1._Shout. _After having spoken of the death of Christ, he passes on with good reason to the Church; that we may feel mere deeply in ourselves what is the value and efficacy of his death. We cannot behold it in Christ, if he be viewed by himself; and therefore we must come to his body, which is the C... [ Continue Reading ]
2._Widen the place of thy tabernacles. _He continues his argument under other metaphors, and promises that the Lord will not only restore his Church, but will bestow upon her a condition far more excellent. They who think that the Church is compared in this passage to a synagogue are, in my opinion,... [ Continue Reading ]
3._Because thou shalt be multiplied. _Now follows the reason why he commanded the cords to be lengthened for enlarging the tents. It is, that a moderate space would not contain a numerous people, whom the Lord will gather into one from every quarter. Now, because Judea was hideous on account of its... [ Continue Reading ]
4._Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed. _Here, as formerly, he strengthens the hearts of believers, and addresses the whole Church; for the calamity was universal, and the Church appeared to be totally ruined. He bids her be of good cheer, and next assigns the reason; that the issue of her troub... [ Continue Reading ]
5._For thy Maker is thy husband. _He assigns the reason why she will forget all the distresses and calamities which she formerly endured. It is because God will again receive her into favor; for captivity might be said to be a kind of divorce, as we formerly saw. (Isaiah 1:1) He now says, “He who cr... [ Continue Reading ]
6._For as a woman forsaken. _He meets a doubt which might arise in the minds of believers amidst so distressing a calamity. It seemed as if the Lord had rejected them, so that they had nothing to look for but destruction. The Prophet therefore reminds them that they ought not to despair, because the... [ Continue Reading ]
7._For a little moment I forsook thee. _The Prophet explains more fully the former statement, and shows what will be the nature of this divorce, namely, that she shall be speedily restored to her former condition. He magnifies the mercy of God, and extenuates the sorrow by which the hearts of believ... [ Continue Reading ]
8._In a moment of wrath. _He again repeats and enforces this statement, in order to impress it more deeply on the hearts of believers, that they may not be at all discouraged by adversity, and with good reason; for, amidst that frightful darkness, it was not easy for the captives to behold God’s smi... [ Continue Reading ]
9._For the waters of Noah, _or, _As the days of Noah. _There are two readings of this passage; for if we read it כי מי _(ki me), _ כי _(ki) _must be translated _for; _and if we read it כימי, _(kime,) _ כ _(caph) _must be translated _As, _and ימי _(yeme) _must be translated _Days. _(70) As to the gen... [ Continue Reading ]
10._For the mountains shall indeed be moved. _He confirms the former statement, and declares that sooner shall the whole world be turned upside down, than his mercy shall fail. It would be idle to put the question here, how “the mountains shall be moved, or the hills shall shake;” for the comparison... [ Continue Reading ]
11._Thou wretched. _He continues the same subject, and promises not only that the Church shall be restored to her ancient splendor, but that God will cause her to be adorned with attire of greater magnificence, as if it had been wholly composed of precious stones. All this was expressed by Haggai in... [ Continue Reading ]
12._And I will lay thy windows with pearls. _By these metaphors he shows that the condition of the Church, as has been formerly said, will be far better than at any former period. The Church is compared to a building, which is customary in every part of Scripture. (Jeremiah 24:6; Matthew 16:18.) For... [ Continue Reading ]
13._For all thy children. _I consider that the copulative ו _(vau,) _“and,” here, as in many other passages, denotes _for; _and hence we may easily conclude that Isaiah spoke not of doctrine, but of men, of which the spiritual building of the Church is reared. It is by doctrine, indeed, that the Chu... [ Continue Reading ]
14._In righteousness. _He means that God will be the maker and architect of his Church. I am aware that there are some who explain it differently, and who think that “righteousness” means “goodworks.” And indeed that exposition has some plausibility, arising from the Prophet having spoken about doc... [ Continue Reading ]
15._Behold, he who assembleth shall assemble. _The general import is, that, although many rise up for the purpose of overwhelming the Church, yet all their efforts and attacks shall fail; and he appears to promise God’s assistance not only against external foes, but against foes that are domestic an... [ Continue Reading ]
16._Behold, I have created the workmen. _The Lord shows how easily and readily he delivers his Church from the base attacks of wicked men; for they can do nothing but so far as the Lord permits them, though he makes use of them as instruments for chastising his people. Moreover, this may be appropri... [ Continue Reading ]
17._Every weapon. _He again infers what has been already said, that wicked men, even though they exert themselves to the utmost, will gain nothing; for their attacks are guided and restrained by the secret, purpose of God. He makes use of the word “every,” meaning by it that wicked men will have the... [ Continue Reading ]