing instrument. A threshing wain, or a corn-drag. For a description of this, comp. the Notes on ch. xxviii. 27, 23. 1T Having teeth. Or with double edges. The Hebrew word is applied to a sword, and means a two-edged sword. Ps. cxlix. 6. The instrument here referred to was serrated, or so made as to cut up the straw and separate the grain from the chaff. The following descriptions from Lowth and Niebuhr, may serve still further to illustrate the nature of the instrument here referred to. " The drag consisted of a sort of frame of strong planks made rough at the bottom with hard stones or iron; it was drawn by horses or oxen over the corn-sheaves spread on the floor, the driver sitting upon it. The wain was much like the drag, but had wheels of iron teeth, or edges like a saw. The axle was armed with iron teeth or serrated wheels throughout: it moved upon three rollers, armed with iron teeth or wheels, to cut the straw. In Syria, they mat's use of the drag, constructed in the very same manner as above described. This not only forced out the the 'mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
grain, but cut the straw in pieces, foi fodder for the cattle, for in the eastern countries they have no hay. The last method is well known from the law cf Moses, which forbids the ox to be muzzled, when he treadeth out the corn. Deut. xxv. 4." Lowth. " In threshing their corn, the Arabians lay the sheaves down in a certain order, and then lead over them two oxen, dragging a large, stone. This mode of separating the ears from the straw is not unlike that of Egypt. — They use oxen, as the ancients did, to beat out their corn, by trampling upon the sheaves, and dragging after them a clumsy machine. This machine is not, as in Arabia, a stone cylinder, nor a plank with sharp stones, as in Syria, but a sort of sledge, consisting of three rollers, fitted with irons, which turn upon axles. A farmer chooses out a level spot in his fields, and has his corn carried thither in sheaves, upon asses or dromedaries. Two oxen are then yoked in a sledge, a driver gets upon it, and drives them backwards and forwards upon the sheaves, and fresh oxen succeed in the yoke from time to time. By this operation, the chaff is very much cut down; the whole is then winnowed, and the pure grain thus separated. This mode of threshing out the corn is tedious and inconvenient; it destroys the chaff, and injures the quality of the grain." Niebuhr. In another place Niebuhr tells us that two parcels or layers of com are threshed out in a day; and they move each of them as many as eight times, with a wooden fork of five prongs, which they call meddre. Afterwards, they throw the straw into the middle of the ring, where it forms a heap, which grows bigger and bigger; when the first layer is threshed, they replace the straw in the ring, and thresh it as before. Thus, the straw becomes every time smaller, till at last it resembles chopped straw. After this, with the fork just described they cast the whola
16 Thou shalt fan/them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in rthe* Lord, and shalt glory h'm the Holy One of Israel.
tome yards from thence, and against the wind, which driving back the straw, the corn and the ears not threshed out fall apart from it, and make another heap. A man collects the clods of dirt, and other impurities, to which any corn adheres, and throws them into a sieve. They afterwards place in a ring the heaps in which a good many entire ears are still found, and drive over them, for four ar iive hours together, a dozen couples of oxen, joined two and two, till, by absolute trampling, they have separated the grains, which they throw into the air with a shovel to cleanse them. IT Thou shalt thresh the mountains. The words * mountains " and " hills " in this verse seem designed to denote the kingdoms greater and smaller that should be opposed to the Jews, and that should become subject to them. RosenmUller. Grotiua supposes that the prophet refers particularly to the Medes and Babylonians. But perhaps the words are used to denote simply difficulties or obstacles in their way, and the expression may mean that they would be able to overcome all those obstacles, and to subdue all that opposed them — as if in a march they should crush all the mountains, and dissipate all the hills by an exertion of power.
16. Thou shalt fan them. Keeping up the figure commenced in the previous verse. To fan here means to winnow, an operation which was performed by throwing the threshed grain up with a shovel into the air, so that the wind drove the chaff away. So all their enemies, and all the obstacles which were in their way should be scattered. 1T And the whirlwind shall scatter them. The ancients believed that men might be swept away by a storm or whirlwind. See Job xxvii.
17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, 1 the Lord will hear them, / the God of Israel will not forsake them.
The cast wind carrieth him away and lie departeth; And as a storm hurlcth him out of his place.
Snatch me. ye whirlwinds! far from rmman race
Tost through the void illimitable space;
Or if dismounted from the rapid cloud,
IMe with his whelming wave let ocean shroud 1
See Notes on Job xxx..12. IT And thou shalt rejoice in the Lord. In view of the aid which he has vouchsafed, and the deliverance which he has wrought for you. IT Shalt glory. Shalt boast, or shalt exult. You will regard God as the author of your deliverance, and joy in the proofs of his interposition, and of his gracious protection and care.
17. TVhen the poor and needy seek water. Water is often used in the Scriptures as an emblem of the provisions of divine mercy. Bursting foumtains in a desert, and flowing streams unexpectedly met with in a dry and thirsty land, are often also employed to denote the comfort and refreshment which the gospel furnishes to sinful and suffering man in his journey through this world. The " poor and needy " here doubtless refer primarily to the afflicted captives in Babylon. But the expression of the prophet is general, and the description is as applicable to hia people at all times in similar circumstances as it was to them. The imaga here is derived from their anticipated return from Babylon to Judea. The jour ney lay through a vast pathless desert. See Notes on ch. xl. 3. In that journey when they were weary, faint and thirs y, God would meet and refresh them as if he should open fountains in their way, and plant trees with far-reaching boughi and thick foliage along the road to produce a grateful shade, and make the whole journey through a pleasant grove.
IS I will open rivers din high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness *a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
As lie had met their fathers in their journey from Egypt to the land of Canaan, and had brought water from the flinty rock in the desert (Ex. xv. 22, seq), so in their journey through the sands of Arabia Deserta he would again meet them, and provide for all their wants.
