Intercession for the Salvation of Zion, with further Predictions of her Glory Although the chapter is commonly treated as forming along with ch. 61 a single discourse, it has a distinct character of its own, and is perhaps better regarded as the last member of the Trilogy commencing with ch. 60. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
The speaker here is most naturally to be supposed the prophet, although the words are often explained as those of Jehovah Himself. This, however, is less probable, in spite of the fact that the verb for "hold my peace" is always in these Chapter s, except here and Isaiah 62:6, used by or of Jehovah... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Gentiles &c._ Rather, AND NATIONS. Cf. ch. Isaiah 60:3. _a new name_ the symbol both of a new character and a new relation to God. Cf. Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:12, ch. Isaiah 65:15. _which the mouth of the Lord shall name_ Rather, SHALL DETERMINE (as Genesis 30:28). This new name is a... [ Continue Reading ]
_a crown of glory_ R.V. OF BEAUTY. There is probably an allusion to the mural crown which tutelary deities of cities are sometimes represented as wearing, on ancient coins &c. The prophet for some reason hesitates to adopt the heathen image in its completeness; and pictures Jehovah as holding the cr... [ Continue Reading ]
The reunion of Zion with her Husband and her children. Cf. ch. Isaiah 49:14 ff., Isaiah 54:1 f., Isaiah 54:4 ff. _Forsaken_ Hebr. _-ăsûbâh_; found as a proper name in 1 Kings 22:42. Similarly _Hephzi-bah_("delight in her") is the actual name of the mother of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1). _Beulah (bĕ-ûl... [ Continue Reading ]
so _shall thy sons marry thee_ The harshness of the conception is obvious; and it is hardly relieved by pointing to the double meaning of the verb _bâ-al_("marry" and "possess"). Lowth and others, by a slight emendation of the text, read "so shall thy Builder (Jehovah) marry thee." (So Cheyne, who r... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have set … walls_ Another translation might be: "I have appointed guardians of thy walls." The verb for "set" means strictly "commission," and the thing put in commission is expressed by the prep. rendered "upon." On either view, the "walls" are the ruined walls of the actual city, rather than th... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah hears perpetually the voice of importunate intercession ascending for the ruined walls of Jerusalem. This is the thought poetically expressed in the two verses, but the details of the conception present several difficult questions. In the first place, Who are meant by the _watchmen_, or rath... [ Continue Reading ]
_Keep not silence_ Lit. "No silence to you!" The word _rest_in the next clause is the same as "silence.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord hath sworn by his right hand &c._ i.e. so surely as He has the power to help. Cf. ch. Isaiah 45:23; Isaiah 54:9. _the sons of the stranger_ R.V. STRANGERS. _thy wine_ Lit. "new wine," must.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah has sworn that the Israelites shall no longer be spoiled by their enemies, but shall be secured in the peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of the ground. The phrase "no longer" seems to imply that at the time of writing the community was exposed to the depredations of its hostile neighbours. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
Cf. ch. Isaiah 65:21-22. _in the courts of my holiness_ Render, IN MY HOLY COURTS; not as R.V., "in the courts of my sanctuary." The allusion is to the festivals in the Temple, where the first-fruits were eaten with rejoicing before Jehovah (Deuteronomy 12:17 f., Isaiah 14:23 ff., Isaiah 16:9-14).... [ Continue Reading ]
_Go through, go through the gates_ To whom are these words addressed? The gates might be those of Babylon, in which case the passage is the exact counterpart of ch. Isaiah 48:20 ("Go ye forth of Babylon") and Isaiah 52:11 ("go ye out from thence"). It is possible, on the other hand, that those addre... [ Continue Reading ]
Announcement of the return of the exiles. The passage resembles ch. Isaiah 48:20 ff., Isaiah 52:11 f.; and at first sight it seems to imply that no exodus from Babylon has as yet taken place. This indeed has been the prevalent view of commentators, based on the assumption that the writer is the same... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world_ Cf. ch. Isaiah 48:20. There redeemed Israel is enjoined to declare to all the world the great salvation it has experienced; here Jehovah Himself makes it known. _thy salvation cometh_ Instead of "the Lord God shall come" in ch. Isaiah 40:... [ Continue Reading ]
Zion and its people shall then be recognised in their true character by all. _The holy people_ The priesthood of humanity; ch. Isaiah 61:6. _The redeemed of the Lord_ ch. Isaiah 35:10 [Isaiah 51:10]; cf. Isaiah 48:20. _Sought out_ i.e. "much sought after." Cf. Jeremiah 30:17, "This is Zion whom n... [ Continue Reading ]