18. / will open rivers. That is, I will cause rivers to flow. See Note ch. xxxv. 7. The allusion is here doubtless to the miraculous supply of water in the desert when the Israelites had come out of Egypt. God then supplied their wants; and in a similar manner he would always meet his people, and would supply their wants as if rivers of pure water were made to flow from dry and barren hills. It In high places. The word here used denotes properly barrenness, or nakedness, Job xxxiii. 21; and then a hill that is bare, or destitute of trees. It is applied usually to hills in a desert Jer. iii. 2, 21, iv. 71, vii. 29, xiv. 6. Such hills, without trees, and in a dry and lonely desert, were of course usually without water. The idea is, that God would refresh them as if rivers were made to flow from such hills; and it may not improperly be regarded, as a promise that God would meet and bless his people in situations, and from sources where they least expected refreshment and comfort. IT And fountains in the midst of the valleys. See Note ch. xxxv. 6, xxx. 25. IT / will make the wilderness. Note ch. xxxv. 7.
19. / will plant in the wilderness. The image in this verse is one that is frequent in Isaiah. It i» designed to show that God would furni&h for his people abundant consolations, and that he would furnish unanticipated sources of comfort, and would remove from them their anticipated trials and calamities. The image refers to the return of the exiles to their own land. That journey lay
19 1 gwill plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah-tree, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree, I will set in the desert the fntree, and the pine, and the boxtree together;
through Arabia Deserta — a vast desert — where they would naturally expect to meet with nothing but barren hills, naked rocks, parched plains, and burning sands. God says that he would bless them in the same manner as if in that desolate wilderness he should plant the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the fir-tree, and should make the whole distance a grove, where fountains would bubble along their way, and streams burst forth from the hills. Comp. Notes ch. xxxii. 15. IT The cedar. The large and beautiful cedar, with lofty height, and extended branches, such as grew on Lebanon. Comp. Note ch. ix. 10, xxxvii. 24. 1T The shittah-tree. This is the Hebrew name without change, nt^j shittd. The Vulgate is spinam. The LXX render it t.v&v, the box. Lowth renders it the acacia. Probably the acacia, or the spina JEgyptiaca — the Egyptian thorn of the ancients— is intended by it. It is a large tree, growing abundantly in Egypt and Arabia, and is the tree from which the Gum Arabic is obtained. It is covered with large black thorns, and the wood ia hard, and when old resembles ebony. IT And the myrtle. The myrtle is a tree which rises with a shrubby upright stem, eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a dense, full head, closely garnished with oval lanceolate leaves. It has numerous small pale flowers from the axillas, singly on each footstalk. Encyc. There are several species of the myrtle, and they are especially distinguished for their forming a dense and close top and thus constituting a valuable tree for shade. It is a tree thai grows with great rapidity. IT And iht. oil-tree. Heb. tree of oil; i. e. producing oil. Doubtless the olive i3 intended here, from whose fruit oil waa obtained in abundance. Tbis was a coin-
20 That they n ay see and know, and consider, and understand togel/ier, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the
inon tree in Palestine, and was one of the most valued that grew. ^ The firtree. The word here used, 12T12 htrosh, is commonly rendered, in our version, fir-tree; Isa. lx. 13, lv. 13, Zech. xi. 2, Hos. xiv. 8, 9, 2 Sam. vi. 5, 1 Kings v 8, 10, vi. 15, 34, Nan. ii. 3, and in other places. Our translators understood it evidently as referring to the cedar. It is often joined, however, with the cedar ( see Note Isa. xiv. 8. Comp. xxxvii. 54. Zech. xi. 1,2), and evidently denotes another tree, probably of the same class. It is probable that the word usually denotes the cypress. There are various kinds of cypress. Some are evergreen, and some are deciduous, as the American white cedar. The wood of these trees is remarkable for its durability. Among the ancients, coffins were made of it, and the tree itself was an emblem of mourning. It is here mentioned because its extended branches and dense foliage would produce a grateful shade. IT And the pine. The LXX render this \tiKnv the while poplar. The Vulgate renders it the elm. Gesenius supposes that a species of hard oak, holm or ilex, is intended. It is not easy, however, to determine what species of tree is meant. IT The box-tree. Gesenius supposes that by this word is denoted some tall tree — a species of cedar growing on mount Lebanon that was distinguished by the smallness of its cones, and the upward direction of its branches. With us the word box denote,? a shrub used for bordering flower beds. But the word here denotes a tree — such as was sufficient to constitute a shade.
20. That they. The Jews, the people who shall be rescued from their long captivity, and restored again to their own land. So rich and unexpected Would be the blessings — as if in a pathless desert the most beautiful and refreshing trees and fountains should sud-
Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21 Produce3 your cause, r.aith the Lord: bring forth your
denly spring up — that they would have the fullest demonstration that they:ame from God. ir Hath created it. That is, all this is to be traced to him. In the apocryphal book of Baruch there is an expression respecting the return from Babylon remarkably similar to that which is used here by Isaiah: " Even the woods and every sweet-smelling tree shall overshadow Israel by the commandment of God." ch. v. 8.
21. Produce your cause. This address is made to the same persons who are referred to in ver. 1 — the worshippers of idols; and the prophet here returns to the subject with reference to a further argument on the comparative power of Jehovah and idols. In t^e former part of the chapter God had urged his claims to confidence from the fact that he had raised up Cyrus; that the idols were weak and feeble compared with him; and from the fact that it was his fixed purpose to defend his people, and to meet and refresh them when faint and weary. In the verses which follow the 21st, he urges his claims to confidence from the fact that he alone was able to predict future events, and calls on the worshippers of idols to show their claims in the same manner. This is the " cause " which is now to be tried. 1T Bring forth your strong reasons. Adduce the arguments which you deem to be of the greatest strength and power. Comp. Notes on ver. 1. The object is; to call on thcin to bring forward the most convincing demonstration on which they relied, of their power and their ability to save. The argument to which God appeals is, that he had foretold future events. He calls on them to show that they had given, or could give, equal demonstration of their divinity. Lowth regards this as a call on the idol gods to come forth in person and show their strengta. But the interpretation which suppose!
strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
22 Let them °bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things what they be, that we may consider5 them, and know the latter
tha* it refers to their reasons, or arguments, accords better with the parallelism, and with the connexion.
22. Let them bring them forth. Let.he idol3, or the worshippers of idols, >ring forth the evidences of their divine nature and power. Or more probably it means, ' let them draw near, or approach.' % And show us what shall happen. None but the true God can discern the future, and predict what is to occur. To be able to do this, is therefore a proof of divinity to which God often appeals as a demonstration of his own divine character. See ch. xliv. 7,8, xlv. 3-7, xlvi. 9, 10. This idea, that none but the true God can know all things, and can with certainty foretell future events, is one that was admitted even by the heathen. See Xenophon, Cyro. Lib. i.: " The immortal gods know all things, both the past, the present, and those things which shall proceed from each thing." It was on this belief also that the worshippers of idols endeavoured to sustain the credit of their idol gods; and accordingly nearly all the reputation which the oracle at Delphi, and other shrines, obtained, arose from the remarkable sagacity which was evinced in predicting future events, or the skilful ambiguity in which they so couched their responses as to be able to preserve their influence whatever might be the result, IT Let them show tJie former things lohat they be. The idea in this passage seems to be, ' Let them foretell the entire series of events; let them predict, in their order, the things which shall first occur as well as those which ehall finally happen. Let them not select merely an isolated and unconnected event in futurity, but let them declare fhose which shall have a mutual relation find dependency, and whose causes are j end of them; or dec are us t "lings for to come.
23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
now hid.' The argument in the passage is, that it required a far more profound knowledge to predict the series of events as they should actually occur; to foretell their order of occurrence, than it did to foretell one single isolated occurrence. The latter, the false prophets of the heathei: often undertook to do; and undoubtedly they often evinced great sagacity in it. But they never undertook to detail minutely a series of occurrences, and to state the order in which they would happen. In the Scriptures, it is the common way to foretell the order of events, or a series of transactions pertaining often to many individuals or nations, and stretching far into futurity. And it is perfectly manifest that none could do this but God. Comp. ch. xlvi. 10. TT Or declare us things for to come. Declare any event that is to occur: any thing in tl»2 future. If they cannot predict the order of things, or a series of events, let them clearly foretell any single event in futurity.
23. That we may know that ye are gods. The prediction of future events is the highest evidence of omniscience, and of course of divinity. In this passage it is admitted that if they could do it, it would prove that they were worthy of adoration; and it is demanded, that if they were gods they should be able to make such a prediction as would demonstrate that they were invested with a divine nature. H" Yea, do good, or do evil. Do something; show that you have some power; either defend your friends, or prostrate your foes; accomplish something — any thing, good 'or bad, that shall prove that you have power. This is said.n opposition to the character which is usually given to idols in the Scriptures — that they wer« dumb, deaf, dead, inactive, powerlefs.
24 Behold, ye are aof nothing, and your work rof nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
25 I 'have raised up one from
See Psalm cxv. The command here to " do evil," means to punish their enemies, or to inflict vengeance on their foes; and the idea is, that they had no power to do any thing; either to do good to their worshippers, or harm to their enemies; and that thus they showed that they were no gods. The same idea is expressed in Jer. x. 3-5: " They [idols] are upright as the palm-tree, but speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good." 1T That we may be dismayed. Note, ver. 10. The word " we " here refers to those who were the friends and worshippers of Jehovah. ' That I, Jehovah, and my friends and worshippers, may be alarmed, and afraid of what idols may be able to do.' God and his people were regarded as the foes of idols, and God here calls on them to prove that there is any reason why he and his people should be afraid of th«ir power. T And behold it together. That we may all see it; that I and my people may have full demonstration of your power.
24. Behold, ye are of nothing. Marg. worse than nothing.' This refers to idols; and the idea is, that they were utterly vain and powerless; they were as unable to render aid to their worshippers as absolute nothingness would be, and all their confidence in them was vain and foolish. T And your work. All that you do, or all that it is pretended that you do. IF Of nought. Margin, ' or, worse than a viper.9 The word used here in the common Hebrew text, 2?^, occurs in no other place.
Gesenius supposes that this is a corrupt reading for ®V.^. nothing, and so our translai ors have regarded it, and in thi.j vol. B. — 5
the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name; and ho shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.
opinion most expositors agree. Hahn has adopted this reading in his Hebrew Bible. The Jewish Rabbins suppose generally that the word ^?^ is the same word as •"*?fi^. a viper, according to the reading in the margin. But this in erpretation is contrary to the connexion as well as the ancient versions. The Vulgate and Chaldee render it, ' of nought.' The Syriac renders it, • your works are of the sword.' This is probably one of the few instances in which there has been a corruption of the Hebrew text. Comp. Isa. xl. 17, xli. 12, 19. H An abomination is he that chooseth you. They who select idols as the object of worship, and offer to them homage, are regarded as abominable by
25. / have raised up one. In the previous verses God had shown that the idols had no power of predicting future events. He stakes, so to speak, the question of his divinity on that point, and the whole controversy between him and them is to be decided bv the inquiry whether they had the power of foretelling what would come to pass. He hero urges his claims to divinity on this ground, that he had power to foretell future events. In illustration of this, he appeals to the fact that he had raised up, i. e. in purpose, or would afterwards raise up Cyrus, in accordance with his predictions, and in such a way that it would be distinctly seen that he had thia power of foretelling future events. Tc see the force of this argument, it must be remembered that the Jews are contemplated as in Babylon, and near the close of their captivity; that God by the prophets, and especially by Isaiah, distinctly foretold the fact that he would raise up Cyrus to be their deliverer; that these predictions were uttered at least a hundred and fifty years before
26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and be foretime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that showeth;)rea, there is none that declareth; yea,
the time of their fulfilment; and that they would then have abundant evidence that they were accomplished. To these recorded predictions and to their fulfilment, God here appeals, and designs that in that future time when they should be in exile, his people should have evidence that He was worthy of their entire confidence, and that even the heathen should see that Jehovah was the true God, and that the idols were nothing. The personage referred to here i3 undoubtedly Cyrus. See Notes on ver. 2, comp. ch. xlv. 1. IT From the north. In ver. 2, he is said to have been raised up ' from the east.' Both were true. Cyrus was bom in Persia, in the country called in the Scriptures • the east,' but he early went to Media, and came from Media under the direction of his uncle, Cyaxares, when he attacked and subdued Babylon. Media was situated on the north and northeast of Babylon. IF From the rising of the sun. The east — the land of the birth of Cyrus. IT Shall he call upon my name. This expression means, probably, that he should acknowledge Jehovah to be the true God, and recognize him as the source of all his success. This he did in his proclamation respecting the restoration of the Jews to their own land: " Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, Jehovah, God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth." Ezra i. 2. There is no decided evidence that Cyru3 regarded himself as a worshipper of Jehovah, or that he was a pious man, but he was brought to make a public recognition of Ilim as the true God, and to feel that be owed the success of his arms to him. tf And he shall come upon princes. Upon the kings of the nations against whom he shall make war. See vs. 2, 3. The word here rendered ihcre is none that heareth you? words.
27 The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one "that bringeth good hidings.
perly a deputy, a prefect, a governor oi one under another, and is usually applied to the governors of provinces, or the Babylonian princes, or magistrates. Jer. li. 23, 28, 57. Ezek. xxiii. 6, 12, 33. Dan. iii. 2, 27, vi. 8. It is sometimes applied, however, to the chiefs and rulers in Jerusalem in the times of Ezrs and Nehemiah. Ezra ix. 2. Neh. ii. 16, iv. 8, 13, v. 7. Here it is used as a general term; and the sense is, that he would tread down and subdue the kings and princes of the nations that he invaded. IF As upon mortar. See Note ch. x. 6.
26. Who hath declared from the beginning. The meaning of this passage is, ' there is no one among the soothsayers, and the worshippers of idols, who has predicted the birth, the character, and the conquests of Cyrus. There is among the heathen no recorded prediction on the subject, as there is among the Jews, that when he shall have come it may be said that a prediction is accomplished/ IT And keforctime. Formerly; before the event occurred. "if That we may say. That it may be said; that there may be evidence, oi reason for the affirmation. 1T He ia righteous. The words " he is" are not in the Hebrew. The original is simply
" righteous," P^S tzaddiq, just, i. e, ' it is just, or true; the prediction is fulfilled/ It does not refer to the character of God, but to the certainty of the fulfilment of the prediction. IT There is none that showeth There is no one among the worshippers of false gods, the soothsayers and necromancers, that ha» predicted these events. ^ None that heareth your words. There is no one that has heard such a prediction among, you.
28 For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer3 a word.
convey any clear meaning, nor is it possible from the translation to conjecture what the word " first" refers to. The correct rendering undoubtedly is, ' / first aaid to Zion;' and the sense is, * I, Jehovah, first gave to Zion the announcement of these things. I predicted the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and the raising up of the man who should deliver them; and I only have uttered the prophecies respecting the time and circumstances in which these events would occur.* The LXX render it, " I will first give notice to Zion, and I Will comfort Jerusalem in the way." The Chaldee renders it, " The words of consolation which the prophets have uttered respecting Zion in the beginning, lo, they are about to come to pass." The sense of the passage is, that no one of the idol gods, or their prophets, had predicted these events. The first intimation of them had been by Jehovah, and this had been made to Zion, and designed for its consolation. IT Behold, behold them. Lo, these events are about to come to pass. Zion, or Jerusalem, was to behold them, for they were intended to effect its deliverance, and secure its welfare. The words " Zion " and " Jerusalem " here seem intended to denote the Jewish people in general, or to refer to Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish nation. The intimation had been given in the capital of the nation, and thence to the entire people. IT And I will give. Or rather, I give, or I have given. The passage means, that the bearer of the good tidings of the raising up of a deliverer should be sent to the Jewish people. To them the joyful news was announced long before the event; the news of the raising up of such a man — an event of so much interest to them — was made to them long before the heathen had any intimation of it; and it would occur as the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy re-
29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: theil molten images are wind and confusion.
corded among the Jews. The prophet refers here, doubtless, in the main, to his own prophecies uttered so long before the event would occur, and which would be distinctly known when they would be in exile in Babylon.
28. For I beheld. I looked upon the heathen world, among all the pretended prophets, and the priests of Pagan idolatry. IT And there was no man. No man among them who could predict these future events. IF No counsellor. No one qualified to give counsel, or that could anticipate by his sagacity what would take place. IT That, when 1 asked of them. In the manner referred to in this chapter. There is no one of whom it could be inquired what would take place in future times, V Could answer a word. They were unable to discern what would come to pass, or to predict the events which are referred to here.
29. Behold, they are all vanity. They are unable to predict future events; they are unable to defend their friends, or to injure their enemies. This is the conclusion of the trial or debate (Notes ver. 1), and that conclusion is, that they were utterly destitute of strength, and that they were entirely unworthy of confidence and regard. IT Their molten images. See Note ch. xl. 19. 1T Are wind. Have no solidity, or power. The doctrine of the whole chapter is, that confidence should be reposed in God, and in him alone. He is the friend of his people, and he is able to protect them. He will deliver them from the hand of all their enemies; and he will be always their God, protector, and guide. The idols of the heathen have no power; and it is folly, as well as sin, to trust in them, or ta suppose that they can aid their friends It may be added, also, that it is equally vain to trust in any being lor salvation but God. He only is able to protect and defen I us; and it is a source of unspeakable consolation now, as it was in times past, that he is the friend of his people; and that, in times of deepest darkness ai.d distress, he can raise up deliverers, as he did Cyrus, and will in his own way and time rescue his people from all their calamities.
Tt.is chapter is a continuation of the same genera] subject which was presented in the two pre- •~ou# -jhapters. It is to be regarded (see the analysis of ch. xl.) as addressed to the exile Jews in aliylon, and near the close of their captivity, and the general object is to induce them to repose con- Ivience in God, and to assure them of deliverance. The primary purpose of" these chapters, therefore, is, to direct the attention to him who was to be raised up from the east, to rescue them from their bondage, that is, Cyrus. But in doing this, the mind of the prophet, by the laws of prophetic suggestion (see Intiod. to Isaiah § 7, HI. 3.), is also led to a far greater deliverer, and so entirely, and intently at tmes, as to lose sight altogether of Cyrus; and the restoration of the Jews to their own land is forgotten in the sublimer contemplation of the redemption of the world. In the previous chapters, the attention of the prophet had Leen particularly directed to Cyrus, with an occasional reference to the Messiah. In the commencement of this chapter, he seems to have lost sight of Cyrus altogether, and to have fixed the attention wholly on the future Messiah. See No'es on ver. 1. The ( hapter is, as I apprehend, occupied mainly, or entirely, with a description of the character and work of the Messiah. The evidence of this will be adduced in the Notes on the chapter itself. The design for which the Messiah is introduced is to convince the Jews that God was their protector, and that it wa> his purpose that the long promised Prince and Saviour should yet arise from their restored and recovered nation. Of course, it this teas to occur, their national existence would be preserved. There is, therefore, in the chapter a relerence to their return to their own land, though the main scope relates to the Messiah.
The chapter may be regarded as divided into two portions. In the first, from ver. 1 to ver. 9, the prophet describes the Messiah. JEHOVAH is intro.Juced as speaking, and in vs. 1—4 he describes his character. He is the servant of JEHOVAH, endowed with the fulness of the Divine Spirit; meek, and lowly, and gentle, and kind; unobtrusive and noiseless in his movements, and yet eecunng the conquer of truth. JEHOVAH then, vs. 5, 6, 7, addresses the Messiah himself directly, and states the object lor which he had appointed him, to be a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, and to be the pledge of the covenant between him and his people. In vs. 8, 9, JEHO- VAH turns to the pi ople for whom the prophecy was given, and awakens their attention to the subject, reminds them of the predictions which had been made, and says that the fulfilment of this prophecy, like all former predictions, would demonstrate his superiority over idols, and show that he was the true God.
The second part of the chapter, vs. 10—25, consists mainly of a call on the world, and especially on the exile Jews, to rejoice in view of the truth here announced. This general call contains the following portions or parts.
(1.) In the exordium, vs. 10, 12, JEHOVAH calls on the inhabitants of all the earth to praise and glorify his name, and makes his appeal to those who are upon the sea, to the inhabitants of the isles, to th>. wilderness and solitary places, to the villages and the inhabitants of the rock, as all having occasion to rejoice on account of this glorious event.
(a.) In vs. 13—17, JEHOVAH speaks particularly of the deliverance of his people, and of the certainty of its being accomplished. He had long delayed to interpose; but now he would come forth in his strength, and annihilate his foes and redeem his people, and make darkness light belbre them, while all the worshippers of idols should be left without deience or aid.
(3.) The people of Israel are next addressed directly, and their character and duty presented, vs. 18—25. They are addressed as a people blind and deaf, and are admonished to rouse themselves, and to strive to attain to true knowledge. Notwithstanding all that God had done ibr them, and all his gracious interposition, they had hardened their hearts, and shut their eyes, and had steeled themselves against every good impression. For this God had punished them. He had given them as a spoil to their enemies, and overwhelmed them in grievous and Ion? continued calamities. They were now called on to attend to his instructions and promises, and hencelorward be an obedient
1 Behold my servant, whom I j Spirit upon him: he shall bring
uphold, mine elect," in whom my soul delighteth:b I have put my
forth judgment to the Gentiles.
1. Behold. This word is designed! and should command their regard. jo call attend Ml to the person that is J f My servant. This phrase denote! Jnmtdiately referred to. It is an inti- | properly any one who acknowledges or mation that the subject is of importance, | worships God; any one who is regarded as serving or obeying him. It is a term which may be applied to any one who •s esteemed to be a pious man, or who is obedient to the commands of God, and is often applied to the people of God; Gen. 1. 17, 1 Chron. vi. 49, 2 Chron. xxiv. 9, Dan. vi. 20, ix. 2, Titus i. 1, James i. 1,1 Pet. ii. 16, Rev. vii. 3, xv. 3. The word servant may be applied either to Isaiah, Cyrus, or the Messiah; and the question to whom it refers here is to be decided, not by the mere use of the term, but by the connection, and by the characteristics which are ascribed to him who is here designated as the " servant " of Jehovah. There have been no less than five different views in regard to the personage here referred to; and as in the interpretation of the whole prophecy in this chapter every thing depends on this question, it is of importance briefly to examine the opinions which have been entertained. I. One has been that it refers to the Jewish people. The translators of the Septuagint evidently so regarded it. They render it, ' Iuvcl>/? 6 rraTg jtov k.t. \. " Jacob is my servant, I will uphold him; Israel is my chosen one, my soul hath embraced him " Jarchi also so interprets the passage, but so modifies it as to understand by it " the righteous in Israel;" and among the moderns, Rosenmuller, Paulus, and some others adopt this interpretation. The principal reason alleged for this interpretation is, that the phrase " servant of Jehovah," is elsewhere used in a collective sense, and applied to the Jewish people. Rosenmuller appeals particularly to ch. xli. 8, 9; to ver. 19 of this chapter, and to ch. xliv. 21, xlv. 4, xlviii. 20; and argues that it is to be presumed that the prophet used the phrase in a uniform manner, and must therefore be supposed here also to refer to the Jewish people. But the objections are insuperable. (1.) In ver. 6, the servant of Jehovah here referred to, is plainly distinguished from the people, where God says," I will give thee for a covenant of [with] the people." (2.) The description which the prophet gives here of the character of * the servant " of Jehovah, as meek, mild, gentle, quiet, and humble; (vs. 2,
3,) is remarkably unlike the character which the prophet elsewhere gives of the people, and is as remarkably like the character which is every where given of the Messiah. (3.) It was not true oi the Jewish people that they were appointed, as is here said of" the servant" of God, ver. 7, to " open the blind eyea, and to bring the prisoners out of prison." This is evidently applicable only to a teacher, a deliverer, or a guide; and in no sense can it be applied to the collected Jewish people. II. A second opinion has been, that by the ** servant of Jehovah " Cyrus was intended. Many of the Jewish interpreters have adopted this view, and not a few of the German critics. The principal argument for this opinion is, that what precedes and what follows, relates particularly to Cyrus; and an appeal is made particularly to ch. xlv. 1, where he is called the Anointed, and to ch. xliv. 28, where he is called the Shepherd. But to this view also, the objections are obvious. (1.) The name " servant of Jehovah," is, it is believed, nowhere given to Cyrus. (2.) The description here by no means agrees with Cyrus. That he was distinguished for justice and equity, is admitted (see Note in ch. xli. 2), but the expressions here used, that God would ■ put his Spirit upon him, that he should not cry, nor lift up his voice, so that it should be heard in the streets,' is one that is by no means applicable to a man whose life was spent mainly in the tumults of war, and in the pomp and carnage of battle and conquest. How can this description be applied to a man who trod down nations, and subdued kings, and who shed rivers of blood? III. Others suppose that the prophet refers to himself. Among the Jews, Aben Ezra, and among others Grotius and Doedcrli;: held this opinion. The only reason for this is, that in ch. xx. 3, the name *« servant" of Jehovah is given to Isaiah. But the objections to this are plain, and insuperable. ( 1.) Nothing can be urged, as we have seen, from the mere use of the word " servant." (2.) It is inconceivable that a humble prophet like Isai« ah should have applied to himself a description expressive of so much impor* lance as is here attributed to the servant of God. How could the establishment of a new covenant with the people of God, and the conversion of the heathen nations, vs. 6, 7, be ascribed to Isaiah? And in what sense is it true that he was appointed to open the eyes of the blind, and to lead the prisoners from the prison? IV. A fourth opinion, which it may be proper just to notice, is that which is advocated by Gesenius, that the phrase here refers to the prophets takf*n collectively. But this opinion is one that scarce deserves a serious refutation. For, (1.) The name " servant of Jehovah," is never given to any collection of the prophets. (2.) Any such collection of the prophets is a mere creature of the fancy. When did they exist1? Who composed the collection? And how could the name " servant " designate them? (3.) Of what collection of men could it be imagined that the description here given could be applied, that such a collection should not strive, nor cry; that it should be a covenant of the people, and that it should be the means of the conversion of the Gentile world? V. The fifth opinion, therefore, is, that it refers to the Messiah; and the direct arguments in favour of this, independent of the fact that it is applicable to no other one, are so strong as to put it beyond debate. A few of them may be referred to. (1.) This is the interpretation of the Chaldee Paraphrase, which has retained the exposition of the ancient and early Jews. " Behold my servant, the Messiah — NrptttE I'naS; I will cause him to come near; my chosen." (2.) There are such applications of the passage in the New Testament to the Lord Jesus, as to leave no room to doubt that, in view of the sacred writers, the passage had this reference. Thus in Luke ii. 32, he is spoken of as " a light to lighten the Gentiles." Comp. ver. 6, of the chapter before us. In Acts xxvi. 18, Paul speaks of him as given to the Gentiles, m to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light." Comp. Isa. xlii. 7. In Matt. iii. 17, God says of the Redeerper, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleaseJ," — lar.guag« remarkably similar to the passage befor* us, ver. 1, where he says, " mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth." And the whole inquiry is put to rest by the fact that Matthew, in ch. xii. 17-21, expressly and directly applies the passage to the Lord Jesus, and says that it was fulfilled in him. (3.) It may be added, that the entire description is one that is exactly and entirely applicable to the Lord Jesus. It is as applicable as if it had been made after he had appeared among men, and as if it were the language of biography, and not of prophecy. It is an exceedingly beautiful and tender description of the Son of God; nor can there be any objection to its application to him, except what arises from a general purpose not to apply any part of the Old Testament to him if it can be avoided. I shall regard the passage, therefore, as applicable to him, and him alone; and suppose that the design of the Spirit here in introducing this reference to the Messiah is, to comfort the hearts of the exile Jews with the assurance that they must be restored to their own land, because it was from them that the Messiah was to proceed, and from them tha t the true religion was to be spread around the world. IT Whom I uphold. Whom I sustain, or protect; i. e. who is the object of my affection and care. In Matt, iii. 17, the expression is, "in whom I am well pleased." And so in Matt. xii. 18, it is rendered, " my servant, whom I have chosen." IT Mine elect. My chosen one; or the one whom I have selected to accomplish my great purposes. It implies that God had designated or appointed him for the purpose. In Matt. xii. 18, it is rendered " my beloved." It implies that he was the object of the divine favour, and that God had chosen or appointed him to perform the work of a Messiah. IT In whom my soul delighteth. This language is applied to the Lord Jesus in Matt. iii. 17, and xii. 18. God regarded him as qualified for his work; he approved of what he did; he was well pleased with all his words, and thoughts, and plans. The word " soul" here is equivalent to J myself— in whom i" delight. 1T / have put
2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
my Spirit upon him. Comp. John iii. 34: " For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." The Lord Jesus was divine, yet as mediator he is every where represented as " the anointed" of God, or as endowed with the influences of the Holy Spirit. Comp. Note ch. xi. 2. See also Isa. lxi. 1, where the Messiah says of himself, " The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me." Comp. Luke iv. 18. Before he entered upon his public ministry the Spirit of God descended on him at his baptism (Matt. iii. 17), and in all his work he showed that ha was endowed abundantly with ihat Spirit. IT He shall bring forth judgment. The word
"judgment," EB1UE, is U3ed in a great variety of significations. It properly means judgment, i. e., the act of judging, Lev. xix. 15; the place of judgment, Eccl. iii. 16; a cause, or suit before a judge, Num. xxviii. 5; a sentence of a judge, 1 Kings iii. 28; and thence guilt or crime, for which one is judged. Jer. li. 9. It also means right, rectitude, justice; a law, or statute; a claim, privilege, or due; also manner, custom, or fashion; or an ordinance, or institution. Here it is used, probably, in the sense of the order or institution that would be introduced under the Messiah; and it means that he would set up or establish the true religion among the Gentiles. IT To the Gentiles. This is one of the many declarations which occur in Isaiah, that the Messiah would extend the true religion to Pagan nations, and that they should be brought to participate in its privileges.
2. He shall not cry. He will not make a clamour, or noise; he will not be boisterous, in the manner of a man of strife and contention. IT Nor lift up. That is, his voice. tf Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. He shall not use loud and angry words, as they do who are engaged in conflict, but all his teaching shall be gentle, humble, and mild.
break, and the 7smoking flax shall he not 8quench: he shal. bring forth judgment unto truth.
How well this agrees with the character of the Lord Jesus it is not necessary la pause to show. He was uniformly unostentatious, modest, and retiring. He did not even desire that his deeds should bf blazoned abroad, but sought to be withdrawn from the world, and to pursue hia humble path in perfect peace.
3. A bruised reed. The word reed means the cane, or calamus, which grows up in marshy or wet places. Isa. xxxvi. 6. See Note ch. xliii. 24. The word, therefore, literally denotes that which is fragile, weak, easily waved by the wind, or broken down: and stands in contrast with a lofty and firm tree. Comp. Matt, xi. 7: " What went ye out in the wilderness to see 7 A reed shaken with the wind V The word here, therefore, may be applied to men that are conscious of feebleness and sin; that are moved and broken by calamity; that feel that they have no strength to bear up against the ills of life. The word bruised yw* ratzutz means that which is broken or crushed, but not entirely broken off. As used here, it may denote those who are in themselves naturally feeble, and who have been crushed or broken down by a sense of sin, by calamity, or by aftiietion. We speak familiarly of crushing or breaking down by trials; and the phrase here is intensive and emphatic — denoting those who are at best like a reed — feeble and fragile; and who in addition to that, have been broken and oppressed by a sense of their sins, or by calamity. IT Shall he not break. Shall he not break off. He will not cany on the work of destruction, and entirely crush or break it. And the idea is, that he will not make those already broken down with a sense of sin and with calamity, more wretched. He will not deepen their afflictions, or augment their trials, or multiply their sorrows. The sense is, that he will have an affectionate regard for the broken hearted, the hum ble,the peniteut.and the afflicted. Lu
4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judg-
ther has well expressed this: " He does not cast away, nor crush, nor condemn the wounded in conscience, those who are terrified in view of their sins; the weak in faith and practice; but watches over and cherishes them, makes them whole, and affectionately embraces them." The expression is parallel to that which occurs in ch. lxi. 1, where it is said of the Messiah, * He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted; " and to the declaration in ch. 1. 4, where it is Baid, " that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." IT The smoking flax. The word here used denotes flax, and then a wick that is made of it. The word rendered smoking— flflS — means that which is weak, small, thin, feeble; then that which is just ready to go out, or to be extinguished; and the phrase refers literally to the expiring wick of a lamp, when the oil is almost consumed, and when it shines with a feeble and dying lustre. It may denote here the condition of one who is feeble, and disheartened, and whose love to God seems almost ready to expire. And the promise that he will not extinguish or quench that, means that he would cherish, feed, and cultivate it; he would supply it with grace, as with oil to cherish the dying flame, and cause it to be enkindled, and to rise with a high and Bteady brilliancy. The whole passage is descriptive of the Redeemer, who nourishes the most feeble piety in the hearts of his people, and who will not suffer true religion in the soul ever to become wholly extinct. It may seem as if the slightest breath of misfortune or opposition would extinguish it forever; it may be like the dying flame that hangs on the point of the wick, but if there be true religion it will not be extinguished, but will be enjrindled to a pure and glowing flame, and it will yet rise high, and bum brightly. IT He shall bring forth judgment. See ver. 1. The word "judgment" here evidently denotes the true religion; the laws, institutions, and appointments of
ment in the earl/i: and the isles shall wait for his *law.
God. H Unto truth. Matthew (ch. xii. 29) renders this, " unto victory." The meaning in Isaiah is, that he shall establish his religion according to truth; he shall faithfully announce the true precepts of religion, and secure their ascendency among men. It shall overcome all falsehood, and all idolatry, and shall obtain a final triumph in all nations. Thus explained, it is clear that Matthew has retained the general idea of the passage, though he has not quoted it literally.
4. He shall not fail. He shall not be weak, feeble, or disheartened. However much there may be that shall tend to discourage, yet his purpose is fixed, and he will pursue it with steadiness and ardour until the great work shall be fully accomplished. There may be an allusion in the Hebrew word here, ^J^l yikhhe, to that which is applied to the flax ftH3 khehd; and the idea may be that he shall not become in his purposes like the smoking, flickering, dying flame of a lamp. There shall never be any indication, even amidst all embarrassments, that it is his intention to abandon his plan of extending the true religion through all the world. Such also should be the fixed and determined purposes of his people. Their zeal should never fail; their ardour should never grow languid. IT Nor he discouraged. Margin, broken. The Hebrew word 7*n?
yarutZy may be derived either from Y'4~} ratzaiz, to break, to break in pieces; or from Y^> rutz, to run, to move hastily, to rush upon any one. Our translators have adopted the former. Gesenius also supposes that this is the true interpretation of the word, and that it means, that he would not be broken, i. e. checked in his zeal, or discouraged by any opposition. The latter interpretation is preferred by Vitringa, RosenmQller, Hengstenberg; and others. The Chaldec renders it," and shall not labour," i, e. shall not be fatigued, or discouraged. The
5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that
LXX render it " he shall shine out, and not be broken." The connexion seems to require the sense which our translators have given to it, and according to this, the meaning is, * he shall not become broKen in spirit, or discouraged; he shall persevere amidst all opposition and embarrassment, until he shall accomplish his purposes.' "We have a similar phraseology when we speak of a man's being heart-broken. IF Till he have set judgment. Till he has secured the prevalence of the true religion in all the world. T And the isles. Distant nations (see Note ch. xli. 1); the heathen nations. The expression is equivalent to saying that the Gentiles would be desirous of receiving the religion of the Messiah, and would wait for it. See Notes on ch. ii. 3. IT Shall wait. They shall be dissatisfied with their own religions, and Bee that their idol gods are unable to aid them; and they shall be in a posture of waiting for some new religion that shall meet their wants. It cannot mean that they shall wait for it, in the sense of their already having a knowledge of it, but that, their being sensible that their own religions cannot save them may be represented as a condition of waiting for some better system. It has been true, as in the Sandwich Islands, that the heathen have been so dissatisfied with their own religion as to cast away their idols, and to be without any religion, and thus to be in a waiting posture for some new and better system. And it may be true yet that the heathen shall become extensivelj dissatisfied with their idolatry; that they shall be convinced that some better system is necessary, and chat they may thus be prepared to welcome the gospel when it shall be proposed to them. It may be that in this manner God intends to remove the now apparently insuperable obstacles to the Bpread of the gospel in the heathen world. The LXX render this, " And in his name thall the Gentiles trust," which form has VOL. ii. — 5*
which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people up. on it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
been retained by Matthew, ch. xii. 21. IT His law. His commands, the institutions of his religion. The word " law " is often used in the Scriptures to denote the whole of religion.
5. Thus saith God the Lord. This verse commences a new orm of discourse. It is still Jehovah who speaks; but in the previous verses he had spoken of the Messiah in the third person; here he is introduced as speaking to him directly. He introduces the discourse by showing that he is the Creator and Lord of all things. The object of his dwelling on this seems to have been, to show that he had power to sustain the Messiah in the work to which he had called him; and to secure for him respect as having been commissioned by him who had formed the heavens and the earth, and who ruled over all. He shows that he had power to accomplish all that he hud promised: and he seeks thus to elevate and confirm the hopes of the people, with the assurance of their deliverance and salvation. IT And stretched them out. The heavens are often represented as stretched out as a veil (Gen.). G, Heb.), or as an expanse that can be rolled up (Note, Isa. xxxiv. 4), or as a ten for the appropriate dwelling place of God. Note, ch. xl. 22. His great power and glory are indicated by the fact that he has stretched out what to us appears a vast expanse over our heads. On the grammatical construction of the word which occurs here in the Heb. see Rosenmuller in loc. IT He that spread forth the earth. He stretched it out as a plain — retaining the idea which was so common among the ancients that the earth was a vast plain, reaching from one end of the heavens to the other. The words, however, which are here used are not inconsistent with the idea that the earth ii a sphere, since it may still be represented as stretched out, or expanded to a vast extent. The main idea in the passage is not to teach the form in which the
6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of
earth is made, but to show that it has Deen made by God. IT And that which cometh out of it. The productions of the earth — the trees, shrubs, grain, &c. As the verb to stretch out cannot be applied to these, some verb must be understood; as he produced, or caused to grow. IT He that giveth breath and spirit to them. This refers, doubtless, to beasts as well as to men; and the idea is, that God is the source of life to all the creatures that live and move on the earth. The argument in the passage is, that as God is the creator and upholder of all; as he has given life to all, and has the universe entirely under his control, he has a right to appoint whom he will to be the medium of his favours to men, and to demand that suitable respect shall be shown to the Messiah whom he has designated for this work.
6. / the Lord have called thee in righteousness. The phrase " in righteeusness" has been very differently understood by different expositors. See Note ch. xli. 10. The most probable meaning may be, ' I have done it as a righteous and just God, or in the accomplishment of my righteous purposes. I am the just moral governor of the universe, and to accomplish my purposes of Justice and fidelity, I have designated thee to this work.' Lowth has well rendered it " for a righteous purpose." In this work all was righteousness. God was righteous, who appointed him; it was because he was righteous, and could not save without a mediator and an atonement, that he sent him into the world; he selected one who was eminently righteous to accomplish his purpose; and he came that he might establish righteousness on the earth, and confirm the just government of God. See ver. 21. IT And will hold thine hand. I will take thee by the hand, as one does who guides and leads another. The phrase denotes the same as to guard, •r keep-^as we protect a child by tak-